Topic: The $500 Challenge

[Tugboat]

Some friends and I are loosely organizing an event for next spring. The challenge: Spend no more than $500 (excluding brakes & tires) on a bike and see how many miles your team can put on it in 24 hours. There are a few rules we've come up with - such as a 400cc motor displacement limit, and you can't use anything you already own.

Clearly part of the strategy has to be about choosing the right bike. You might be able to get a more dependable ~100cc bike for that kind of money, but that size of motor can only get you ~1200 miles at best (running at its top speed of ~50mph for 24 hours), whereas a 400cc bike could potentially get you ~1700 miles at best (running at 70mph for 24 hours) and not have to push it as hard to get there. Another thing to consider is parts availability and cost: you might get a killer deal on a ’75 Suzuki GT380 but that won’t help you if you can’t find carb kits for it. Finally, our rules don’t stipulate that it has to be an older bike, but I’d think that most teams would get something that’s at least 25 years old so they can title & insure it for cheap.

So what bike would you look for if it was your team? The actual event isn’t until May, but challenge starts in January so we’ll have a little time to shop around.

[Bankerdanny]

Fun. I would probably look for a 250-350cc bike. Possibly a 500 single. You need to consider reliability not just top speed, and for that budget a smaller bike will likely be in better shape for same money as a larger bike.

I would also bet that the difference in average speed between the smallest and larget bikes will be less than you think.

[grcamna2]

I'd try to find a DEAL on a real beat-up Honda Nighthawk 250..,it could be in Very rough shape cosmetically,but have a solid engine.

[Stev-o]

Honda Rebel 250, cheap and will run reliable.  Very cool contest...

[DustyRags]

I'd look for a crashed Kawasaki Ninja- good engine, parts are everywhere, and it's a squid bike, so they get laid down a lot. Peel off the fairings and run it naked and voila!

Alternately... yeah, a Nighthawk or Rebel might be good... older CB something-or-other... fun challenge!

[Powderman]

What's the prize?

[DustyRags]

What's the prize?

[grcamna2]

The CB250 Nighthawk is a Very popular MSF training bike & is standard equipment at Lots of M/C driver training schools;you might can get one at auction..., & then put minimal $ into it to run the course.The bike doesn't have much top end but it'll run all day & night & get good mileage to boot on your 24 hr. endurance run.

[seanbarney41]

Some friends and I are loosely organizing an event for next spring. The challenge: Spend no more than $500 (excluding brakes & tires) on a bike and see how many miles your team can put on it in 24 hours. There are a few rules we've come up with - such as a 400cc motor displacement limit, and you can't use anything you already own.

Clearly part of the strategy has to be about choosing the right bike. You might be able to get a more dependable ~100cc bike for that kind of money, but that size of motor can only get you ~1200 miles at best (running at its top speed of ~50mph for 24 hours), whereas a 400cc bike could potentially get you ~1700 miles at best (running at 70mph for 24 hours) and not have to push it as hard to get there. Another thing to consider is parts availability and cost: you might get a killer deal on a ’75 Suzuki GT380 but that won’t help you if you can’t find carb kits for it. Finally, our rules don’t stipulate that it has to be an older bike, but I’d think that most teams would get something that’s at least 25 years old so they can title & insure it for cheap.

So what bike would you look for if it was your team? The actual event isn’t until May, but challenge starts in January so we’ll have a little time to shop around.

hell yeah!...a buddy and me had pretty much the same idea.  We decided to call it the "Riding Dirty Run", as we both decided it would be foolish to even title or insure it.  When it breaks, just ghost ride that #$%* into the bushes and call for a ride.  We also decided a "claimer" rule would be fun to guarantee nobody is being dishonest about how much was spent.  Seems like worthlessly ugly 1980's jap cruiser's are gonna be the hot ticket.

[DustyRags]

Some damn fool's gonna track down a 25 year old Goldwing and sneak out to the local track on a holiday.

[Tugboat]

So the search is on! There are at least four other teams. It looks like we're going to have to find either a Ninja 250 or one of the 400cc bikes. The 250 Nighthawk or Rebel may be dependable, but just don't have the power to keep up with the others. We'd be winding those out just trying to maintain a 65mph average speed. I've posted an ad in the Wanted section... would like to spend $300-350 so that we'll have a little cash left over to fix whatever needs to be fixed. Anybody have something that fits the profile?

