Bike... what to buy?

[Christopha]

OK you knowledgeable bunch of motorcycling revheads, it's 5+ years since I sold the Harley and became a 4 wheeler. Now I have a lady friend who rides a Duke and I kinda fancy going for a ride with her, to her place 400kms away etc etc. Now being an oldish fart nowadays I don't do being folded up like a pocket knife at all. I don't need to be able to travel everywhere at half the speed of sound either and I kinda fancy something with enough grunt to be able to cart me and my collection of blood pressure pills, vitamins and viagra all over the country in comfort.
I want a lot and I don't want to pay any more than about $4000.....

SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!

[wheelinround]

Is that $4000,000.00 a trike maybe one with the lot for $30k http://www.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=2828724&TabID=3424&Alias=Bikepointau

[Gra]

Vespa.... :p


Sorry couldnt resist a giggle at the mental picture of you riding a vespa..

[Ivan in Oz]

G'day Christopha,

Many do not consider them,
but the newer Scooters are OK.
Bigger wheels, room for luggage and cruise on 100+ kph.....not that I would:;

[Christopha]

Mate(s) there is no way kn own you are getting this wrinkled old bum on a bloody scooter!!! Apart from the testicle shrinking embarassmentation what sort of idiot would want to tour on a stupid thing like that???

[Gra]

Mate(s) there is no way kn own you are getting this wrinkled old bum on a bloody scooter!!! Apart from the testicle shrinking embarassmentation what sort of idiot would want to tour on a stupid thing like that???


come on you gotta admit the sight of you on a Vespa would be funny

[echnidna]

get an old posties vespa with the tray on the back and roof over the driver.:D

Ripper ute, dunno how much it'd carry:rolleyes:

One thing's fer sure, it wouldn't hold a symtec:p

[Gra]

Bob,

You mean one of these (http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/vespa-ape.html)

[Christopha]

The sight of me on a Vespa might be amusing to some but the thought of those little wheels sticking out of the nether regions of me with no other apparent means of support? Well..... :O

[Gra]

The sight of me on a Vespa might be amusing to some but the thought of those little wheels sticking out of the nether regions of me with no other apparent means of support? Well..... :O

Damn, now I got to explain to the help desk why I need a new keyboard..... I just laughed so hard I spat coke all over my keyboard:U:U

[Gra]

now seriously, I don't know about prices but what about something like a virago, looks like a little harley, but doesn't leak (Ya gonna get these comments when you ask an indian fan)

[Ivan in Oz]

I'm thinking More like this:-
http://www.scootersales.com.au/Portals/0/News/f41e1fa9-2340-4e78-ac59-0a41e1702a53/pic1.jpg

[Christopha]

NO NO! NO!! We've got to be talking BMW, Yamahoor, Hoonda or the likes a MOTORCYCLE!!! Not a bloody tinka toy!
I want to ride long distances.... I live halfwayish between Adelaide and Melbourne and I want to be able to ride to those cities reasonably regularly.

[echnidna]

Bob,

You mean one of these (http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/vespa-ape.html)

yep, that's the beastie

reckon you'd hafta shell out more than 4 grand tho :cool:

[Christopha]

Not too keen on the Harley lookalikes either, I was a Harley man (it didn't leak oil!) and find those wannabe things a bit ordinary..... am I too fussy?

[Gra]

try here (http://www.bikesales.com.au/as/search/sd.do?recIndex=19&page=0&selectedModelIndex=0&maxPrice=5000&y=17&selectedMakeIndex=0&previousResultPerPage=20&currentPage=4&x=61)

or here (http://www.bikesales.com.au/as/search/sd.do?recIndex=16&page=0&maxPrice=5000&selectedModelIndex=0&y=17&selectedMakeIndex=0&previousResultPerPage=20&currentPage=2&x=61)

or left of field here (http://www.bikesales.com.au/as/search/sd.do?recIndex=20&page=0&selectedModelIndex=0&maxPrice=5000&y=17&selectedMakeIndex=0&previousResultPerPage=20&currentPage=4&x=61)

[Stringy]

$$4,000:rolleyes:, will buy a nice pushy or a motorbike you can spend more time working on than riding!

$8,000 and you can look at some nice second hand Yamaha fj11&1200's, Kawasaki zxr/zzr 11&1200's, Suzuki gsf 1200's. This lot all have a fairly upright riding position and descent pillion/luggage accomodation. Honda make a 750 cruiser that is a huge seller (heaps second hand) and cheap.

