Yer basic bike - does such a thing exist?

[Winston001]

There will be plenty here who remember the AJS and BSA 350 and 500 singles. One big pot, carb, magneto, points, side-valve = simple. Even the Triumph and Norton twins were capable of being fixed and tuned on the side of the road without much in the way of tools.

Not that I owned any of these bikes but had mates who did in the early 70s because it was all they could afford.

Today I have a water-cooled fuel-injected beast which has 8 valves driven by belts and shims. I love it.

But......sometimes I feel as though motorcycling has lost its way. The no-8 wire mechanic has no chance with modern machines. So my question - is there a basic bike out there today which is simple and easy to maintain/repair? The only candidate I can think of is the Royal Enfield.

[Pedrostt500]

I agree that some bikes the technology has gone beyond the ability of the average mechanicaly minded person to fix, but also in general the reliability of most modern bikes way out strips the capabilities of the old timers.
the old BSAs and the likes would require a major pre ride check before riding from Wellington to Auckland, where most modern bikes you might check chain tension tyre presures, and oil levels, and not think twice about needing to check these things again for the whole trip.

[Headbanger]

They made a BSA that could make it from Wellington to Auckland?

[pritch]

They made a BSA that could make it from Wellington to Auckland?

I had a report here somewhere where a dealer rode a 350 AJS from Wellington to Auckland - uphill! :whistle: He got over 100mpg from memory.

[matchless]

Mate,Auckland to Wellington on a Beeza,ive done it,plus many other rides.Got to remember as well, a bulk of the roads then ,were loose metal.

[Forest]

There are still quite a few simple road bikes with air-cooled singles e.g. Suzuki GN250, Yamaha SX-4 & SX225 etc

Then there are all the simple dual-purpose bikes like the Yamaha TTR250 & AG200, Suzuki DR200, Honda XR250 etc

[CookMySock]

GT650R is watercooled, but otherwise its pretty simple, carbyed, CDI. If you don't want a faired bike rip the fairings off it, sell them, and fighter it and it still looks not too shabby. By the time you sold all the fancy bits off of it you will likely have change out of $4k for a 2005+ model bike with under 20,000kms on it and it does 60+mpg.

Steve

[BANZAI]

It's strange but Yamaha doesn't bring SR400 into this country. It's one of the simplest and best selling motorcycle in Japan, only few bits are changed since the first one came out.

[quallman1234]

GS500. Still being made, and the faired version doesn't look too shabby.

Say no more.

[Big Dave]

What you call basic - others call gutless.

[pete376403]

KLR650. Its basic AND gutless.
20 year old design. The sort of bike you could ride around the world on, or even Auckland to Wellington

[MyGSXF]

There will be plenty here who remember the AJS and BSA 350 and 500 singles. One big pot, carb, magneto, points, side-valve = simple. Even the Triumph and Norton twins were capable of being fixed and tuned on the side of the road without much in the way of tools.

Whadda ya reckon bout these babies then.. :2thumbsup

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1836371&postcount=1


The only candidate I can think of is the Royal Enfield.

Saw these in Opotiki in April this year, they were doing a big tour... :banana:

NOTE: the 1st & 3rd pic is a DIESEL bike!! & yes, I saw him fill it up! ;)

[xwhatsit]

I dunno, DR650, it's a bit specialised though.

I feel you though -- that's so much of what appeals to me about motorcycling. Probably why I stick with my old piece of crap, it fulfills most of your brief. I like these shiny toys but I love the simplicity and directness of that wind-in-your-face, single cylinder, road connected to your hands thing. In fact I keep getting rid of stuff in the way; like batteries, rev counters, mirrors etc.

[The Lone Rider]

I'm a fan of old choppers.

Literally an engine in a frame with two wheels and like three eletrical wires, plus brake line for front wheel and throttle cables. That's it.

Basic.

[Brian d marge]

Tis the NZ RE owners group ...and yes I is one .....and have eerr 1 or two of em

Stephen


Whadda ya reckon bout these babies then.. :2thumbsup

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1836371&postcount=1



Saw these in Opotiki in April this year, they were doing a big tour... :banana:

NOTE: the 1st & 3rd pic is a DIESEL bike!! & yes, I saw him fill it up! ;)

[Winston001]

Well that is refreshing to know. Glad to hear there are still simple bikes around. Not perhaps quite in the Enfield tradition but at least there are people who also appreciate the simple things in life. :Punk:

[Bonez]

Lots of CB400SS singles being bought into NZ. Sort of a GB400 with smaller tank, more upright seating position and tubular handle bars.

