Any Motorcycle People Here?

[KC]

I'm looking to rebuild a motorcycle in the next couple of months for long term travel across North America and was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations. I seriously know nothing about bikes - working on them or riding them - but figure that since I have a ton of friends that have built their own I could probably pick it all up pretty quick if I put the time/effort into it.

My budget is probably around $3,000-5,000. I'm not looking for something super nice. I want something that is going to take me where I want to go, be reliable and able to carry all my shit, something that works well in all types of weather, low maintenance and most importantly does not look stupid like most/all touring bikes:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2261/2464696252_319c8f43de.jpg

Fucking yuck!

I'm also really big into history, and I wanted to start reading up about motorcycle history and thought it might be cool to build a bike that's historically significant in some way. So that might also be something to take into consideration.

Also, I'd love to hear about any books/sites if you know any that would help me out.

[Magón]

You're definitely not going to find a decent touring bike, or any bike for that matter, that's between 3-5 grand, without putting more than you payed for into it. Harley Sportsters are at their lowest in price, just 11 grand, while their touring bikes are twice that, and more depending on the type you get. But Sportsters aren't good for riding across a country.

BMW bikes for example, are very expensive to fix, especially here in the US since most dealers, like the cars, have to sometimes import a part or piece. My cousin has a BMW, but it's just more of a big bike, than an actual tour around the country/long distance bike. And it just sits in his garage all year.

If you're really wanting to learn how to fix one up, I suggest talking with your friends, learning the parts and pieces, and of course, when they're working on their bikes, you watch what they do. Also, maybe borrow a friends bike manual and read over it, learn the different tunes and things like that. For learning, I do believe Harley has a riding class that teaches you how to ride a bike for a fairly decent price. (They supply you with a bike I believe, so don't worry about buying one just for class.) And trust me, if you've drive a car for years, driving a motorcycle is not the same. You're very exposed (obviously), and having to change gears takes a bit more practice that with a car. (There is no automatic on a motorcycle.)

Used bikes are/can be expensive in and of themselves, depending on where you buy. Used Harley bikes that aren't sold by the owner his/her self, but instead at a Harley dealer's used bike store, usually are about the price of a new Sportster (which by the way, aren't good for long riding distances, their tanks are only 2.1g and they're only good for short sprints.) If you do buy a harley, it's best to probably get one at one of the used bike shops (which is probably right next door, or in, the harley shop near you), because the bikes are looked after better, and cleaned up nicer for their sale.

You just have to kind of shop around, look around the internet, and see what you find that you might like.

As for building a bike that's historical, you'd have to put tons of money into a whole new bike, and even then, bikes nowadays aren't what they were in say the 60s or even 80s. (which by how you've described your experience with motorcycles, is very, very, very far into your future of motorcycle learning/doings.) Back then, bikes didn't have fuel injection like nowadays, and is why they used a kick starter to engage the engine. (which is very difficult by the way.) They also had a lot of other things that todays bikes don't have, like a computer (fuel injection), electric start, electronics all together, and decent seats/suspension that would make all the vibrations raise through your body and arms. Which if you're riding long distance for a long period of time, your arms and legs will feel like jelly when you stop off to sleep or gas up.

As for history of motorcycles themselves, you can easily find something interesting by just typing "motorcycle history", or if you want to be specific, "*insert type of motorcycle here* history". (<------ This is just me unable to think of any books or sites off the top of my head right now.)

Hope that helped, and didn't discourage you from getting one. It's just bikes are a big commitment, maybe less so than a car, but they're much more dangerous to have than a car.

[KC]

You're definitely not going to find a decent touring bike, or any bike for that matter, that's between 3-5 grand, without putting more than you payed for into it. Harley Sportsters are at their lowest in price, just 11 grand, while their touring bikes are twice that, and more depending on the type you get. But Sportsters aren't good for riding across a country.

I'm not interested in any of these bikes.



As for building a bike that's historical, you'd have to put tons of money into a whole new bike, and even then, bikes nowadays aren't what they were in say the 60s or even 80s. (which by how you've described your experience with motorcycles, is very, very, very far into your future of motorcycle learning/doings.) Back then, bikes didn't have fuel injection like nowadays, and is why they used a kick starter to engage the engine. (which is very difficult by the way.) They also had a lot of other things that todays bikes don't have, like a computer (fuel injection), electric start, electronics all together, and decent seats/suspension that would make all the vibrations raise through your body and arms. Which if you're riding long distance for a long period of time, your arms and legs will feel like jelly when you stop off to sleep or gas up.

