[ale] [OT] Looking for an old beater motorcycle.

Fri Aug 2 12:25:51 EDT 2013

I ride. Understand, I'm not trying to cut you down, but you will be
extremely lucky to find a bike good enough for the interstate on a $500
budget. For right now, I would recommend putting that in a savings account
or tucking it under a pillow until you can get at least $1500. You're
probably going to want to go after a Honda or Triumph cruiser, as they tend
to be a little more reliable(and affordable). Get something 500cc or over,
you need the torque for when you get into a sticky situation as well as for
interstate riding. You'll want saddlebags and a small toolkit to take with
you, usually a few metric wrenches(since you're looking for a Honda). If
you can, try to get one with loud pipes; people generally don't watch for
motorcycles, but they can sure as hell hear one.

When you find a potential buy, you'll want to look at a few things.
Especially with older motorcycles, there can possibly be rust on the inside
of the tank so bring along a small penlight(also try to keep your gas tank
full to prevent that from happening.). Check the oil and coolant. Look at
the tires, if they have 1cm < of tread they should be fine for a little
while.  Check the chain for rust(If it's a chain-drive, I don't know how
you can check a shaft-drive.). A little surface-rust shouldn't indicate any
problems and should wear off after a few hundred yards of riding. Also be
sure to check the rear sprocket while you're down there; if the chain and
sprockets haven't been replaced in a while(usually $120 for a kit on ebay),
the teeth on the sprocket can start to wear and the ends of the teeth will
start to come off. Other than that, standard vehicle stuff - check the
lights, breaks, clutch, be sure it goes through all the gears properly, and
crank it up to listen.

Get you some gear, too. Fingerless gloves for the summer, insulated
gloves(which can be expensive, $60 or more) for the winter. A helmet,
obviously. A light leather jacket(NOT a vest) will keep your arms from
getting belt-sanded on the asphalt if you wipe out. When winter rolls
around, get some chaps and perhaps a heavier leather jacket. Some people
swear by lined chaps and jackets, but I find it much easier and affordable
to throw on some thermals and a hoodie under the regular gear. You'll want
something to cover your ears too. I rode all through last winter for the
first time, and you would not believe how cold your ears will get at even
35MPH. Get a few good pairs of sunglasses and clear visors.

Check and oil your chain every week and after a rain if you keep it
outside. It should have about 3/4" of play if you try to lift it up from
the bottom towards the top. If it has any more, tighten it up. Check your
lights at least every month. I check mine every week. Other than that,
regular vehicle stuff, check your fluids and be sure that nothing is
falling off. You can use regular motor oil in your engine. I have before,
but do not recommend it. Only do it if you need some ASAP. The additives in
motorcycle oil help out the clutch and using regular oil can cause it to
shift hard. Change your oil and filter every 3000 miles. Get a 12v battery
tender, you can get one at Harbor Freight for about $10. When it's time to
replace the battery, go the extra mile and get one of the gel batteries.
They last alot longer. My stepfather has a Honda VTX 1800 with a gel
battery, and hasn't had to replace it in 6 years(though he's about due for
it now). If you can't afford it, the regular batteries go for about $40 at
Walmart.

I think that about covers all the bases.

On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 10:57 PM, Richard Bronosky <richard at bronosky.com>wrote:

