Just passed Motorcycle 101 class last weekend and I'm looking for a beater to practice on. I'm keeping an eye on Craigslist. Looking for something sub-$1500....sport, cruiser, or dual-sport. Some of the older Honda CBR carb-versions would be cool.

Anyway, keep your ear out and let me know.

Thanks.

would you consider a small early 70s enduro ?

my neighbor friend restores and resells them

he specializes in Suzuki

Is he a small Asian guy named Rei.

Rather go street right now unless those are dual sport?

Enduro was the class before somebody invented the phrase dual sport

In other words, they can be registered and ridden on the road.

My husband just sold his 95 Honda Nighthawk for $1400 today. It was a fun MC and a great commuter for work. Next time I should have posted on this website as well. Never thought of it since I thought it was everything BRONCO...

Some good deals on the ADV forum in the Eastern Slope area: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.p ... 3&page=896


J.E.

any of the Honda xr's 400 650 (enduros)... reliable can be had cheap for an older one. Once you get good and want to upgrade you can keep it for a mtn cruiser . I would say get something just a little bigger then what you think you'll need.. you will get the hang of it pretty fast and will want more from a first bike.. I grew up on motorcycles, but the people around me that have gotten their license wish they had a little bit more of a first bike. Ive had enduros dirtbikes supermotos crotch rockets.. miss my enduro the most best of both.(ktm 525)

I have owned a gsxr 750, TL 1000, gsxr 1000 and an R6. Nothing can match the power of these bikes. They are amazing machines. That being said as I got older I went from being able to ride 500 miles in a day to 30 miles. When I hit the age of 30 I would have to stop and stretch out on the side of the road. I ride a cruiser at work for 10 hours a day and don't feel a thing. A rocket or street bike does not get comfortable until 90+ miles an hour. If you do decide to get a rocket get a 1000 cc. When ever I owned anything lower it only took a few months and I wanted more. I still love gsxr 1000 and R1s. If you want a monster try and find a Honda RC51. They are a torque monster. I road a friend's years ago it was a power house.

My advice, and I've been riding for about 30 years off & on, is if you are just starting to ride, get a small Honda XR (250 or similar sized bike) that you can make street legal (has to have a horn, head & tail light and a title). The dirt bikes are quite a bit lighter than a road bike of similar size. When (not if) you dump it, the damage is going to be minimal because its a dirt bike and you can learn to ride something that has good acceleration without having to worry about too much. I say learn on a dirt bike, not a road bike. But that's just my .02. I hate to say it, but if you put yourself on a crotch rocket right off the bat, the tendency is to "see what this puppy can do" and you end up getting yourself into trouble. A dirt bike is quick, but not fast. You can learn to lean easier without the fear of falling over. Like was stated earlier, get something like an enduro or a straight up dirt bike.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The street bikes I road in the class were 500s and felt fairly gutless to me. That's why I'd like something a little bigger. I do plan on taking the class up at American Supercamp in Ft. Collins this summer and they have you ride like 125s or so to get the feel for the bikes. Right now I'd rather have a street bike to learn on as that's most of the riding I'm going to do over the next few months.

Personally I would go dual sport, being a Bronco lover and having dirt in your blood. Sure street bikes are fun, but being able to hit a trail when you want is more fun'er... lol. You'll be money adhead, trust me on this.

Scared a dual sport isnt enough power? I owned/ raced a XR 650 that i used to race in Vegas, it would run 110 with the right sprocket. Just my $.02

dual sport or Super tard for me = huge potential for tickets, jumping curbs and things that are fun on a dirt bike.
Full liter sized sport bikes for me too easy to go 130mph and I can't afford the tickets.

I have had close to 40 bikes in my life of all different types and have found that my current one fits the bill really good.
Suzuki SV650s, the standard ones just lack a fairing and sit a bit more upright. 03 and newer are FI and I consistently get 54mpg out of mine and don't cut it slack.
Almost 45,000 miles on it and doesnt skip a beat. handles well, accelerates and stops well. very good first bike in my opi, and insurance is cheap. oh and I paid $1500 for mine.
I would say find the type you want then determine the cost and scan Craigslist every hour, changing your search ie: sv650, sv 650, sv 650s, sv650 s. also a good idea to look at maint cost, tires on a liter bike aint cheap and dont last all that long.

Funny....the SV650 is one that I've already been looking at. Two nice ones showed up on CL but got snatched up quick. I also like the Kawasaki Ninja 650...seems like a very comparable bike and not overpowered. There's a 2013 on discount at a dealer nearby I'm looking at.

If you think you'll be touring, check out the Honda ST1300. 7 gallon tank and 48 MPG. Nice looking bike too.

After a lot of looking....I'm realizing my best bet is to find a beater dirt bike that I can add a street kit to. Then I can learn a bit before I make a more costly decision on a nicer ride.

How much for the bronco ;)

Yamaha WR450F with a street kit.

(2009?) and newer are fuel injected.