Unnecessary Bike Shopping With Mercedes: The Rebel Replacement Displacement ( °  °)

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 08/16/2018 at 14:16 • Filed to: unnecessary motorcycle shopping with Mercedes, unnecessary car shopping without E90M3, Two Wheels Good

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So with the Rebel sold I decided to get something with the similar classic standard style, however with more power. Ideally, I want a bike that’ll eat up the miles better and faster than my Blast.

With that in mind, let’s have some fun! The end goal is to not spend any real money and the funds for these bikes would come from yesterday’s Rebel sale.

ETA: This is just early searching for now. Since I already have the Buell to ride I’m not in a rush to replace the Honda.

Up first is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !

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From what I read on forums, these bikes are heavy, however they seem to last forever and will beat miles into submission at Chicago expressway speeds. My biggest concern with this one is age. I was told to go no older than ten years. My 18 year old Buell already broke that rule, as did the 13 year old Honda.

Seller says it’s mine if I want it.

Up next is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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I’ve expressed interest in Grom clones and I’m holding true. I’m not afraid of Chinese quality (or lack thereof)...If anything, I like Chinese bikes because I’m a masochist like that. The TaoTao Hellcat was the first Chinese clone I’ve ever considered several months back (before I bought the Buell), but ultimately I decided my first bike should be able to at least hold its own in rural/highway traffic. That was a good decision. However now I can return back to the 125cc craze that’s tugging on my heart.

I recently rode my neighbour’s 2018 Grom and it’s bonkers. The darn thing is slow, yet I had the biggest smile on my face. I can see why these things are popular. It was fun ripping through gears, yet still being in the speed limit.

Seller isn’t responding to messages. I sent him emails from various addresses under different names and once even offered him an absurd amount. Why put up an ad if you aren’t going to monitor it?

Keeping it old, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

And it’s another one where the seller is basically ready for me to drag it away.

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This sounds like a bad idea... !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Indiana, no title, older than me? I’m not sure why, but I’ve somehow recently fallen in love with Goldwings after getting to sit on one about this old. I feel like a girl shouldn’t have this much power!! That said, this may be more of a case where I like the idea of the bike more than the bike itself.

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Wrapping up this list of bad decisions is another !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . This one’s a Ninja 500R. Amusingly, despite the same engine displacement, this multi-cylinder bike is twice as fast as my Buell and is probably much more reliable. A title won’t be too hard to get and I love the modern looks. However it seems to get a rap for being a beginner’s bike, which means I may find myself in the same situation I found myself in with the Rebel.

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Here we go again!

bob and john > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 14:33

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off all those, with the experiacne you have, the ninja is probably the best

jimz > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 14:42

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having had to try to help someone keep an early ‘80s UJM (‘81 XJ650 Maxim) I’d stay far away from the GS850 and 750 Maxim. They will run for a long time, but rubber parts and gaskets break down and will start to leak, and parts are getting harder and harder to track down. for example, the XJ650 needed a couple of carb joints (The reinforced rubber ring coupling the carb to the intake port) and I think they were like $60-70 apiece.  plus the UJMs of this vintage used field-excited alternators, and the windings in the field rotor will short causing a no-charge condition.  used fields are cheap but who knows how long they’ll last.

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 14:45

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I’d steer clear of anything without a title, I’ve been through that process and I refuse to ever do it again. No title is an instant deal breaker for me, unless it’s going to be %100 a parts machine.

As for the bikes both the GS and the XJ (Maxim) should be fine bikes. The biggest thing to watch for on these old bikes is broken/shorted/screwed-up-by-PO wiring. Other than that carbs can be a bit finicky but the Maxim has a fairly simple CV carb set up, as long as you don’t touch the air box or exhaust they’re pretty easy to work on and require little maintenance as long as you’re good about draining gas, keeping them clean etc. Personally I’d go for the Maxim, but I’m somewhat of a Yamaha guy and maybe a little biased :). My first bike was an XJ750 and over the years I’ve done a lot of work to it, and I’m intimately familiar with the wiring and carbs on these.

jimz > jimz 08/16/2018 at 14:51

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oh, and post-’81 Yamaha XJs had “Yamaha Intake Control System” (YICS) which made carb syncing a pain in the ass. 

