So over the past few months I've been debating on buying another, more economic, means of transportation. At first I was thinking of some kind of scooter because next year I'll only live about 2-3 miles from OSU and currently I'm spending about $300 a month on gas for my Jeep. Yesterday my dad told me to consider a motorcycle instead, just because it could be more useful in case something were to happen to my Jeep.

Two bikes that I thought looked nice were the Honda Rebel and the Honda Nighthawk. Basically they seemed more in my price range.

I have no experience/knowledge about motorcycles or what to look for so any advice would be appreciated.

5/23/2008 7:19:11 PM

I have a Nighthawk 450. Gets 50-60 mpg, is reasonably quick, comfortable and easy to ride. Its a good all-round bike, particularly for a beginner or a commuter.

Rebels are cheaper, lighter, easier to ride, and would get better mileage, but they're less powerful.

5/23/2008 10:35:00 PM

I would check out the kawasaki ninja 250, a better bike and aroudn the same price range.

[Edited on May 26, 2008 at 12:57 PM. Reason : dd]

5/26/2008 12:56:33 PM

Then '08 Ninja 250's look SICK.

5/26/2008 4:51:27 PM

Quote :

"my dad told me to consider a motorcycle instead"

That's something you don't hear everyday. I keep hearing of parents disapproving of motorcycles even though they used to own motorcycles...including my own parents.

5/26/2008 4:58:26 PM

yeah, mine werent happy that I bought mine, but they'll get over it.

I told my mom for about a month before I bought it "Hey mom, just letting you know that I'm looking at some motorcycles...just dont want it to be a complete shock when I actually buy one"

5/26/2008 6:12:25 PM

for basic transportation, mileage, comfort and reliability, mid-80's xs650's, xv750-920's, and vulcan 750s are hard to beat, early to mid 90's magnas are also good choices for those reasons, for a little higher power and cost

5/26/2008 8:17:29 PM

My uncle just bought a BMW K1200LT and has a 1100ST that he wants to get rid of. What do you think about an ST1100 for a starter bike? Looks like it would be good for my 30 mile commute to work, and it appears it would cut my gas consumption tremendously. Is this a good bike, or am I trying to jump on something too big for a starter?

5/26/2008 9:33:17 PM

if you are lookin at that kinda price range, the st is the pinto in a lot full of cadillacs

5/26/2008 9:54:04 PM

Well what do you suggest then in that price and class/size? And I'm talking mid 90s, so I was thinking 3-5k.

5/27/2008 3:53:11 PM

And while the topic is live, anyone have any thoughts on what's feasible with regards to older cruisers for someone a little taller (6'2")?

5/27/2008 8:21:35 PM

bttt

starting to look for a motorcycle too. never rode before.

i just want something for commuting. doesn't have to look cool or anything and i don't want one of the sport bikes you're leaned forward on. i'm a bigger guy at about 250 lbs, so if that matters. cheaper the better so i'd like to find one that needs some work and fix it up.

suggest an old, reliable bike with decent gas mileage (anything's better than the 15-17 mpg i get now).

6/20/2008 10:48:53 AM

^How much are you looking to spend?

I'd check Craigslist. There's always nice/cheap bikes on there that need work.

[Edited on June 20, 2008 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

6/20/2008 11:11:08 AM

<$1000

[Edited on June 20, 2008 at 11:15 AM. Reason : i'll rebuild a motor if i have to]

6/20/2008 11:13:56 AM

estimating my dakota at 16 mpg and a bike at 50 mpg (is this reasonable?)
gas at $4.00 /gal (and it's only gonna go up)

i have to drive about 600 miles (that'll leave room for insurance and property taxes) on the bike to justify every $100 i put into it. that's $500 for what would be a normal oil change interval in my truck. ride the bike for two oil change intervals and $1000 is justified.

i think i can justify this by riding it anytime the weather is nice and my cargo (or lack thereof) allows it.

6/20/2008 11:30:34 AM

When I first got my motorcycle, I was gearing it more towards being able to park on campus easy and having a good time. Now I have to ride it back and forth to Chapell Hill for my new job :-( I think even that ride will be horrible on gas :-( I am tired of high gas prices...

6/20/2008 11:46:57 AM

what kind of em pee gees should i estimate for a bike in my calculations?

6/20/2008 11:48:00 AM

i had an '82 nighthawk 650...i loved that thing

6/20/2008 11:49:51 AM

look for cheap to learn to ride, then look for what you want

6/20/2008 12:02:05 PM

look for cheap to learn to ride, then look for what you want


all i want is a cheap, ugly POS that's reliable. the purpose isn't to have fun, enjoy my bike, or ride "what i want", it's just to save gas. given a choice i'd much rather just keep driving my truck.

