Soo. ... i want a motorcycle

[Father Bill]

Most important non-worn accessory: a reliable and honest dealer. Buy used!

[Thorina]

So i have a budget of about 3000usd. Bikes i like are ducati monster triumph triple and many streetfighter/naked sport bikes i am also open to cafe racers like the triumph thruxton and bobbers. I mostly want a bike that isn't the run of the mill. Im a GOS so i need least 600cc's

What do you guys think? Any bikes that fit the bill? What do you ride?

Cheers!
Matt

Is this a for fun ride or a daily commuter or what?
Are you a wrench head? Or want something turn key and go?

Can't really go wrong with a Triumph....cept a Norton sounds just a *little* better, IMO.

My summer ride is a Ninja 500. I'm really short, so it limits the bikes I can ride comfortably on the street. Up here in the Bay Area, I am not super keen on street riding. Really funny considering I used to ride in LA all the time. LOL

Wear a helmet, ALWAYS, law or not.

[Cowher]

Its not going to be a daily rider. I am a gear head but i don't have the time to constantly be working on a bike. I may put 3000 down and maybe just maybe finance up to 3000 more for a year or two.

Hmmmmmm

[SeumasA]

...Can't really go wrong with a Triumph....cept a Norton sounds just a *little* better, IMO.

You oughta hear my triple with the D&D can on it.

[keith_mckirk]

You're saying that to wind everyone up aren't you?

Royal Enfield are now made by Enfield India based in Chennai, (formerly Madras). Good bikes still by all accounts but a bit like South Asian Kilts and sporrans. Not quite the quality they once were when they used to be home grown... ... Arguably...

Urals? Unquestionably a good bike, if a little rough in the ride.

Hmmm I'm very likely moving to Madras (Wife is indian and says its still Madras to her and not Chennai ~good old forced name changes~). I will most likely be getting a Royal Enfield. The bikes are made exactly like they were in the 50's -60's which I think is cool on its own but is also a bike you can work on yourself. My mother in law long ago was looking into shipping one over from India (she could get it cheaper including the shipping to the US than it would cost to get one here) but the restrictions of shipping an engine due EPA regulations ect are pretty severe.

[Dangerdean]

You're saying that to wind everyone up aren't you?

Royal Enfield are now made by Enfield India based in Chennai, (formerly Madras). Good bikes still by all accounts but a bit like South Asian Kilts and sporrans. Not quite the quality they once were when they used to be home grown... ... Arguably...

Urals? Unquestionably a good bike, if a little rough in the ride.

Interesting, as I saw these in Mysore.



Only spent enough time in Chennai to get the hell out of Chennai.

[keith_mckirk]

Those are the "military" ones. You didn't like Chennai/Madras? It's a huge huge place. Lots of old historical stuff as well as new stuff. I just found out the father of the cuurent chief of MacMillan was born there. I had a permanent wifely guide though so she could steer me to the stuff she knew id like and away from the bad stuff.

But back to the motorcycles it really does depend on the type you like. I like the british bikes especially classic styled ones. Which Royal Enfield works for me. I like Triumphs and the older Nortons.

[Dangerdean]

Admittedly all we saw was the autorickshaw trip from the train station to the bus station, followed by two hours crammed in a bus to Mamallapuram. It was a stark contrast to the few days we'd spent in Bangalore, but I'm prepared to believe that in a city that size it isn't all gross.

Those are the "military" ones. You didn't like Chennai/Madras? It's a huge huge place. Lots of old historical stuff as well as new stuff. I just found out the father of the cuurent chief of MacMillan was born there. I had a permanent wifely guide though so she could steer me to the stuff she knew id like and away from the bad stuff.

But back to the motorcycles it really does depend on the type you like. I like the british bikes especially classic styled ones. Which Royal Enfield works for me. I like Triumphs and the older Nortons.

[O'Callaghan]

AFAIK the Enfields made in India are built the same way that they always were, except that they have been detuned for mpg rather than mph, and they have modern electrics, but the brakes have not been improved since 1962 (the last year they were made in England). The stopping distance may have been good enough for the England of 50 years ago, with much lighter traffic than it is today, and for all I know may be good enough when bumping over Indian dirt roads at a sedate pace, but for modern paved roads with modern levels of traffic, maybe not so much. As for how much they have been detuned, AFAIK you get 85-90 mph from the 500 model in 1962, but only 75 mph from one in the Indian state of tune. OTOH, attempting to go 90 mph on Indian roads would probably be suicidal, and the additional mpg matter to someone on an Indian budget. That said, when I last looked a brand new 500 would be within the OPs budget, although I have not checked recently, but it neither goes nor stops very quickly. I understand that replacing the brake linings alleviates the latter problem, and seems essential to me.

[Nick the DSM]

The Enfields can be imported, I've seen one around here. I'd love to get one, just the price would be killer.