Crash course in vintage classic motorcycle owning?

[sugarwood]

A friend likes the idea of a classic motorcycle. He's never owned a bike, and probably saw a condom ad in some men's magazine where the dude drives a vintage bike or a '66 Mustang. But, let's say he follows through with this. He's hipster enough to not want a Harley. He probably likes the euro aspect of image and style. He mentioned Triumph. A Japanese bike would probably be too obvious for him, as this is a romantic style vision, not a practical one. I assume he will buy and unload within a year or two.

What sorts of bikes could be start looking into?
BSA? Triumph? BMW? Moto Guzzi?

He knows nothing, so any buyer guide links would be helpful.

[Arizona_928]

Allot to sample with triumph. Especially with all the perks of a modern bike.

Ask him if it's okay if I could get a life insurance policy on him for the first year he rides....

[Gogar]

If he's not handy I'd suggest you steer him towards the vintage look as opposed to an actual old bike. Any 21st century triumph would be great; 2009 or newer (fi) would be even better.

If he "knows nothing" then I really think he would love to crash a current bike as opposed to an old one.

If he wants an actual vintage bike I'd suggest a mid 70s Honda. Simple enough, with lots of parts availability and not very many special tools required.

If "tools" for him means pliers and a hammer then forget about it.

[sugarwood]

He will not be working on the bike, but has money

[dlockhart]

Another vote for a " modern classic " Triumph. Suspension, brakes, and modern electronics make for a much safer experience than a genuine 1960s-early 70s machine.

Modern Classics | Triumph Motorcycles

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

He will not be working on the bike, but has money

It doesn't work like that.

If he is indeed ever going to ride a vintage bike, he will find himself needing to work on that vintage bike on the side of the road. No way around that, no matter what he chooses. Unless, of course, "riding" his vintage bike entails no more than a few miles to some local hangout, so he can appear to folks hanging out that he rides a vintage bike.

Even at that he will likely get pretty darn tired of hitting up friends or calling tow companies to haul it to a shop for some niggling little easily fixed problem.

Unless he is ready to learn the fine art of roadside motorcycle repair, he really needs to reconsider.

[ckelly78z]

Why don't you steer him towards the bike that you want to buy next year from him for wholesale price. This idiot sounds like he loves the idea of a cool street bike, but has never been on one, and has no idea what it takes to remain safe (and alive) on a bike.

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

It doesn't work like that.


Unless he is ready to learn the fine art of roadside motorcycle repair, he really needs to reconsider.

Amen.

I drool at some of the bikes in the local Ton Up Club, but talking with those guys you quickly find the degree of commitment is perhaps a little or maybe a lot past sanity.
I'll still drool at a Triton, but know I won't own one.

The Ton Up Club Homepage

[atcjorg]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

A friend likes the idea of a classic motorcycle. He's never owned a bike, and probably saw a condom ad in some men's magazine where the dude drives a vintage bike or a '66 Mustang. But, let's say he follows through with this. He's hipster enough to not want a Harley. He probably likes the euro aspect of image and style. He mentioned Triumph. A Japanese bike would probably be too obvious for him, as this is a romantic style vision, not a practical one. I assume he will buy and unload within a year or two.

What sorts of bikes could be start looking into?
BSA? Triumph? BMW? Moto Guzzi?

He knows nothing, so any buyer guide links would be helpful.

do your friend a favor, ride in the back of a pick up truck with him and chuck him out at about 50, if he gets up and says lets do it again then you can shop for a bike, motorcycles don't suffer fools or dilettantes well, ask him how his health insurance is and is he adverse to long stays in hospitals, the mustang is a better choice

[sugarwood]

LOL, this thread isn't going where I was hoping.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by dlockhart

Another vote for a " modern classic " Triumph. Suspension, brakes, and modern electronics make for a much safer experience than a genuine 1960s-early 70s machine.

