(04-21-2019, 09:06 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: Nice one Django. Looks vintage.

Yesterday I say a green Ural with sidecar (empty). Man, the Ural looked unstable in motion, even on smooth road.

(04-21-2019, 10:00 PM)misterprofessionality_imp Wrote: if it's truly an ideal "beater" you're after you need look no farther than the Suzuki S40. one cylinder of savage fury. it sounds like a lawnmower. you can get them for 1200 bucks. they're featherlight for their size, and narrow as a slice of bread. they've been in production for nigh unto 32 years, so there are literally millions of spare parts available. you can drop it, wipe the gas tank off and carry on about your day. my wife has been using one as a beater so far and it's been great. she's bent the levers and i've just taken them off and hammered them back into shape....truly the definition of a beater.

(04-21-2019, 01:09 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote:

(04-21-2019, 12:50 PM)Stichill_imp Wrote: Sorry I've been busy with family obligations today, just now checking back int.

Fun suggestions, crew! Honestly I would feel bad about beating the old UJM-type bikes. They've been beaten enough and now need someone to start preserving them.

LR that '99 Concours is an amazing value when you really think about it. Wow. Probably would have a hard time getting more bike for less money than that!



One unusual candidate I thought of today, not quite dirt cheap but pretty low-priced, is the Honda CTX700N (N = naked version) with the standard transmission (non-DCT). Used examples with low miles can be found from private sellers in the low USD $3k range. I'm not entirely sure you could get ABS on the non-DCT version in the US; might have been only available on the DCT variant. This would be a bike that I would not feel bad about taking out on dirty roads and bringing back filthy because I don't think it looks good even when clean.

(+1) on looks no matter what the application.

In addition:
[ul] [li]Likely will start in sub-zero conditions, unlike many of the 20th century suggestions.[/li] [li]Likely decent on fuel economy.[/li] [li]Low enough that anyone [in the family] can ride it.[/li] [li]Highly unlikely it would be stolen or vandalized.
[/li][/ul]

(04-22-2019, 05:20 AM)Stichill_imp Wrote: Interesting perspective, 2017EX. Like ferret said, in our area we're getting rain about 1 of every 3 days. That means on average 1 of every 3 weekends. And that means on average 1/3 of the riding season. I don't think I "enjoy" riding in a hard rain any more than the next bloke, but a lot of times rain is light and/or a temporary inconvenience. But, the road remains wet and dirty long after the precipitation stops.

I have this vision of being less concerned about checking my weather app, scouring it in hour-by-hour detail, looking for clear breaks so my nice bikes stay clean. Rather, I could see taking a quick look; if the forecast looks messy then I jump on the beater bike and sally forth. Given that usage scenario, a more modern / reliable / low-maintenance bike would be an asset. Four-stroke, fuel injection, electronic ignition, ABS, tubeless tires in a common size, low-maintenance final drive, etc. Turn a key, push a button, go. No choke, no carb, no points, no inner tubes, no chain lube, no fear of wet-road braking.

The other part of the vision I have is riding back into the garage on a wet / muddy / dusty / gritty / salty bike and parking it without conscience until I feel inclined to hose it off.