Where to go from here, starting all over again.

[ldman]

I grew up as a kid riding minibikes and motorcycles. My favorite all time Bike I ever rode was a 1968 BSA 441cc victor special. The BSA was my primary ride to get to school and work for 6 years. All that was many many years ago.
I purchased my first big bike "Suzuki Boulevard c50 back in 2006 after several years of not riding. I only owned and road the bike for 3 months before I had a head on collision with a pick-up truck that did the deadly "left hand turn" in front of me. It has taken 6 years for me to get over the accident and I have once again found myself yearning for the thrill of riding a motorcycle that found it's way in my blood when I was just a youngster.
My heart tells me to go back to my roots and get a bike for fun. I have been looking around at the new bikes on the market that may suit my needs. Here are 3 top new bikes that seem to stand out to me for the time being.
1. Royal Enfield C5 Chrome
2. Triumph Bonneville T100 classic
3. Suzuki Boulevard s40 (newer style bike) like the fact it's a single.

I'm contemplating buying an old restored british bike. Bsa or triumph. Buying a restored vintage bike vs a brand new bike, the vintage bike would hold it's value better. Plus, I like tinkering with my bikes. I guess the tinkering comes from owning an old BSA for 7 years.
Should i get a new "Vintage like" bike or just go vintage all the way? Any ideas? I really do like all 3 bikes I mentioned above and i feel I would enjoy all 3. I plan on test riding the 3 sometime this year.

Dave

PS, Royal Enfield has a super cool bike... but the price is high IMO.

[goalie]

Dave:

I wanted a Royal Enfield, but the only dealer was more than two hours away and I did not want to have a new bike without the dealer network. Otherwise, I love the very old school look.

Doesn't the heart of your question really come down to how much riding you are planning to do? If you are using it for a daily communter, wouldn't it make sense to go with the newer? If it is for weekend fun and you really enjoy the mechanical aspects, why not go as old as you can and have the satisfaction of keeping it running?

[zmago]

I had a 1970 BSA Victor, so when I learned about the Royal Enfield Bullets, I rented one for a week. They are nothing like the Victor. It weighed 288 lb and had 28 h.p. and could pop a wheelie with ease. The Bullet weighs 370 lb and has 25 h.p. I don't think there is any way you could wheelie a Bullet.

Over the years I've toyed with the idea of getting an old bike, but I'd rather ride than wrench, so I got an old-style bike, and putter along quite happily.

[OldGuy]

I love those old British bikes...but you have to handy with a wrench and
parts can be hard to get, you probably know this already. I just got
back on after many years of not riding. I bought an 82 Honda Nighthawk
because I don't like sport bikes or foot-forward cruisers. It's dependable
and sort of old school with its upright riding position.
Bottom line is get what you like, wear the gear and ride safe.

[sanford]

I can relate to your post.. I would love a bike from my past mainly the Brittish bike's..but reality is I rather at my age ride then tinker..but still is on the back burner to get a vintage bike.. are motorcycle dealers making retro bikes like the car maker's?

[HKshooter]

Go full vintage. In my eyes guys who maintain and ride vintage bikes get far more respect than the guy who signs on the dotted line and rides away a new one.
Be that guy who'll ride 300 miles a day on an old school bike.

[Biker Dash]

Originally Posted by HKshooter

In my eyes guys who maintain and ride vintage bikes get far more respect than the guy who signs on the dotted line and rides away a new one.

Not everyone is mechanically inclined. I have met some great riders. Guys who will ride 500 miles in a day no problems what-so-ever, and are also very safe riders as well. Some are quite intelligent and can do a LOT of things you or I may not be able to do, but put a wrench in their hands, and it's like kryptonite to Superman! Something is gonna end in disaster... >_<

Also, as has been said beforehand, (in this thread, and others) parts can be hard to come by, it can get costly, not everyone has the knowhow or skills needed to do that kind of work, and some would rather ride than tinker.

[Kiwi Steve]

An old bike may be hard to get parts for and might be less reliable.

The Royal Enfield is pretty much like all new bikes, while you get warranty and supposedly more reliability the price will be high and you will be the one losing the initial depreciation. By the way, the Royal Enfields are made in India.

One bike you may have overlooked in the new/retro market is the Kawasaki W-800. Lovely looking and well put together bike, rides well, looks remind you of the old Kawasaki W1 and the later W650. But as a new bike it may be priced too high.

I'm biased, don't mind admitting it, but what about a later model Suzuki Boulevard M50. Much like the C50 you had before (the mechanicals are identical now, previously the M50 had a slightly different motor) but it has footpegs instead of plates. At around 257 kg/500 + lb(?) its easily handled, 45 HP/62 kW makes it a nice responsive ride. I think the models up to 2009 are carburetted, 2010 on are fuel injected. Low seat and the pegs aren't too far forward - though you can get forward control adapters for them I believe.

