Topic: Don't know what to do

[xfactor]

Correct me, if you feel I am wrong..
 BUT..
 I will suggest, if you can/are not comfy working on a sohc 750, you wont be on any of the, more modern Japan fours..

 Whether the cb750 turns your crank for the long run or not, it may be a stepping stone, to raising your comfort/confidence level as far as working on bikes goes..

  FWIW... free advice, is worth what you paid for it...

The VTR1000F is a beast of a different nature. Its a v twin, but regardless if and when I buy that bike its getting work done in the shop, unless its something minor that I can tackle.

Want the 750 to learn and I love riding it, but I want something for the here and now, beautiful day out today and I would have gone real far but I was afraid of problems because it was running a bit odd today, did a bit of messing around and think I fixed it but still kind of killed my adventure for today.

[754]

Last Labor Day weekend, I picked up a 750 370 miles from here.  It had sat for years, 2 or 3 weeks before I got it, they had got it running, cleaned carbs, fixed seat etc, and put about 40 miles on it..

 I played around about 6 or 7 hrs with it, left late in the day, and put 600 + miles on it in the next 26 hrs..

 That is what they can do and are capable of.. FWIW..

 All you mentioned that you are worried about, should not stop you from riding it..

[Skonnie Boy]

Don't know what is the what with your F, but I can't imagine there is a lack of expertise and technical guidance in the Chicagoland area.  Your expertise included, btw.  You probably know more than you think.  You're here, right?

More than that, I think it just comes down to having the guts to;

A.  Attempt various fixes, knowing that you may screw things up but learn a great deal in the process.  There's not too much that you can screw up permanently, and you can't possibly screw something up that hasn't been screwed up worse before, by someone on this very forum.

B.  Trust that old bikes make noises, and that even if your bike isn't 100%, your bike isn't suffering from a bunch of hard-to-fix problems.  You really haven't owned a bike until its stranded you miles away from where you were headed, anyway.  Not to be simple or dumb about things, but isn't riding a motorcycle a way of overcoming fears?  Having a bike quit on you is not a real fear to overcome.  Its just a problem that you deal with occasionally.  

I would like a VTR.  I've heard a lot about this fuel injectioning they keep going on about.  

  

[xfactor]

Don't know what is the what with your F, but I can't imagine there is a lack of expertise and technical guidance in the Chicagoland area.  Your expertise included, btw.  You probably know more than you think.  You're here, right?

More than that, I think it just comes down to having the guts to;

A.  Attempt various fixes, knowing that you may screw things up but learn a great deal in the process.  There's not too much that you can screw up permanently, and you can't possibly screw something up that hasn't been screwed up worse before, by someone on this very forum.

B.  Trust that old bikes make noises, and that even if your bike isn't 100%, your bike isn't suffering from a bunch of hard-to-fix problems.  You really haven't owned a bike until its stranded you miles away from where you were headed, anyway.  Not to be simple or dumb about things, but isn't riding a motorcycle a way of overcoming fears?  Having a bike quit on you is not a real fear to overcome.  Its just a problem that you deal with occasionally.  

I would like a VTR.  I've heard a lot about this fuel injectioning they keep going on about.  

  

Haha yeah fuel injection would be nice, but the VTRf is good ol carbonated.


I guess I just need to build my confidence in my myself and the bike will follow. I think I just need to buy both and call it a day.

[Duke McDukiedook]

The CB will be waaay easier to work on than the VTR, trust me.
Just because it has two less cylinders won't make it easier.

[Skunk Stripe]

Yeah well you are partly wrong! 2 carbs are much easier to sync than 4! Of course I have not done a vtr so maybe it does suck.

[gmonkey]

Sounds like you like wrenching and you like your 750 but you also just want to ride when the day is nice and you can't because the 750 is a project.  (Although most of what you listed, you could probably ride around with.  Have to agree with Skonnie, you can ride it even if it's not running perfect.)

There are newer bikes that are simple and reliable.  Maybe not as simple and reliable as a CB but by virtue of being newer they should be in better shape assuming you find one that hasn't been abused.  I don't really know much about VTRs but just looking at how innovative it was (new type of frame, side radiators, etc) it might not be one of these.  Things that come to mind that I think of as reliable but fun beater bike:

- Kawasaki EX500 - stayed the same for like 15 years, twin, carbs, had an 89 one I bought for $300 as a barn find shooting flames out the exhaust.  Fixed it up in girlfriend's yard + neighbore's shed + dorm parking lot.
- CBR600 - just straight forward, easy to find parts for
- VFR750/700 - gear driven cams, over-engineered because VF750's had problems
- FZR600 - stayed the same from 89-98, have one now, surprisingly simple.  Generally reliable if you didn't get one that some doofus tore up second gear in.  People constantly breaking them down for parts so they can be had reasonably.

That's just a few but mostly anything that came out in the 80's and kept on getting made without any major changes for 10-15 years is usually a decent bet.

How is 2 bikes any more dangerous than one?  Is your girlfriend ok with you working on a bike but not riding it so she's assuming you won't have the CB on the road much?

[andy750]

Get the VTR. I am with Skunk Stripe on this one. Keep the F and work around it. I have had a CB750 since 1992 and thats all I ever rode for the last 17 years. All the things mentioned in this thread about ease of maintenance etc are all true. However  I have spent $1000s over the last 10 years keeping both of my CB750s running (kept all the receipts ). Its not as cheap as some would like to believe especially if you buy the quality Honda parts.

Last year I wanted a change and so bought a VStrom DL1000 at 15,000 miles. It was used all winter and now its been a year and 9000 miles later. No problems. New tires and oil changes and that was it. Very simple. Thats in addition to the 4500 miles on the CB750 this summer.

Get both and enjoy them. We are talking motorcycles here - as long as you ride one thats all that matters and not the kind of bike it is

good luck
Andy

[xfactor]

I have decided to get it, told the girlfriend "I am buying this bike, I am keeping both, worst comes to worst I can sell both for a profit come spring time."


Which is true, I picked up my 750 for 800 bucks and I know i can sell it for 1500-1800 easy.



Fingers crossed.

Croix

[Skunk Stripe]

- Kawasaki EX500 - stayed the same for like 15 years, twin, carbs, had an 89 one I bought for $300 as a barn find shooting flames out the exhaust.  Fixed it up in girlfriend's yard + neighbore's shed + dorm parking lot.

So by fixing it up, you mean extending how far the flames shoot right?

[gmonkey]

- Kawasaki EX500 - stayed the same for like 15 years, twin, carbs, had an 89 one I bought for $300 as a barn find shooting flames out the exhaust.  Fixed it up in girlfriend's yard + neighbore's shed + dorm parking lot.

So by fixing it up, you mean extending how far the flames shoot right?

Right.  Also cleaned and coated the inside of the tank so it wouldn't drip gasoline all over my legs.  Those two features can be a bad combination.

[Skunk Stripe]

So I am assuming you do not want to do a a ghostrider impersonation then!

[gmonkey]

So I am assuming you do not want to do a a ghostrider impersonation then!

Well I haven't seen a picture of ghostrider in a while but from what I remember it was his head that was on fire and not his crotch so I'd be doing it wrong anyway.

[DavePhipps]

754 the VTR is a twin. A really freakin awesome twin at that. In my opinion it blows Ducatis and Suzuki SVs away in looks and performance. It's also a Honda, bred as the RC51. It's a pretty special bike.
I'm hoping you find someway to have both. After living with them and riding them for a time you will know which one you want to keep. Both have excellent resell value, so there will not be much money lost if you eventually sell one.