The bike I thought I posted about, but I guess I forgot, was something along the lines of the Triumph Thunderbird 650:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2047437007_4bec510a55.jpg

I'm not interested in any of the bikes you're talking about because they're too expensive and not what I'm looking for at all, IMO.

[Magón]

I'm not interested in any of these bikes.



The bike I thought I posted about, but I guess I forgot, was something along the lines of the Triumph Thunderbird 650:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2047437007_4bec510a55.jpg

I'm not interested in any of the bikes you're talking about because they're too expensive and not what I'm looking for at all, IMO.

If you're serious about getting a bike, getting a Triumph like that is going to bust your wallet wide open, and you're definitely going to be putting more work and money into that it's worth anymore. You're going to have to search for some serious Triumph owners to find parts for it, and they're not going to be coming cheap, more than 3-5 grand depending on what it is. Like I said, cars from the 60s aren't like the bikes of today, and even guys who make reconstructions modify them more than they originally were. Filling it up might be hard to, depending on whether it runs on leaded or not.

[KC]

If you're serious about getting a bike, getting a Triumph like that is going to bust your wallet wide open, and you're definitely going to be putting more work and money into that it's worth anymore.I just craigslisted Triumph and found a few in my area, already rebuilt, within my budget.

But we're sort of digressing. What should I be looking for in a bike if I'm doing long term travel?

[Omi]

Comfort and reliability is far more important than top speed and acceleration when you do long travels on bikes. You can go a hundred and fifty miles an hour but if your not really comfortable on the bike you need to stop after like 4/5 hours of travel. It's better to travel more relaxed and be able to make long days. Also make sure you have a model that you can mount enough suitcases on, as you will be needing them when making a long journey.

[Sasha]

Don't know enough about the situation in the us to give any meaningful advice. Here in Europe or asia its simple, get an older type Honda, you can pick up parts everywhere cheap, on scrapyards sometimes even for free. And no matter where you are, if you break down and there is an mechanic in town, he can probably fix it.

[Omi]

^+1 !^

I'm definitely getting a Honda when I get my drivers licence. Can't wait to begin lessons in a few weeks.
My parents where motorcycle people all their lives so I kinda grew up with the whole motorvibe going on. That's why I find it ridiculous that driving a motorcycle is some sort of taboo here. People think it's way to dangerous and almost the only people who drive them are middle aged men, who make a short trip once in a year or something, and the real die-hard bikers. Bikes are great and a really nice way to travel!

[Sasha]

i'm still bussy rebuilding my honda bakbrommer, its what an propper squatter drives

[Magón]

I just craigslisted Triumph and found a few in my area, already rebuilt, within my budget.

But we're sort of digressing. What should I be looking for in a bike if I'm doing long term travel?

Well for long travel, with any vehicle, you obviously want to get it checked out, make sure it's decent and able to hold up on the long distances you will be traveling. With a bike like that, you're definitely not going to be able to take all your life possessions for travel, like you might with a car, so you're going to have to be smart with what you take. Not just because it's a ***** to keep track of things, but also because if you put too much weight on the back, it'll cut your milage down, and other things like that will make it difficult. (Including handling, motorcycles get very sensitive when you add too much anywhere on it.) So basically just make sure you're smart on what you put on the bike.

And probably most importantly, make sure that the seat is good on it. Or any bike you might buy, if this one doesn't work out, or whatever. Riding long distances, even in a car, but more so in a bike, is very draining because of all the vibrations and bumps, dips, etc. you feel on a bike, more-so than a car. So remember to pace the long distances, because british bikes like that, or as here in the US as we call them "hardtails", make your limbs feel like jelly after riding for too long.

[KC]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually interested in riding a smaller bike because it forces me to travel lighter and get extremely frugal with what I take.

As for vibrations, I think that's part of the experience of biking. So while I don't want jelly-legs, I think the crazy vibration reduction systems on most modern touring bikes are cop outs and you might as well buy a car.

What about gas mileage? What would I look for in a bike to potentially have better mileage? I know tank size is important too, obviously.

As for serviceability, I know that older bikes are generally more reliable and easier to work on. What older bikes could I check out based on this?

[bcbm]

first and most important you need something like this

http://www.truettandosborn.com/Apparel%20Pics/leather%20jacket2%20back.jpg

[bcbm]

i dont know how to resize

[Omi]

Or this:

http://consequenceofsound.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/s08_06b_easyrider.jpg

[Sasha]

As for serviceability, I know that older bikes are generally more reliable and easier to work on. What older bikes could I check out based on this?

the dad of an girl i used to date collected eastblock oldtimer motorcycles, he had one build by an company who normally builded tractors. it was an awsome machine and apperently you could repare it with an sledgehammer.
not really practical in this day and age though, if you rode it throug an street all car alarms would go off and the glasswindows where shaking dangerously.
also you where sitting with your face above a whole row of truck sized ceramic sparkplugs that had an nasty habbit of getting launched toward your teeth. :lol:

[Magón]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually interested in riding a smaller bike because it forces me to travel lighter and get extremely frugal with what I take.

