So, in a fit of madness, Mrs Chance has conceded to my picking up a bike. I think she feels guilty because I got her that Jeep by surprise a few years ago and I’m still driving the Explorer with the baby seat in the back.
So, I’d like something in the classic look. None of those neon fuschia XTREME looking things. I’m too old to be in a Mountain Dew commercial.
So I need advice on makes, styles, relative prices, etc.
Anyone?
Hmmm. Questions, first. How much bike are you looking for here? There are plenty of classic-looking bikes in the 750 range, but that’s a different bike from the 1200’s, say.
What’s your budget? Will you mostly be using the bike for tooling around town, or do you have some longer trips in mind?
Do you have the time and inclination to do some or all of your own maintenance?
We have to move fast here, before Mrs. Chance changes her mind! 
So let us know a little more.
You might want to do a search. There are a few threads about this very subject.
Well the budget has a top end of mid-20s. That’s what her Jeep cost (with all the ‘Jeep-Life’ gear, God help me). I’d like to get it cheaper, of course. I don’t really have a feel for what the going rate is for a bike these days.
Ideally I’d like something for blowing around the country roads here in the mountains. Possibly commuting when we don’t go in together. That’s about 50 miles or so.
As for my ability to do maintenance? I’ve never done any work on my cars but a bikes engine looks pretty simple (from the web sites I’ve looked at, at least). I betcha I could figure it out. On the other hand, my inclination is almost always to let experts take care of such things. So all in all I’d say that I’d have the maintenance done out of house.
Congrats. Still need a little more information, though. How much riding experiance do you have, if any? And define “Classic look” - do you mean classic like a 50s harley, a 70s cafe racer, or an 70s/80s muscle bike or UJM?
Also, “blowing around mountain roads” has a pretty specific meaning to me; can you be a little more clear?
If you have never ridden a street bike before, PLEASE take my advice and buy a streeter between 500 and 750 CC’s. Learn how to ride on a smaller (and usually a lot more nimble) motorcycle before trying to take on something in the 1,000 range and up.
As far as styling goes, I have always loved the original Indian Chief line. Beautiful bikes, and I always had a “thing” for the skirted fenders. I can’t afford a classic Indian at this juncture (20-30k), but I did find a brand new Kawasaki, called the Drifter, that looks like an original Chief that has been updated. 1,500 CC, skirted fenders and all that. I test rode one for over an hour, and OMG this thing is unreal.
“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.” - R.A.H.
I have ridden before. Though it’s been a while. Mrs Chance forbade it when we married many years ago.
I live in the Blue Ridge mountains (as some of you know). I’m looking at ups and downs as well as gravel and dirt roads and country lanes.
I don’t want a huge bike. I suspect a smaller one will get the job done. It’s for recreation, not for impressing the girls.
As far as appearance goes. Something in the Harley or Triumph line would probably please me. Mrs Chance has some sort of irrational opposition to Japanese bikes (though I’ve got nothing against them) so that would be a problem. As I said, I certainly don’t want something in the way cool Ninja kinda look. I’d avoid those from a sense of personal style, get what I’m saying?
The best bike that I have ever owned happens to be a Moto Guzzi. It is an Italian marque, and I put over 80,000 miles on a 1974 850 with only a single bottom end rebuild (which was EASY to do myself, as they are designed to be worked on by the average guy and last forever). They are classically stylish, and very reasonably priced in the 1,000 CC range. Last time I priced them, they were still less than $9,000.
Hoosier Daddy?!
OK. Harley/Triumph looks, medium but not too big, no Japan.
The mid-twenties will get you pretty much any bike you want; in fact, you should come in closer to 15K or less, all in. If you’re in an especially hilly area, you may want to consider going all the way up to a 1000 or so; the additional power and torque will do you good. The flip side of that coin is that you will find it difficult to get those big babies started if you find yourself on the upside of one of those hills.
Here’s my recent experience with bike shopping.
