Buy a brand new motorcycle
Yea, I know old motorcycles are cool.
Unfortunately not everyone should own an old shitty bike.
If you plan on buying a vintage bike be prepared for:
– becoming a full time mechanic
– your girlfriend to become annoyed regardless of if she admits it
– something on the bike to break once a month
– trying to find a shop who can fix your shit when you can’t
– spending $2K to get the bike, then endless money forever on the bike
I guess my point is, not every guy has the mechanical skill / patience required to own an old bike.
Below is a list of bikes you can buy brand spanking new. 2014 models. They’re all solid and mechanically reliable and quick enough. How fast do you need to go? These are all plenty fast. And tons of aftermarket support to make the bike cosmetically look as nice as the modified ones in the pictures below.
It seems everyone has the idea they’ll spend $1000 on buying an old bike, then another $700 to get it running and then they’re set. Unfortunately that’s not the reality. Over the course of owning an old bike … if you add up all the money you dump into it, including all the time you waste… you could spend a little bit more, have a brand new bike, and ride worry free the first day.
Imagine doing a road trip on the sr400. Let’s say you blow a regulator/rectifier 3K miles from home. It’d be awesome to call up a Yamaha dealership, and get another new reg/rect that day no sweat, instead of calling local junk yards ha.
All the bikes below are great platforms, and as you can see in the pictures, they can look great modified. Not sure if the pic of the SR400 is old or new, but whatever… they’re both pretty much the same.
Click the bike name to go to the manufacturer website…
Man, that SR400 is cheap! Under 6 grand for a brand new bike. Shit, I have more than 6 grand into my cb650 and that thing is a turd ha. If the prices of these new bikes are a little steep, buy one that’s 2 years old and save a couple grand.
Yamaha SR400
– 400cc single
– 23hp
– 20tq
– $5900
Triumph Bonneville
– 860cc parallel twin
– 68hp
– 50tq
– $7900
Moto Guzzi v7 Special
– 750cc v twin
– 50hp
– 42tq
– $9200
Honda cb1100
– 1100cc inline four
– 82hp
– 56tq
– $10,300
13 responses to “Buy a brand new motorcycle”
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Random
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Published - Jun 3, 2016
cb650 keihin crs29 carbs
If you have a cb650 (or any jap 4cyl) and you’re looking to splurge close to an extra $1000… This post is for you. 79-80 cb650 actually have pretty good stock-oem carbs IMO: 29mm bore, mechanical slide and accelerator pump. However, if yours are getting shitty and want a nice upgrade, brand new keihin crs29 […]
That v7 looks badass, who made it Ed?
@chris
I forget. I think it was on silodrome? Not positive.
That’s the Revival Cycles Guzzi, out of Austin, TX revivalcycles.com
http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/ContinentalGT/
This one’s worthy of mention.
if you don’t mind a single… don’t forget the Royal Enfields…..
If your into v twins the Yamaha bolt is out there too, see it here http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/682/home.aspx
Nice post, Ed.
I’d like to see that cb1100 with these plastics and paint. http://cb1100f.net/owners/900f0030/900f_03w/CB1100F13.jpg
It is a good thread. I thought I had good attention to detail and would be able to wrench an older bike. I’ve come to realize that I’m impatient, I break shit, lose shit and get annoyed too easily. I don’t mind bolting on an accessory here and there but then I went to be done and riding.
When I did my exhaust, I dropped the bike twice and totally fucked the oil cooler on my Bonnie.
Clint Eastwood once said in Dirty Harry “Man’s got to know his limitations.”
@Ricky
That early 80’s cb100f makes about 108hp where this modern / fuel injected version makes only 82hp. I can’t believe that.
And… I’m with you on the color scheme. It’d be cool to own both an old one and this new one.
That’s why I stopped riding the RD after I got a Thruxton that is caffeinated with help from British Customs.
@ed
How much torque did the early 1000 have? The cb1100 makes like 60ft lbs at 2 or 3k. It’s not much of a revver. Think they designed the motor as more of a cruiser.
I’ve wanted one of these for a awhile:
http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/TU250X/2015/TU250X.aspx