I'm contemplating buying a motorcycle to ride to work during the spring and summer. I think 600cc would be about perfect for me. I have looked at some mid 90's Yamaha Seca II's, Honda CBR's and others.

I'm looking for something under $2000 that will not be a maintenance hog. Any suggestions?

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1998 C43 ///AMG
1999 C230 Custom 5-Speed Manual

the suzuki 500 twin (GS-5*?) is friendly, cheap and plentiful.
anything that even resembles a sportbike (CBR,etc.) is gonna DOUBLE insurance.
the seca is nice. get a standard, not a layback cruiser.

heres my daily commuter:

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Just about any Jap bike out there with little maintenance can be bulletproof. Honda VFR are a really nice mix between sport and touring/comfort. It may be impossible to find one for under $2000.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

i can 2nd the nod for a VFR-V4, but $2k wont buy much of one.
i have direct experience with VFRs.

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PS- whatever you decide,

take a "motorcycle safety foundation" course

its available in every state, it will cost you approx $100 and an entire weekend of time, but its THE best money you will EVER spend on a bike.

any dealer can give you local contact info, or yahoo "MSF"

I found a class in my area. I think this class will be a great refresher course since I have not ridden in a few years.

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1998 C43 ///AMG
1999 C230 Custom 5-Speed Manual

1. Get a shaft drive, chains need regular oiling and are messy.

2. Find and read the "Harry Hurt Report"

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

I'll second the MSF recommendation. Get training. Also recommended is a good reading of David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling."

How much speed and power do you want or need? Motorcycles are in a whole different universe than cars when it comes to acceleration and speed. A slow bike runs the quarter mile about as fast as an E500.

Where and how are you going to ride? Local streets, interstates, country roads? Anything with 250cc is sufficient for all reasonable use. A 600cc sportbike (~100HP) is way too much power and speed for new riders, but a 600cc cruiser (~40HP) is not unreasonable.

There's a good website and forum over at http://www.beginnerbikes.com Take a look at their recommendations.

Unfortunately, with a budget of $2K you're limited to either older, larger bikes or newer, smaller bikes. Personally, I'd recommend Kawasaki's Ninja 250. Yeah, it's small, and a bit low tech, but it's also light, nimble, and a blast to ride. It'll go fast enough to send you to jail, and it's a ton-o-fun running up to the 14,000RPM redline.

Don't forget to budget for adequate protective gear. You'll need a full face helmet ($100 and up), an armored jacket ($100 and up), decent pants (denim doesn't cut it), boots, gloves, etc. You might be able sneak by on $500 for gear; I spent better than $1K when I reentered motorcycling recently. Ebay is a good source for this kind of stuff. Also browse the store at http://www.newenough.com - very nice folks there.

Good luck,

- JimY

What kind of commuting will you be doing? Will it be city or hwy? I say the Honda Nighthawk is a solid choice, either in 250cc or 750cc. I had a Suzuki Katana 600 I used for commuting, it was a pretty solid bike, but the riding position was sometimes uncomfortable. I second, or third, or what ever it may be, the MSF course. Here in IL, it is free to residents.

Volk - my thoughts exactly - what kind of riding you doing?

Around town 250cc should suffice. If you are going to hit the highway I would not go less than 400cc. Speaking of 400's I saw a real sweet Suzuki 400cc at the local Suzuki shop. It looked like a real big scooter. Neat looking ride. Nicest ride I believe I have ever had was a '88 BMW R100RT touring bike.

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Jim

I would be riding interstates mostly. About 15 miles each way. I suggested a 600cc bike because I don't really need too much power. 250cc may be a little small but I'm willing to look at anything between 250cc and 750cc.

Thanks for all the suggestions! www.beginnerbikes.com is a great site with lots of good info.

Do you guys think I will need any protective gear other than a helmet, jacket, and gloves? I will be riding it to work so I won't be wearing "leathers" everyday.

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1998 C43 ///AMG
1999 C230 Custom 5-Speed Manual

For mostly interstates, I think I'd keep the cage. It's not the ideal environment for a new rider, nor is it much fun. What's the point of riding a bike if you're not having fun?

Engine displacement alone isn't a great measure of a bike's power and performance. A Ninja 250 is good for about 100MPH, while Honda's Nighthawk 250 won't quite reach 70MPH. One is fine for riding interstates, the other probably isn't.

If you're into cruiser style cycles, Yamaha's V*star 650 has a good following. It's plenty of power, but not enough to be threatening. Don't know what price range they run, though.

If you're into sport bikes, a 600 is probably too much. They accelerate like crazed banshees, an accidental twist of the thottle can wheelie them, and two fingers is sufficient to lock up the front wheel at highway speeds. Unfortunately, there isn't much between 250 and 600cc for sportbikes in the U.S. market.

Two exceptions are the Suzuki GS500 and Kawasaki EX500. Both are twin cylinder bikes. Both are quick and nice handling, but without being threatening. The Suzi has about 40HP, the Kwaker about 50. Interstate speeds aren't more than about half their top speeds, so there's plenty of power on tap. Both have been around for years, and have come in various degrees of dress. You might find one you like.

- JimY

only 1800 some odd miles. One of the most fun vehicles I own.

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Jim

...any R-series BMW would be an excellent candidate. Both my '73 R-75/5 and '78 R-80/7 were each purchased for less than $2500. Bullet-proof reliability, and with shaft-drive, minimal maintenance too.

Plus Airhead twins are bone simple, and easy for a DIY to maintain. One problem with a lot of middle-aged Japanese bikes is parts availability for a 3 year model-run 12 years ago; when you can find them, you'll pay through the nose (not a problem on GS500 or EX500). With BMW twins, most parts were the same from 1970-1995. You can find them at any dealer, or online from Bob's BMW (www.bmwbobs.com). Check out the Airhead classifieds in the Marketplace section at www.ibmwr.org.