I recently purchased a Moto Guzzi, which I’ll be picking up as soon as the DMV will host me for my licensing. I bought the California Special, a cruiser. If you want more power from Moto, you’ll be looking at a slightly less traditional look (but not Mountain Dew territory!). I happen to think the Rosso Mandello is a very pretty bike, but at 91 hp, it was more bike than I was looking for. It’s also set a little forward, something to think about if you’re going to be doing that 50-mile commute too often. Advantages: Moto Guzzi makes a very reliable bike – I talked to dozens of owners and not one had a breakdown. The main disadvantage is that they don’t sell a lot of bikes in the U.S. The dealer network is small, and you may be a considerable distance from an authorized mechanic. (Although, and I just learned this, you do have a three-year roadside assistance plan if you happen to be in Europe. Go figure.)
Then there are the BMW’s You’ll pay a bit more, but again, you’ll get a very reliable bike. The 1200 RC was the prettiest bike I looked at, but the whole line is quite nice. Many are equipped with anti-lock brakes. Advantages: Reliability and good dealer network. Disadvantage: Well, it’s a beemer. You’ll be tagged as riding a yuppie bike wherever you go.
I also looked at Triumphs. I found the Thunderbird (an 850) to be a fun bike. Decent dealer network, but I heard mixed reviews as to reliability. You’ll definitely want to get to know your tool kit for this one.[sup]1[/sup]
Of course, there are the Harleys. Harley people love their Hogs, and for good reason. They offer a marvelous ride, outstanding styling and, well, they’re Harleys. While they’ve improved on the maintenance front, they’re still something you’ll want to learn about.
Best of luck and let us know what you do!
[sup]1[/sup] Actually, you’ll want to get to know your tool kit with any bike. The simple fact is that they just aren’t as reliable as most cars.
Have to agree with Oicu812, Guzzi’s are a good bet, if you are looking for something that big. I’ve owned a couple of 850-T’s that were just great. Expensive to fix when they break, though, and used parts are hard to find. If you buy new, go for the extended warranty. NOTE: they are extremely reliable, but everything breaks sometime.
They range in price from around 9 grand to about 15 grand or so last I checked. If you have really long legs, the cylinders get in the way, and highway pegs are out of the question.
If you are looking for something smaller, Triumph just brought back the classic vertical Twin. Pretty in-expensive last I checked. I have a friend with a Triumph adventurer triple, and he just loves it. Practically lives on the thing.
If I were buying a new bike, I would give serious consideration to the Polaris Victory. I have heard great things about them, they are American made(if that matters to you), and arent just another Harley clone. I havent ridden one, but They look great, and seems to be a good engine design. Anyone here ridden one?
Sorry for the delay. I’ve looked at Harley’s and Triumphs so far. I haven’t found a Guzzi local dealer but that price is right, the looks are right, now if the handling is right.
My biggest problem with the Harleys are how damn expensive they are? Are the really worth that much more? I don’t want to lay out an extra 5-10 grand for a brand name. I’ve always thought that was silly. Is mystique worth that much on a bike?
Also, I can’t do any test driving until I get a proper license. The only place around here that does motorcycle instruction (which Mrs Chance insists I take since it’s been 10+ years) is the local community college and they’ve got no openings until DECEMBER!
Can anyone suggest any other courses of action for instruction? Mrs Chance wants it, she gets it.
**
Well…There is a reason that a lot of police departments buy Harleys, even though Kawas are cheaper. Resale. Harleys don’t depreciate that much. A police dept. can buy a bunch of Harleys at discount, ride for a year or two, and sell them for what they paid for them. It isnt quite that good for civilian bikes, because you pay more for them to begin with, but you see my point.
I’ve only owned older Harleys, in fact, the 1974 that I have now is probably the newest bike i have ever owned(the guzzis I had were 74’s too). You might try looking at one a couple of years old, if thats what you want.
I still think I’d go polaris if I was looking for new one.
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what city do you live in?
Can anyone suggest any other courses of action for instruction? Mrs Chance wants it, she gets it. **
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Well, I don’t really live in a city. I live about 60 miles NW of Washington DC in the Blue Ridge mountains. That also limits my options for instruction.
