My Next Bike??

[Suzukian]

That seems like a good idea, finding a multiple dealer around here. Then again Danbury isn't prohibitively far for me. In fact, I'll be there next Fri-Sun :P.

I just noticed the 400F in your signature - another bike from my past. I never rode one but I used to sit on it wistfully dreaming of going faster than 60 miles per hour.

They had a pristine 1976 CB400F at Danbury PowerSports on consignment last year. They got (what they told me) $4000 bucks for the bike!

My brother-in-law met and had a friendship with Kazio Yoshima, who helped design the first Honda 4 cylinder Motorcycles. When Kaz left Honda, he started a company called Ontario Motor Works. I was fortunate enough to be able to have many conversations with him. I sent him my carbs, and cylinder head. He did a valve job, and ported the cylinder head, and hand bent an exhaust pipe for me, and flow benched the whole rig. I went for the 458 cc upgrade (the 499 cc was too lumpy at idle for the road) and I did the bottom end. Forged high compression pistons I purchased for Kaz, shot peened the rods, and plasti gauged every bearing to it's mean value. He sold me an overhead cam chain he guaranteed to 24K rpm's. The bikes new redline was 14,500K rpm's. In 1977 the cam chain alone cost me $275 bucks. I had a lot of money into that bike, but I could easily stay with the 1000 cc bikes of that era, and the ones to come. Riding with clip-ons, and a 1//4 fairing, it was a mean little red machine.

When I got the bike, just to get a top end reading, on the track, I was clocked at 135 mph. Not a 1/4 mile time, just to see how fast I could get the bike going. A very high pucker value. I had also put aluminum gold anodized D.I.D. rims with stainless steel spoke rims, which I laced together, and Koni aluminum body shocks. I drove the bike for around 8K miles, and it is now parked in my Barn. It needs a going over, but is all there. I've had ridiculous offers for it, but will be leaving all my stuff to my son, who wants it, so why not. That was my first bike.

I think the reason that 250 cc bikes are hard to find is that nobody sells theirs, or they are purchased by people close to the seller, and never make it to market. I would like to have something that size. I could carry it on the Hitch of my motor home (there are nice carriers for bikes that size, class 3 hitch), and it would be perfect for bopping around, getting groceries, and not having to drive the motor home for small errands when away.

[RichDesmond]

Unanimously, power is not this thing's forte. It makes pretty much the same power as the SL125 (12hp) which would barely propel me to 60 mph, and I'll just say I was a -lot- lighter in those days. I would rather have a 250cc class bike to be sure, but I never see decent used bikes of any kind in this price range when I look. I'm sure they're out there, just not when I'm looking.... At any rate this bike is on my radar for a couple reasons:

- price
- reliability
- easy availability of parts
- potential effect on used bike prices. Will it drive down the the high prices on small old bikes?

By the time I'm ready to buy (next year probably) I'll see what the sitch is like. If I still see nothing good used I feel pretty safe plunking down 3 grand to try the 150 out, especially if resale stays high.

Honda does make a "250", but these days it's a 300. The thing that sets the 150 apart, in my mind at least, is it's size. It's physically smaller/lighter than the 250-300cc. If that's what's important to you then there's really no substitute. If you're ok with the full size bikes, then the Honda 300, the KLX250/300 or even the DR-Z400S are all in play. The Kawasaki and the Suzuki have been around for a lot of years and finding a good used one isn't too hard.

All depends on what your needs/priorities are. Personally, I think smaller/lighter bikes are a blast to ride.

[Grimly]

Personally, I think smaller/lighter bikes are a blast to ride.

That's why I like my XS650 so much. It's physically about the same size as the Honda / Yam 250/400 duos of the past, but with just enough power to make it more interesting.

[Suzukian]

I am a fan of the XS650 Yams also. They can be customized in so many ways, and the motors are bullet proof. I always wanted to make a Bobber out of one.

[trent]

My next bike is probably gonna be a nice beginner level mountain bike, local shop has some in stock I like,
one I'll probably get is a rockhopper brand.

I was into BMX as a kid and just started getting into mountain bikes, then I quit non motorized hobbies.

[Allie]

Honda does make a "250", but these days it's a 300. The thing that sets the 150 apart, in my mind at least, is it's size. It's physically smaller/lighter than the 250-300cc. If that's what's important to you then there's really no substitute. If you're ok with the full size bikes, then the Honda 300, the KLX250/300 or even the DR-Z400S are all in play. The Kawasaki and the Suzuki have been around for a lot of years and finding a good used one isn't too hard.

All depends on what your needs/priorities are. Personally, I think smaller/lighter bikes are a blast to ride.

The 150 seems like a very 'back to basics' bike, which is what appeals to me. I am not in any way looking for something in the least bit sporting, 250-300 seems like the sweet spot, anything bigger just seems like a waste. I'll just see what's out there in a year or so and what any test rides reveal. I haven't ridden an off road bike in... almost 50 years (well, except for a KDX250 in high school) so I'm pretty much guessing at this point.

[Suzukian]

250 cc's is a great size of trails, hard pan surfaces. You wouldn't need any more power than that. IMHO.

[LAB3]

250 cc's is a great size of trails, hard pan surfaces. You wouldn't need any more power than that. IMHO.

Hey, you've thrown in your $0.02 more than once in this thread already, BACK OFF I WAS STALKING HER FIRST!

[Nessism]

We had a "neighborhood" SL100 back in the day, that someone threw a 125cc piston kit into. That bike was so much fun!!! We beat on it to death, but it didn't seem to care in the least. An amazing bike. I think a modern version 150 would be miles of smiles!

[Suzukian]

Hey, you've thrown in your $0.02 more than once in this thread already, BACK OFF I WAS STALKING HER FIRST!

Ha!

[LAB3]

We had a "neighborhood" 100 back in the day

Totally forgot my first bike, a similarly powered Yamaha YL-1. Boy, what a 13 yr old could buy for $100 in 1975!

https://www.bike-urious.com/1968-yamaha-yl-1-twin-jet/

[GS1150Pilot]

Though I would still contend that Honda 4 stroke singles are pretty historically reliable, I might wonder why not a TW200? I freaking love those things.

[RichDesmond]

Though I would still contend that Honda 4 stroke singles are pretty historically reliable, I might wonder why not a TW200? I freaking love those things.

That's a good thought, I forgot about those. Very cool, very useful bikes, be perfect for what Allie described. Only "problem" is that they hold their value incredibly well, so it's hard to find a good deal on them.

[LAB3]

The TW200 is $1900 more than what the 150 goes for, seems to me that the best bang for the buck is staying smaller.

[Allie]

We had a "neighborhood" SL100 back in the day, that someone threw a 125cc piston kit into. That bike was so much fun!!! We beat on it to death, but it didn't seem to care in the least. An amazing bike. I think a modern version 150 would be miles of smiles!

I remember watching the bigger kids jumping the 125 over a saw horse. No landing ramp, just ploomph on 3 or so inches of travel. LoL I wonder what the eventual fate of that bike was. It couldn't have been pretty.