Maybe I do, maybe I dont. I like vintage bikes, but now might not be the best time for one considering Im living with my girlfriends parents and barely have a place to keep it. All I decided is that itd be better when I have my own place before buying a project thats going to be in a 100 pieces across someone elses garage.
I JUST started lookign at bikes. I dont know that much, and looking at a bike I knew nothing about, and the scraggly seller didnt know much either. I felt nervous getting in over my head. I think a newer bike would be good to learn on while I can learn more about how the mechanics function.
Sorry if I seem a little short but I have been dealing with young bike newbies all weekend. Been selling a kz400 project and every first timer missed the part in my ad where it is a project bike and not for the unexpirenced. Something about a low price brings them out of the woodwork.
I dont know where you live (hint: fill in your bio) but if it is anywhere up north like me, a bike can barely function as "daily transportation". When I lived in New Orleans It was bike season year round and my cb750 was more than adiquate being my only means of transport. In New York I ride as often as I can since my GF and I share a car. Basically that means until first snowfall when I mothball the bike until first thaw (usually december to march is my non riding season). Even then from november to december and march to may it is hard going on a bike as a daily rider (thank god for electric gloves). This makes motorcycling basically a toy for the majority of people and not a good means of transportation - espically with a new rider who will fast learn the ills of "cold tires" and "frozen brakes" (where water spashes up into the caliper on a cold day above freezing and then freezes your brake soild overnight when the temp dips below).
So that being said, it sounds like you are in an area that gets snow (and therefore has a "motorcycle season") and it would be more of a toy. Given your present living situation a motorcycle may not be the best thing for you at this time. You don't need a garage to own a bike, but the money is better spent on your own place than on a bike.
This is not to discourage you from getting on a bike by any means, it is a great hobby full of good people. You made the smart decision in balking at the bike when you felt nervous. Considering you "don't drive" a motorcycle may be a little over your head.
Here are my "rules" (if you could call them that) for newbie motorcycling buying:
1) Research: figure out what kind of bike you want. Narrowing it down will keep you focused. If you know what kind of bike you are going to look at, merely posting on a message board is not enough (although it is a good start). Get out there and read old road tests, enthuasists sites, books on motorcycles (roland brown's book on the history fast motorcycles is a good at a glance for most bikes). By now there is at least one webpage dedicated to every motorcycle ever made, read what they have to say (yes all of it) about your particular bike. If you can go to a few bike shops and ask some of the techs if they have them, have ever worked on them, and haev any advice. make a checklist based on this info. Then you are ready to go look. Never commit to a bike you know nothing about.
2) Always be able to ride the bike: License or not, get you arse on the seat and ride it. If you have never ridden before, get a friend who has to ride it for you. Don't take the seller's word for it riding, ever. It isn't because they might put one over on you but more because someone who is used to the bike may not notice probelms. For example my clutch adjustment was off on my cb750. It had been going over time and I never noticed it, until a firend wanted to borrow the bike for his road test. He stalled the bike 4 times ina block (he is an expirenced rider, just not used to my bike). At that point it became obvious that the clutch needed adjustment, but I never noticed because I was so used to the bike.
3) Find someone who knows about motorcycles and take them with you to look at any bike. As a newbie you aren't going to know how to spot what you are looking for. It is always good to have someone with you who you can trust to answer your questions.
4) Figure out the need the bike fills in your life. If it is a toy and you are giving up eating for a week to have it you may want to rethink the decision. Never put youself out for a motorcycle - it can't feed you (unless you are a pizza delivery boy) and it can't shelter you.
5) Approach this with a plan. So far In my life I have had a cb360 in the back seat of a blazer, a t500 in the capped bed of a pickup, a honda dream in the trunk of a pontiac grand am rental car, a cb750 in an 1986 cherokee, and a cr125 strapped to the roll bar of a wrangler. In all of those scenarios (except the blazer) I have ended up covered in gasoline. The lesson learned is to make sure you have a plan for getting rhe bike home and cared for once you get it. This means budget for a possible trailer rental (or at least lunch for a buddy with a pickup) and a cover. Also budget for a manual, and some tools.
6) Buy the most complete running motorcycle you can afford. Project bikes fior a newbie are the equalivent of pissing money into the wind. Get something you know you can at least ride the next day. Needing minor tune up stuff is ok (battery, plugs, etc) but any weird engine noises means stay away. Any bike will break often enough in your life that you will need to fix it (even a brand new japanese bike), you'll get your expirence. Cosmetics don't really matter so long as the bike is mechanically sound.
7) Size up your seller. If he looks like the kind of guy who was doing donuts in the parking lot an hour before you may want to pass. Get the seller talking about adventures on the bike and telling stories...that will give you an idea about what kind of life the bike led in their care.
There is more but I am tired of writing. Good luck, Kid. Remember don't be afraid to ask questions, and always listen. Jumping to assumptions is usually a bad idea when you are new to the subject.