Pickup_man > jimz 08/16/2018 at 14:55

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Not really that hard, someone out there makes a tool which is pretty cheap. Harder than other bikes though yes. 

Mercedes Streeter > jimz 08/16/2018 at 14:55

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Huh, that’s kinda sad. You’d think that after all this time there’d be viable aftermarket replacements for those parts. Shoot, I have a friend who could design and 3d print those parts (assuming they’d hold).

Mercedes Streeter > Pickup_man 08/16/2018 at 14:57

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Titles aren’t too hard out here so long as the VIN is clean, but still more work than “pay the DMV $150 and walk out with plates”.

The GS850G is my favourite of this lineup. Something about old bikes (or at least ones that look old) really appeal to me, however I’ve stayed far away from them because of the reasons JimZ mentioned.

Mercedes Streeter > bob and john 08/16/2018 at 14:59

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Always a solid recommendation from you...Although IIRC you recommended a Ninja 250 when I was looking for my first bike and I went and bought the Buell. I’m not a very good listener. lol

I may just put the monies to the side and wait for the season to come closer to an end. Prices are already coming down in this area and I wonder where the trough is.

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 15:10

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Yeah old bikes aren’t without troubles, but they can be good if you know how to diagnose and wrench. The vast majority of what I know came from wrenching on that XJ, partially because it was an old bike, partially because I didn’t know any better and fucked it up with pod filters and an open exhaust. 

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 15:14

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my vote is for the suzuki gs

jimz > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 15:18

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I don’t know that there’s a big enough market; a lot of those bikes were used up and thrown away long ago.

So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 15:55

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Those ninja 500's are really cheap to fix. They really didn’t change the design for like 15 years and they even share some parts with other ninjas. I number of my friends had them and they just wouldn’t die. I even used a few 500 parts on my Franki n-bike Ninja 600

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 16:15

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You do realize the Vermont registration method doesn’t work if it’s over 300 cc’s, right?

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher 08/16/2018 at 16:19

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I do. I’d do the normal, boring, and labour intensive way.

...Or not, just avoid that nonsense al together. lol

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 17:35

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My vote goes to the Ninja 500R

Mercedes Streeter > Pickup_man 08/16/2018 at 17:38

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Oh god...I just found this GL1100 Goldwing. It’s only like a mile from my home, too. If only it weren’t missing turn indicators (which makes me weary of what other electrical fun awaits), I’d be all over it.

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 17:41

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Buy it, buy it now!*

* Maybe don’t listen to me, I’ve been wanting a dirt cheap Goldwing for a long time and am only persuading you so I can live the Goldwing life vicariously through you. Still, looks like a pretty decent bike overall. 

someassemblyrequired > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 18:37

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If you like the older Hondas, the Magnas were sleeper bikes and are pretty inexpensive now . The V45 is a shaft drive 750 . The V30 is also excellent , but chain drive and 500cc .

V65 is stoopid in the “ will burn rubber on dry pavement in 5th” kinda way . 10.84s 1/4 mile off the showroom floor :

They are all 30+ year old bikes though, so 30 year old bike problems, though they were excellent bikes in period. .

Manny05x > Mercedes Streeter 08/16/2018 at 18:42

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Get a old scrambler style bike because i want to see such things on oppo.

jimz > So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky 08/17/2018 at 07:45

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never liked the rectangular-ish headlamp on those.  looks like a toenail.

So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky > jimz 08/17/2018 at 07:50

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I’ll agree they are not the prettiest things but they ride nice and are really hard to kill.

Mercedes Streeter > Pickup_man 08/21/2018 at 12:06

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Ummm...so...I took your advice.

The bike is even better than expected!

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/g-o-l-d-w-i-n-g-1828479158

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter 08/21/2018 at 12:22

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I noticed! Looks awesome!