Choosing a project bike to work on with my daughter | GTAMotorcycle.com

Choosing a project bike to work on with my daughter

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schnellschnell

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Looking for some guidance as even getting my bearings is daunting. My daughter is 16 and interested in riding and we wanted to use this opportunity to find an old bike (70's?) and fix it up thereby learning the mechanical basics as well as a daddy/daughter thing. I'm pretty confident and mechanical and have most of the tools and I'd love to pass that on. But the amount of bikes is so immense and knowing what is terrible to find parts for versus a good starter project bike is challenging to just read up on.

Any advice on where to start, good resources / forums / books / sellers etc. would be very appreciated.


j
 
First off, good on you for using this as a learning opportunity for her and bonding time.
Now, I'm arguably the least knowledgeable member here when it comes to motorcycle repair. But I would say to stay within 80s or early 90s bikes.
Still easy to work on, but more supply for parts.
Stay low cc and stay with a popular bike, as they will have some parts that are interchangeable with other models, so again, easier to come by.
There are a few ppl here that have shared their project builds. Check out those threads.
I would also recommend starting your own build thread....ppl are interested and will be able to offer on the go advice, suggestions, etc.
Check the reasonably priced bikes thread as well.
Right now there are a couple of great deals posted.
To add to an above comment, popular 70s bikes will still have a parts supply around, albeit smaller supply.
Lastly, good luck and enjoy!

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When I was looking at a new old bike for sale, I Google searched for a forum related to that bike. It seems like every bike out there has a forum dedicated to it, and that's where you find out about the good, bad and ugly.
I would start with a short list of affordable bikes that catch your imagination. Then research 4 or 5 of them.

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Great stuff to get me started. Thanks everyone so far.

I guess in my mind I had this 'barn find' and strip it down / rebuild. But maaaaybe that is a lot to chew on my first go-round.
 
I have a 1976 Yamaha TY175 that my daughter rides in trials competitions with me.The bike has been fully restored 4 years ago.Parts are readily available.Some from Yamaha dealers,others come from Europe at reasonable prices.
The TY is the first bike she has ever ridden.She didn't know what a clutch was 3 years ago.Now she can ride over cars with ease.Trials is a great way to start for anyone.Control is what it's all about.
 
schnellschnell said:
Great stuff to get me started. Thanks everyone so far.

I guess in my mind I had this 'barn find' and strip it down / rebuild. But maaaaybe that is a lot to chew on my first go-round.
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There's a lot of 80's bikes out there that need less work and actually cost less to buy. 70's Hondas are overpriced IMHO

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agreed 70's Hondas are fashionable currently and overpriced
still there are some deals to be had....

either one of those or a Yamaha would be a good choice
anything where there was a lot of them sold so parts are abundant

to keep the cost down I'd look at a twin rather than a 4
and I'd avoid one of the kijiji half finished and I don't have the time projects
best to start with something that doesn't have someone else's FU's to deal with
 
schnellschnell said:
Looking for some guidance as even getting my bearings is daunting. My daughter is 16 and interested in riding and we wanted to use this opportunity to find an old bike (70's?) and fix it up thereby learning the mechanical basics as well as a daddy/daughter thing. I'm pretty confident and mechanical and have most of the tools and I'd love to pass that on. But the amount of bikes is so immense and knowing what is terrible to find parts for versus a good starter project bike is challenging to just read up on.

Any advice on where to start, good resources / forums / books / sellers etc. would be very appreciated.


j
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Get one of the 1980s Honda CM250 Customs, CB200T, Twinstar or similar. You can take that ugly jap-cruiser look and turn it into the flat-tracker look that is popular with the millennial crowd these days. They're very lightweight and easy to handle. If you must go bigger, look at the Honda 400s 1979-83. However, this is going to be a first/learner bike correct? Good for backroad riding, short trips to school, around town, occasional hwy? Honda 250 is your best choice. You can go 1970s, but you'll be into points/distributor ignition which is much less reliable, fewer parts, etc.
 
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Roadghost said:
Get one of the 1980s Honda CM250 Customs, CB200T, Twinstar or similar. You can take that ugly jap-cruiser look and turn it into the flat-tracker look that is popular with the millennial crowd these days. They're very lightweight and easy to handle. If you must go bigger, look at the Honda 400s 1979-83. However, this is going to be a first/learner bike correct? Good for backroad riding, short trips to school, around town, occasional hwy? Honda 250 is your best choice. You can go 1970s, but you'll be into points/distributor transmission which is much less reliable, fewer parts, etc.
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Only major change i did with the 76 TY was to replace the ignition with modern electronics.
 
certainly 80's might be best bet with electric ignition...avoiding points would be nice and carbs might be fun for you guys to rebuilt/rejet...not sure her height but thinking of bike style easy to work on and readily available parts and something she could actually learn to ride on perhaps a 250cc dual purpose...XL250 or yammy XT250 or Suzuki SP from the 80s...single cyl not much body work...and she tips it over while learning who cares

Otherwise # 4 this is a must

xt 250.jpgSuzuki SP200 88.jpgimg_CJVoBYS1G0.jpg
 

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Why not look at something a bit newer, but very mainstream? You can pickup a late 90's or early 2000's Vstar 650 for cheap. The advantages are:
  • Parts are a dime a dozen as the Vstar's haven't changed much over the years.
  • You'll find it easier to insure. 70's bikes may require you to find classic insurance, many mainstream insurers won't insure them anymore.
  • They're mechanically simple, so you get the ability to learn wrenching on it, but you won't have to worry about parts availability/rarity, etc. If she drops it for example and you need a tank, they're a dime a dozen. Something from the 70's or 80's, perhaps not so much....
There's a happy medium between a classic that you can wrench and learn on but may not be reliable when you actually want to ride vs wrench.

Edit: Further to the last post above, I guess we should clarify if she wants to ride on road, or off road.
 
I'd find something newer, running and maybe certified. Yes you'll spend some cash , BUT, nothing will spoil the fun faster for a young lady than waiting, waiting and then waiting. And disappointment. Followed by waiting.
Do maintenence , invent jobs, change a chain or a tire. If shes not been 'into it' yet, an actual project may not be the best use of time.
 
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Personally, i really dislike riding the vstar 650 for many reasons. Others obviously like them, so it isnt universally despised.
As as been brought up many times, figure out what she is excited about and head in that direction. It doesn't even need to be an old bike. Check out brian p's builds to refresh 125's or 250's. You learn lots and dont get bogged down in tons of tired parts.
 
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I have my eye on a couple of old original Vespas that look like they could be used to make one decent town runabout. Just a thought.
 
My suggestion is the 74 to 83 Yamaha XS650's - great forum, parts supply. But the idea of getting a running certified bike that you can maintain and improve with her may be the winner.
 
Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse???

Did you sign her up for trail tours ? I know you had a previous post about it.

Perhaps get her out on two wheels to give her a chance to try riding.

If she likes it then she gets her M1 and takes a safety course.

When she passes, look for the bike.


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nearace said:
I would stay away from anything with a carburetor ,jmo.
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Depending on op's ability, i would barely consider whether a bike has carb or fi in my selection process. Both have there ups and down. Rebuilding a carb is relatively simple.and you can see how it works. Fi programming is probably a more useful skill for the future but I dont find poking a computer in the brain to be as fun as physically changing things (even if FI should be easier to dial in).
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