Philosophy of Motorcycle Restoration 101

With out Fitz and the other "experts" here on this Forum my bike and many others would eirther be scrape metal or still in the garage sitting while we try and figure out how to get them going again. And I shudder to think how many misshaps/accidents have been avoided by these members if this site did not exist!

 

For the expert, you know what you're looking for. For someone getting into bikes and who wants a cheap starter bike that is not ugly, the XJs seem to be easy to find as really cheap possibilities. I would suggest you find one that is being ridden often. The maintenance on a running bike is a big enough pain let alone rebuilding a bike that has been sitting for years.

I bought my bike for $1,000 and put $200 into it right off the bat and this was a bike that looked great and was daily driven. I love it and it has always run well. Thankfully I was able to properly clean the carbs and adjust the valves without any issues. I used it to take a safety class and pass my rider's test. I have been riding it daily- weather permitting, I actually rode in a snow storm yesterday with 60MPH cross winds forcing me to exit the highway.

If you are not mechanically inclined you might want to consider the following:

2013 Honda NC700X - return of the standard motorcycle
Service intervals - Every 9,000 miles, literally utilizes a 2 Cylinder Honda Jazz/Fit engine
0-60 in 4.5 seconds
64 MPG
$7,000, -$205 a month (36 month at 6% with 0 down)

 

Personally, I view purchases like this not as a "cheap vehicle", but as a payment plan of sorts. I don't have the cash to lay out for something nice that just works, so I buy something nice and broken that I can fix over time.

 

Any one who's new should go back the the beginning of the WHOLE SITE and read through !

dave F

 

Same here 8)

This thread really needs to be stickied if possible, Fitz puts it well in that either YOU do the job right or the BIKE will make you do it over a longer timescale, with more aggro & more cost...

 

Amen brother

 

I figured my first post should be here rather than an introduction. I have read this thread over and over , and all I can say is thank you. Take it from a XJ noob , take this advice contained in this thread. I just wish I would have found this site 2 years ago , when I made the choice to buy a very neglected 81 XJ 650 maxim ( IE... muffler mounted with bale wire, cracked head complete w/JB weld fix , not to mention the 60s Chevy replacement headlight . :roll: .)Thanks to all the "Jedi Masters" on here , I should have her (Project : Nightmare...rightly named...lol )on the road this time next year. frame up cafe build.Wish me luck.
-Shawn

 

This post may be 7 years old but it gave me the bump I needed to head back to the garage today. Cheers!