Russian-made Urals and Czech Jawas used to be pretty cheap-are these bikes still made? A far as I know, the Russians and Czechs made old old designs (prewar German bikes), but they were of reasonable quality. Are these countries exporting motorcycles today?
Yes, the Ural is still being imported into the U.S. Not especially cheap, though. The cheapest one I saw on my very cursory peek was ten kilobucks. But it did have a sidecar.
Two thoughts:
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Functionally, the only difference between a moped and a motorcycle is the ability to get on the freeway. This is defined as being able to achieve a certain speed, and in my state, this “speed ability” is defined by engine size (50 cc’s or less is legally a “moped,” while 51cc’s or more is a “motorcycle.” Therefore, a moped with an 51 cc engine would legally be allowed on the freeway in my state.
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Performance-wise, the definition gets a little more complicated. If two people are talking about a “moped,” they are usually talking about a 2 wheeled vehicle with relatively small tires, automatic transmission, front and rear brakes controlled by individual handlebars, and a 2 cycle engine. If two people are talking about a “motorcycle,” they are talking about a 2 wheeled vehicle with relatively large tires, manual transmission, one handlebar controlling both brakes at the same time, one handlebar controlling the clutch, and a 2 or more cylinder engine.
So, with the two points in mind, I went to the local motorcycle dealer and asked if they had any mopeds. They showed me a series of moped-looking (small tires, automatic transmission, etc.) vehicles that could go on the freeway because they had 100-125cc engines, and I would need to get a motorcycle license and motorcycle insurance to use it.
Therefore, to answer your question: yes, there are cheap “motorcycles” out there that can go on the freeway, but they look an awful lot like mopeds.
The ones I saw (iirc) were $1.2-3k.
Check out Royal Enfield…okay they’re more than $1000.00, but still far below the big 4 from Japan.
Ok, this site specializes in 125+ cc mopeds, which would be freeway-legal in my state.
The ones one this page are under $1k.
On a motorcycle (as that term is commonly understood), one lever on the handlebars (typically on the right) will control the front brake. The lever on the other side controls the clutch. A foot pedal (also on the right) will control the rear brake, with a foot lever on the other side being the gearshift. There are bikes with integrated braking systems in which the foot pedal will add in a bit of front brake when the rear brake is applied (because beginners tend to rely heavily on the back brake, which is a bad, bad idea), but I’m not aware of any motorcycle on which the brake lever on the handlebar controls both brakes.
Also, there are plenty of “real” motorcycles with single-cylinder engines. See mentions of the Royal Enfield above, for instance. A bit primitive, but definitely a real motorcycle.
If I want a bike I can be reasonably certain will not be blown off the road by either a crosswind or a passing box-like vehicle, how much should it weigh? I think I’ve decided that 150cc is pretty much the minimum engine size, but neither horsepower nor torque will hold you to the road.
I used to ride a Yamaha 100 Enduro that weighed 185 pounds, and Yamaha 250 Enduro that weighed around 250 pounds. Where I lived, winds would routinely blow 40 or 50 miles per hour, and 60 mph winds were not uncommon. When riding north or south (the winds were nearly always from the west) I’d just lean into them. No problem. My later bikes were and are heavier. I’ve never encountered problems when passing, or being passed by a semi. Bikes are pretty stable. You might have a problem on an underpowered bike if you want to pass a truck, because of the bow wake.
I rode a moped for 3 years at speeds up to 45 mph, and I never, ever had a problem with wind, even through a tropical storm. I don’t see too many bicycle riders getting blown over either.
On the other hand, I saw a parked motorcycle get blown over by the wind, so there you are. 
The bikes with the integrated brakes you are talking about control both brakes with the lever on the handlebar.
Johnny L.A, I don’t know if I would use the Honda Fit as a comparison to a Royal Enfield. Although I really dig the fact that the RE is truly a new old english bike (built in India) the reliability of the Fit is going to be way better than the RE. The guy I had bulid the wheels for my Triumph is mainly a vintage BMW/Puch guy but he was also a RE dealer for a while. He got out of that because the original quality of the bikes he was getting from the factory was so crappy he had to spend too much time just getting them in sellable condition.
For the coolness of a new old bike I’d rather have a Ural anyway. Mmmm… WWII era BMW.
I tried to think of an unreliable new, cheap car and couldn’t come up with one. Even a Yugo (and I worked with a guy who had one) was fairly reliable. So I had to go just on price and amenities.
