Choosing a bike.

 I'm looking to get a bike for about $3000 or less. Just something to
put around town in. I've seen several Honda Shadows for sale on eBay
and Craigslist for that price. I'm wondering what else out there is
comparable to a Shadow. My brother builds custom choppers, so he'll
probably set me up with the best deal on earth. But I still want to
get all the input I can. This won't be my first bike, but it's been a
while.
Thanks!

 Ace* wrote:

Time once again to trot out the Standard List of Fun But
Inexpensive Bikes Widely Available Used:

- Suzuki SV-650/V-Strom 650
- Honda 599 (Hornet) or Nighthawk 750
- Kawasaki Ninja 650 (if you want to go sporty) or
   KLR 650 (if you'd rather go dual-sport)
- BMW F 650

There are certainly a lot of other choices in this price range,
depending on how old you're willing to go, but the above have
the advantage of being widely available (and the parts are, too)
at this price without being ancient, and have a lot of owners,
e-mail lists & web sites for support, etc..



In part this is just due to my personal bias, but I wouldn't
be looking at a little cruiser for a daily-around-town-rider.

Bob M.

 
Thanks Bob. I definitely don't want to go crotchrocket again. I'm 47
now, but I still don't trust myself on anything resembling a race
bike. I've been looking at Nighthawks too. Any 750 type cruiser that
you can hang saddle bags off. But nothing as big as a Goldwing.

 Ace* wrote:

None of the bikes I listed would be considered "crotch rockets" -
although the SV-650 in the "S" version and the Ninja both LOOK
the part with their plastic fairing bits.  This list is really plain ol'
standards, except for the V-Strom which leans a bit in the dual-sport
direction and the KLR which is definitely more that way.


I'm 52; my daily commuter is an SV.  Or if I put the Givi
top case on and throw the soft saddlebags over the tail, it'll
do just fine for weekend touring.  About the only thing it's not
really much good for is two-up riding.  It'll do it, but it's not
really the best choice there.

Bob M.

 
I'm still as reckless as ever.
If it can take a sharp curve at 100mph, that's how I'll ride it.
I'll definitely need two-up riding for a skinny woman.