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Starter bike
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December 11, 2008 at 11:35 pm #2402AnonymousGuest
Hi,
Anyone know if a Honda CX500 custom is a good starter bike? I can buy one for 1000 clams. Is that a good deal?
Thanks so much!
December 12, 2008 at 12:30 am #15244MunchParticipantBetter question…. you good with a wrench and finding parts? 1980’s …. nice retro move. First bike….. questionable. If its in pristine shape from the quick reads I did…. its a top heavy cruiser.. said to be tough but being top heavy may not work in your best interest…. how much a beginner? MSF or equivalent? Only sat on the ones in dealerships?
In the words of “Johnny number 5″….”MORE INPUT!”…lol…80’s bike needed an 80’s movie…. quit rolling those eyes. :^)Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**h
December 12, 2008 at 3:44 am #15247the_daft_guyParticipantI agree that it will all depend on the condition of the bike. I have a 1984 honda V30 and V45. Both run like dreams but I have had issues with both. However, my dad is a mechanic and I have grown up being handy with a wrench so fixing them is no issue. It must be said, the V45 was laid down and has required far more work whereas the V30 was just scratched and has needed very little work. In short, if yo can work on it, go ahead. If not, keep searching for something with a little less maintenance.
December 12, 2008 at 3:47 am #15248boulevardboyParticipantI have to say that when I was looking for a bike I was all over Craigslist like a rash. I saw lots of bikes that were from the ’80s that sounded great, but I managed to get hold of a bike mechanic that I asked how much fixing it could take andhe talked me out of it. If you are not hnady with a wrench then I think something that you know for sure is going to be reliable is the better option.
i ended uo at a dealer, and even if I might have ended up paying a bit too much I think (hope) that I might have endd up with a better deal in the long run
December 12, 2008 at 4:20 pm #15255SpoolParticipantI bought an old bike for myself as a starter bike. It is an ’81 Honda CM400E. It only had about 18,000 on it when I bought it which is good in that it’s low mileage but bad because it also means the bike spent a lot of time sitting around which isn’t good. I got lucky because the guy I purchased it from bought it to teach his son how to ride. He spent a lot of time making sure it was in good shape for his son. So everything that typically needs replaced on older bikes was already done. New tires, battery, brakes, air filter, oil filter, plugs and wires and the carbs were rebuilt. So the bike is in great running condition. I put about 1,000 miles on it before winter hit and had no problems whatsoever. I’m also fairly handy with a wrench and this bike is pretty simple so I pretty confident that I can fix any problems that do arise.
I wouldn’t be afraid of buying an older bike, but be prepared to do some work on it and spend a good bit of money if it has not been well maintained.
As for the CX500 for a starter bike. When I took the MSF course, one of the other guys had bought an ’81 CX500 as his first bike. He got one in pretty good shape for less than $500 bucks. I checked out myself (didn’t ride it though) and they are a pretty big bike. Fairly tall and kinda of heavy. If you have never been on a bike before or are a small person it might not be the best bike to start out on. I don’t think they have enough power to get you in too much trouble but learning the slow speed maneuvering and stuff on a bike that size could be difficult. I’m sure you can learn on it but there are definitely easier bikes out there (my CM400 for example
I do think that the old CX’s are really nice rides. There just something I really like about the older Hondas. Their older bikes just have a certain “charm” to them that IMO is missing from there current line up.
good luck with you purchase and don’t forget to take the MSF.
here’s a pic of my old Honda the day I brought it home.
December 12, 2008 at 7:08 pm #15256AnonymousGuestFirst of all thanks for all the advice. This site has been extremely helpful to me as a novice as I was clueless to the world of motorcycles when I started thinking, “You know, I want to do that”. I have been able to get a solid idea on how to approach riding and more so, approach the endeavor in the safest way possible. (Taking the MSF course in early January.) If I died on a motorcycle, my wife would kill me or at least desecrate the hell out of my grave.
I have never worked on a bike before, but I definitely wanted to learn how to keep up on basic maintenance and such. I feel confidant that I could learn, but I am…what’s the term…a total noob. I do have other modes of transportation so I just wanted to get something cheap and manageable to take to the local junior college and practice riding in the parking lots and around the campus. I like the security of maybe buying a 250 new, had my eye on the hyosung 250gt comet because I like the standard style but figured if I could get something 1K or less that I could pop my cherry on…well there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. As a first bike, I really do not care what it is as long as it works, it is safe, and it is under 600cc. I do see the logic in getting a bike that when I am on it, all I have to worry about is learning how to ride it, rather than always asking myself, “What’s that clicking noise?”
The bike in question is a 1979 Honda 500Cx C. It is in pristine condition owned by an older (stress older) gentleman for 17 years or so. I would definitely get a mechanic to check it out first. It has less than 20k miles on it. I thought at first hey, that’s cheap, but when I looked around, I found a similar Honda CX500 with half the miles selling on CL for under $800. However, it did not look as nice. Looks like I will have to think this one through some more.
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