Had my GB400 3 years now. Having a ball of fun on it.

[MaxCannon]

Up until quite recently the bandits (600 / 1200) were air cooled, carb motors and pretty simple design.

That was partly what drew me to mine - easy to care for and easy to fix.

Although I think fuel injection probably solves more problems than it causes.
A properly designed engine computer system should never break down.

[madbikeboy]

GT650R is watercooled, but otherwise its pretty simple, carbyed, CDI. If you don't want a faired bike rip the fairings off it, sell them, and fighter it and it still looks not too shabby. By the time you sold all the fancy bits off of it you will likely have change out of $4k for a 2005+ model bike with under 20,000kms on it and it does 60+mpg.

Steve

What sort of Suzuki is that? :jerry:

[FROSTY]

Lots of CB400SS singles being bought into NZ. Sort of a GB400 with smaller tank, more upright seating position and tubular handle bars.

Had my GB400 3 years now. Having a ball of fun on it.
That CB400 ss looks good to my eyes. So much like my CB360 from many many years back

[xwhatsit]

That CB400 ss looks good to my eyes. So much like my CB360 from many many years back
Yes! They even do a two-tone paint job in Japan that looks identical to those couple of model years that did the two-tone (blue and silver was common on the CB360s, wasn't it?). Very cool bike.

Seems a shame that you have to purchase a `retro' in order to get what should be a standard class of bike you can purchase from any manufacturer.

[Skunk]

KLR650. Its basic AND gutless.
20 year old design. The sort of bike you could ride around the world on, or even Auckland to Wellington
Got one of them. Stopped for no reason and using the tools supplied could strip it down and fix it on the roadside. Simple and basic(ish).

Get right back to basics and get an old two smoker.

[vgcspares]

Up until quite recently the bandits (600 / 1200) were air cooled, carb motors and pretty simple design.

That was partly what drew me to mine - easy to care for and easy to fix.

Although I think fuel injection probably solves more problems than it causes.
A properly designed engine computer system should never break down.
not picking a fight, just not so sanguine about computers - the datalogging on my bike shows that though the mapping might be the same day by day, the air fuel ratio wanders a bit depending on on slope and humidity amongst other things. ECUs don't seem to self-adjust much at all really despite service manual claims to the contrary and they can be on the fragile side too

[imdying]

Winston it's the bikers that have lost their way, not the bikes... People have become lazy and stupid... never before has there been such a wealth of information available so easily, and spare parts are only an email or phone call away. If people can't fix their own rides, that's not because the bikes have become too difficult to work on, because in reality they haven't. The only people that think EFI is some sort of mystery are the people that haven't taken a little bit of time to read up on it. I dare say that those same people wouldn't have a clue about the internals of a carb either. Obviously I'm not talking about things like the new R1 which is technically very impressive, but simple bikes like my SV1000.

[Forest]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a W650.

[The Baron]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a W650.
Go for it Forest. The W650 is great bugs in your teeth fun. I just picked one up two weeks ago. But don't sell the Beemer.

[Bonez]

That CB400 ss looks good to my eyes. So much like my CB360 from many many years backNice lookers alright.

[Forest]

Go for it Forest. The W650 is great bugs in your teeth fun. I just picked one up two weeks ago. But don't sell the Beemer.

They look to be pretty solid. Anything I need to be aware of?

[davereid]

Electronics have changed things, but they havent really complicated them. I reckon my Kawasaki ER6F is a good example of a simple, modern motorcycle. A basic, reliable engine, simple ECU and fuel injection. Just good old fashioned transport really.

[Max Headroom]

They look to be pretty solid. Anything I need to be aware of?


Yep. They don't leak oil, they're quiet, smooth, reliable......and surprisingly dull.

My wife had one for about three years, which I rode occasionally too. We opened up the mufflers to liberate a bit of a "voice", and removed the exhaust gas recirculation cr@p. Also fitted a Stage 1 jetting kit. The bike went quite well after that, with a bit more sparkle performance-wise.

It was still boring.