When I was looking into an RE, I noticed that dealers were offering ‘upgrades’ that mainly consisted of polishing and fitting mechanical parts to better tolerance. I haven’t read much recently, but I had the idea that newer ones are a bit better than the ones available ten years ago. RE was just the cheapest new motorcycle that came to mind.
Had I put more thought into it I might have come up with the $3,600 Honda Nighthawk 250 or the $6,000 Susuki SV650; both of which are in the price range of the RE, and both of which are more reliable.
It really scares me to think that someone would want to trust their life to a cheap machine. Let’s face it: motorcycles are extremely dangerous and your chances of being seriously injured in the event of a motorcycle crash are very high.
I’m not being a wet blanket. I have been riding motorcycles for many years. I started riding motorcycles on the streets at the age of 16 in Indonesia (where it seemed to be “open season” on white motorcyclists :p). I rode a Honda 200cc on the highways in California in the 1980s, when the speed limit was 55 mph. I rode a Honda 500cc on the highways of Kansas and Missouri in the 2000s, with a speed limit of 70 mph. I currently ride a Suzuki Boulevard C90, which is 1500cc.
It doesn’t matter how good of a rider a person is … motorcycles are difficult for car drivers to see. Sooner or later, somebody will turn in front of you or merge into your lane. And when that happens, you will want to have a machine that will handle the stress you will be throwing at it.
Riding a vehicle on the highway with a top speed at or near the prevailing speed of the traffic around you is not only stupid, it is just plain suicidal … I don’t care if you are riding a motorcycle or driving a car. If your top speed is only 70 mph, you are going to be run over. Sure, the speed limit says 70 mph, but you and I both know that most people play the 10% over game. I once did 85 mph to pass a truck on the highway, and somebody blew past me like I was standing still.
Last March, my wife and I were riding in Kansas and the wind was so strong, a gust blew us from one side of the lane to the other. We talked to other bikers on even bigger bikes (such as Harley-Davidson Ultraglides and Honda Gold Wings) and everyone said the wind had knocked them around. Riding a smaller or lighter bike in that wind would have been stupid.
A small, light scooter is certainly good for riding on the streets, but I wouldn’t even think of taking one near a highway. My Honda 500 did 70-80 just fine, but not with both my wife and I on it. We tried the highways a few times but just couldn’t compete with the 18-wheelers doing 70.
In a time of crisis, you want to be absolutely sure your vehicle has enough oomph to get out of the way of danger, or has strong enough welds to hold together, and that your riding skills and reflexes are up to the task of keeping the machine upright.
The point I am trying to make is that, again, motorcycling is a wonderful, but dangerous activity, and I would be skeptical of anyone who might tell you differently.
Having said all that, I once read in a motorcycle magazine that motorcycles get pretty cheap if you cut 5-10% off the leading edge. You can get 3-year-old bikes for a steep discount if you search hard enough, and many of these might only have a few thousand miles on them.
But I know I wouldn’t trust my life to a $1000 piece of machinery made by a company in China. When I think of high-quality, safety, and concern for my health, I don’t immediately think “Buy Chinese”.
Speaking of bikes and milage…
Remember when (before those damned furriners and theirfancy 6-digit odometers ruined the game) 50,000 miles on a car guaranteed you it was junk?
At what point would a name-brand bike be considered crapped out?
I put 80,000 miles on the Seca II before I got the R1. I haven’t started it in three years, but it was still peppy when I parked it. Before the Seca II I had a used Honda CX500. (Got it from a coworker for a dollar. 
) It had 30,000 miles on the clock when I got it, and 65,000 when I sold it. The engine was still strong. (Lost first gear though, which I’ve heard was a common problem with that model.)
I’d assume it has to do with the economies of scale in part. A decent lawnmower can be had for $1000, but those have a far larger market than motorcycles. Plus their engines are smaller.
I don’t know what the reliability is en masse of Chinese scooters, but my dad bought one and had to sell it in 6 months because it kept breaking.
A 250cc dirtbike bought new is about $1,000. And you can buy a 200cc scooter for about $1,000 new. But I think that is about it.
I just spoke with a friend of mine last night who started the conversation with, “Have you ever tried to save money on something and end up spending more trying to fix it than if you had just gone with a more-expensive brand?”
When I asked him what he was having troubles with, he told me that he had bought a Chinese-made ATV a few months ago, and regrets it bitterly. He said he can’t keep it tuned properly, and he is always fiddling with the carburetor, trying to keep the idle adjusted correctly. Now, he said the starter has failed. He has less than 50 miles on it.