Advice for buying a used Motorbike (Newb)

[4X4]

Yup. Post pics please.

[Traditional_Ale]

^ x2

[MoneyGuy]

For those who requested the photo. This is my 1984 Gold Wing 1200 cc. It's highly decorated, just like its owner, with lots of chrome stuff. I pull the trailer for hauling luggage, or the wife if she backseat drives too much. The cloth seat alone is a $1,000 add on. It beats that leather stuff for comfort. We have mics so we can chat as we drive. We did two provinces and two states last year, during which time I met up with a CPer to do some business. We plan to do the Okanagan this summer. Hope y'all like it.

[stang]

Originally Posted by Red

I have a 2004 Shadow. Hardly used (4K), in fact, not used last 2 years. I bought it to commute downtown, but have since moved jobs so I don't really need the bike anymore.

Is this in the ballpark of what you're looking for? If you're serious I would consider selling it for the right price.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Wow, lots of Honda Shadow owners here. No wonder; it's a great bike.

I also have a Shadow and it's for sale. They come in two sizes - 750 and 1100 cc. Mine is the 1100 cc so it's bigger. As you're new, I don't know how comfy you'd be on the bigger bike. It's not your size (you're a bigger guy than me), but you have to be comfy handing the bike at slow speeds. The Shadow does sit a little low to the ground, which is good for a newbie. My bike is the Shadow American Classic, which is the top-of-the-line Shadow. I've juggled two bikes for a few years now and finally have decided that all I need is the Gold Wing and the Shadow can go to some other loving owner. It's in a shop here for sale for $7,500, which I've told them is pretty firm. The shop will take anything they can get over $7,000, which is what I want, but I'd cut $250 off for you, bud. It's black, is in great condition and is a great bike. It has around 17,000+ km on it. PM or email me (you have the address) if you want details or a photo.

BTW, if she's comfy on a bike, your wife would like this bike. It has a passenger backrest and, yes, one of those sissy windshields. My wife loves to ride it (passenger only, she doesn't drive it). My only worry is the larger size for a new rider. It's not a hard ride because it is lower to the ground, but it will take some getting used to.

Thanks for the offers, my brother in law wants to take a bike trip in the next year or 2. I really like the shadows, but I have been reading that I am probally gonna end up dropping it sometime.

So I am thinking of starting out on a older bike (83 shadows gor around 1500-2500) how does this sound? Then get a newer bike in a couple years.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by stang

Thanks for the offers, my brother in law wants to take a bike trip in the next year or 2. I really like the shadows, but I have been reading that I am probally gonna end up dropping it sometime.

So I am thinking of starting out on a older bike (83 shadows gor around 1500-2500) how does this sound? Then get a newer bike in a couple years.

You're probably right. Start small. You're a big guy but that doesn't mean you have the skills to handle a bigger bike. Get a smaller, used bike and if you drop it then it doesn't matter so much. Remember that anyone can drive it at higher speeds, but handling it in tight traffic is the challenge.