Topic: A List of Fun, Affordable Bikes

[srbakker]

Hey all,

So here's the setup... I'm a pretty recent convert to bikes, having been a diehard car guy until about 6 years ago.  My Dad rides and has since he was a kid and when I hit my mid 20s, I sort of decided it would be fun to ride with him - long story short you all know what I was missing until then.  Since that time, we have taken multiple trips all over BC, Washington and Oregon and these have been some of the most valued times of my life to date.

I have a couple of younger brothers who would dearly love to join us, but for primarily financial reasons, can't really afford the cash for gear, MSF courses and a bike.  I am in the fortunate position of having a pretty secure line of work and I'm thinking of helping them out a bit. 

What I'm looking for is a list of bikes that would meet the following criteria:

1) Available for a reasonable price (I would say somewhere under the $2500 mark)
2) Small(er) - remember these guys would both be beginners (however, they're also both over 6'0", so 250s are probably not viable - I'm thinking 400s and up)
3) Reliable and easy to work on/roadside repair for those trips I mentioned
4) Room for a set of bags for road trips
5) A little more modern then our good old SOHC4s - neither of these guys is particularly mechanically inclined and I can foresee having two extra bikes to maintain, hehe - I'm thinking 80s to early 90s
6) Acres of fun!

For the record, I have no intention of showing up on their respective doorsteps with a bike and going "surprise!" - as cool as that would be, I can appreciate the need for a rider (especially a new one) to feel comfortable with a new bike.  I'm just looking for a list of bikes I can find on CL and then take them to go look at until we find something that works.

Thanks in advance!
Scott

[grcamna2]

Suzuki GS500 Twins have had a long production run & are a very good starter bike;I think they can be had very reasonably because there are plenty to choose from.
The newer 90's Honda CB750's...they can also be found used for a reasonable price & they are very tough.

[kpier883]

Honda NT650 springs to mind.  Like this:
http://www.sprocketlist.com/HawkGT-NT650/2326888/1989-Honda-NT650-Hawk.html

Suzuki V Strom:
http://sandy-ut.geebo.com/vehicles/view/id/31966200-2004_suzuki_strom_650/

Kawasaki Versys

There are a bunch of cruiser styles out there of the v twin persuasion - kawasaki 800, Yamaha 1400 etc, but I am not that familiar with them.

[grcamna2]

srbakker,
               What kind of bikes do your brothers have in mind? do they have any preferences ?

[srbakker]

I am very familiar with the Suzuki and Kawasaki twins from the past 5-6 years.  Great bikes and my dad actually rides the big Strom.  I just can't see getting something so new around my price point.

As far as what they want, I don't really know - we just want to look at lots of different options so they can get a good sense of what's available before making a choice.  I've sort of been pushing standard and naked options, but that's mostly my bias.  We're open to any ideas, really.

[seaweb11]

I personally don't like the ride set up, or their starters, but anyone can ride a 750 Virago.
They are almost a duplicate of the 250 twins they teach on most of the time as well.

[B.O.X.N.I.F.E.]

Buell?

[Steve_K]

The Kawi 250 Ninja could be a good choice.  I think performance of a CB550, so it should not too fast.  14k revs tho, will have to rev it to go, but lots of fun.
Steve

[heffay]

Kawasaki EX500 ... they are a dime a dozen but torquey, sporty, fun.  Great bike to learn on, fairly bullet proof, and the design didn't change for about 20 years so parts are very available.

[ofreen]

Pre-2008 KLR650s are reasonably priced, will do anything you can do on a steetbike and meets your 6 criteria.

[verslagen1]

suzuki savage is definitely in your price range.
good beginners bike also hails back from '86 to present.
properly tuned, it'll give any bike a run for it's money across the intersection.
I've seen capable riders give sports bikes a hard time thru the twisties.
It's a big a$$ed single, nothing easier to take care of.
oil, gas, adjust the valves and keep and eye on the cam chain is all there is.

And suzukisavage dot com for owner support.

[azuredesign]

I love the SV650 naked bike from 99-2001 or 02. Easy to maintain, they go decently fast and handle great.

[fmctm1sw]

suzuki savage is definitely in your price range.
good beginners bike also hails back from '86 to present.
properly tuned, it'll give any bike a run for it's money across the intersection.
I've seen capable riders give sports bikes a hard time thru the twisties.
It's a big a$$ed single, nothing easier to take care of.
oil, gas, adjust the valves and keep and eye on the cam chain is all there is.

And suzukisavage dot com for owner support.

I ran into a group at a gas station one time and a guy had one of those 650 singles.  We joked I had 4 times the cylinders but half the size   

[grcamna2]

 I wonder if that Yamaha has a counter balancer ?

oops...I meant the Suzuki Savage single.

[heffay]

I wonder if that Yamaha has a counter balancer ?

What Yamaha??

[grcamna2]

I wonder if that Yamaha has a counter balancer ?

What Yamaha??

Sorry....I meant the Suzuki 650 Savage.

[verslagen1]

I wonder if that Yamaha has a counter balancer ?

What Yamaha??

Sorry....I meant the Suzuki 650 Savage.

Yes it does.

[grcamna2]

srbakker,
                How's you're search coming? did you find any likely candidates for "first bikes" for your brothers yet? or see anything yet? this is a good time of year for looking,that's for sure.

[srbakker]

Well, we've been looking hard and I think one of my brothers has settled on trying to find a KLR650 - I'm just waiting for a nice example to come up on the local craigslist, with the doohickey already done.

The other brother is waffling a bit - he's decided he might want to put a bit more money into and get something new, so we're still looking for him.

The good news is, both are booked for MSF classes come spring time, and we're shopping the winter time online gear sites for good deals on helmets, jackets, gloves and boots.

Thanks for all the help!
Scott

[grcamna2]

verslagen1,
                   Hows the Savage feel around 70+mph? & does the counterbalancer have a chain or is it gear drive ?

[verslagen1]

There are various speeds in which it can feel a little buzzy
personally, I like 70 and can go all day, others say it feels too buzzy and back off.
definitely harder to see something behind you.
the stock handle bars are weighted to reduce the effect, but I'm not running them.

[Leino]

Yamaha FZ 750, smooth and comfortable yet fast enough for most beginners.

[grcamna2]

Extra Fast !

[Leino]

Extra Fast !

Yeah well, quite fast but still very easy to ride slowly