Customized 500 as a first bike?

[SlimKlim]

I'm shopping around for my first motorcycle, and I have a thing for 'fightered or cafe'd bikes. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on going to check out that 1993 GS with the Katana FE and custom subframe this weekend.

Not surprisingly, my dad has been worrying me to death telling me I'm too tall for a sport bike, and I wont survive the 2 hour trip getting it to school and back without coming down with carpal tunnel syndrome, a slipped disc in my neck, infertility and syphilis.

My uncle, also a life long biker, checked out the listing and immediately shot it down, worried that a bike with brakes (from a katana) that are bigger and not designed for the motorcycle they are on, will make the bike unpredictable and dangerous for a first time rider. He said I may unthinkingly jab at the brakes and cause the front end to lock up earlier than expected, and then die in an enormous fireball. At least he hasn't sharpened my cranium to a point over getting a sport bike.

However if you combine this with dad's concerns a sport bike with a custom front end will give me carpal tunnels, slipped discs, sterilize me and give me Stids, shortly before killing me.

My uncle suggested that I buy a mid-90's Honda Nighthawk 750. Which I was open to because 4 cylinders get me excited, but after reading about them there is zero aftermarket support and I can't find a decent forum about them. Which is no good because I'd install lower bars before I even rode the thing if I had a bike like that (because I want a goddamn sportbike!).

So now I'm lost really, I'm hopelessly attached to homer's bike but I don't know if my uncle has a valid point. I do know that I want a GS500E or a GSF400 or 600 as my first bike. And if my uncle's point is really valid and I might die in a fireball because I don't know what I'm doing, I should cancel my plans with this GS500 guy this weekend, and grovel at his e-feet for forgiveness.

Thoughts, directions, guidance?

[PDenbigh]

Just get it and don't jab the brakes! Easy solution.

It's way harder to flip a bike than people think. If you have any reaction time, you'll feel that rear wheel start to come up and as soon as you let off the front brakes the rear will slam back down. I don't weigh much and often times my front wheel would slide on my CBR600 before the back would come up. Don't take this to mean it's impossible to do, I'm just saying it's not as common as folks tend to make it seem.

I say get it and just keep your head on straight. If you flip it, tuck and roll, just like on a mountain bike :-).

No motorcycle is "Safe." Some are "Safer" than others but it's all relative.

The only concern I'd have with the frakenbike is resale value. Be sure you ride it (or have someone ride it) and ensure it works and steers as it should.

Peter

[Apoc]

I personally wouldn't get a frankenbike for a first bike, but I'm known for being elitest and risk averse. The bike could be awesome, but if I was just learning I think the last thing I would want to deal with is something going wrong at 60 mph. Sure, that can happen with any bike... especially old ones... but I just don't trust others to have done the mods in a fashion that guarantees it won't come apart on you. Were I you, I'd just got a (near) stock version of the models your interested in and not have to worry about it.

[CaptainHenreh]

I say go for it. Nothing wrong with dual front rotors on the 500. It's overkill, sure, but whatver. GS500's are known good starter bikes, and I think you'll enjoy it. You definitely won't NEED the extra braking, but just go easy on the lever and you'll be fine.

Actually 'go easy' is good advice for your first couple thousand miles anyway.

[SlimKlim]

Actually 'go easy' is good advice for your first couple thousand miles anyway.

Thats kinda my plan. The guy actually called me today and talked me through the lineage of basically every system on the bike. He even told me about the one bubble in the paint that's "hard to see unless you get up close and look for it" and the last time he repacked the exhaust. Seems like a straight shooter and honest seller. He's also active on the gstwin,com board, and other members have met him in person and know him and the bike pretty well.

This seems pretty good so far, I'm planning on going down Sunday to see it, unless I just plain don't fit or I can find something that isn't the way he said it was, I'm going to buy it.

Edit: Another thing, even though its almost 20 years old, I'm going to have paperwork for the somewhat recent replacement of everything on the bike. Tires, brakes, chain, etc etc. Which even though its uber custom I have a pretty good concept of what condition its in. Where as a stock 20 year old bike thats just been ridden, I dont have to catch up on too much maintenance.

[BLINGMW]

just get it, the kat front end is a common swap anyway. Seems you could change the pads to something less aggressive if you don't like the feel of it, but I can't imagine it matters. If anything, the brake feel might be more predictable than stock, as stock is pretty squishy.

