Topic: Anybody buying a 35 to 40 year old motorcycle as primary transportation....

[mjstone]

I rode my '72 CB500 to work almost exclusively this school year.  I drive a school bus.  From September to the end of November I drove my CJ-7 maybe 7-8 days.  Most of that was waiting for my new Shinko 712's to come in, front tire had gone flat. Rain and cold were not that much of a problem with my fairing.  Frost was tho. Didn't want to scratch the windshield.

I did ride to work one day this December.  It was a Saturday the 11th.  Had a field trip, Middle School Girls volleyball.  Took them out in the morning and then had to go back out to bring them back in the afternoon.  Drove the CJ in the morning, but it was so nice out I just had to ride the Honda for the afternoon.

MJ

[Don R]

When I was younger (early 70's) and gas had risen to the impossible price if 1.50 I rode my 750 until it got to 40* after that my knees ached so bad it tok an hour to warm them up. Today I still ride when it's cool but there's not a good enough reason for me to ride when it's 50 or less. I love my bike too much for that. Probably one reason my exhausts rusted out so soon also.

[supersports400]

Hi,

Since a year I have classic bikes only for transportation (CB400F '75 for long rides, CB450 BB '65 for dry weather and a CB72 '67 for the wet and cold) , because I sold my XRV750 Africa twin '98 last year. I cover the distance to my work (12 miles) by motorcycle (1 or 2 days a week), bicycle (2 or 3 days a week) and walking (Friday).

My wife has a car, but I almost never drive it, accept when going out for grocery's or for the weekends with the kids. When going to customers (Germany. Italy, Belgium) I take the bike, the only tool I need is the laptop.

When I walk I have "more time" to enjoy the landscape, here a picture of the the fortress "Naarden Vesting" on my route home, taken last Friday.

Jensen

[andy750]

For the last 10 years Ive used the same K4 as a daily rider (4 miles each way). This is in addition to riding it all over New England and beyond on the weekends or on bike trips. 40,000 miles in those 10 years is not too bad going for old bike. For winter in Boston I would ride it usually up to December and then start again end of February. Coldest I saw on the 750 was 15F. No fairing. I would stop when the snow hit. Only problem I had was the fork gaiters would crack due to the cold. Everything else worked ok.

Last year I upgraded to a 2003 VStrom and rode all year (Oct 09 - Dec 10). Longest trip was to Mikes place (40 min drive) and that was when it was 18F. My hands were the only thing to suffer. Here I am leaving for work in Feb.



but I dont ride when its like this



With either bike there is no problem riding in the cold as long as you have good gear, there is no ice or snow on the road and time to drive is under an hour. Now I have a new commute - 30 min each way and will be riding every day I can through the winter. The car is for those snow days. Last week before coming to Scotland I was riding in Boston every day - temps the last few weeks have been 15 -25F....32F now feels warm

cheers
Andy

[RawrItsalion]

..These bikes are done with that..

Done with what? I don't see why "these bikes" shouldn't be able to do whatever they did 35 years ago..

[Retro Rocket]

Got my car licence at 41,so i suppose i'm insane as well  .....Primary transport for 23+ years....

Mick

[KingCustomCycles.com]

When I was 22 and in college, with an apartment across town.  I decided a bike was all I needed.  It was a new off the dealer floor Yamaha xs400 Special in black with gold anodized emblems and wheels.  I got caught at school one day in an ice storm.  I rode the longest 4 miles of my life with both feet down at 2-5 mph.  I arrived home and decided I needed a car.  I bought a 69 Barracuda with a shotgun pepper door and 4 mismatched tires for $300.  I have always had a car as backup since then.  

I did build a "winter motorcycle" out of a Ford Ranger to drive in the winters.  It is flat black, slammed, tinted, 5 speed manual with stretched 8 ball shifter, shaker hood, pinstriped, 57 spotlight, header wrapped exhaust, no bed sides, and red wheels with white walls, bangin' stereo, and huge maltese crosses on the doors.  I replaced the Ranger emblems with a sweet set of Honda CB750F badges.  A rat for cheap.

I got a Hillbilly upbringin' and ain't afraid to let it show.....

[Jordan]

Have not used a bike as my only transport since the early 70's it was in Southern California and I was young. Interesting that in countries other than the U.S. Bikes are looked at as transportation while here they are more like a leisure time activity.