6/20/2008 12:56:01 PM

they are a dime dozen, cheap + reliable, thats a little harder to find

6/20/2008 1:07:10 PM

I'll sell you a pristine sv650 on the lowlow

6/20/2008 1:59:17 PM

how much is the lowlow?

[Edited on June 21, 2008 at 12:47 PM. Reason : that's not really what i'm looking for though]

6/21/2008 12:46:55 PM

$2250 300 original miles

6/21/2008 12:55:54 PM

did you even read the thread?

6/21/2008 1:04:47 PM

yeah, you're not going to get a reliable bike that doesn't suck balls under 2k

[Edited on June 21, 2008 at 1:17 PM. Reason : save maybe a ninja 250]

6/21/2008 1:16:51 PM

there's plenty of 80s model shadows on CL <$1000

6/21/2008 1:23:06 PM

ducati monster

ohhh, i saw a new one yesterday on 440.....dey so purty

6/21/2008 1:42:02 PM

...make sure you're distinguishing between ugly and POS.
It's definitely possible to get what you're looking for for around $1400. If you wait, you might find something as low as $1000... but with gas being so high, bike prices can be higher because the demand just keeps growing.
I looked at lots of old shadows before I bought my Rebel. Most of them needed a LOT of work to be reasonably reliable.
Just be sure to check the tank for rust, especially if the bike has been sitting for a while... dealing with constantly clogged carbs gets to be a b*tch.

6/21/2008 2:37:41 PM

getting either an R6 or CBR600 soon

6/21/2008 10:57:41 PM

^ Get a Yamaha... They're holding the lead in motoGP

The 06' - 08' are nasty as hell!

The 08' CBR1000 are really bad ass too...

6/22/2008 7:28:27 PM

what they're doing in MotoGP has nothing at all to do with which production 600 supersport is better for a street rider.

6/22/2008 8:13:59 PM

i have an 03 cbr600 and its been a great bike, nary a problem and its pretty forgiving.

6/23/2008 11:46:38 AM

anyone ridden a v-star?

6/24/2008 7:17:03 PM

^^^^ i'm leaning towards yamaha because i always had their 2 stroke dirtbikes when I was a younger, not that has anything to do with making the better decision, they're essentially the same bike.

6/24/2008 10:36:46 PM

^^my dad had a v-star 1100 and really liked it. i've generally had good experiences with anything yamaha.

6/25/2008 10:14:38 PM

^^^ ride a V Star 650 Custom. First bike, love it.

6/26/2008 1:16:10 AM

is it very quick at all ... i either want something like that or one of the naked sports bike rides.

6/26/2008 6:47:59 AM

just get a Ducati

6/26/2008 7:46:22 AM

This is what i really want but i know i'll just lay it down...





so i think i'm just gonna get an FZ6... do a headlight conversion and call it a day



[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 8:14 AM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 8:07:58 AM

brutale is nice

6/26/2008 8:27:43 AM

is there such thing as a bike that is too small?

6/26/2008 4:34:49 PM

brutale is beautiful, but i looked into getting once and i read horror stories on the msg boards about poor quality...kinda scared me off. I dont have the $$$ for tons of service.

6/26/2008 7:35:13 PM

Too small as in size, or too small as in power/displacement? Yes to either. That's why people recommend certain displacement bikes for beginners. To match the power available with the skill level of the rider without exceeding the safe limits of either. My 650 isn't superquick, but that's relative to the 0 - 60 in 3 days in a lifted TJ, so that's going to have to be a decision you make on your own. Have you taken the MSF yet? If you take it at Ray Price, they give you several rental coupons that you can use to help make a decision on sizes, styles, etc, provided you rent a Blast first.

6/26/2008 8:44:53 PM

ok with gas prices being so high it seems everyone is looking for a starter bike thus it seems honda cb600s are going for more than the cb900s.

Do you think its a horrible idea to try to learn on a cb900 instead of the 600?

I've actually been riding my friends suzuki gs500f for a couple weeks now but i want my own ride.

7/17/2008 11:09:51 AM

900 is a bit much

7/17/2008 11:35:53 AM

Yeah thats what i think too but they're cheaper & fuel injected.

7/17/2008 11:39:35 AM

just signed up for the msf course. earliest available class was 10/31/08.

i'm holding out for an sv650, but that fz6 looks pretty neat too.

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 10:36 PM. Reason : .]

7/17/2008 10:35:30 PM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/753188422.html you've seen this one then right???

7/18/2008 7:57:08 AM

yeah, i saw that bike on svrider. if i were in Raleigh i'd be all over that!

7/18/2008 11:24:08 PM