My favorite road bike is the Yamaha VMax. It’s one of the biggest, most muscular bikes you can buy. I guess they used to come stock with a spare rear wheel, if you know what I mean.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/products/products.asp?lid=2&lc=mcy&rdir=1
Gotta respectfully disagree with wishbone, here.
The Vmax design is getting a tad old (introduced in 1985), and from what tests I’ve read, the the frame isn’t really up to the job of handling the quite impressive power output (130 HP). In other words, it’s great until you have to make it go in another direction. It has its followers, and there’s no other bike quite like it, but it’s more for wheelies, burn-outs and drag races than for winding mountain roads. In my opinion, that is.
Jonathan: Have you considered the BMW R1220 C and R 850 C ? Cruisers without being Harley clones. Kinda classy styling (IMHO), modern technology, beautifully crafted. YMMV, of course.
S. Norman
I will concede to Spiny Norman’s last comment. I am, admittedly, a street/dirt biker. I have lots of good things to say about Buells, Ducati’s and Suzuki’s street/dirt lines, but I can honestly say I know nothing about cruisers. Any of the bikes I would have recommended you would have given you a sore lower back after a just a few hours.
But I do know this, don’t get a Suzuki cruiser. They are mechanically reliable, unlike most American bikes(you heard me, :D) but thay lack the classic American styling. In other words, they’re as ugly as sin.
Yamaha on the other hand has put out a lot of nice looking bikes. They really have done a finer job of replicating the Harley stylistically. With a Yamaha you would get classic styling and the reliability of a Japanese engine. Plus, without the galloping you will save a lot in mechanic’s fees. Harley engines “gallop”, meaning the pistons fire in a gallop, “the Harley Way”, which gives them their distinctive sound, but also tears apart the engine by throwing it off balance.
Don’t get the inpression that I’m telling you not to get a Harley. You will be spending alot of time with your mechanic though, so I suggest you find a good one who is honest as well. You’ll be seeing alot of him.
Your a bit outdated on your info there hoss. The things you said would have been true many years ago, but not today. An evolution or twin cam should give you over 100,000 miles or more without any problems whatsoever. I used to do side work as a motorcycle wrench(among the plethora of other jobs I have held…the hazards of ADD), and I have worked on everything imaginable. jap bikes, brits(even got to work on a vincent), German, Italian, Russian, you name it. Any harley you get now that has reliability problems I can bet you has been screwed with. I used to work part time at a little Yuppie shop that mainly sold bolt on GeeGaws. We would get people all the time in there with a brand new Evo, and want us to drill the baffles out to make it sound meaner(without even rejetting the carb). Me, and another mechanic refused, as this voided the warranty on the bike, and shortened its life considerably, but there was another wrench who went ahead. If you keep the stock pipes, and stock carb on a newer harley, it will outlast anything on the road(except maybe a guzzi or a BMW…Maybe). ** WITHOUT REGULAR VISITS TO YOUR MECHANIC** Even open pipes, if done right, wont be a problem(specifically, re-jetting or replaceing the carb, and tuning properly)
I personally ride a 1974 AMF era shovelhead harley. It’s not so much transportation as a hobby. Don’t get me wrong, I ride it work daily, but it does require tweaking every weekend. The new bikes just arent like that.
Jap bikes I have no problem with. They are reliable, disposable bikes. They run great, for a long time, serve their purpose, require little matenance, and in the end you scrap them. By the time they reach the age they need rebuilding, its just not finacially practical to do so. They diffinately serve a purpose, and theres nothing wrong with that.
A harley, can have two cracked cases, a broken rod and a dropped valve, and it will never reach the point it is not practical to rebuild. An evo isnt likely to get to that state unless someone tries to build a hotrod out of it. I hear the Twin-Cams are even better.
**My point is, Any of the High end, european, or american bikes are built to last now. They have all the bugs out of them, and they finally have surpassed the Japanese in reliability. They are also expensive as hell.
Japanese bikes are good, solid, reliable bikes, they handle and perform well, and they are generally less expensive, but they suck in resale. Honda Goldwings, for example, really kicked ass in the touring market, they were reliable, and people loved them. But you cant hardly give the old ones away now. A carb job on one of the early models will total it(cost more than the bike is worth).