"Vintage1982Benz" (vintage1982benz)
04/28/2015 at 17:00 • Filed to: None
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"Vintage1982Benz" (vintage1982benz)
04/28/2015 at 17:00 • Filed to: None | 1
| 16 |
I’ve been contemplating a bike for some time now. I just want something to cruise around on in the city and don’t plan on doing any long trips or even time on the highway with it. I’m looking to spend as little as possible and see if owning a bike and riding is something I would enjoy. Bonus points if it is something simple enough for me to wrench on. I recently moved up to garage parking, which is great for storing and maintaining the bike. The lady in my life is also fully in support of this for the first time ever.
A friend of mine is selling his 1968 CB160. It has been a almost daily rider of his but he is after something with a bit more power and found a new/old Honda with a bigger motor a few hundred miles away and is going to pick it up.
So, for those of you out there who do ride - good first bike? I believe it is a 1968 and he is selling for $1,800.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:05 |
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My quick take: If that’s the bike, it’s super clean and that’s a good price for it.
Other than that, I’d probably suggest you steer clear of it as a new rider. It probably doesn’t have enough power to get out of it’s own way. Starting on a liter bike is a bad idea, but trying to merge into traffic on what amounts to a scooter is a close second. Secondly, those brakes... drums are terrible... you really have to think ahead of the bike because stopping on a motorcycle is a tricky proposition compared to a car, doing it on one with drum brakes is worse. Lastly, parts availability on older bikes like that is usually very difficult, so if anything goes wrong or you crash it or whatever, well, say goodbye to your $1800.
Brian, The Life of
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:07 |
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Technically a modern bike with @500cc or less (depending upon your size). Modern bikes just handle better and more power is actually safer (at least more power than that bitchen CB160).
That said, super cool bike and I wouldn’t blame you for completely ignoring my advice. I probably would in your shoes.
Tohru
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:08 |
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Old bikes are a lot worse to live with than old cars. Drum brakes front and rear, no power, no aftermarket support or used parts availability, not much for ergonomics.
You could get a 90’s Honda Rebel 250 or a Kawasaki Ninja EX250 for the same money, and have: disc brakes, a small amount of power, aftermarket support and used parts availability, and some form of ergonomics. Plus since Honda Rebels and EX250’s are widely recommended as beginner bikes, you can sell it a year or two from now at pretty much the same price you bought it.
Corson Currently Coupein' It
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:09 |
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My 2 cents are probably not worth said amount as I don’t currently ride (but want to ASAP). I’m sure that little single pumper would be easy to work on, and I’m sure it would be a treat cruising around town on. I would (currently am) look for something slightly newer though. Maybe something produced in larger quantities so NOS parts would be easier to find and cheaper. Plus you don’t want to lay down this beauty, where as a CB400 from the 70’s or 80’s are kind of a dime a dozen in comparison.
Also Motorcycle brakes from the 60’s + skinny tires = probably a little too exciting...
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Vintage1982Benz
> Corson Currently Coupein' It
04/28/2015 at 17:16 |
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He is stepping up to a CB 400, actually. Bike is in good shape but does need new tires, which he said he would throw on before selling.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Tohru
04/28/2015 at 17:17 |
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The Honda Rebel is meh. I started on a Nighthawk 250, which is it’s upright riding cousin, and if I had to do it all over again I’d get a Ninja 250. The 234cc aircooled twin is a joke, probably not much more power than that CB160. At least the Rebel got a front disc brake though...
But good suggestions though.
jsmizira
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:23 |
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whatever you get, a word of caution is needed. if you don’t ride regularly, Carbs have a way of clogging up. maintain them by draining the fuel from the bike during storage and running fuel stabilizer. Or get a fuel injected bike and don’t really worry about it.
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Vintage1982Benz
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/28/2015 at 17:29 |
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It is not that bike, but same color scheme. The one for sale is clean but not show clean like this one.
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:29 |
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OK, so thats a great price for that Bike if it runs as good as it looks, your friend will have NO problem selling it. If it were near Vermont I’d be asking for your buddy’s number and address...
That said, it’s far from an ideal first bike. The #1 biggest problem is brakes and suspension. Old bikes like that have shitty brakes and the last thing you want to deal with as a new rider is a panic stop where the graby drums lock up on you without having slowed you down enough that you don’t hit the guardrail. Ask me how I know. Also, rough road surfaces will upset this bike mid-corner like nothing you could buy new after 1980...
#2) It’s kinda gutless, which is a lower concern problem, especially if you’re planning on keeping it around town, as even a gutless motorcycle is going to be more than adequate when highway merging is not required... but still, IF you decide to take it on the fast roads it will be... nerve-wracking... AND uncomfortable.
#3) parts availability... it *IS* a Honda, which means you have a better chance of finding parts for it without dredging the forums and dialing creepy NOS-parts-hoarder-types from Australia in the middle of the night, but old bikes generally have pretty shit parts availability. You’ll probably find it eventually, but a quick fix is almost never going to be the case. Those same parts will be more expensive too...
#4) It’s so damn pretty! Do you really want to put that down (and YOU WILL put your first bike down) and dent and scratch the hell out of the shiny tank and that pretty red paint? You’ll feel so bad about having hurt it that you’ll vow never to ride again and/or spend ridiculous amounts of money having it fixed up right so it looks that good again. Which is the right thing to do, because thats a classic bike.
Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
> Vintage1982Benz
04/28/2015 at 17:59 |
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If you aren’t planning on going on the highway, that would be an excellent first bike. I don’t really keep up with Hondas too much, but I know that one is an iconic bike for the company and has a pretty large following, so replacement parts shouldn’t be too hard to track down. $1800 seems a little steep for a daily driven 47 year old bike though.
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Tohru
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/29/2015 at 08:33 |
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My mom started with the Rebel. I started with an ‘81 CB900 Custom, then sold it and got a ‘98 Ninja 250.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Tohru
04/29/2015 at 12:24 |
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Cool. Why the switch from the 900 to the 250?
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Tohru
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/29/2015 at 13:47 |
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The 900 had some mechanical issues - it had a couple teeth stripped on 2nd gear so if you got on it hard it would jump teeth, and it liked eating spark plugs. Plus, even though I’d been riding dirt bikes for over a decade before getting my license, I could never get comfortable on that heavy bastard.
The 250 was much more flickable.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Tohru
04/29/2015 at 14:31 |
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Ahh, that all makes sense. I started on the Nighthawk 250. It was ungodly slow, like scary because it couldn’t get out of it’s own way slow, and the brakes were awful. The only redeeming quality was 75mpg. After only 2 months I moved up to an ‘89 CB-1 400cc. Then a couple years later I got a CBR1000RR. Now the 250 is in pieces as part of a never finished project, and the CB-1 needs a fuel pump and time to work on it. The 1000 got sold to finance my honeymoon. But I’ll have another one, one day.
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Corson Currently Coupein' It
> Vintage1982Benz
04/29/2015 at 22:15 |
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Cool! Yeah I’m sure it would be an awesome cruiser, I’m just unnecessarily concerned with drum breaks on bikes. Are you thinking of going for it?
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Vintage1982Benz
> Corson Currently Coupein' It
04/30/2015 at 09:49 |
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I’m still on the fence about it, which to me is an indicator that I should probably pass.