[Goofaroo]

I bought a 1986 VF1000R brand new in 1990. I had an old Toyota Land Cruiser for when we had snow and ice storms but 99% of the time I rode the bike. I put 40,000+ miles on it in about three years. Then I got married and had kids. You can't fit a child seat or a load of groceries on a bike.

I don't miss getting caught in the Oklahoma hail storms, ice storms, and most of all, the frozen fingers. I have to say though that some of my most memorable rides have been in really challenging weather conditions far from home.

[paulages]

I have a truck and need to use it for work (construction), but have at many points relied on the bikes solely. my trick is to always have more than one so that when one is being worked on the other is on the road... like Mlinder said, it's easy to ride year-round in the PacNW. Now that I have the KLX, I can just tie ropes around the tires if it snows.. 

[754]

There are 35-40 year old bikes and then there are sohc CB 750s.. two different things..

 I would take the sohc 750 over a lot of 10-15 year old bikes..

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

....is insane. Unless you work 1 mile from home and live in a climate that doesn't shift. (San Diego). After reading a recent thread I thought my head would explode. These bikes are done with that. I cannot wait to see the responses.

Oh, come on Mike! You know you did crazy stuff too about a hundred years ago  Nothing a little head (job) won't take care of 

[KingCustomCycles.com]

There are 35-40 year old bikes and then there are sohc CB 750s.. two different things..

 I would take the sohc 750 over a lot of 10-15 year old bikes..

Amen.

[Grnrngr]

Nice truck, King! a sort of "BobberRanger.." I  like it!  Used to ride year round in Sacramento, like most places in  CA, hardly ever gets REALLY cold there, and even then, good gear is the secret. Rode almost yr round when I lived in Tahoe but thats when the kids came along so we had a car or two. I'd be riding mostly every day now, but there's not really any place I can hang wet gear where I work, so I hang my head in shame and conform to the "norm".  I follow Paul's philosopy regarding vehicles, even now, living on my own, I've got two running bikes (Virago and K2) and my Ranger, a parts bike for the Virago that was running when I started the teardown, the 750A that needs tranny work and my Bronco 2 in pieces in my friends carport. Just sold my 93 Mustang last nite to a kid...his first car.  Always pays to have a backup, so now I gotta bust a move and get that B2 back on the road.....to make room for my 74 Spitfire that's still sitting in the driveway of the guy I bought it from. The ONLY reason I ride the Virago more than the K2 is because it gets a little better gas mileage...well, that and the BART I haven't changed yet.

And MRieck...you really need to talk to them ladies, tape their stories and get them to fork over some pics (preserve that history, dude!!)....doubtless they could teach us all a bit...not to mention some interesting reading I'm sure. Maybe start a TV show...instead of "Cafe Racers" it could be "Lady bikers of 50 yrs ago"..post them up in the "Bikes and Babes" thread...

[RatRacer]

Until it hits 40*f, I ride. 
The only time a 1982 or older motorcycle wasn't my summer daily driver was the 3 months I owned an '82 Ironhead.  After that crappy experience I went immediately back to Honda bikes.  Previous bikes have included an '82 CM450 C, and a '71 CL450 K1.

I can't wait until spring...

[Grnrngr]

40*f ?? gets down there in the summer here sometimes...that'd fer sure cut down on a lotta nice fall/winter/spring riding here...woolies, a down vest, and powder pants would do you right..but good gloves are a MUST!! maybe some of those add on windbreakers for your hands...

[paulages]

I just rode the KLX home in the snow, not that it was sticking anywhere but my visor...

[Grnrngr]

guess I missed it...just got home about an hour ago, all I got was wet....after such a nice day..

[754]

 Took a good 5 minutes to get the icicles off my beard yesterday..

 I sewed up my winter jacket today.. actually the one I used on the summer trips.. it will serve me much better than that crappy Dickies insulated shirt with snaps excuse for a jacket.. Zipper s are warmer..
 Still no faceshield goggles or longjohns...

[seanbarney41]

I ride very little in the winter but feel like I'm dying inside everytime I stuff myself in the cage.  30 deg F is one thing, but in MI those temperatures are certain to be accompanied by rain or snow.  Why do humans try to live in such an environment?  That's what's insane to me. I see no mechanical reason to not count on many old jap bikes for primary transport in decent weather.  

