Howdy from Tx, suggest a bike for me

heemid

New Member
Its good to be here. Im in the process of getting my first bike, and looking for suggestions. I want it under 500cc . Im leaning towards a cb350, maybe a XS or KZ 400. Anything to steer clear of? Thanks for letting me pick your brains. Ill post plenty of pics once its been acquired.
 
Welcome!
I'm a newer member as well, just wanted to say hi. As far as bikes go, the CB350s are very popular on this post and so finding parts and technical help will be very easy. I am in the process of turning an XS400 (1982) into a cafe bike and I have really liked riding it. There is a growing number of XS400 owners on here. If you are willing to go over your 500cc ceiling, the XS650 is another popular bike with a strong following. Looking forward to following your journey!

Cheers!
Chris
 
I am a big fan of the 650 thought it will vibrate you to death. I look at it as my exercise machine. there is the xs500 which meets your 500cc limit. can I ask why the 500cc limit? most bikes under 500cc have differences that are more noticable in handling and performance than say most bikes from 500 to 750cc. Are you looking for a commuter or something to go and ride, I think if you gave us the basic facts we could give you better suggestions. If you are looking to get something reliable and a lot of fun (newer) look at the buell blast highly over looked street fighter can be easy coversion to more cafe style,

Mortikan
 
Thanks for the suggestions, Im just really looking for something to have fun with and learn how to work on. I like the idea of whippin around on a little bike. Would you guys recommend a 600-750 for a first time street bike?
 
you have to realize if you are looking for older bike say 70's to 80's the weight is going to be heavier than anything you get today also the power is less. I have seen a lot of guys who want to get into riding they go out and find a small (under 400cc) bike they like build it up and find if they go riding with friends it is more work to keep up if they get a little aggressive. If you were to get something 500 to 750 you would be more able to keep pace not that you need or want to smoke a new bike but being able to ride with friends is a good thing. I am 5'9 200lbs and my 650 hauls my ass around quite nicely.
good luck
mortikan
 
Get a KZ650, I bought one as a first older bike for myself. I'm glad I bought it too seems like there are quite a few parts available and enough people ride them that can help with any questions you might have. Whatever you do, buy something that YOU like because your the only one that has to live with the decision!!

Good luck and post some pics of what you decided on!!
 
Hey heemid,

Where in TX you at? I'm in Houston.

Good comments from the above posters. I tend to concur with the folks who advocate something a bit bigger. My cafe project is a '78 XS650, and will weigh quite a bit less than a stock bike when I'm done, probably slightly under 400 lb. Yes, the old XS vibrates because it's a 360 twin, but you get used to it. It's not as bad as lots of folks make out. And hey, leave us not forget, the original cafe bikes were either asshammers (singles) or 360 Brit twins. There are several advantages to building an XS650 cafe:

Yamaha built a kazillion of 'em, so they're still fairly common
Because they're common, they're usually cheap. I know several folks that got theirs for free! I ended up paying about $175 for my project bike.
Parts availability is great, including a wide (and growing) variety of performance and custom parts
Post '73 XS650s have a much improved frame, and as a result they're just plain fun to ride.
They just look cool and sound cool too.

If you really want to stick with something smaller, then you need to ask yourself a few questions, like:

2 stroke or 4 stroke? If a 2-stroker, pretty much the best way to go is an RD350 or RD400. Great little bikes!

Single, twin, or four cylinder? Singles are very cool (my favorite smaller ones are the SR400 and SR500), but they're generally slower than multi-cylinder machines and generally vibrate more. Of the small twins, I'd stick with either the CB350 or CL350, but not the later CB360. It had issues. I learned how to ride on a CL350, and I have fond memories of that machine. 10.5k redline, whoooeeee! The Honda 4s are popular -- just look around here.

How much are you willing to spend, and how much work are you willing to do? (This applies to any project, really, regardless of size or model) Some of the older models, like the Honda 350s, have become quite desirable to old bike collectors, and it's getting hard to find clean examples at decent prices. The rougher the bike, the more you'll have to spend on it, and the more work you'll have to do to get it where you want it. Often one is better off paying more for a clean bike than bringing a junker up to snuff.

Best,

Michael
 
Hey
I'm from Houston
My God, suggestions for a first bike , I remember well when I first got to ride a real motorcycle, it was 1969, I was 14 in love with any and all bikes and hung out at the local cycle shop hoping for rides. Will never forget when I solo piloted a super 90 , WOW . I was very fortunate when Dad got me a dirt bike which taught me how to crash !
I think you are on track with anything 350-650 cc range , later model would be better , first learn to ride , then learn to wrench .
george
 
Im in Houston too, Katy. ;D I have quite a range depending on the quality of the bike $500-$3000. I see what you are saying about the bigger bikes. I went and checked out new bikes at the local Honda place. The guy said no one wanted Cafe Racers, I beg to differ.
What d you guys think about this? Roughly what would you pay? Thanks again guys.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Motorcycles___Kawasaki-KZ-650-Excellent-condition-All-orginal_W0QQitemZ200241890776QQddnZMotorcyclesQQddiZ2283QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200241890776
 
Hey Heemid,
I looked at the KZ 650, my thoughts are :
Price seems right , personally I would bid up to 600.00 , remember seller says not running , carb issue or something major ?
Mechanical skills, do you want to ride right away or learn some patience first.? There is nothing more rewarding for me than to have my hands on the vital inner organs of these machines and then hear it roar back to life!
Remember , these bikes will give many miles of trouble free service but 83K is a lot of miles, I'm looking at top end, rings , of course check compression, lower end. Parts are available.
These are great bikes, fast, easy to ride, handle great and the look super, Can't beat that inline 4 growl!
Bid on it, Have fun, enjoy.
I'm in Katy, call me if you want someone to go inspect it with you, be glad to help if you need.
I'll be at the O'reillys on Mason till 5pm today and Sunday stop by or give me a call:
281-995-9322
George
 
I saw it again on Craigslist, he was asking $800. Im still waiting for him to respond, thanks for the offer I might take you up on it.
 
I also found this. Looks to be in good condition. http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/1974-YAMAHA-RD-350-92965827
 
One thing you might want to check up on before you bid on the Kaw is parts availability. I don't know what it's like for the older Kawasakis, but that would be my number one concern.

The RD350 continues to be a very popular bike. One of the best two-strokes ever made. That's a fair price for a clean, low-miles example. But I'd try to bargain him down a bit since it doesn't have an exhaust.

Best,

Michael
 
If you're just starting out learning to work on bikes, make it easy on yourself, not having to deal with valves and such, and get a 2 stroke. The above example RD350 (it has '75 bodywork on it, chances are they saw date of manufacture 1974 on the vin plate so they thought it was a '74) is overpriced due to not having an exhaust.

If you go with an RD I can provide assistance in the form of data from the service manual. I am a total RD/RZ nut and have a '75 RD60, '75 RD125, '74 RD200 (rusting away in the back), '74 RD350 Cafe, '75 RD350 mildly modded, and a '79 RD400F. All run except the 200. Also have a '85 RZ350 Kenny Roberts Special. 2 strokes are FUN FUN FUN.
 
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