As for vibrations, I think that's part of the experience of biking. So while I don't want jelly-legs, I think the crazy vibration reduction systems on most modern touring bikes are cop outs and you might as well buy a car.

What about gas mileage? What would I look for in a bike to potentially have better mileage? I know tank size is important too, obviously.

As for serviceability, I know that older bikes are generally more reliable and easier to work on. What older bikes could I check out based on this?

Well for gas mileage, bikers used to strip their bike of everything that wasn't needed in their eyes. (extra Chrome, horn, blinkers, mirrors, hence the Chopper name.) In fact, the Hell's Angels used to attach those clown horns and little dental mirrors to their bikes when they had to take them in to get licensed. Not sure you could do that now and get it passed, but back then they were obviously more laid back about things like that.

Triumphs like their Bonnevilles, Thunderbird, Tiger, etc. are all fairly good on gas. They're already really fast and light (which is why a lot of people used them for flat track racing, etc. back in the old days) so gas mileage on one of them won't be too much of a pain, just make sure you do keep an eye on any leaks or something that might not look good. If that happens, you're going to have a serious pain.

As far as I know, service wise, there's a guy who has a shop here in California (not sure where exactly), that he works on old British bikes. You'd have to sort of look around if you yourself couldn't fix something on it. With older bikes like that, including Harleys, Indians, etc. they're all very obsolete mechanics wise for most mechanics nowadays, so you'll probably be taking it to get serviced by a guy like I mentioned, who specializes in the type of old bikes, and knows what to do properly on it.

As for checking out bikes that are more reliable, it's really just preference. Whether you prefer to have an old Harley Davidson, over an old Indian or British BSA/Triumph, etc. When you've narrowed your search that way, on which one you'd prefer, then you can start looking into which model from the company is best in your eyes and your needs. Thought the bigger they are, the more you're going to have to check them out and such. Bikes like a Harley Sportster or Triumph Bonneville are small and simple compared to say a Indian Chief, or a untouched Harley Davidson Fatboy. They'll definitely be more of what you're looking for if you're wanting to be frugal and careful with what you take with you.

Personally, if I was to choose on what you've given for your preference, I'd go for a Triumph Trident, Bonneville, or BSA. They're fast, so when you're on the straight roads, you can really turn on the gas and feel the machine move itself. They're also light, so if you take a corner, they're not going to dump so easily on you than say a touring bike. (But obviously you can turn a lot more sharper in smaller bike, than one of those.)

[Bright Banana Beard]

I want a bike that is cheap to fix and reliable, use gas efficiently, and are good for long travel (and no, i do not care if it is fast or not).

Which one should I look for

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

http://www.motorcycle-specs.com/general/Honda-CB_450T-1982.jpg

I don't know a ton about bikes, but I bought a 1974 Honda Hawk CB450T (above) for $600 and rode it across several states. It wasn't in the greatest condition, obviously, but it did fine. I often see bikes of similar age and quality for sale.

http://www.dfamily.com/fccmissions/pics/dr/hubito-w-motorcycle-2000.jpg

I've also ridden 100cc Chinese bikes (as pictured) in a few places in Latin America. They are very cheap and hold up quite well, though they wouldn't be up to snuff for long distance travel the states.

I doubt that helps much, but twas my experience.

[KC]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I still have a few weeks/months while I get the money saved up to do this, so in the mean time I'm going to be reading a ton of motorcycle memoirs and history books.

Any book recs would be welcomed! :)

[bcbm]

hells angels by hunter s or w/e its called

devils angels (movie)

[Magón]

Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga by Hunter S. Thompson is a good book. (The book bcbm said.)

Hell's Angels: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club by Sonny Barger himself is good too. (Sonny Barger was the big boss back in the 60s of the Oakland chapter. (Which is the most famous one of all.))

The Original Wild Ones: Tales of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club is alright. Not as great as the two Hell's Angels books, but it talks about Hollister, which was the inspiration for the movie The Wild One with Marlon Brando. (Don't expect the Boozefighters to be like the Hell's Angels, they were pretty tame compared to the Hell's Angels. :lol:)

Riding on the Edge by John Hall is good (and probably my favorite), and is about his times leading the biker club, The Pagans during the 60s. (They're the Oakland Hell's Angels of the East Coast so to speak.)

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

I think Harley's are sexxxy! Well, except when cops ride them.