motorcycles caused me strife

[edmond]

Demo, what style are going to go with for the sr 400?

bobber bratstyle with inspirations from builders i look up to

[ryder]

A few years back I sold my cheap-o moped I picked up off of Craigslist and bought this gem. It doesn't have two wheels, but damn if I don't find it beautiful, it is the only motorized vehicle I own.

[wild style]

Really tempted to neg you for posting a fucking golf cart in the motorcycle thread, but I'm in a good mood.

Post that shit in the "what do you drive?" thread instead.

[kiya]

Where the fuck do you live where you consider that a vehicle?

Ambergris Caye?

[Denim Phenom]

Unless it's a Harley golf cart, then it passes by association.

[renski]

can anyone offer any tips on buying older bikes? looking at some bonnevilles and some sportsers. years range from 75-90.

[kiya]

The future of Falcon Motorcycles, Paul d'Orleans (and maybe myself):

http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/2010/02/inspiration-la-and-future-of-vintagent.html

[Denim Phenom]

can anyone offer any tips on buying older bikes? looking at some bonnevilles and some sportsers. years range from 75-90.

Sporties from those years should be pretty cheap. I think the last year of Ironheads is either 83 or 84. From there they changed to the Evo style sportster (and big twin) so it all depends on what look you want.

You could Ironheads for less than $2000 if your scour craigslist. Just know you'll need to get some tools to work on the bike. It also depends on if you plan on chopping it or riding as is.

There are a lot of things to think about before jumping into. Figure out what you want to do in the long run and that should help you make your initial decision.

I can't speak to Triumph's since I don't have experience with British iron.

Sign up on the jockey journal forum and search through the threads there. You should get a lot of helpful information from it.

[renski]

+rep

thanks du. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined but when it comes to carbs and tuning carbs it's a whole other beast.

[skistar]

^^ first i've heard of it. what year r6? do a lot of stoppies? a bunch of friends and i have tracked the crap out of '03 and '06 r6s and never had any issue like this..

it's a 2002... no stoppies at at, it's my first bike and I take it semi easy for the most part. Scared the shit out of me though, having a hard time deciding if I want to keep it or not. I'm currently in the process of stripping the whole bike apart and checking bolts/replacing anything that looks worn down...

[superbeveridge]

+rep

thanks du. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined but when it comes to carbs and tuning carbs it's a whole other beast.

Don't get an old British f you don want to work on it. You'll end up spending a fortune in service. Might be fun to get a well restored bike and leaning to tune it yourself. There is a lot of support for that sort bike online and tons of people willing to help.

[triumph.man]

renski, I own a 69 Bonne...

you'll be looking at around $3 to 5k for a descent condition/running Triumph running, but you'll definitely need to do learn how to fine tune these bikes, as the're not a lot of mechanics that will tend to these motorcycles. It's all fairly easy, (carb tuning/rebuilding carbs), just need time and patience. Just finished my first top end overhaul, and I'm not too mechanically inclined. All you need is a workshop manual, and the forum mentioned below is a great resource for me. You might be better off asking your question in there...

www.triumphrat.net

[Denim Phenom]

Good advice T-Man. Good to here it from someone who actually has what you're looking for.

[edmond]

hey dp email me again i lost your email add... i think my partner and i wanna try out our first shipment with you. but you need to take out some parts for us... i need a pan head or a shovel...

[renski]

thanks guys. looks like I will pass on the bonneville for now. been scoping a lot of sportser and older standard suzukis and hondas as they are a bit cheaper. for now I just want a bike to ride, maybe down the road once I might want to break it down to something else bobber inspired.

[superbeveridge]

thanks guys. looks like I will pass on the bonneville for now. been scoping a lot of sportser and older standard suzukis and hondas as they are a bit cheaper. for now I just want a bike to ride, maybe down the road once I might want to break it down to something else bobber inspired.

You might want to check out a 70s Honda CB. There are a ton of them out there. You can find nice ones cheap and they are super easy to maintain. They are a great ride. Get like a CB360 or 450, custom the seat and get some drop bars and you have one hell of a good looking bike and it won't take much to maintain... and because it is a Honda you can still get new old parts as companies still manufacture them

[Osmosis Jones]

my 78 gl1100. cafe goldwing yessss

[superbeveridge]

my 78 gl1100. cafe goldwing yessss

That thing is a beast. Aren't Cafe Racers supposed to small CC bikes? Very nice.

[lowrider]

it's a 2002... no stoppies at at, it's my first bike and I take it semi easy for the most part. Scared the shit out of me though, having a hard time deciding if I want to keep it or not. I'm currently in the process of stripping the whole bike apart and checking bolts/replacing anything that looks worn down...

it's a good bike man - keep it and just go over it thoroughly. mine was an '03 ex-Graves AMA SS bike built for Josh Alverson. thing was a beast for an '03 600. but i sold it last august and am looking for another ride. the rsv4 factory is pretty nice...

[renski]

superbev: I saw some nice Suzuki gs750s for decent prices the honda cb's are too hyped for the price down here. so far it's either Japanese or sportster. some of those nighthawks look good too!

[Denim Phenom]

The drop bars he's talking about are called clubman bars. 7/8s is what you'd be using on a Honda. There is this guy in Southern California that gets 70s Japanese bikes on craigslist, does a mild cafe job on them and hawks 'em for way more.

[triumph.man]

here's mine. Sounds very tappety...but I just need to adjust valve tappets and chain tension and it should be good to go...

[triumph.man]

The drop bars he's talking about are called clubman bars. 7/8s is what you'd be using on a Honda. There is this guy in Southern California that gets 70s Japanese bikes on craigslist, does a mild cafe job on them and hawks 'em for way more.

talking 'bout Carpy?

http://www.cb750cafe.com/bikes.php?cat=1

[Denim Phenom]

No, that guy is pretty legit though. It's another dude that sells them on craigslist primarily.

[edmond]

updates

parts came in.. chopped some parts off welding some in..

[edmond]

[mad_dye]

^ lucas taillight ?

[edmond]

limp dick tailers

[Denim Phenom]

Or sparto.

[zissou]

xpost from WAYJDT thread.

It got up to a balmy 45F here Saturday, so I thought "what better day to get the motorbike out for the first time??"

First step: Air in the tires.

Next, charge the battery.

Consult the manual. The frame, engine, and manual all have matching serial numbers.

Check the oil. She didn't lose a drop over winter. I should change it out soon, but I just want to get it running today...

Bowls look super clean.

Dust everything off. The chrome and aluminum could use some polishing.

...aaand, here she is, my 1971 BMW R75/5, with only 35K miles on her.

Next stop was the gas station to fill her up with some fresh hi-test. It worried me a little, as a cop was refueling right next to me, and my registration wasn't quite up to date...

Did a short canyon ride in town, and then decided to hit a gravel pit nearby. So long!

Next job is to rebuild the carbs, but I'll wait until it warms up a little more...