Recommend me a small cheap bike

[jorabro]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a small bike to bang around on. I bought an RG150 when I was 15, I had a lot of fun on it until it tragically fell apart after owning it for around 1000 k's. My father sold it to make space while I was away for a grand total of $226 dollars, tragic.
That was the extent of my riding, now I've moved back home from living in Auckland city and would love to get riding on the amazing roads out here again.

In short, what are some good little bikes that I can pick up for around $2000 or under? I'm not interested in another RG as I'm convinced it will explode and I am essentially a beginner due to my last bikes' short life span. Haven't seen many FXR's around but those look quite appealing. GN250's seem quite popular too.
I'm just looking to have some fun on the road, perhaps commute around 30mins into town, would prefer something that doesn't break down a lot as I am about as mechanically savy as a plank of wood.

Cheers

[Ender EnZed]

I recommend reading this thread (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/160891-Which-learner-bike).

[avgas]

TS185 if I could find one.

[iranana]

well... I was going to suggest an RG150, but since your last one exploded... you should probably pick a four stroke or learn how to properly maintain a two smoke. i've ridden a GN once and it was boring. never ridden an inline-four, but most cheap ones out there have been thrashed and have high mileage. i dunno about an fxr 150, maybe there's more to them than meets the eye. could try looking through the lams list for bikes over 250cc - i don't really know what's on it so I can't recommend anything in that regard.

my first suggestion is to pick up some mechanical knowledge. you'll feel a whole lot safer, and you'll know what to do when something does go wrong (and on a cheap bike, it's bound to sooner or later). two strokes are as simple as an engine can get, they're a lot cheaper to fix than a four stroke and pack much more punch per cc. while they are a bit temperamental and deemed unreliable by some, they're quite the opposite once you understand their nature and learn to tune them right.

[jorabro]

Getting some mechanical knowledge sounds really good. What is the best way to pick it up? Are there short courses or online resources that I can use?

I'm considering making an offer on an 08 Yamaha Scorpio I've found on trademe. Don't think I'll get a GN because I'm convinced I'll get bored of a bike that slow, I'd like something that atlest comes close to matching the grunt of my old RG150. A little slower is probably fine if the tradeoff is it not exploding in the first 1000k.

[Grashopper]

Getting some mechanical knowledge sounds really good. What is the best way to pick it up? Are there short courses or online resources that I can use?
The first step would be to get an owners and a workshop manual for which ever bike you decide to buy. There is a thread here somewhere with "lots of manuals" online.

This http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/160870-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Day-Saturday-14-September-10-am-2-pm-%28Pukekohe%29?p=1130611067#post1130611067 or something similar would be useful for you, too.

[iranana]

yip I second getting a workshop manual for whatever you buy - you can usually find them online but I prefer paper copies. As for a general mechanical understanding, I guess you could start just by learning from the ground up about how an engine works and the various cycles it goes through, then go on to learning about carburettion and timing. your air/fuel mixture is very important, as is your ignition timing, particularly in a two stroke. A workshop manual will explain all this anyway.

If you can't tell I'm very much in favour of two strokes, I had an RG150 as my first bike and boy was it fun! Light, reliable, nimble and fast enough to make me crap my pants from time to time. I honestly think you'll have problems finding a single (or even twin) cylinder four stroke that's as fun as an RG. In my opinion, RGs are very quick bikes for their size, and it's that two stroke power hit that makes them so much fun. I'm not sure the Scorpio would be any quicker than a GN - they're only a single banger 225 aren't they?

but at the end of the day, it all depends what you want the bike for and how long to intend to keep it for. you can have fun on any bike! even 50cc mopeds can be blast! but some bikes can be more fun than others ;)

[jorabro]

Yeah, 2strokes are mad fun I wont deny. I've been put off as my RG failed me so many times. I want to do a very high volume of riding so I'm really looking for something that just goes and goes. I want something with a bit of punch, it doesnt have to be manic, but something that also gets going with minimal maintenece (Most mechanics didnt even want to look at my RG). Looks like anything decent has dried up in my area on trademe anyway, probably a bad idea buying just before summer.