[Blueridgerunner]

..These bikes are done with that..

Done with what? I don't see why "these bikes" shouldn't be able to do whatever they did 35 years ago..

+1  I would have no problem riding my 650 anywhere in proper weather. Just don't think my butt would hold up to a long tour as well as it used to. My Honda on the other hand is as reliable as it was 30 years ago.
Also, I remember seeing mom,dad,2 kids and a pig on an old Honda 305 in Saigon once  

[RatRacer]

I ride very little in the winter but feel like I'm dying inside everytime I stuff myself in the cage.  30 deg F is one thing, but in MI those temperatures are certain to be accompanied by rain or snow.  Why do humans try to live in such an environment?  That's what's insane to me. I see no mechanical reason to not count on many old jap bikes for primary transport in decent weather.  

My thoughts exactly, and yes, even if it isn't snowing/raining/ect. when I leave the house in the morning who knows what it will be doing when I head home.  1 foot or more of snow in a span of a few hours is not un-common up here.  Call me a fair-weather biker, but riding has to be enjoyable for me to want to do it.  Riding does have a flare of danger to it and I like that... but I'm not about to over do it by riding in the winter.  Like many people in Michigan, I own a huge four-wheel drive truck for a reason!

Besides, not being able to ride from mid-November to late April makes early May to late October all the more special.  It gives me something to look forward to while I'm tunneling my way out to the mailbox in the middle of a howling January blizzard.  BTW, current temp on my front porch is 5*F.

As far as reliability of old Hondas go; my 1982 CM450 C had over 130,000 miles on it when I sold it back to my dad (the bikes original owner).  The only work that had ever been done to it were routine things (like tires, chain, oil and plugs) and a clutch rebuild.  In nearly 30 years and a third of the way to rolling over the odometer for a second time, the engine hadn't even been opened up ONCE!  I would not have hesitated for an instant to fire it up and ride to work... or take off on a two month trip to the west coast.

[SKTP]

I got 2.5 years out of a $500 78K before the tranny crapped out (I live just north of SD).

[MRieck]

For the last 10 years Ive used the same K4 as a daily rider (4 miles each way). This is in addition to riding it all over New England and beyond on the weekends or on bike trips. 40,000 miles in those 10 years is not too bad going for old bike. For winter in Boston I would ride it usually up to December and then start again end of February. Coldest I saw on the 750 was 15F. No fairing. I would stop when the snow hit. Only problem I had was the fork gaiters would crack due to the cold. Everything else worked ok.

Last year I upgraded to a 2003 VStrom and rode all year (Oct 09 - Dec 10). Longest trip was to Mikes place (40 min drive) and that was when it was 18F. My hands were the only thing to suffer. Here I am leaving for work in Feb.



but I dont ride when its like this



With either bike there is no problem riding in the cold as long as you have good gear, there is no ice or snow on the road and time to drive is under an hour. Now I have a new commute - 30 min each way and will be riding every day I can through the winter. The car is for those snow days. Last week before coming to Scotland I was riding in Boston every day - temps the last few weeks have been 15 -25F....32F now feels warm

cheers
Andy

You are Scottish.....insanity is a way of life.

[gnarlycharlie4u]

I don't know how "insane" it is to have a couple of rebuilt cb750's as a main mode of transportation.

Consider this:

• When I'm done I should have 2 beautiful 750 K's both completely rebuilt or at least thoroughly checked (yes motor in pieces on the workbench as we speak).
• All the necessary parts will have been replaced/upgraded, cyl honed and possibly pistons replaced. Definitely new rings.
• One will be more of a hotrod than the other with some head and valve modifications, a beefed up ignition system, and Keihin CR's. The other is going to be more of an all weather cruiser with appropriate tires for handling rain, all new weatherproofed/tucked wiring and possibly even shrouding to protect the carbs and intake from heavy rain. However performance will not be overlooked.
• I have a truck as my DD now but I'm looking to get better gas mileage and actually ENJOY the 8mi ride to and from work every day.

It's my understanding that these engines are basically bulletproof. Combine that with a rather large stockpile or parts that I have amassed and all the wonderful knowledge available here and I don't see why I can't fill the majority of my transportation needs with an old Honda.