[benji79]

$$4,000:rolleyes:, will buy a nice pushy or a motorbike you can spend more time working on than riding!

$8,000 and you can look at some nice second hand Yamaha fj11&1200's, Kawasaki zxr/zzr 11&1200's, Suzuki gsf 1200's. This lot all have a fairly upright riding position and descent pillion/luggage accomodation. Honda make a 750 cruiser that is a huge seller (heaps second hand) and cheap.

Have to agree, you will have to be really lucky to get something reliable for $4000. At that price it will be an older bike and have lots and lots of Km's on it. As long as its got a service history, that might not worry you.

Benji

[scooter]

but the newer Scooters are OK.



Mate(s) there is no way kn own you are getting this wrinkled old bum on a bloody scooter!!!

You're both damn right... :rolleyes: :- :D

[rsser]

Honda Hornet 600?

Bombproof motor.

Or Kwacka KLR 650 for something dual purpose.

But yeah, 4 grand is a bit tight.

[Ivan in Oz]

OK, something you want to keep,
and do big Miles?

I've had my GUZZI for 25-26 years:2tsup:
Lost count of the Klms:?

But they are NOT a Cool bike to be seen in the 'IN' crowd.

[Christopha]

Guzzis are VERY nice, BMs too..... shaft drive.... mmmmm.....

[Jim Carroll]

Chris start looking at the Goldwings or Bm,s

I can understand the comfort part, makes it easier to get of at the other end and still be able to stand up.

How are you going to keep up with the ducati.

[wheelinround]

Chris start looking at the Goldwings or Bm,s

I can understand the comfort part, makes it easier to get of at the other end and still be able to stand up.

How are you going to keep up with the ducati.


If Rossi and Haden can't who else could.

Christoper there were some nice Honda 750 4's around your price range and a few Trumpies

[DavidG]

My bike.
Honda Transalp 650.
Dirt/tar bike.
Go any where, reliable, not too fast.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=56113&d=1190286028

[rsser]

Ural?

Royal Enfield?

[Christopha]

Ural? do you have a urinary tract infection sweety??

I did once have an Enfield..... bit too fast for you Ern,

[Doughboy]

Triumph trophy 1200 chews up the miles and spits 'em out real easy.

BMW GS 1200 good for all road conditions and a willing workhorse for day to day stuff.

[rsser]

LOL. Ural's a Russki knock off of the BM R series. You can get one with sidecar complete with machine gun mount.

.........

I once had a BSA 500 that was a pain in the a*se. Does that qualify?

[rsser]

... now here's something that'll turn heads (and empty stomachs); a US custom chopper.

[batcat]

Not too keen on the Harley lookalikes either, I was a Harley man (it didn't leak oil!) and find those wannabe things a bit ordinary..... am I too fussy?
Fussy Nup as an ex harleyrider (42wla) and various other brands nothing but nothing comes near a harley.
how about a beemer
http://www.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=2700631&TabID=3424&Alias=bikepointau

[q9]

How about a Bandit 1250?

GSX1400?

[Clinton1]

Other than the Kawasaki ZZR as previously suggested, take a look for a decent old Kwaka Z900, Z1000.

Not too hunched, enough grunt to make you grin, and other than being a bit of a cult classic (Stone and Mad Max movies) they are just plain sexy.

Or, you may get lucky with a BMW tourer... although you are asking a lot for $4K, I think you'll get a money sponge till a fair bit of work has been done. Try here (http://www.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?Make=BMW&PriceFrom=0.01&PriceTo=5000&ShowThumbnail=True&SortBy=4&ResultsPerPage=10&MTA=False&TabID=3424&Alias=bikepointau)

You might get a BMW K1100... just not sure if it will make you or your mechanic/parts guy happy. :rolleyes:

[wheelinround]

Christopher if Jeremy can do it YouTube - Tiny Car Review

[Christopha]

That little bugger is brilliant and so was Jeremys' "test" but imagine how much better it would be with a nice BMW 1000cc flat twin tucked away under it..... :D

[echnidna]

It'd fall over in a straight line if you put too much grunt into it.

Didya notice the front wheel off the ground going around a left corner?

still be a fun thing though.

[Christopha]

Anyone know much about Kwaka GTR 1000's?

http://www.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=2850964&TabID=3424&Alias=bikepointau

[q9]

Anyone know much about Kwaka GTR 1000's?

http://www.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=2850964&TabID=3424&Alias=bikepointau

Well looked after they are pretty much indestructible. Lot of bike for the money. If that's the "first" 94,000km then it'll have a LOT of life left in it.:2tsup:

[prozac]

This is the one for you Christopha! http://bmwtcnsw.org/classifieds.html Look at the June 2007 post. And it is in SA.

