smack doogle

Alright, looking to score an old bike in running condition this winter for my wife to learn on and dump/drop when necassary. There is plenty on craigslist but I thought I would seek the professional knowledge of the board. I would like a bike with a good following and something that can get beat and not break down, something air cooled and relatively bulletproof ex. CB750, GS750, KZ440 etc. etc. Anyone have experience with the like? Pics, stories what ever are all encouraged. Once the wife learns to ride and feels comfortable moving up to something modern I will likely take the beater (dependent on condition) and make that my commuter (gas mileage probably better than the super hawk). Thanks.
PS-If you live in New Enland and have something you want to get rid of I may be interested.

LineArrayNut

GPZ550, FJ/FZ600

vermontzx6r

Kawasaki EX500 (ninja) is always a great choice. A good color scheme makes them stylish enough that she'll look cool but theres such an abundance of them that you can find them for 900-1300 after going down once in the driveway. They're cool enough
bikes that if your hawk is ever out of commision you wouldn't hessitate to ride it around. A set of cans makes them sound great too. They'd make a great commuter if you can get her to give it up once she gets attached

RK1

Unless she's at least 5' 8" and lifts weights I'd stay away from 500+ lb. bikes like the old 750s. Actually I'd stay away from them even then.

For somebody brand new to bikes I think the smaller the better. In your situation I'd be looking for a small dual purpose bike like an old XL or XT 200-250, maybe a 350 cc tops.

Easy and unintimidating to learn on, lighter than a pure streetbike and less likely to get all bunged up when they fall over.

SlowHAWK

There are also a bunch of 250cc Ninja's out there... and for beginner bikes, I've read the small Buell isn't a bad chioce, although I don't know how much one of those would cost. I'd agree with RK1... the weight of the bike is probably pretty important in the learning process... I know there is no way in hell my wife could hold something like the Hawk up if it started leaning.

J.

scarface

my first bike was a 78 Yamaha RD400... great starter bike.

cliby

agree with RK1 - stay away from the old 550/750 bikes. I have had several recently - they are heavy, and particularly top-heavy, don't brake well, or suspend well. Even for a male beginner in 1980, they wouldn't have made a good choice. My son is starting on road bikes and these are bad choices. If you were really bent on going this way (or you just want a winter project) you can get some cool old cb400F (inline 4) and restore it to good functioning level and have some fun, but it will cost in the end. I'd also argue against the dual sports - very high seat heights, Dualsport tires (even those biased toward street) just make street riding less safe, riding position makes mirrors near useless, and in general its very different experience from a road bike (this is from my perspective riding a dualsported DRZ400).
I'd get something modern (10 years) and small. The 250 ninjas have been around a long time, same with the suzuki twin 500 and if you are patient this fall you can find them cheap. Suzuki SV650 is a step up in power and money but a bike she wouldn't outgrow either. You can sometimes find some that have been dropped with cosmetic damage only that go cheaply and work just fine.
Good luck.

PUSHrod

If you can find one, try a Yamaha SRX (either the 500cc or the 600cc) Just simple, basic thumpers that are light, nimble, compliant, forgiving and easy to fix. Low tech, but with disc brakes and overhead cams. Narrow with a nice balance to them.

Under a grand should be easy pickens.

motojoe

Suggestions:

GS500- Suz
SV650- Suz (standard, not the S model)
EX500 Ninja- Kaw
EX250 Ninja- Kaw
GSX400 Bandit- Suz
CB-1- Hon
CB250 Nighthawk- Hon
Blast- Buell
YX600 Radian- Yam
XJ600 Seca II- Yam


Also, put her through an MSF RiderCourse class. She can use their bike to learn the basics. Then if she like it, go out looking for one. Good luck.

roadapple

I used to have a 1981 Kawasaki 440 LTD. It was light, had a 6 speed trans with final belt drive. I bought it in 1996 for under a grand. It even had a frame mounted fairing, and top box.

It had no guts, but it was light and easy to control. it did alright on fuel too.

Good Luck

vermontzx6r

I learned on an old cb550 and I can second the weight issue. I tried to teach my girlfriend on it and its weight just made everything much more complicated than it needed to be.

EX500 all the way!

smokinjoe73

For what your goal is I really think the ninja 500 is far & away the best. Tons of parts available, crashes endlessly w/o problems, runs pretty much forever,great commuter bike, etc. Docile but fast. I sound like a salesman but they are great bikes

smack doogle

Great suggestions. The MSF is a must both for common sense and because she has to because we live on a military installation. The course is right here on base and I plan to get her the bike, ride it to the course and once there take her through T-CLOCS and all the MSF stuff (I will be taking the RiderCoach coarse soon) so although I am not a certified MSF instructor I do feel confident in having my wife learn the workings of the bike. Maybe by her second lesson we will work on the friction zone until her hand cramps from learning the clutch. I found a Honda VTR 250 for sale. That would look great next to the VTR 1000 in the garage. Tough to find and not very popular though. I'll probably look for a lil EX250 or 500 something like that since the majority here have signed off on those. Thanks again for all your input.

VTRsurfer

+1 My wife learned on an EX500 3 1/2 years ago. We sold it with 11,000 on the odo, crashless except for a "driveway drop". She's now riding an SV650S with a total of 17,000 miles of riding under her belt.

Good luck finding one for $1000 though.

Also, I've ridden an EX250. If you have a choice, go for the 500.

Moto Man

If you can find one cheap the old Hawk NT650 (88-92) is great for beginners. It's got low end torque but only makes about 40HP in stock form. The weight is low in the frame and its very nuetral feeling on the road. Another suggestion would be an old Interceptor 250 twin or maybe even an old Ascot FT500 single. Other than that look for SHORT old dual-sports in the 125-350 range.

harlangto

Look for the NX 250 Honda
very street worthy, electric start, light and short
I just sold one about 3 months ago
it was the family starter bike for a few years

bundleofgrundle

take a look at buell blasts from the 2000 model year or around that. I have seen several of these with pretty low miles in the $1500-2000 range. If you're in New England keep an eye on www.nationalpowersports.net They do all used bikes and are super cool/no pressure kind of guys. Last time i looked they had an '01 for around $1600?

Jim TT