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Howdy TB...can I get some motorcycle buying advice?

capnjim

capnjim

Mar 13, 2008
2,088
2,949
#1
Would you buy a vintage bike as your daily driver??
First off:
I plan on using it every day for my short commute to work. I also use it to run to the store and any other errands. Very little highway use.
I had a WR250, but it was uncomfortable, and very scary when I did go on the highway.

I sold my Triumph Street Triple. My wrists hurt after 10 minutes. I need something upright.
I looked at the Vstrom and the Versys. I didn't really like either of them.
I'm going to look at a BMW F650GS, but the maintenance costs worry me.

I am leaning towards a dual sport enduro type as they are comfortable and upright.

So I will be testing out the Kawasaki KLR and the Suzuki DR650. Both are great bikes, but I worry I will get bored and miss the power of the Triumph.
So.....today, a 1982 Honda Nighthawk 650 came up for sale.
Original owner, only 12,000km! The thing looks new. he really babied it.
I had a 550 Nighthawk and loved it. Perfect mix of comfort and performance.

I'm just concerned about driving a 34yr old machine every day. I know the engines are excellent, its more the electrical I am worried about.
Finding parts might be tough as well.
I'm going nuts!
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
 
#2
capnjim said:
Would you buy a vintage bike as your daily driver??
First off:
I plan on using it every day for my short commute to work. I also use it to run to the store and any other errands. Very little highway use.
I had a WR250, but it was uncomfortable, and very scary when I did go on the highway.

I sold my Triumph Street Triple. My wrists hurt after 10 minutes. I need something upright.
I looked at the Vstrom and the Versys. I didn't really like either of them.
I'm going to look at a BMW F650GS, but the maintenance costs worry me.

I am leaning towards a dual sport enduro type as they are comfortable and upright.

So I will be testing out the Kawasaki KLR and the Suzuki DR650. Both are great bikes, but I worry I will get bored and miss the power of the Triumph.
So.....today, a 1982 Honda Nighthawk 650 came up for sale.
Original owner, only 12,000km! The thing looks new. he really babied it.
I had a 550 Nighthawk and loved it. Perfect mix of comfort and performance.

I'm just concerned about driving a 34yr old machine every day. I know the engines are excellent, its more the electrical I am worried about.
Finding parts might be tough as well.
I'm going nuts!
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Click to expand...


How handy are you? How well was the bike taken care of? Most the bikes I've owned were 20-30 years old. Some ran for years with no issues, some were turds. It's a gamble every time. If you don't mind tinkering from time to time, you can get a lot of bike for the money with older Japanese machines. Have you considered a first gen Suzuki SV650 (not the "S" model)? Tons of fun and easy to keep going
 
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#3
Thanks Cap'n. I did look at the SV's, but they have quite a forward lean to them.

I really like the Nighthawk. He had it in for maintenance and oil changes every year. Plus it has new tires. It needs a battery as its 5yrs old.
It literally looks almost new.
My budget is 4k and the Nighthawk is 1500$. I'm in Canada so things are a bit more up here. Plus, its the first Nighthawk I have seen for sale for a long time.

I'm a pretty decent mechanic. I even have an unused Morgan carbtune and would like to learn how to synch the carbs myself.
I just wouldn't know what to "upgrade"...do I change the Stator and R/R just to be safe???
He also did the shocks a few years ago.
Its really light and comfy. I'm just worried about it being so old.

I'm going tomorrow to look at a 2011 DR650 with only 700km. I know I will love it, as I grew up on dirt bikes. But, realistically, there is nowhere left to go off road where I live.
I'm just worried I will be wanting more power as I like my acceleration. I never go over 120km/hr, but I like to get there as fast as possible.
The problem with the Triumph was stopping at 120!
 
#4
I wouldn't think a 1982 Honda 650 is exactly a performance machine, but it would be plenty fun. I had a 1979 CB650, which I guess is similar to a Nighthawk. It was a UJM and was upright. I wouldn't think Honda changed the air cooled four all that much. It might be DOHC instead of SOHC by 1982. I don't know. At any rate, if the cams are not shim under bucket, they are much easier to adjust. Carbs are carbs. It's a Honda, which means it's probably not going to need much except a stator and regulator/rectifier eventually. I probably wouldn't worry about those until they break.