> Thanks. That's encouraging. Now, find me a bike. ;-)
>
> --Richard Bronosky
> Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Swype keyboard
>  On Aug 1, 2013 9:46 PM, "Raylynn Knight" <seca900rider at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I pay just under $300 a year for full coverage on a BMW and liability on
>> another BMW and 2 Yamahas.  This includes roadside assistance for all four
>> bikes.  Use what you save in insurance cost for safety gear (helmet, riding
>> boots, jacket, pants and gloves).  All my bikes are over 850cc and all get
>> better than 35 mpg.  The best gets in the upper 40 mpg.  If you're
>> mechanically inclined you can do most maintenance yourself.  I wouldn't be
>> riding a BMW if I always had to pay the dealers labor rate!
>>
>> Ray Knight
>>
>>
>> On Aug 1, 2013, at 12:48 PM, Adrya Stembridge <adrya.stembridge at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I am a motorcyclist and these are good points.  One other thing to
>> consider is insurance.  My KTM is fully covered at around $300/yr.
>> Liability on my small car is around $500/yr.  Full coverage on the same car
>> was over $1000/yr.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 12:29 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE) <
>> atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I am not a motorcyclist, so what I'm about to say is hearsay.  At one
>>> point in the past, there was a situation where I needed to change cars and
>>> I saw a somewhat reasonably priced motorcycle at a thrift store.  I was
>>> considering buying it.  I talked to a local motorcycle mechanic who also
>>> races them.  And I talked to a friend who used to own one.  I became
>>> convinced that I'd have to add about $ 1000 to the cost of the bike to get
>>> a really good helmet and really good riders safety gear / clothing.  The
>>> mechanic said it's not if you lay it down and go sliding, it's when.
>>>  Flimsy fabric won't protect your body parts.  I also figured another few
>>> hundred $$ for driver training.  My friend said the tires only last about
>>> 20K miles, and there's a good bit of routine maintenance.  He said you
>>> don't save that much over a small car.
>>>
>>> In the end, I decided to go with a conventional car.  Someone more
>>> familiar with motorcycles can elaborate on these issues.  That's what I
>>> heard for what it's worth.
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Ron
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sean Kilpatrick <kilpatms at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> >Richard,
>>> >Can you get into town (fairly) easily without getting on an Interstate?
>>> >
>>> >If so, you might be able to find a 4-5 year old Honda/Yamaha/whatever
>>> >250cc
>>> >bike in your price range.
>>> >
>>> >If you NEED to get up on the interstates you are going to want at least
>>> >a
>>> >500cc bike. Smaller bikes have neither the speed nor weight to be safe.
>>> >
>>> >The bow wave of a large truck can push a small bike over a half lane or
>>> >
>>> >more. Really scary.
>>> >
>>> >The problem is that any 500 cc (or larger) bike you can find in the
>>> >$500
>>> >range is going to need a LOT of work. You could easily sink another
>>> >$500
>>> >into it.
>>> >
>>> >And, of course, if you don't already have an endorsement on your
>>> >driver's
>>> >license for a motorcycle, you'll need to deal with that hassle as well.
>>> >
>>> >Please do not even consider a 50 cc putt-putt.  Most of them can not
>>> >pull
>>> >a moderate hill at 30 mph.  They are dangerous on most roads outside
>>> >the
>>> >Loop as most drivers coming up behind you will think you are a
>>> >motorcycle
>>> >and not realize how slowly you are going.
>>> >
>>> >Sean
>>> >
>>>
>>> >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >On Thursday, August 01, 2013 10:00:07 am Richard Bronosky wrote:
>>> >> I am newly divorced and am faced with challenge of finding a social
>>> >> life outside of my wife and children. This was going pretty well when
>>> >> I was sleeping on a coworker's couch downtown. Now that I'm in a home
>>> >> far west of Atlanta I face a $10 fuel investment anytime I drive into
>>> >> town. (I usually take the bus to work.) That will result in me
>>> >sitting
>>> >> on the computer every night and being a recluse.
>>> >>
>>> >> I sold a TV for $500 and would like to spend that on motorcycle. I'm
>>> >> looking at 30+ year old Hondas on Craig's List. If you know of
>>> >> anything or anyone, please put me in touch.
>>> >>
>>> >> .!# RichardBronosky #!.
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>>> >
>>> >------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> >
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>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9
>>> Mail.
>>> Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.
>>>
>>> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
>>> call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
>>> mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new email messages very
>>> quickly.)
>>>
>>> Ron Frazier
>>> 770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
>>> linuxdude AT techstarship.com
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>>>
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>>
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