First bike - 87 Honda CBX250 / 78-84 Honda CB400 or yamaha/suzuki 400's

[FlyingPig]

Hey,

I'm currently looking for a bike to learn how to ride on as this will be my first bike. Came across a 1987 Honda CBX250 for $850 and it's in really good shape with only 14,000kms on it. I also like the looks of the older Honda CB400's and 400s/450's from the other companies such as yamaha/suzuki.

i'm 5.9 and 150lbs so i dont want a big bike to start and feel that 400/450 is plently, should i be concerned by buying an older bike instead of a newer 250/450??

I'm getting my M1 shortly and will be taking the motorcycle course at Conestoga College as well.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

other bikes for consideration
1982-1984 Honda Nighthawk 450
1985 Suzuki GS400

[TorontoBoy]

My criteria for a beginner bike is under 50hp and 500lb.

Consider all Kawi Ninja 250s, Kawi 500s, Honda VT500C ('83-'86) and The Kawi Vulcan 500. There is also the Suzuki LS600. It is single cylinder, air cooled, so also good to learn on.

Widen your search to allow you more options. Find a bike in good shape for a good price. When I was looking the Honda VT500C was actually cheaper than a Kawi Ninja 250. The bikes you quoted are UJMs, universal Japanese motorcycles. There are others to consider.

Before you buy phone and get quotes for bike insurance. You might be able to afford the bike but not the insurance, depending on your age.

[GreyGhost]

Don't get the CBX, too old and not common enough. I had an 84 nighthawk to start, it was ok, but you better be good at wrenching. When I bought it, it was ~20yo with ~18000 km on it and would do ~120km/h (indicated). When I sold it 2 years later it had 60000 km on it and would do 170 km/h (indicated). It was fun because every time something got rebuilt it got a little better, but I spent a lot of hours and time in the garage and machine shop. As far as riding, it wasn't a bad bike to learn on, but it was easy to push the suspension too hard and make the thing feel like it was hinged in the middle, not the ideal situation.

If you want to ride as opposed to spending most of the time working on your bike, a more modern 250-500cc bike is a much better option. Something like a 250 ninja(zzr), GS500 or ex500 that have been made forever with plentiful parts and most of the bugs worked out (or at least well documented). These bikes will all cost you more upfront (probably $2000-$4500), but having your bike out of service for months while you try to track down parts is also very expensive.

Good luck.

Hey,

I'm currently looking for a bike to learn how to ride on as this will be my first bike. Came across a 1987 Honda CBX250 for $850 and it's in really good shape with only 14,000kms on it. I also like the looks of the older Honda CB400's and 400s/450's from the other companies such as yamaha/suzuki.

i'm 5.9 and 150lbs so i dont want a big bike to start and feel that 400/450 is plently, should i be concerned by buying an older bike instead of a newer 250/450??

I'm getting my M1 shortly and will be taking the motorcycle course at Conestoga College as well.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

other bikes for consideration
1982-1984 Honda Nighthawk 450
1985 Suzuki GS400