"Classic" naked tourers

[vamr]

Like many others here I've covertly been keeping an eye out for the next potential victim to upgrade/sidegrade to.

Although sportbikes are swell (especially the not-so-practical crotch rockets) and all, I find myself wanting to experience something from another school of thought such as a r80 or Gt550.

The criteria would have to be both the practicality of commuting, reliability, parts availability and not overly complex engine design (primarily as my understanding of such things are limited, however the will to learn is definitely there)... of course this is all an afterthought of aesthetically driven impulses.

The purchase won't be immediate as I still have a year to go of my degree prior to the head-first nosedive into the 9-5 joys of our existence. However, the funds towards the said purchase are slowly coming together and I need to figure out what to budget for.

Could I get some opinions on the practicality of such motorbikes (with a relatively small budget), suggestions of what further to look at and also experiences of ownership (things to expect).

Thanks in advance.

and before you point out my odd sentence structure, I'm a dirty foreigner.

[classic zed]

My Bike makes an excellent tourer and its surprisingly good at keeping with the sports bikes throught the twisty's, parts are not difficult to find on eBay, its very basic mechanically and wherever I park it people want to talk about it.

Nothing better than a big classic

[Edbear]

Nothing better than a big classic

Oi! I heard that! (Oh, you meant your bike? Thought you were talking 'bout me...)

[Lou Girardin]

Bandit. Cheapish, quickish, funish. It can scratch, tour, commute, it's cheap and easy to maintain as well.

[Blackbird]

I was really impressed with Jimmy B's Honda X11 (naked Blackbird) when I rode with him last Friday. In terms of performance it'll see off virtually any other naked bike on the market and the ergonomics are superb. The looks aren't everyone's cuppa but in gloss black, Jimmy's bike looked stunning. You can get them at a very sharp price too. And with that glorious Blackbird engine, it will last forever.

[hXc]

Not a classic, and maybe not so much a tourer, although would be quite capable of it; Triumph Speed Triple. Simply, a beautiful bike.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...3&postcount=22

Those others are also lovely bikes.

[xwhatsit]

Son of a bitch! Those last two auctions I was just looking at myself... I want to head in a similar route once I've got my full ticket. There's a nice K75 on trademe as well, something like that would be pretty sweet -- of course it's a faired bike, but it's nothing drastic, and you can still see that beautifully horrendous engine it has. The R80 is also pretty sweet, but in particular I'm hating that paintjob :P.

GT550... Ixion may say otherwise, being the zealot he is, but from what I've heard I wouldn't really call that either a cheap or practical commuting option. A thirsty stroker, and old enough that it is only going to get more and more expensive. Fast, drinks fuel like a pornstar drinks... water..., and evil handling. But almost worth it just for sheer coolness.

[Kickaha]

GT550... Ixion may say otherwise, being the zealot he is, but from what I've heard I wouldn't really call that either a cheap or practical commuting option. A thirsty stroker, and old enough that it is only going to get more and more expensive. Fast, drinks fuel like a pornstar drinks... water..., and evil handling. But almost worth it just for sheer coolness.

They aren't anywhere near as bad as you decribe, handling is no worse than any other bike of that era and aftermarket shocks make them even better

And they aren't that thirsty unless you have an overactive right wrist

[Paul in NZ]

If you want an old bike - go for something that was in production for a long time with little change and still has a good spares back up.

Personally I'd think BMW or Moto Guzzi but both of these will require a slightly higher purchase price and are not that cheap to own. Up side is character and dependability over some quite high mileage.

Paul N

[Ixion]

Much as I like the old two smokers, I couldn't really recommend them as practical day to day transport nowadays. Nothing wrong with the design, just they are now 30 years old, growing frail and fragile, and spare parts range from hard to get to impossible.

Wonderful fun to have one for occasional weekend outings. But not so much fun when your only transport for getting to work is laid up for 3 months while you search the world for a spare part.

[Blairos]

Bandit. Cheapish, quickish, funish. It can scratch, tour, commute, it's cheap and easy to maintain as well.

I second that!

[TerminalAddict]

I found this to be quite interesting
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-80804474.htm

[Citroenjunkie]

I had a GT550 while I was studying at Uni. I rode to and from my parents on the weekends a round trip of about 240k's. The bike was totally reliable (once the carbs had been cleaned) VERY quick and sadly, used appreciably more petrol than my Fiat 128 when travelling at similar sorts of legal speeds.

My advice get a Honda four, they've been around forever and are consistently fun to ride.

[Jimmy B]

Hi Vamr,

As Blackbird said the X11 is a whole lot of laughs and can really haul, funnest of the fun things. Have seen them around for 8K in good nick with low Ks. Maybe a handful for regular innercity commute duty but otherwise really easy to ride. Also beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I urge you to see one up close rather than pictures

Good luck with whatever you go for

JB

[Dooly]

I found this to be quite interesting
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-80804474.htm

Me too.
I used to own one, same colour.