Modern Classics | Triumph Motorcycles

He is too cheap to buy a new bike that will depreciate.

[jhynesrockmtn]

If he is indeed ever going to ride a vintage bike, he will find himself needing to work on that vintage bike on the side of the road. No way around that, no matter what he chooses. Unless, of course, "riding" his vintage bike entails no more than a few miles to some local hangout, so he can appear to folks hanging out that he rides a vintage bike.

Was out on a ride with a buddy on his 70 BMW, me on my 68 R50/2. We were at an intersection and I smelled gas. I had lost a screw from the bottom of my left carb. Shut the fuel off. He rode to a hardware store, comes back with some wooden plugs of various sizes. Picked one that fit, knocked it in there with a rock and rode home :-)

[Chocaholic]

Then he doesn't want a vintage bike. You said he has money. He'll need it if he's hiring someone to maintain it. Bottom line, heed the advice above. It's good advice. I recently bought an 09 Bonneville for less than half of its new price. Reliable as a brick, fun to ride and he'll like this part...lots of compliments while fueling up.

He can pick up an old airhead for $3k, then quickly spend $3k to dial it in. When all done, it'll be worth $3k. Encourage him to buy an old MGB if he wants to get stranded but not killed. Here's my 09 Bonnie. The best solution if he must own a bike. BTW...does he know how to ride? Have gear?

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

He is too cheap to buy a new bike that will depreciate.

They are out there.

2014 Triumph Bonneville | eBay

Also highly recommended.. take the MSF course.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

This idiot sounds like he loves the idea of a cool street bike, but has never been on one, and has no idea what it takes to remain safe (and alive) on a bike.

That's a little harsh. Everyone has a first time doing every thing.

[Evans, Marv]

I'm going to say the usual practical thing in this situation. The guy has never been on a bike. So you need to convince him to get introduced in a relatively safe way. That means buying a small bike of maybe 250cc max to learn to ride on as a first step. Also I agree about taking the MSF course, although it's really basic but better than nothing. He can also find introductory motorcycle riding classes. Get him to commit to at least six to nine months. It'll serve a few things. He will learn to ride and be able to transition to a larger bike more safely. He might get the bug out of his system and discover he isn't interested after all. He will learn easier on a smaller bike, and there are lots of little skills he needs to pick up that he doesn't know about. He could try out other bikes during that time, which might give him some chances to decide on one. I'd be recommending a bike he could ride off road, but you live in Westchester County without opportunities for that. I lived in Dobbs Ferry decades ago and went all around that area. So unless there are some dirt courses, I wouldn't think there would be any opportunity for that.

[Evans, Marv]

People without motorcycle experience don't realize how defensively you have to become. A bigger bike will get you in trouble in a split second.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by dlockhart

....

Also highly recommended.. take the MSF course.

^^^^ This is a MUST imo....

Anyone else find the title of this thread a bit troubling

[jorian]

Like Higgins says, "It doesn't work like that." Part of the charm of a vintage bike is the lack of reliability. To own, ride, repair and maintain a vintage bike is a statement. It says you have respect for history, enjoy the road, are self-reliant and have a sense of humour.

If my buddy had never ridden a bike and had no mechanical skill/desire I would talk him out of a vintage rig. They don't start when you want em to and they don't stop as you'd like em to.

[LakeCleElum]

Have to agree with all of the above........I was gonna say a toaster tank BMW, but recall getting kicked out of a staff meeting at work for smelling like gasoline. Story similar to what Jerry said.

I had two old Norton Commandos that checked all the boxes, EXCEPT....after 15 minutes of riding, my Nutz tingled and bothered me to the point of heading back home......The 750 Bonneville wasn't much better. When talking about any old Brit bike, the work Crude comes to mind.

I've got lots of early, mid-70's Jap bikes, but most don't see those as "Classic" just yet.....

Go the route Choc did if he must.......If new to riding, get good training, gear and some experience.