Topic: hello from illinois, and i need advise

[jeffro]

hi everyone, i’m from central illinois and am new to bikes in general... i am looking for my first motorcycle but would like to have some advise so i know what to look for

i like the old honda cb350’s, 450’s, and 550’s - my question is how do these bikes handle on the highway going around 65-70mph - and also just around town with accelerating... i have been told that there’s a noticeable difference when ridding a light weight bike such as the 550 compared to a larger bike like a 1000cc (with wind an smooth ride) - after being told this it kinda made me not want to consider the 350 or 450 - but i have seen some pretty nice looking 350s and 450s here lately

i realize this is probably an opinion or preference topic... but if anyone has any advise or comments for me, i would appreciate it

thanks,
jeff

[mystic_1]

Hello and welcome.

The smaller bikes do ok on the highway for all but extended touring, imo.  If you spend a lot of time at highway speeds you may want to change the final drive ratio to lower the rpms.  Their engines are smaller yes, but their light weight gives them a nice trust-to-weight ratio.  Now, the question is, what happens when you're at that speed and you whack open the throttle.  If you want it to put a smile on your face, go for the bigger bike. 

Around town the smaller bikes totally get my vote.  They tend to zip around fairly easily and are a fun ride.  Wife and I have been discussing our next bike and it'll probably be a 550 or 650 but we've also been considering the 400T and 400F, both nice bikes (but only one is a SOHC   ).

Not that I'm likely to part with my 750 chopper any time soon   Just a spare bike to fun around on.

cheers
mystic_1

[jeffro]

ya that all make sense, i think most of my riding will be around town and the only highway travel will be to and from work (40 miles round trip at 60mph) with everything said, i'm leaning more towards a 550... does anyone have one for sale somewhat close to illinois? i'm not looking for a project (i have enough projects ) just something that looks decent but runs and drives well... also what would be considered high miles for these bikes?

thanks for the response
jeff

[deefree]

Your question about "high miles" is a tough one to answer simply. I've seen bikes with 10,000 miles on them that are pretty much toast. On the other hand there are bikes with 30,000 miles on them that have been well cared for and would easily do another 30,000.

You just have to use all your senses when you check out a bike. If you aren't real confident about judging some of the tricky parts like engines and transmissions, hire a mechanic to help you. The $100 fee they usually charge is well worth it in the long run.

I've got 3 bikes right now, two have about 10,000 miles on them and one has 20,000. Guess which one is in the best shape? Yep, the one with 20,000. If you look at a bike that has more than 40,000 miles on it, look at it very, very carefully.

Finally, after many years of riding, I would not get a large bike unless it was for a VERY long trip. I find smaller bikes are much more fun, easier to handle and move around.
My favorite bike is a 1977 Honda 400F and I wouldn't trade it for anything. ANYTHING.

[jeffro]

Your question about "high miles" is a tough one to answer simply. I've seen bikes with 10,000 miles on them that are pretty much toast. On the other hand there are bikes with 30,000 miles on them that have been well cared for and would easily do another 30,000.

ok this makes sense - i will just check everything out thoroughly no matter the mileage

Finally, after many years of riding, I would not get a large bike unless it was for a VERY long trip. I find smaller bikes are much more fun, easier to handle and move around.
My favorite bike is a 1977 Honda 400F and I wouldn't trade it for anything. ANYTHING.

and this is what i was thinking - it will be mostly for buzzin around town - thanks for the advise - and if someone has a bike for sale - let me know

thanks,
jeff

[jeffro]

one more question... i found a cb360 that looks good and very well taken care of but it hasn't ran for about 2 years... what do you guys think would be a good price? the bike looks excellent otherwise

thanks,
jeff