I just bought my first motorcycle - a 1979 Honda CB750, just like I’ve always wanted, with a sweet vintage paintjob - on eBay. You can see it here. I’ll be driving up with a truck and picking it up sometime this week.
It looks awesome. I’m going to get a motorcycle someday, too.
[sub]After my 9-year old son finishes college, and I increase my life insurance coverage…[/sub]
Wear a freakin’ helmet.
Indeed. No pulling a Roethlisburger on us, 'K?
And take some riding lessons from a reputible source. Riding a bike is a whole new ball game in transportation, but it’s fun as hell.
Also, sweet bike man. I always liked 70’s era Japanese bikes.
Don’t worry, helmet and jacket, always. And I’ll be taking the ABATE course.
Cool.
I’m Jealous. I had a Yamaha Virago until our son was born, and I needed a bit of cash for starting a business.
But I’m getting reeeeeeel close to getting a new, and I’m pretty partial to the Fat Boy…
Dang it, now I feel like riding.
Enjoy,
Big Ben jokes aside, I trust you will be as safe as possible. Most riders I’ve met are. Except the speed freak jackasses in their early 20’s that ride those ninja style bikes. Going 160 mph on a highway is great fun until you hit a rock, pothole, or have to avoid an animal.
I grew up riding motorcycles, and I love them. But I don’t ride any more on the road. Frankly, people who drive cars are idiots, and they aren’t looking for you. So, I’ve settled into dirt biking off-road.
Be safe, have fun, and don’t weave in and out of traffic jams. And if you must weave, do it slowly. There is always some bonehead in a four wheel vehicle who will want to impede your progress.
Great looking bike, though!
Congratulations - there’s nothing like your first bike. Mine was an '81 Suzuki GS750L. I had a 700 cc Honda Shadow for a couple of years as well. Enjoy the ride.
What’s the best way for me to pick this up? I gather that most rental places only allow you to rent a truck if you’re 25 - I am 19, so I can’t do that. I think U-Haul allows anyone over 18 to do it. Does U-Haul rent out trucks capable of hauling a motorcycle?
You could haul a motorcycle pretty easily in most U-Hauls. Make sure you’ve got it tied down really well, though. Box trucks are made to haul more weight than your new bike, so it’ll be a bouncy ride - you don’t want the bike to be able to move at all.
To secure the bike, put it on the center stand (not the regular kickstand) and run a couple of ratchet straps over the handlebars. Be careful to avoid your control lines when you’re doing this. Hook the other end of the straps to a secure lug in the truck and ratchet 'em down. Keep going until the front forks are collapsed. It’s easier to do this part with two people; the seller might be willing to help you with it.
Once you’ve got the front end secure, do the same for the back - watch out for your turn signals here. There’s not as much structure on the back of your bike to hook straps onto as there is on the front. I’d probably use a longer strap and go across the passenger seat and try to go straight back. The purpose of this strap is to keep the rear end from shifting side to side. Tighten it up, but don’t rock the bike back onto the rear wheel. The bike should be on the center stand and front wheel; the back wheel should be an inch or so off the floor of the truck. If the front is secure, you might not really need this strap, but it won’t hurt to put it on there. After you’ve got everything tightened down, try to move the bike around and make sure it doesn’t budge. If you didn’t tie it down well enough, you want to find out now rather than halfway home.
Pros of using a U-Haul:
- The loading ramp will make it a lot easier to get your bike in and out of the truck than a pickup would be. Just about any rental box truck will come with a ramp. Pickups won’t. The seller might have his own ramp to help you get it up into a truck, but you’ll have to get it out as well.
Cons:
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You never know what kind of lugs are in the cargo box until you get it. If you do end up renting a U-Haul, make sure you’ve got a few of strong anchors near the floor of the box that you can hook your straps onto.
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It’ll be expensive, both to rent the truck and to put fuel in it.
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U-Haul (the company) just plain sucks. If you reserve a truck, they may or may not have it ready for you. If you can find any other option, I’d recommend going with that one.
To add to Enginerd 's excellant advice: If you don’t have a center stand, nail or screw some short boards onto the flooe next to the rear tire after the bike is secure to prevent the tire from slipping from side-to-side and creating slack in your tie-downs. I made this mistake once. Fortunately, I stopped before the bike when totally down.
Congrats! Cool bike, my dad had a Honda 350 a bit older than that. We used to ride around on it when I was a young’un. He still has it but it’s not running.
I don’t know how heavy this bike is, but my ~600 pound Honda Shadow would be VERY difficult to roll up a ramp by myself. So be sure you have enough help.
Oh, and if you’re not an experienced rider (or even if you’re just rusty), I highly recommend the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. MSF is a non-profit organization sponsored by motorcycle manufacturers, and they have excellent beginner and advanced weekend classes. It’s amazing how efficient and full of useful information these classes are. The one I took was classroom Friday evening, then parking lot riding all day Saturday & Sunday. Most of these classes are held at community colleges and high schools.
More info at http://www.msf-usa.org/
After taking the MSF course I went from never having ridden anything except a 50cc minibike when I was young to riding home 50+ miles on my first bike (06 Honda Shadow Aero) from the dealer last fall.
Get an organ donor card.
Cool Then you can ABATE like a motherfuck.
Is this supposed to be taken seriously? Suggesting to a first-time rider who just bought a motorcycle that he is likely to die is kind of rude. I doubt you’d say the same thing to a road bicyclist - even though the chances of being hit by a car and being killed are probably just as great.
Riding a motorcycle involves certain risks. So does Scuba diving. So does skydiving.
I’d just say, be aware of the risks, do everything you can to lessen them and then…enjoy it!
(Lissen, you could be dead right now, tonight, from a heart attack or an embolism. I know I’ll probably be attacked for this, but what the heck. I repeat, be as safe as you can be, but enjoy it, sorry)
Sorry, I meant to address the organ donor card, but didn’t. I in no way mean to be snarky here, but myown personal belief has nothing to do with bikes or anything else.
Just saying, I personally believe that when you die, you have no use for the carcass left behind. I would encourgae everyone to have an organ donor card. It could make a serious difference to a lot of people.
Sorry for the slight hijack.
Take it steady, dude. It’s wonderful to be 19 and going to live for ever, but that 750’s got more than enough performance to get you into a load of trouble, and in a 1979 frame that’s going to spell indifferent handling by modern standards. For all that, you’ve got a sweet set of wheels there and if you look after it, it’ll look after you.
Filter in traffic all you like and local ordinance allows, but do it with due regard for boneheads. Beware of oncoming traffic and assume that it will turn across your path if it has any possible reason for doing so. Always remember that (a) you are invisible and (b) in spite of that, anything on four or more wheels will deliberately kill you if possible. Such pessimism apart… I’ve been riding for longer than you’ve been alive and I’ve never had a spill I couldn’t walk away from. Go thou and do likewise.
Off to MPSIMS.