Advice on choosing a bike - Page 3

 

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:49:45 +0000, paul c wrote:


Thanks to all for their responses.  I've done a bit of looking on my own
and discussed things with the vintage club members.  While a final
decision awaits some hands on time,  I'm leaning strongly towards an old
Honda CB350.  Why?

1.  Has an electric start, but still keeps the kick start.

2.  No electronic ignition - plain old points and condensor.

3.  No fuel injection - simple carbs.

4.  Flat seat I can move around on.

5.  Over 300,000 were sold - more if other models using the same engine
are included - so parts are plentiful and there appear to be companies
still making after market add ons.

Now I'm sure I'll get lots of comments on how reliable modern electronic
ignitions, batteries, fuel injection, etc. are.  And I agree.  But when
they break, I have to take the bike to a mechanic.  Carbs and points I
can fix myself.  Usually :-).

Once again, thanks for the inputs.  If anyone has reservations about the
CB350 (other than not a lot of power) I'd appreciate their inputs.  Also
if there's another bike I'm missing that matches the list I gave above -
except the numbers sold of course.

P.S.  One of the club members is the local Triumph/Guzzi/Enfield dealer,
so I'm still dreaming about the new Enfield even though it doesn't meet
my criteria - who says I have to be logical :-).

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

 


I think the real problem is that you're looking at a bike that is
getting on for four decades old, and really nice ones will be few and
far between. Most will be tired and will require a lot of maintenance.
Some parts will be worn out, others will be damaged, corroded or just
missing.

Secondly, while engine and service items are pretty easy to source and
cheap, some things aren't. Tinware, genuine exhausts, trim, etc.

Thirdly, if you could get a near-new condition CB350, it might be a
valid choice, but they're getting very expensive now. In Europe, the
classic racing guys snap them up. I dunno about the other side of the
Pond.

Fourthly, while I have modern bikes, I also steward, restore and
generally faff with Jap classics of this era. Old bikes require more
maintenance, not less. In fact maintenance of 1970s Jap metal is
pretty much a continuous process, rather than a "once every 6,000
miles" event.

If you want a nice classic for high days and holidays, fine. If you
want a practical day to day bike you can enjoy and ride wwithout
spending too much time on it, you're making a bad call.

Consider maybe a mid-1980s Honda 450cc twin. Kawsaki's EX500 twin -
fabulous little bike, with soul. Or better still, any of the late
1980s-early 1990s crop of Japanese big singles. Kawasaki 650 Tengai or
stock KLR650, Suzuki DR650, Honda's Dominator, and especially Yamaha's
evergreen XT600 series. These will all rip the socks off an old CB350,
be infinitely easier to live with, probaby cheaper to run, and they're
just fabulous fun bikes to ride. Downside is that some are a bit tall.

 

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:53:07 -0700 (PDT), "TOG@Toil"


Consider a switch to high ethanol content petrol may cause you some
real headaches with carbs if that happens, OP.


Yep, and every day it gets worse. I'm in Florida and over the long
haul the strong sunlight and heat wreaks havoc on the plastic stuff.


Yep. Engine parts usually no problem. But finding a good OEM tail
light might be a nightmare.


I was stuck in the late 70's early 80's myself until just recently.


Yep. More fun riding it than working in the shop on it. But if you're
a hobbyist in the art of restoration that's different.


At one point I had a 7 year old Yamaha 750 Seca (1983). I was forever
fixing something, albeit minor a PITA nonetheless. Then in 2008 I
finally broke with the past and got a 2002 SV650S. All I had to do for
2 years was change oil and two turn signal bulbs. Two bikes both about
the same age but from different eras. The modern era bike won that
contest.

However, one thing does trouble me. Prior to that bike all my bikes
were air cooled, except one old odd ball Triple Yamaha I had. It was a
mess and overheated on a regular basis. I got it cheap and sold it
cheap.

I really have this feeling of dread expecting some sort of costly
radiator or other cooling system problem.

Can someone tell me that these types of failures are rare, I hope :-)
--
...URA Redneck if the taillight covers of your car are made of tape.
Email: rsgibson@tampabay.rr.com

 

Ron Gibson wrote:


I'm no expert but I believe if you change the coolant per the maintenance
schedule, use distilled water and the proper type of coolant, you will
have very few cooling system related problems.  For me, water cooling is
best because you can sit in stop-and-go traffic without having to worry
about overheating, something that was a real problem on my '81 CB900C.  If
you don't commute on a bike, or live somewhere where it never gets scorching
hot, this might not be a big deal to you.

 



350 four-cylinder?