[grcamna2]

Tug,
    What are most of your competition running ? 400's ?

[KB02]

Seek out an old CB or CM 400 twins. Great bikes. Plenty of power to keep up at highway speeds. Ride them all day. Reliable as all get out.

[grcamna2]

Possibly a local forum member could "sell" an old bike to you,and after the race you could "sell"it back to him. ? 

[Tugboat]

^actually we thought about that but there is a rule against it. Yes, 400's or Ninja 250's if they can be found for this price. In fact, that might be the way to go. But odds are way better for finding a cm, cb or kz400.

[seanbarney41]

kinda interested in getting in on this...could you list complete rules, requirements?  I do understand that this is probably getting loosely organized by a bunch of friends.

[Terry in Australia]

Possibly a local forum member could "sell" an old bike to you,and after the race he could "sell"it back to you. 

He's gonna sell it to you twice? What did George W say? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on you? No wait, fool me once, ah, forget about it..............

George Bush's "Fool Me Once" Gaffe

[grcamna2]

OOps  Thanks for noticing that Terry.I just corrected it.

[Terry in Australia]

This brought back a shameful memory. When I was 15 or 16, I bought a mint Honda Dream 305cc from my local bike shop for $25.

I took it home and cut off the fenders and mufflers, then took it up to the old abandoned horse racing track (grass track) early one morning and proceeded to ride it flat out (70 MPH) until the engine seized and threw me down the track.

I reckon I slid in the wet grass for 100 yards, and got up, wet as a shag, but otherwise unhurt. I pushed it back home and stripped it into large lumps, and stored it behind my Dad's garage, and forgot about it.

A couple of years later my parents sold that house and as I was in the Army by then, my friends took all my bike parts away, and I never saw that stuff again. It'd probably be worth a few bucks now, oh well, the things you do when you're young and dumb..........  

[jas67]

Some friends and I are loosely organizing an event for next spring. The challenge: Spend no more than $500 (excluding brakes & tires) on a bike and see how many miles your team can put on it in 24 hours.

Sounds like the "24 hours of Lemons" car event.

[fendersrule]

Damn. I could have done this.

1970 SL350 Purchased in October '13: $100
Carb Rebuild/Refinishing: $80
Battery: $40
Tires: Have not done yet but doesn't count.
Brakes: Have not done yet but doesn't count.

Compression: 180/173

So far, $220 with plenty to spare. Here's a video of me with it last week when it was 24F outside:

SL350K0

I personally would also add "Chain and Sprockets" to the list of freebies along with wheels and tires. Another risky item IMO.

[Terry in Australia]

Nice bike Fenders, I always wanted an SL350 or CL450.

[kghost]

I had a KZ440 in college.

WE rode it everywhere and abused the hell out of that poor bike.

One day on a high speed run it threw a rod out the bottom of the case.

Pushed it off to the side of the highway into the ditch and left it.

Its replacement was a KZ750 twin that was ridden as hard and worse.

It finally broke a balance shaft....but it still got ridden.

Funny how your hands woulg go numb in about 15 minutes.

I don't think more than $200 was paid for either of them

[Tugboat]

Whoa! Nice find on the SL! See?!? I know these deals can be had. Hopefully it's just a matter of being patient and willing to travel a bit.

When we were coming up with the rules & regulations for this thing, I think we all thought: "Hey there are plenty of bikes under 400cc to choose from!" But in reality, everybody kinda wants the same ones in order to compete. A Rebel or a Nighthawk 250 is a safe bet, but those are just not going to get you as far down the road if you're winding 'em out at 65mph.

So then there's the issue of there just not being that many four stroke 350 or 400cc road bikes that could fall into this price range. Basically one model each from the Japanese companies.. plus the CB350/360's. And the Ninja 250 only makes the cut because they're wicked fast for their size! So that makes what.. seven models to choose from. And basically nobody bought the Yamahas, Suzukis or Kawis back in the day so there just aren't that many to be found - relative to the Hondas. At least from what I've found....

[DustyRags]

What about running a two-stroke enduro?