I went through the decision process above and bought a low mileage second hand bike and I'd recommend that for most people buying their first or their second step-up bike, or returning to riding after a while off. I'm 1.7 m/5' 7" and short on the inside leg, also I'm 63 going on 64, yet I love my M50 and have no trouble manouevering her.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by Kiwi Steve

An old bike may be hard to get parts for and might be less reliable.

The Royal Enfield is pretty much like all new bikes, while you get warranty and supposedly more reliability the price will be high and you will be the one losing the initial depreciation. By the way, the Royal Enfields are made in India.

One bike you may have overlooked in the new/retro market is the Kawasaki W-800. Lovely looking and well put together bike, rides well, looks remind you of the old Kawasaki W1 and the later W650. But as a new bike it may be priced too high.

I'm biased, don't mind admitting it, but what about a later model Suzuki Boulevard M50. Much like the C50 you had before (the mechanicals are identical now, previously the M50 had a slightly different motor) but it has footpegs instead of plates. At around 257 kg/500 + lb(?) its easily handled, 45 HP/62 kW makes it a nice responsive ride. I think the models up to 2009 are carburetted, 2010 on are fuel injected. Low seat and the pegs aren't too far forward - though you can get forward control adapters for them I believe.

I went through the decision process above and bought a low mileage second hand bike and I'd recommend that for most people buying their first or their second step-up bike, or returning to riding after a while off. I'm 1.7 m/5' 7" and short on the inside leg, also I'm 63 going on 64, yet I love my M50 and have no trouble manouevering her.

were you born in Dec may be my lost twin glad to seen another fog (fast old guy) riding like me

btw do your pension's kick in at 65 there like Canada?

[LWRider]

That's funny; I have owned two of the three you mention. I have a modern T100 which I love. I just got in this afternoon, in fact, back from a 600+ mile ride on it (Lake Wales to Valdosta and back).

I also owned the S40, but mine was the first year (1986) and was called the Savage or LS650, but same bike with few changes over the years. Mine was pretty beat up but I loved riding it. Only problem I had was it was physically just to small for my frame. It was light and maneuverable and the engine is supper simple and has that distinct thumper sound. It did not have a super high top end, but it did have lots of torque down low and could get up to highway speeds quickly. Probably a bit too underpowered for two-up riding, but fine for one.

My other bike is a vintage '68 Honda CB350. I have ridden that bike all over the place and while it has its little idiosyncrisies, it is super reliable. in over 25,000 miles I never had a serious problem except once on my last ride when the frame cracked (bike is being torn down now for restoration). Those old CBs in all the flavors they came in were simple reliable bikes that are a lot of fun to ride. For most of the models the parts are fairly easy to get if you need to do some work on them and the ones from the late 60s early 70s can usually be fixed if need be on the side of the road with only the contents of the original toolkit.

There are also a lot of good old bikes of other makes--XS650- Yamaha is a good example.

If you want to tinker get a reliable old bike; if you just wanna get out and ride something in the style of those old bikes you rode before. You can't do a lot better than one of the flavors of the Bonneville.

Cheers,

Mike

[Biker Dash]

Originally Posted by LWRider

There are also a lot of good old bikes of other makes--XS650- Yamaha is a good example.

Got one of them. I love the lines of the standard models. And so much you can do with them as well!

[goalie]

Originally Posted by Kiwi Steve

An old bike may be hard to get parts for and might be less reliable.

The Royal Enfield is pretty much like all new bikes, while you get warranty and supposedly more reliability the price will be high and you will be the one losing the initial depreciation. By the way, the Royal Enfields are made in India.

One bike you may have overlooked in the new/retro market is the Kawasaki W-800. Lovely looking and well put together bike, rides well, looks remind you of the old Kawasaki W1 and the later W650. But as a new bike it may be priced too high.

I'm biased, don't mind admitting it, but what about a later model Suzuki Boulevard M50. Much like the C50 you had before (the mechanicals are identical now, previously the M50 had a slightly different motor) but it has footpegs instead of plates. At around 257 kg/500 + lb(?) its easily handled, 45 HP/62 kW makes it a nice responsive ride. I think the models up to 2009 are carburetted, 2010 on are fuel injected. Low seat and the pegs aren't too far forward - though you can get forward control adapters for them I believe.

I went through the decision process above and bought a low mileage second hand bike and I'd recommend that for most people buying their first or their second step-up bike, or returning to riding after a while off. I'm 1.7 m/5' 7" and short on the inside leg, also I'm 63 going on 64, yet I love my M50 and have no trouble manouevering her.

And your point is???

[sanford]

Well maybe just me but thought offhand something called a Royal Enfield would be made in GB, but of course who knows what anymore...even HD had bikes made from all parts of the world.. no dis respect but not sure how the quality control may be in India?

[Biker Dash]

At one time, India was ruled by the British Empire, finally gaining independance from them in 1947. It may be made in India, but that would be why it's considered a brit bike

[goalie]

Originally Posted by sanford

Well maybe just me but thought offhand something called a Royal Enfield would be made in GB, but of course who knows what anymore...even HD had bikes made from all parts of the world.. no dis respect but not sure how the quality control may be in India?

