About a year ago I decided to get a motorcycle, and I have been keeping an eye on the used market to get an idea of what's out there for what price and just what kind of bike I would like.
I wanted something with a comfortable upright riding position, the capacity to carry 2 people and a few days worth of luggage, a functional fairing and windshield, and an acceptably powerful engine. Nothing sportbike crazy, but I didn't want to struggle with passing or uphill stretches. Additionally I wanted something accessible that would be easy and cheap to work on, since I plan on doing all my own maintainence and repairs.
Initially, I had my mind set on an early 80's Honda Goldwing, back when they were still relatively simple big cruisers instead of the half-cars that they have become. When I finally get to see one in person I quickly concluded that it was 1) way too big and 2) way too complicated.
I decided that I would go with something a bit easier to handle and would stick with air-cooled bikes only in the interests of simplicity and charm.
Two weeks ago I ran accross an ad on the internet that looked promising. So, I am now the proud owner of a 1981 Honda CB750 Custom, complete with a full fairing (with radio) and luggage rack. It felt and fit right when I sat on it, and started up immediately and ran good. It has a nice low center of gravity and about 80 horsepower, which I think will be ideal for easy learning without rapidly outgrowing it. I cleaned it up a bit and it now looks very close to 100%. Parts are cheap and readily available, and the bike looks like it'll be exceedingly easy to work on. Right now everything works like new and the bike runs and shifts perfectly.
I bought it off of the original owner who had just purchased a new Harley. He was an older engineer who took impeccable care of the bike and used it for extended touring of the US and Canada until earlier this year. It included a factory service manual and a bike cover, all for a thousand bucks. Not a bad deal from what I've seen.
I got my temporary permit and have been riding in an abandoned parking lot at school until I am ready to get out on the street. I am rather surprised how easy it was to get the hang of riding. After only a few hours I was feeling quite comfortable and already feel like I've outgrown the parking lot. After another week or so I'll probably start going back and forth to class (Less than a mile) and slowwly expand out from there.
I got a nice full-face helmet and will be buying an armored jacket pretty soon. I'm thinking that the Olympia Motosport Mustang is the way to go, as it seems to offer acceptable function and protection without looking like Roger Ramjet or Marlon Brando, which pretty much every other armored jacket I could find did.
I guess that there's really no point to this thread, I'm just very excited to finally be getting into motorcycling. I'm very open to suggestions or recommendations for gear, training, learning to ride, or anything else.
I wanted something with a comfortable upright riding position, the capacity to carry 2 people and a few days worth of luggage, a functional fairing and windshield, and an acceptably powerful engine. Nothing sportbike crazy, but I didn't want to struggle with passing or uphill stretches. Additionally I wanted something accessible that would be easy and cheap to work on, since I plan on doing all my own maintainence and repairs.
Initially, I had my mind set on an early 80's Honda Goldwing, back when they were still relatively simple big cruisers instead of the half-cars that they have become. When I finally get to see one in person I quickly concluded that it was 1) way too big and 2) way too complicated.
I decided that I would go with something a bit easier to handle and would stick with air-cooled bikes only in the interests of simplicity and charm.
Two weeks ago I ran accross an ad on the internet that looked promising. So, I am now the proud owner of a 1981 Honda CB750 Custom, complete with a full fairing (with radio) and luggage rack. It felt and fit right when I sat on it, and started up immediately and ran good. It has a nice low center of gravity and about 80 horsepower, which I think will be ideal for easy learning without rapidly outgrowing it. I cleaned it up a bit and it now looks very close to 100%. Parts are cheap and readily available, and the bike looks like it'll be exceedingly easy to work on. Right now everything works like new and the bike runs and shifts perfectly.
I bought it off of the original owner who had just purchased a new Harley. He was an older engineer who took impeccable care of the bike and used it for extended touring of the US and Canada until earlier this year. It included a factory service manual and a bike cover, all for a thousand bucks. Not a bad deal from what I've seen.
I got my temporary permit and have been riding in an abandoned parking lot at school until I am ready to get out on the street. I am rather surprised how easy it was to get the hang of riding. After only a few hours I was feeling quite comfortable and already feel like I've outgrown the parking lot. After another week or so I'll probably start going back and forth to class (Less than a mile) and slowwly expand out from there.
I got a nice full-face helmet and will be buying an armored jacket pretty soon. I'm thinking that the Olympia Motosport Mustang is the way to go, as it seems to offer acceptable function and protection without looking like Roger Ramjet or Marlon Brando, which pretty much every other armored jacket I could find did.
I guess that there's really no point to this thread, I'm just very excited to finally be getting into motorcycling. I'm very open to suggestions or recommendations for gear, training, learning to ride, or anything else.
