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

Richard Bronosky richard at bronosky.com
Mon Aug 5 17:09:53 EDT 2013 

Thanks for all the pointers. Great stuff. I'm not limited to the 500 I just
made. But every additional 500 will probably take me a month to put away. I
was just hoping for as cheap as possible and spend a little money on DIY
repairs. I'm in it for the education.

--Richard Bronosky
Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Swype keyboard
 On Aug 2, 2013 12:28 PM, "Dustin Strickland" <dustin.h.strickland at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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
>>>> Litecoin: LZzAJu9rZEWzALxDhAHnWLRvybVAVgwTh3
>>>> Bitcoin: 15s3aLVsxm8EuQvT8gUDw3RWqvuY9hPGUU
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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