Stoopid Motorsikle Question

[MaryAnn]

Funksickle wrote:

For motorcycles I've found a few- the front runner(in my eyes) being the Honda Rebel.. 250cc, marketed as a "starter bike" (which for me, it is). Brand new they're not much over $3,000, and due to their high turn-over (when owners find themselves ready for a "bigger bike") they see little depreciation.
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I'd sure like to know where you can get a brand-new Rebel for that kind of money; from what I've seen, that would be without dealer prep, which brings the price to more like $4800 around here. More than I'm going to spend, for sure.
And also around here....simply cannot get a small bike, used or new. There was one used Rebel that the dealer tried to pawn off on me: dig this story...they didn't have any Nighthawks because they sold the last batch to the motorcycle riding school, and this Rebel got traded in by that same school, meaning it had the holy living hell beat out of it. Sell it to the dumb blonde. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell him, I'm not dumb.

MA

[Donn]

I'd sure like to know where you can get a brand-new Rebel for that kind of money; from what I've seen, that would be without dealer prep, which brings the price to more like $4800 around here. More than I'm going to spend, for sure.
And also around here....simply cannot get a small bike, used or new. There was one used Rebel that the dealer tried to pawn off on me: dig this story...they didn't have any Nighthawks because they sold the last batch to the motorcycle riding school, and this Rebel got traded in by that same school, meaning it had the holy living hell beat out of it. Sell it to the dumb blonde. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell him, I'm not dumb.

I know of a local case where a woman bought one of those riding school motorcycles, a Suzuki GZ250 or something like that. I actually crashed one like that myself when I took that course, and furthermore I hated the ride, so I was prepared to hear that it didn't work out well for her, but on the contrary, her husband the motorcycle enthusiast said it went pretty well. (Though if I'm not mistaken she eventually traded it in for a Rebel.) They don't get many miles on them - the motorcycles we used were newish - and we might not have been skilled riders but we were supervised. I definitely took mine out of the game, but once the broken bits were replaced, I imagine it was good as new - it wasn't like a highway collision type crash.

If you were looking at the 250 Nighthawk - that little front drum brake seems like a bad idea to me, but I guess if you don't go very fast on it ...

It is a shame there aren't better choices in the small motorcycle category, though. Maybe it will get better with the recent enthusiasm for fuel economy.

[bearphonium]

One of the better all around bikes for beginners is the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Don't let the "Ninja" name put you off, it is a neutral position bike that has enough power and is very forgiving. If you are not looking for a beginner bike, then the Ninja 650 is also good. Bigger (well, duh), not a cruiser, and also neutral position (not the hunched over crotch rocket sport bike) that some of the higher displacement Ninjas are.

Schelp, I have a buddy who's put over 120K on his Venture, and he's sill riding it.

[MaryAnn]

We've got two Honda dealerships here and one of them has a listing for the new Rebel. just a hair over $3000. I like these bikes, but they're just too danged small for me.

From that site:
*Price, if shown, is Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and does not include government fees, taxes, dealer vehicle freight/preparation, dealer document preparation charges or any finance charges (if applicable). MSRP and/or final actual sales price will vary depending on options or accessories selected.

That attractive price is "MSRP" and isn't even close to the out-the-door price.

MA