If it was what I wanted to ride, it would not faze me at all to ride it every day. I sure understand the magic carpet ride effect of a Triumph triple, since I ride a Daytona 675 on sunny days. The DRZ 400 gets rained on.
 
#7
I'm considering the same thing at the moment, as I want a bigger bike, but don't have a bigger budget. I'm thinking about going to look at a 1993 Suzuki GSX 1100 G, a sport tourer. The metric bikes are pretty bulletproof for the most part. I can't imagine the electrical giving you a ton of problems unless the bike's just a lemon.
 
#11
blastbass said:
Hmmm VFR, vtech, ebs, other good stuff :)
Click to expand...

LOL, what's your budget OP?

300px-RVF400_1998.jpg
 
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#12
My budget is 4k. I loved the Triumph. I only sold it as my wrists get really sore really fast. I need a bike with 0 degree's lean.
I would love another Triumph, but there aren't any for sale near me in my price range.
I have it narrowed down to the Vstrom at 2900$ and the Nighthawk at 1500$.
The guy did do the tires, brakes, and suspension in the last two years.
It just needs a battery.
I don't mind putting 1000$ into the Nighthawk, but with only 15,000km, I don't think there is anything it needs. Even the seat is pretty comfy. I might splurge and get a Corbin, but to get one shipped to me in Canada is 600-700$ which probabaly isn't worth it.
The only worriesome thing was the weird clacking it made when he tried to start it. he said it was normal after sitting all winter.
 
#14
Even with low mileage, one that old could have problems with seals and such. If they sit for a long time without running in your typical garage, electrical should be decent enough to not worry, it's the moving parts and the seals and gaskets that suffer most..Rubber and paper dry out then fail if they sit for long periods between use. Look it over real close for fluid leaks and rust. All the usual tests, run it on it's reserve gas supply to make sure it's not got water in the tank, take a handkerchief or piece of thin paper and hold it in front of the pipes to see if it flops back and forth. It it does anything but blow it back, you have some valve leakage. You can get away with it for a while, but know it will need to be addressed. Once you warm it up, take out the dipstick and let a drop fall on the header pipe. if it just smokes it's fine, if it sizzles like bacon, you have water and/or gas in the oil. Engines that get run then put away to sit for a while will develop their own little internal personal weather system where moisture eventually forms on non moving internal engine parts, then mixes with the oil next time it's run. Listen to the thing running at idle and then rev it and listen. If you hear a funny noise you can't ID get a second opinion. If you know what it is, use it for a negotiating chip.

If you are handy enough to replace a head gasket on an OHC engine you should be able to do most anything that needs doing. Not sure what the unofficial honda manual is these days, but it is worth the coin to get an official honda service manual if you can. Last of all, consider what special tools you may need.

With your budget and the cost of the scooter, you should be GTG barring any serious thing popping up.
 
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#17
I loved to drive my friends Kawa KLE. 500cc was great for urban and suburban streets. Good position, a tad low for me (I'm a tall guy). I found gears a little short spaned, so it needed lots of shifting.
Good all around machine, as I recall, wasn't expencive to maintene.
My brother-in-law has one for years, loves it, and sometimes goes with my sis on a 2-3 hours hillside-road drive.
 
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#18
cardboardJoe said:
Ahhh Sharkie, showin some Panhead love!
Click to expand...


Actually , both were converted to shovelheads. Pretty much a bolt on operation. Had to plug the oil hole under one jug with a small allen plug and run an external oil line from the cam cover to the heads. The oil line plug was not a total necessity as the block to jug gasket covered it but putting in the plug made absolutely sure that there were no leaking problems. Took about two minutes to tap and plug the block when I put it together.
 
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#20
I can't believe you got rid of a Triumph Street Triple. That is my dream bike.:crying:

Nighthawks and all the old UJM style bikes are fine, but maybe you need to try a cruiser and see how your wrists like it.
If you liked the VFR, maybe you could try a Magna.
 

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