[mossy1200]

Ring this guy and ask for the plate number and chassis number. Go to cop shop and ask for a free declaration of no interest. Allow 550 for new plate rego etc and offer him 1250 dollars.

Ill collect it if needed and store it for a dozen and you can arrange freight etc

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-636733113.htm

[jellywrestler]

My father sold it to make space while I was away which jail were you 'away' in?

[jorabro]

Thanks for that generous offer Mossy. I'm in Whangarei however and I'm sure the freight would be pretty out there.

I'm looking at this http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=633607379 seems like a reasonable deal, any thoughts on this one?
I don't really know anyone with bike knowledge, should I ask a dealership to check this out?

EDIT: this CBR looks nice too, http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/cruiser/auction-636677509.htm

[iranana]

It looks like a tidy bike, tripped me out to see it also has a kick start, always handy to have. In my opinion 45k is getting up there, but if it was treated well I'm sure it will still have a lot of life left, I don't really know the rates at which the various parts of a four stroke engine wears, but it would be worth finding out the history of the bike and what work's been done. If you check it out, look for chain/sprocket wear, listen for any peculiar noises (a screwdriver makes for a reasonable poor mans stethoscope), see if it blows much smoke and take a good look for any oil leaks around both the engine and forks. Test ride it if possible, too

[iranana]

CBR looks good too, low mileage is a plus but the same check points apply. At that price difference, I'd go for the CBR if it was in decent shape.

[mossy1200]

Why has it had fork gaiters fitted? Ask him what the forks are like underneath.
Otherwise good buying

[jorabro]

Thoughts on this old Ninja? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=638710910

Looks a little more squared away than the gsxr and a tad less manic than the CBR, although not sure if that is a good or bad thing at my level. My only concern is its age.

[mossy1200]

Mate had a 400 version of the kwaka and I didn't like the way it handled.

CBR is a far nicer bike

[iranana]

I'd go for the CBR over the GPX. Old bikes are fine if they were kept well, but bear in mind that the rubber in em perishes over time, and given their age you can't be sure of their full history and whether of not one of the owners was an ape. Things like crank seals, dampeners, gaskets etc. get old and crusty and need replacement eventually. The CBR would require less maintenance, and would probably be more fun, being an inline four.

[jorabro]

I'm pretty keen for that CBR. I've heard the inline 4 cbr's are quite high maintenance though especially given their age. What about a 2002 Honda VTR250? Its about 1k over budget, however I've heard really good things about them and that they just go and keep going, seems like it has reasonable power for a 250 and handles well.

[Grashopper]

Take both, the CBR and the VTR for a test ride if you can and get them checked by someone who knows what they are doing.

There is probably some money you still have to put into your new bike, e.g. the tires are too old (check the date code) or don't have enough thread left. You never really know what you'll get with an older used bike.

[iranana]

I agree, take em both for a test ride and see which you like more. With an inline four you do have twice the amount of everything in the engine, so yeah, maintenance of them is inevitably more costly. That's what steered me away from inline fours... It's also worth looking into parts availability though. If parts are horrendously expensive and hard to find for a bike, then you've gotta ask yourself whether it's worth it. I ride a bike from '78 but parts are so abundant (internationally, that is) it doesn't matter if something blows up. I just bought a pair of new old stock cylinder heads for a grand total of fifty bucks and new head gaskets cost me around ten bucks each. Try finding new heads for a modern bike at that price! Call up your local bike shops and wreckers and ask about parts for each bike (clutch plates, gaskets, brake pads/discs, cam chains, chains/sprockets etc) and do some research online/on eBay.

[jorabro]

Went ahead and bought a sweeeeeet little red VTR for 3.5k. Came with a lot of extras for the price too including "heated handle grips"...
Should be mine Tuesday afternoon. Will post pics.