Otherwise have on the Ulysses site http://www.ulyssesclub.org/members/classifieds.asp?a=b&c=1

Safe riding
prozac

[prozac]

Or this Triumph Tiger 955i. Also a comfortable bike, and for $9,700. pm me for details.

[prozac]

Sorry Christopha I forgot to mention that these bikes have a comfortable upright riding position. So does MotoGuzzi.

prozac

[Dingo Dog]

Chris, my partner has a scooter, it eats V8's at traffic lights, I have had it to 140kmph and is quite stable, mind you it cost more then the budget you have. 600cc, four valve heads, fuel injected twin, twin and go, its a hoot to ride, have passed Harley riders waving at them, the look on their faces is well a real buzz.

D D

[damian]

I was going to suggest a kawasaki gt1000 or whatever they are called. Depreciate like crazy, great bike, few faults. The trouble with old japanese bikes is they are expensive to put right and not worth much so if you buy a dud it's an uneconomic proposition to restore. Likewise BMW's in that price range will often need work and are extremely expensive for parts and hard to work on. You won't get a Guzzi worth owning in that price range.

If your looking at 400 km woman chasing runs you need something with enough grunt to be comfortable at 100 km/h and a comfortable seating position. At that price point your stuck with the better japanese super tourers, but you must buy one with no design issues and in good mechanical condition. Yamaha and Kawasaki make fewer lemons than Honda and especially Suzuki. If you can get a TRX850 they are quite comfortable, fabulous to ride and less expensive to put right. They smoke at 100,000 but it's usually only rings if the bike has been kept serviced. The lady on the ducati won't have to keep stopping to let you catch up either :) TDM 850 is something of an oddity but a great bike also. Great on dirt roads and very nice on bitumen.

2c.

[Ashore]

Not too keen on the Harley lookalikes either, I was a Harley man (it didn't leak oil!) ?
Oh you had the one that didn't leak , I wondered who owned it :roflmao:
Jesus chris can just see you on a scooter:biker: but for 4k all you will get new is :bike3: best you could do is an ex cop bmw , but you would proberly need to spend a few bucks getting it smeg , if you do go that way check out the clutch they were a bit of a prob the way the cops rode :2tsup:

[sumu]

Humm, If in need of a budget bike, I'd look for it by the engine it has, at 4K maybe by 650 cc Rotax, perhaps.

Moto Guzzi would be the choice otherwise. It has true character.

Kippis,

sumu

[Christopha]

Still got my eye out for a bike but I am thinking that perhaps 600cc would be a good thing as above that I SA the rego costs go through the roof!
The TRXs' are nice but a bit heavy on the arthritic left wrist.

[sumu]

Aye, thumper funduros are fun and pretty easy and comfortable to otherwise sore wrists.

If you like, check out some more FAQs and bike stories of the thumper genre.
http://www.thumperpage.com/articles.html

Thumperpages links will take you to more stories and descriptions.

Kippis,

sumu

[Calm]

Still got my eye out for a bike but I am thinking that perhaps 600cc would be a good thing as above that I SA the rego costs go through the roof!
The TRXs' are nice but a bit heavy on the arthritic left wrist.

This is my bike i bought it in Feb this year for $1600, with 12 months rego and roadworthy, new brakes.

My mate resprayed it and i am in the process of getting new stickers made for it.

1995 ZZR 600 very nice to ride light to turn around in the driveway (pushing), and all the power a 50 year old wannabe needs. Yep it will break the speed limit too - and doesnt leak oil.

Cheers.

[Christopha]

DAVE! That is a great buy for the bucks! I don't suppose you have another one laying around that you don't want????

[Christopha]

Just found this.... opinions please!

http://www.bikesales.com.au/as/search/sd.do?recIndex=1&modelID=562&makeID=37&previousResultPerPage=20

[q9]

Looks alright...should be a good do anything, go anywhere kind of bike.

[Sleeping Dog]

I'd buy that!!

An air cooled Honda motor is usually a good thing, very reliable. Low k's and looks in good shape. the best bit of info in all that waffle is the last line, "Make me an offer!" means he doesn't really expect to get the price he's asking for.

Doms were a good bike, a little heavy for off-road but thats not what you want it for anyway.

Along those lines, keep your eyes open for Yamaha Tenere's. Similar sort of bike, probably my pick. But that Dom looks good.

Happy trails,

Peter.