TRAINING WHEELS

Don't waste your time or money unless you want to wrench more than you ride.
And NEVER buy a bike older than you are as a daily driver.
 
Honestly... I cannot think of a worse bike for you to learn on than that monstrosity you posted (links are fine BTW).
Someone else's cobbled together hobby bike. Pod filters, drum brake, rigid.
The romance of the rigid frame will very quickly wear off as it destroys your spine and shakes the cobbled engine apart.

There are lots of bikes in the cruiser style that will be much better to learn on. A vulcan or v-star ticks most of your boxes.
 
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^^^ what they said.

If you like the cruiser style maybe even consider a Suzuki S40, might fit the look you are going for with some light mods. Easy to ride, slim lightweight bike. Decent performance for a starter bike from that big thumper, too.
 
motonoob said:
... there are exceptions to bikes of a certain age
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If the old Triumph was still 100% original you could do it.
Terrible bike to want to ride much but you could do it.
 
neat looking bike
but it's a decoration
completely un-rideable

would cost a fortune to update that bike to pass a real safety

what's going on with the front brake lever?
does anybody see a rear brake?


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I agree, there's a 0.0% chance that bike would certify unless you're getting it done at some shop which is just basically selling certs and doesn't really even want to see the bike. At which point you're likely going to end up riding a bike with all sorts of major safety issues, several of which I can see in that pic alone. That's someones vision of a bobber that they got tired of for all the reasons others have mentioned already - fine if you want to just ride to the nearest Tim Hortons and pose all day I guess, but borderline useless for anything else. And probably extremely temperamental and unreliable.
 
OP

if you like that look
you'd be far better off to buy a stock vintage cruiser
and strip it down, make it what you want

that way you can keep it safe
and you're not inheriting someone else's mistakes
 
If you're looking at something customized like that, I'd suggest two options:

1/ Buy it certified already so you don't end up with a potential nightmare on your hands after the fact.
2/ Buy it with the agreement that he takes it to a shop of your choosing, at your expense, to GET it certified before closing the deal.

#2 option gives you better insight on if the bike is actually certifiable, versus the #1 option where a friend of a friend of the bikes owner may be just pushing it through even though there's actually issues.

However before you do *anything* with a customized bike, make sure to call and see if it's insurable. And don't forget to mention the customizations, especially any that are power and performance related.

But really, don't buy a hard tail. A lot of people crash hard into the form before function thing when it comes to customizations and opt for appearance based things like hard tailing a bike, but man, they make a Sherman Tank seem like a 70's Caddy in comparison. If you don't have a bad back yet, you probably will, and in short order you may resent even riding the thing any distance.
 
PrivatePilot said:
If you're looking at something customized like that, I'd suggest two options:

1/ Buy it certified already so you don't end up with a potential nightmare on your hands after the fact.
2/ Buy it with the agreement that he takes it to a shop of your choosing, at your expense, to GET it certified before closing the deal.

#2 option gives you better insight on if the bike is actually certifiable, versus the #1 option where a friend of a friend of the bikes owner may be just pushing it through even though there's actually issues.

However before you do *anything* with a customized bike, make sure to call and see if it's insurable. And don't forget to mention the customizations, especially any that are power and performance related.

But really, don't buy a hard tail. A lot of people crash hard into the form before function thing when it comes to customizations and opt for appearance based things like hard tailing a bike, but man, they make a Sherman Tank seem like a 70's Caddy in comparison. If you don't have a bad back yet, you probably will, and in short order you may resent even riding the thing any distance.
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Both good suggestions. And I hear you. I appreciate the direct answers.
Certainly not looking to cut corners on safety cert and making mods can be half the fun over time, if done properly and reported.
 
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Maybe look for something like an 883 Sportster. Cheap (relatively) to buy and the customization prospects are endless.
 
Well looks like you have learned your first lesson.
I am still fairly new to riding, but I agree with what has said here, that bike should not be a option for a first bike.
Unless you have a ton of cash and time to throw at it and this is just a play thing.
 
sburns said:
Well looks like you have learned your first lesson.
I am still fairly new to riding, but I agree with what has said here, that bike should not be a option for a first bike.
Unless you have a ton of cash and time to throw at it and this is just a play thing.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm here for! No ego, just brain polishing.
 
Welcome! :)

I'd definitely listen to what the others say here. I started last year, and was hellbent on getting a cafe racer because...

Ae$tHeTic...

Ended up on a cbr125 that I commuted on every day for the year and then sold for an upgrade this winter.

I ended up riding and enjoying myself, as opposed to fixing a thing and worrying if it will get me home.

It's hard to hone skills on a mechanically shaky bike. The line between your errors and the inadequacies of a custom bike can be blurred in some cases. Is your cornering technique ****? or is the hard tail just causing the rear tire to lose grip over bumps, throwing you all over the place.

Also, by getting a solid beginner bike (rebel 300-500, s40, v-star) you can basically resell it in a year for what you paid for it. Maybe more if you detail it and fix some things here and there yourself.

Additionally, yes, get the bike delivered to a mechanic that does pre-sale inspections (usually $100). My 125 needed $800 of work (tires, chain, sprockets... really basic stuff). That invoice quote gave me tons of power to talk down the asking price of my first bike.

Trust me, after a year on your beginner bike you will have a much better idea of what you like. Looking at a bike is one thing, riding it is another.

I always wanted a vintage cafe racer. Now? not so much...
 
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