The biggest drawcard is the apprearance and the build quality. Old farts regularly would come up all misty-eyed to congratulate us on the "restoration", start reminiscing about their Trumpy or BSA, and then get confused when their bifocals finally locked onto the Kawasaki badge...

I'd have another one again, but only to convert into a cafe style bike with alloy tank and solo seat and clipons and rearsets and.......where's the Bike Trader magazine?

[tri boy]

Scrambler, Volty, Air cooled Bandit, and 95 Daytona, (carbed, steamer engine).
I'm a simple bastard. (kanny tells me so):baby:

[Bonez]

and 95 Daytona, (carbed, steamer engine).
Those the ones which you have to disassemble the bike to get at the air filter :rolleyes:

[popelli]

.
But......sometimes I feel as though motorcycling has lost its way. The no-8 wire mechanic has no chance with modern machines. So my question - is there a basic bike out there today which is simple and easy to maintain/repair? The only candidate I can think of is the Royal Enfield.

I would have thought the harley sportster pre fuel injection would have fitted the bill perfectly

push rod motor

one carb

simple

low tech

basic

been around since 1957 (52 if you count the sidevalve version)


its a shame they "improved it" & fitted rubber engine mounts, and fuel injection and removed the gearbox trap door so its a full engine strip to rebuild the gearbox

[tri boy]

Those the ones which you have to disassemble the bike to get at the air filter :rolleyes:

Triumph do such things to see if your worthy to ride their machine.
(actually, it's a totally shit design, that drives you crazy:oi-grr:)

[Forest]

Yep. They don't leak oil, they're quiet, smooth, reliable......and surprisingly dull.

My wife had one for about three years, which I rode occasionally too. We opened up the mufflers to liberate a bit of a "voice", and removed the exhaust gas recirculation cr@p. Also fitted a Stage 1 jetting kit. The bike went quite well after that, with a bit more sparkle performance-wise.

It was still boring.

The biggest drawcard is the apprearance and the build quality. Old farts regularly would come up all misty-eyed to congratulate us on the "restoration", start reminiscing about their Trumpy or BSA, and then get confused when their bifocals finally locked onto the Kawasaki badge...

I'd have another one again, but only to convert into a cafe style bike with alloy tank and solo seat and clipons and rearsets and.......where's the Bike Trader magazine?

Thanks. That's great info.

Sounds like they copied the look, but not the character from the old british twins.

[Max Headroom]

Thanks. That's great info.

Sounds like they copied the look, but not the character from the old british twins.

Exactly. The W650 is clinically "correct" yet somehow lacks the X factor.

[nudemetalz]

GUZZI !!!

Takes me 30mins to do all 4 tappets. Challenge ya to beat that with ya Gixxer ;)

No chain to worry about, only 3 grease points on the shaftdrive, replace gear oil, diff oil & engine oil. Easy peezy !!

Mind you, has EFI these days and does require occasional tinkering to get the idle smooth (for a Guzzi anyway !!)

[xwhatsit]

Exactly. The W650 is clinically "correct" yet somehow lacks the X factor.
I was told that they're a lot lighter, smaller and fun than the Hinckley retros. The Kwaka much more similar in size and handling characteristics to the original Meriden Bonnies.

[Max Headroom]

I was told that they're a lot lighter, smaller and fun than the Hinckley retros. The Kwaka much more similar in size and handling characteristics to the original Meriden Bonnies.

The W650 compared favourably to the Hinkley Bonnies in contemporary articles, with journos generally preferring the W650 because all the stuff that was an extra-cost option for the Bonnie (such as rubber tank pads, tacho, alloy rims, mainstand, two-tone paint and chrome mudguards) were all standard on the W650. Not a huge difference in performance either, yet the W650 was a coupla grand cheaper...

[popelli]

GUZZI !!!



yes they have all the characteristics of an old bike, basically because they are an old bike

I had one once, pure nostelgia, it was unreliable and broke down all the time

[madman]

The savage ls650 is butt ugly untill you do a few mods and its a simple single that i have found can become many different styles.

[imdying]

Wow, ditching the bars for something flatter made a huge difference! Nice!

[NordieBoy]

Wow, ditching the bars for something flatter made a huge difference! Nice!

My only mod to my LS400 was flat bars.

[James Deuce]

One day my NZ250 will be going. That's pretty simple.