How tall are you anyway? I see on that forum other 6+ ft people moving pegs around on the GS and all that, but I'm 6'2 and didn't touch a thing. Sure, I don't like riding more than 45min or an hour without getting off to stretch... but hey, if you need to put some serious miles on the thing, then yeah, this or any "real" sport bike isn't the way to go.

[SlimKlim]

I'm planning on getting it now.

For $1400 he is throwing in another motor, because the one in the bike is an old race motor with mystery mileage.

He blew the motor he had in it originally, not sure exactly how, said he was an idiot and ran it hard after a long winter without checking the oil level. :dunno: Before he realized he had to sell it, he bought a cheap engine from a friend and then realized its questionable past and can't verify the history or long term performance of it, so I'm getting a newer motor with a paper trail and proven mileage.

One of the moderators of the forum I found it on owes him a favor and lives near him, so he'll swap the motors out for me, which is pretty sweet.

The other motor is mine to sell cheap or keep and maybe rebuild and fiddle with?

He has an R6 shock which is supposed to greatly improve the rear end performance, so I'll get that and install it myself next week sometime. He also burned a hole through the rear brake line messing with the exhaust, but bought another one to give me and replace/rebleed.

Since I have a week to burn before I can legally ride it, I'll do that stuff, fiddle with the pegs and shim the seat to fit me, and put some good high heat paint on those sad looking exhaust. Then get out there and ride.

[Mike]

uhhh make him do that stuff... at least the brake line.

[.RJ]

Fix the brakes, leave the rear shock alone (for now).

[SlimKlim]

Dad and I just had an almost-fight about this bike. He was conveying the words of my uncle, who came to talk to him today.

In a nutshell, the modifications are dangerous and probably weren't done right. The Katana FE wasn't designed for the 500 and will cause problems. It's a red flag because the bike didn't sell fast enough, the fact that he is willing to hold it for me must mean he is having trouble selling it, which means I shouldn't buy it. I shouldn't pay the price we agreed on because its a "mutt." If I buy it and don't like it, I won't be able to resell it and get what I paid.

My responses. The modifcations were done by an experienced enthusiast or a shop. It seems like half the people on here run a Katana or some other custom FE from another bike. this enthusiast and forumer held the bike because I showed genuine interest? That's what I feel like anyway, maybe I'm naive. We agreed on the price of the bike, with a new motor, considering that it has almost every wear item replaced. I feel like spiffed up and smoothed out I should have no problems getting what I have in this bike back out.

Am I fucking crazy? Am I all wrong. Is this bike going to kill me as soon as I touch it or something. I got the "I'm 51 and youre uncle is 41 so we know a little more than you" thing thrown in my face. Somebody comfort me here.

[.RJ]

lol, motorcycles are sometimes like legos. People swap front ends, fairings, shocks, wheels, motors, etc all the time. They're still forks that have springs in them that hold onto the wheel. Unless the new forks were put in with different triple clamps with a massive offset change or were too short you're not going to change the handling of the bike that much.

[BLINGMW]

Want me to go look at it? Where is it? Or come down here to buy it and I'll meet you. I mean, at least I have one to compare it to. Heck, come look at mine first to get a better idea of what's been modified. There's just not that much to it. I would argue just about everything that can be checked should be if you buy someone else's bike. I think it's just as likely something's loose and a wheel about to fall off on a brand new bike as much as a 20 yr old one. The front end is such a common swap it's not even worth talking about. I'm sure you've looked it up. The tail modification would be the only thing I'd want to inspect closely.

So tell your pop you're going to treat it as an unknown, put a wrench on everything (you can borrow my Clymer GS500 manual), and let others more experienced than you (including him!) ride it around a little before you hop on it. $1400 is a good price, it's just that the vast majority of people want a stock(ish) bike. So you might not be able to flip it right away if you decide you don't like it, but I'm sure you could get most or all of your money back with a little time.

I would imagine if your dad and uncle are used to pricier, larger, newer bikes, this thing looks like a terrifying pile of shit. Heck, there's a good chance it is, but you won't know without looking at it. One of their friends probably died on something that looked like this!

*edit* I just realized one link was to Roanoke craigslist, but the GStwin add says NC. So I guess I probably won't stop by and look at it myself. But come pick me up and I'll join you!

*double edit* you still didn't tell me how tall you are

[SlimKlim]

I'm 6'4". I'm going to look at in on Sunday and I actually need someone to come down and test ride it for me and help me load unload it. If you want to do that I'll pick you up, give you lunch and lots of beer.

[Kaan]

ask your dad and uncle to help you safety wire the whole bike if they are that concerned