I just find it funny when someone posts "BTW its made in ..." without telling us why they say that. Not commenting on its accuracy.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by Animedevildog

At one time, India was ruled by the British Empire, finally gaining independance from them in 1947. It may be made in India, but that would be why it's considered a brit bike

Very true , btw the mintage of many Brittish coins had to be suspended when they had to be
retooled because of India's recent independance..

[zmago]

I believe the Triumph Bonnevilles are currently made in Thailand.

The history of the Royal Enfield company is very interesting. The bikes didn't change very much from the 1950s until around 2000, when the engines and gearboxes were redesigned by an Austrian company to meet modern emissions standards.

I might have sounded a bit harsh about them earlier. They really are interesting to ride, but they don't have the performance of a modern 500 c.c. bike. Owning one would be just like owning a classic 50s bike, except you can easily get factory and aftermarket parts and dealer service.

[Eye_m_no_angel]

Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle brand in the world. However, it is not the same company that it started out as, and in fact the current company has no relation to the original brand at all, other then the style and the name.

Much like the current Triumph and Indian companies are not at all related to the original companies.

[markk53]

Originally Posted by ldman

I grew up as a kid riding minibikes and motorcycles. My favorite all time Bike I ever rode was a 1968 BSA 441cc victor special. The BSA was my primary ride to get to school and work for 6 years. All that was many many years ago.
I purchased my first big bike "Suzuki Boulevard c50 back in 2006 after several years of not riding. I only owned and road the bike for 3 months before I had a head on collision with a pick-up truck that did the deadly "left hand turn" in front of me. It has taken 6 years for me to get over the accident and I have once again found myself yearning for the thrill of riding a motorcycle that found it's way in my blood when I was just a youngster.
My heart tells me to go back to my roots and get a bike for fun. I have been looking around at the new bikes on the market that may suit my needs. Here are 3 top new bikes that seem to stand out to me for the time being.
1. Royal Enfield C5 Chrome
2. Triumph Bonneville T100 classic
3. Suzuki Boulevard s40 (newer style bike) like the fact it's a single.

I'm contemplating buying an old restored british bike. Bsa or triumph. Buying a restored vintage bike vs a brand new bike, the vintage bike would hold it's value better. Plus, I like tinkering with my bikes. I guess the tinkering comes from owning an old BSA for 7 years.
Should i get a new "Vintage like" bike or just go vintage all the way? Any ideas? I really do like all 3 bikes I mentioned above and i feel I would enjoy all 3. I plan on test riding the 3 sometime this year.

Dave

PS, Royal Enfield has a super cool bike... but the price is high IMO.

If you really liked the 441 you may consider another bike that has extremely good support both in accessories and parts. Fact is the basic machine is still in production I believe.

Find a Yamaha SR500 in good condition. It is the perfect rider thumper streetbike. The only concession to the modern, besides electrics that work and a decent carb, would be the self cancelling turn signals. They are even acceptable to most Brit riders due to the nature of the bike. Do a google search on Yamaha SR500 and you will find clubman/cafe bikes, stock bikes, flat trackers, street trackers, brat bikes, bobber bikes, full on singles road racers, any kind of bike you can think of. One Japanese accessory company made the parts to create an SR500 version of the BSA Victor 441.

I really like the SR because it IS a throw back to another era. You have to learn to start a 500 single with a kickstart and a manual compression release. You have to deal with some single vibration, because there's no counterbalancer. But your reward is a light, excellent road handling, slim, reliable, elemental big thumping single cylinder motorcycle.

I'm betting you would really like the SR due to your comments on your 441. They range in cost depending on condition, from a $100 crusty rotted out POS to one with no miles that is overpriced to $4000-5000. But there are still ones out there in good shape from $1000-2000 without a doubt. Those are the ones where you can make it what you want.

[LWRider]

Royal Enfields were eventually built in India for the British company. The British company dissolved in 1971. In 1995 the Indian company that had been building them for the British company got the rights to use the name. So, although it is a different company, the Indian company had been building Enfields for many years and the new ones are based on the old bikes with new technology married to the old. If it wasn't for the Indian company continuing production, there would be no more Enfields.

Triumph has a sub-assembly plant in Thailand but the main factory is in Hickley, England.

Cheers,

Mike

[zmago]

The Ryca CS-1 is intriguing:



You can buy one fully assembled from the company, or you can buy the kit and convert a Suzuki S40 yourself. That would be a fun project for someone who likes to do a bit of wrenching, and you'd have a sleek, sporty version of a very reliable bike with excellent parts availability.

Here's a video of Jay Leno interviewing the Ryca guys, then taking one of the bikes for a spin at the end. It sounds pretty good:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/motorc...ml#item=238643

[Biker Dash]

As much as I like the looks of those Ryca bikes, I do prefer a twin, hence, me buying an XS650.

For those who like the looks of a cafe bike, and enjoy a thumper, the Ryca CS-1 would be perfect for you. Hell, I think I would have a BLAST riding one of them.