Congratulations on getting your license. I would suggest going and sitting on them to see how they work for you, which is hard to determine from looking at the pictures. All the bikes are old, so the probability they will need maintenance soon is fairly high. Is it worth it? If you want to learn to ride and can't spend more money, I would say yes. Pick the one you like and make the best of it is about all you can do. If you can bring along someone who knows about motorcycle and what to for, that would be useful. Good luck my friend and welcome.
My first bike
Hey there!
I just got my driving license and I am looking to buy my first motorcycle.
I am looking to spend around 1500$ +/- 500$ depending on the state of the bike, since it s going to be a used one.
I want something that will be able to take a 100-200 km ride without making the trip too tiring (no problem with me making stops etc).
Here is a list of 2-3 bikes that I really like and stuff I heard from people..
1. Kawasaki Eliminator 400.
I find it really beautiful and I see them selling around the 1000$ mark, the problem with it, at least from what I hear is that they tend to break a lot and it's very hard to find replacements (spare parts)
2.Yamaha Virago 400.
Again, I think it's a beautiful bike and I like that's it's kinda chopper stylishbut at the same time small.. I recently found one going for 1000$ in a very good condition and it's been customized to my liking. Currently I would go for it since I have that money, but again I hear that it's really hard to find replacements (spare partrs).
3.Honda Cm 400
Finally my favorite bike of the 3. I love the whole grandpa/cafe racer style and I ve heard a lot of good things about this bike.
I have to admit though, that I feel like a 200km ride with it will be a living hell... I might be wrong but compared to the virago and the Elimnator the Cm looks much more uncomfortamble...
Also the price I see them sell is around 1500-2000$, so it will be a bit more expensive than the other 2.
Regarding spare parts etc I have no clue..
So basically what I am looking for, is a comfortamble bike around those ends and money...
Do you think that any of those 3 bikes is worth getting?
Also I am open to anything else you have to suggest!
Thanks a lot in advance, George.
(I live in Greece, Europe. Perhaps finding spare parts is more difficult here than the USA)
I just got my driving license and I am looking to buy my first motorcycle.
I am looking to spend around 1500$ +/- 500$ depending on the state of the bike, since it s going to be a used one.
I want something that will be able to take a 100-200 km ride without making the trip too tiring (no problem with me making stops etc).
Here is a list of 2-3 bikes that I really like and stuff I heard from people..
1. Kawasaki Eliminator 400.
I find it really beautiful and I see them selling around the 1000$ mark, the problem with it, at least from what I hear is that they tend to break a lot and it's very hard to find replacements (spare parts)
2.Yamaha Virago 400.
Again, I think it's a beautiful bike and I like that's it's kinda chopper stylishbut at the same time small.. I recently found one going for 1000$ in a very good condition and it's been customized to my liking. Currently I would go for it since I have that money, but again I hear that it's really hard to find replacements (spare partrs).
3.Honda Cm 400
Finally my favorite bike of the 3. I love the whole grandpa/cafe racer style and I ve heard a lot of good things about this bike.
I have to admit though, that I feel like a 200km ride with it will be a living hell... I might be wrong but compared to the virago and the Elimnator the Cm looks much more uncomfortamble...
Also the price I see them sell is around 1500-2000$, so it will be a bit more expensive than the other 2.
Regarding spare parts etc I have no clue..
So basically what I am looking for, is a comfortamble bike around those ends and money...
Do you think that any of those 3 bikes is worth getting?
Also I am open to anything else you have to suggest!
Thanks a lot in advance, George.
(I live in Greece, Europe. Perhaps finding spare parts is more difficult here than the USA)
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Can you do your own maintenance? If not, or if you are not ready to learn, I would suggest spending more up front on the bike and getting something newer and with fuel injection (carbs can be a pain). But if you have some skills and can do the work yourself then like @Calculon said, go out and sit on a few bikes and take some test rides.
You may be able to buy a brand new Yamaha YTX 125 in your price range. Good heavy duty standard motorcycle and they are cheap. May be made in India, I think. They are dependable as Hell.
A yamaha YTX is an 8 horsepower machine.
Is that good for taking rides up to 200 km (125 miles?)
All of the 3 bikes listed with 400 cc of displacement generate approximately 40 hp (at high rpm) and can put out about 25 foot pounds of torque. That should be plenty, without question, for a new rider even for traveling on highways from one city to another, or to a wilderness area.
And they all look like the right size and weight (mass) for a new rider.
Is that good for taking rides up to 200 km (125 miles?)
All of the 3 bikes listed with 400 cc of displacement generate approximately 40 hp (at high rpm) and can put out about 25 foot pounds of torque. That should be plenty, without question, for a new rider even for traveling on highways from one city to another, or to a wilderness area.
And they all look like the right size and weight (mass) for a new rider.
You may be able to buy a brand new Yamaha YTX 125 in your price range. Good heavy duty standard motorcycle and they are cheap. May be made in India, I think. They are dependable as Hell.
I based my suggestion of a YTX 125 on my experience with them while I was in the Philippines. There the majority of riders are on 125 underbones with automatic clutches (not really my cup of tea) High speeds are not necessary there due to the road conditions. I have no idea how fast you need to go to keep up with the traffic in Greece but if you are going on a 200 km ride you certainly want a dependable bike that will get you back home again safely. If there are brand new bikes in his price range it would be a viable option even with the smaller displacement engine, they are comfortable to ride also considering it will be his first bike.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
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