commuter hack

Son's just realised how much his commute (45 miles each way) is going to
cost him, both in petrol and time, so he's thinking of a bike.

Criteria is cheap (prob sub £1k), restrictable to 33bhp (less than a
year to go), and best mpg possible.

Suggestions?

 

Problem with restricted 500cc bikes is that inscos don't GAF about the
restriction and still insure tham as 500s, 600s, or whatever. So they
can be expensive to insure (depends on how old your son is). And they
aren't that good on fuel.

He's better off going for a 'naturally sub-33bhp' bike, especially if
he wants something easy on fuel.

Honda CB250N - the recent swoopy styled thing, not the old 1970s/80s
Super Dream. Does about 80-85, 65mpg, solid as all hell. The CD250
that preceded it has the same engine, but oddly uses a twin-carb head
whereas the CB is single carb. Similar performance and economy, but
very drab styling. Both are a piece of piss to maintain.

Suzuki GN250 single - lovely little soft cruiser single. Fractionally
slower than the Hondas; slightly easier on fuel. Even easier to
maintain.

Yamaha XT350 dirt bike. Will just about hit 90, very good on fuel,
huge fun, but scarce now, kickstart-only, and as it's a dirt bike,
overpriced.

Kawasaki GPz305 - if you can find the mythical one that's been
fastidiously looked after and hasn't gone bang. Bloody quick,
ridiculously easy on fuel. Used spares everywhere as long as you
aren't looking for a good secondhand cylinder head.

Kawasaki KLR250 - as Yamaha XT, really, except slower.

Kawasaki GPX250 or ZZR250 - very scarce, rev like feck, go quite well
if thrashed,but most are worn out.

Apart from that lot, you're mostly then looking at 1970s/80s SOBs with
all the attendant advantages and pitfalls. Of the list above, my
choice would be the Honda 250N or the XT350.

 

My Jawa - EBay 200253145419 is 33bhp legal and probably cheaper than
fitting & removing a restrictor kit.
Over 40 watchers but no bids yet - this might get interesting in the
last 5 minutes.

 

It's a Jawa, even watching it go up in flames wouldn't be interesting.

 

I suppose if you keep pushing some idiot's going to buy it

one born every 5 minutes.

 

Don't bank on it. It'll go for shit money unless you've set a decent
start price or a reserve.

P.

 

It's still a fucking horrible bike. Really, really nasty. Decent
frame, but crude controls, dreadful front drum brake, appalling
engine, that abortion of a kickstarter-cum-gear lever (I mean, whose
bright idea was that), electrics that would give Edison the shakes,
instruments that wouldn't look out of place on an 1870s steam
engine....

God knows I like some odd bikes, but I wouldn't have a Jawa 350 even
for free unless it was hitched to a sidecar, in which case it makes a
certain silly sense. If it's cheap Commie two-strokes we're talking
about, make it an MZ.

 

Thanks, some good ones for him to have a think about there.

 

Run away! Run away!

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

brings all the boys to the yard

It's not /that/ fast. A stroll would do.

 

Natch. Also, having been pre-mentioned on this channel, a good
propoertion of those 40 misguided fools are our local misguided fools,
just watching without any intention of bidding.

Having said that, I was watching a Mark Levinson hi-fi amplifier
recently - a serious bit of kit in every respect and liable to go for
reasonable money albeit a fraction of the new cost. I confess to a
bidding twitch when it was stuck on ~150 quid after 9.9 days - but it
all went off in the last 20 minutes, finishing at a reasonably healthy
1500quid. Each refresh saw an increase of ~100 quid: the seller must
have been relieved.

 

The start price is set at 295 which is what it has cost me.
At that price it should get a bid, looking at other recent sold items.

I would keep it as a winter ratbike if the kickstart didnt play hell
with my iffy hip joint. It actually rides well after some fettling,
the TLS drum brake on the front was a sod to get right, but that is
normal for TLS brakes. A bit agricultural but a bargain for someone
who just wants a sub-33bhp disposable runabout for 2 years.

If the nice LE also sells I have my eye on a box of square 4 but that
is a different can of worms.

 

Oh yeah. There's always someone out there looking for a cheap Jawa.

That rings all sorts of nasty warnings. "It's OK, once you've sorted
it...."

Not in my experience. The Jawa front drums are just shit.

Oh yus.

 

When I bought it the clutch, throttle, and front brake cables were all
knackered. Some new cables and fettling fixed it quite nicely. All of
the required sorting has been done, including a new battery. Should be
reliable for a good while now.

The TLS on the Notrun was just as tricky, but ISTR it stopped nicely
once sorted.

I just have that nasty feeling about buying any "box of bike", some
unobtainable item is sure to be missing. I need to do more research
before parting with money for something that has been sat in boxes in
a garage for 35 years. It looks like there are almost 2 bikes so there
might be enough bits between them. The bent one was almost certainly
bought as a donor before the project was abandoned.

 

Sir has read the ukrmc FAQs, about buying bikes in boxes, has Sir?

http://www.unixconsult.co.uk/bike/ukrmcfaq.html

 

How come that FAQ for that group works and this one for this group
doesn't?

'Kin furriners.

 

Indeed, which is why I am researching how much I can expect to get for
the bits that _are_ there if it proves to be an impossible restoration.

 

Good move. I've broken more than one bike for its bits, after
determining that it wasn't financially worth restoring.

 

Well, I bought 1 bike and was given 2 1/2 on collection. The half was
just junked, but the spare bike has made £150 in parts so far,
excepting frame and engine.

Rickman classic topboxes aren't sought after unfortunately. 8 quid to
a Polish guy.

P.

 

Should have been a Craven )