Starter street bike
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Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 574
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From: Kansas City
Starter street bike
I appologize to the mods if this is the wrong forum for this thread and I hope that it is moved to where it is supposed to go.
I am new to Harleys and other street bikes as some of you may remember from my previous posts. I have been looking to buy a streetbike to learn on. I have also been considering a honda or yamaha to ride untill I feel confident in a bigger bike purchase. I have been trying to find someone who would trade for a Chevy blazer that I have listed on Craigslist. I recieved an email from someone interested in trading their '80 Yamaha XS650.
Would this be an ok starter bike? What should I look for?
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/394678397.html
I am new to Harleys and other street bikes as some of you may remember from my previous posts. I have been looking to buy a streetbike to learn on. I have also been considering a honda or yamaha to ride untill I feel confident in a bigger bike purchase. I have been trying to find someone who would trade for a Chevy blazer that I have listed on Craigslist. I recieved an email from someone interested in trading their '80 Yamaha XS650.
Would this be an ok starter bike? What should I look for?
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/394678397.html
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
RE: Starter street bike
I'm not the best one to give advice on motorcycles as I am a new to owning and riding motorcyclesmyself.
I also considered, at first, to get a cheaper beginner bike to learn on such as a Yamaha, Kawasaki or Honda, but I figured I would eventually want a Harley, so I just went with a HD Sportster as my first bike to learn on and I will be satisfied with a Harley rather than buying a Japanese bike that I would have to sell and lose money on.
I also considered, at first, to get a cheaper beginner bike to learn on such as a Yamaha, Kawasaki or Honda, but I figured I would eventually want a Harley, so I just went with a HD Sportster as my first bike to learn on and I will be satisfied with a Harley rather than buying a Japanese bike that I would have to sell and lose money on.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 62
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From:
RE: Starter street bike
...same here. After having been away from riding for many years, I opted to take the safety course and resisted the urge to get a "smaller" bike to learn on. There's plenty of quality 1200ccSportsters around at close to what you'd pay for a smaller metric and, with a Sporty , you'll have a great motorcycle to learn on that you just might want to stick with...and, of course, it's a Harley!
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,600
Likes: 2
From: Windsor, CO
RE: Starter street bike
Unless you've worked on bikes before, or are a super mechanic that can pick up the nuances of bike wrenching pretty quickly, then I'd stay away from a basket-case like that ... especially for a first street bike. Even though that particular bike doesn't sound too bad you have to wonder what else is going on. If the fuse box needs replaced then what else is wrong with the wiring ... and will it every be street legal? Chances are it's been parked for awhile and the tag is out of date (more cost to you), so I'd be really careful.
The best bet, if you can afford it, is to pick up a bike between 2 and 5 years old. These have usually lost most of the value they're going to from new and they have not yet hit the loss in value from being an "old" bike. I bought my son a 2001 Suzuki Marauder 800 for just under $1750, and it runs really well. It was tagged and had the current inspection. He has put ZERO into it for upkeep and was just offered $1800 on trade, so that's not a bad deal. I'd say you should look for something like that.
Even better, you can find an '07 Sportster for a really good price at a lot of dealers. A brand new 1200 will set you back around $180 a month. Don't do the special $99 financing, you don't pay any toward the principal for the first 36 months and then the payment is jacked up almost double for the next 36 months. Go with the straight 60 or 72 month financing, which is around 7.9% right now. You can also get an 883 for under $150 a month (either the Low or Custom), and that will give you a great starter bike plus something for trade-in in a year or two.
The best bet, if you can afford it, is to pick up a bike between 2 and 5 years old. These have usually lost most of the value they're going to from new and they have not yet hit the loss in value from being an "old" bike. I bought my son a 2001 Suzuki Marauder 800 for just under $1750, and it runs really well. It was tagged and had the current inspection. He has put ZERO into it for upkeep and was just offered $1800 on trade, so that's not a bad deal. I'd say you should look for something like that.
Even better, you can find an '07 Sportster for a really good price at a lot of dealers. A brand new 1200 will set you back around $180 a month. Don't do the special $99 financing, you don't pay any toward the principal for the first 36 months and then the payment is jacked up almost double for the next 36 months. Go with the straight 60 or 72 month financing, which is around 7.9% right now. You can also get an 883 for under $150 a month (either the Low or Custom), and that will give you a great starter bike plus something for trade-in in a year or two.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,667
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From: west coast
RE: Starter street bike
Sportys are cheap but if you are just looking for the ride go for a Yamaha Vstar classic (not the custom)
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Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Kansas City
RE: Starter street bike
I just read another email about somebody with a 83Honda V65 magna that they are looking to trade. I think that I will have the cash for a down pament on a Superglide by next spring (taxes, etc). I figure that if I can get rid of this Blazer and trade for a bike, I can be out there riding instead of dreaming.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Hoboken, New Jersey
RE: Starter street bike
ORIGINAL: MOSTWANTED
I just read another email about somebody with a 83Honda V65 magna that they are looking to trade. I think that I will have the cash for a down pament on a Superglide by next spring (taxes, etc). I figure that if I can get rid of this Blazer and trade for a bike, I can be out there riding instead of dreaming.
I just read another email about somebody with a 83Honda V65 magna that they are looking to trade. I think that I will have the cash for a down pament on a Superglide by next spring (taxes, etc). I figure that if I can get rid of this Blazer and trade for a bike, I can be out there riding instead of dreaming.