[Grant81]

Yes, the second photo is my DIESEL bike, all Enfields from India. I get 143mpg / 50 kpl. Ive done 18000K now, it has to share the riding with my VTR250 & GPZ 500 now.
Its never missed a beat. Sorry so long for reply, I hadnt seen your question on our site.
Regards, Grant / Warkworth

[Pixie]

not picking a fight, just not so sanguine about computers - the datalogging on my bike shows that though the mapping might be the same day by day, the air fuel ratio wanders a bit depending on on slope and humidity amongst other things. ECUs don't seem to self-adjust much at all really despite service manual claims to the contrary and they can be on the fragile side too

Yeah,and the carbs on yer "basic bike" varied the mixture with altitude,temperature,whether there was a cow within 500 meters etc.
The bandit is THE basic bike.

I suspect your datalogging is actually showing the ECU doing the on-the-fly adjustments it is meant to do.

[Conquiztador]

One day my NZ250 will be going. That's pretty simple.

We had a few of them as my oldest boys first road bikes. Agree that they are simple. The only thing we had a hassle with were the intermittent CDI's. But once I realised that it was where the problem was I even managed to fix them!

I am one day gonna get another one and do what I was planning: make it a John Player replica for my next boy when he gets to 15!

[breakaway]

So this is a thread about how peoples' unreliable bikes often forced them into becoming a roadside mechanic? And now we have gadgetry that rarely fails and takes care of most of the variables, and this is bad?

Can't say I agree with you there :p

[Renegade]

my little GB400tt is a gem to work on, even i cant stuff it up....much

[Brian d marge]

So this is a thread about how peoples' unreliable bikes often forced them into becoming a roadside mechanic? And now we have gadgetry that rarely fails and takes care of most of the variables, and this is bad?

Can't say I agree with you there :p

Designing for reliability
sucks if you are that 0.001% whose bike the taguchi method failed

my old enfield is just as reliable esp the 350 but is easy to repair if it does crap out

Give me Enfield any day

mind you if you are in a city , just call AA and wait for new part to be delivered ( or trade bike in every 2 years )

Stephen

[will650]

I have had a w650 for a year - seems like a good basic bike to me - i commute on it daily, use it for fun at weekends. it is easy to maintain- chain, valves, oil and filter all dead straight forward and modern enough not to break down. Never owned a brit twin but used to have an xs 650 back in the mid 80's and this is much like that with less shaking and electronic ignition so no timing to adjust.
Suits me in my middle aged pottering sort of way and does a creditable 65+mpg. Looks good too.
Would def get my vote as a good basic bike and it is easy to customise it to cafe racer/scrambler/bobber etc with the goodies that are out ther to buy.

Is it boring as suggested above? Depends on what you are looking for. It is not a snap your neck racer, nor is it a "real" classic. It IS a usable fun basic bike though and still brings a grin to my face out west on a sunny sunday morning.

[SMOKEU]

KLR650. Its basic AND gutless.
20 year old design. The sort of bike you could ride around the world on, or even Auckland to Wellington

I think the US army have a diesel version of that.

[pete376403]

I think the US army have a diesel version of that.

they do - hayes diversified build a complete diesel engine, remove the plastic, add some bits.
One day they are going to release a consumer version. Currently you have to be in the US military to get one. M1030-M2 670cc JP8. Will run on petrol, diesel, kerosene, probably cooking oil too
http://www.hdtusa.com/vehicle-m1030-m2.php you can still see the basic KLR under there.

[SMOKEU]

they do - hayes diversified build a complete diesel engine, remove the plastic, add some bits.
One day they are going to release a consumer version. Currently you have to be in the US military to get one. M1030-M2 670cc JP8. Will run on petrol, diesel, kerosene, probably cooking oil too
http://www.hdtusa.com/vehicle-m1030-m2.php you can still see the basic KLR under there.

That will be a really interesting ride.

[JATZ]

Honda CT125 ?
The one parked in my shed is a prime example, it's got some wheels and a motor, something to steer with and something to sit on, what more do you need. :2thumbsup:

[NordieBoy]

Honda CT125 ?
The one parked in my shed is a prime example, it's got some wheels and a motor, something to steer with and something to sit on, what more do you need. :2thumbsup:

Something reliable?