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Classic vs Modern Machine? How old is too old! Classic vs Modern Machine? How old is too old!
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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
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  #1  
Old 29 Jul 2013
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Classic vs Modern Machine? How old is too old!
So I'm torn between choices here...

I'm purchasing a motorcycle and riding through the Americas, putting it on a boat to Europe and living there a while before riding further on to South East Asia and I can't for the life choose whether it would be better to go with a modern day motorcycle or a classic motorcycle? So I'm looking to get some votes that may help me decide.

Classic Pro's and Con's. (Royal Enfield, Triumph, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha)

Sex appeal? You know you're getting around on a classic adding to the adventure feel
Engine capacity? 250-400 would benice
Fuel consumption? Possibly worse than a modern motorcycle
Parts availability? Can stockpile somemyself the US/Canada
Easier to repair? Less electronics to screw up

Modern Pro's and con's.

Electronics? more expensive/harder to repair in 3rd world country?
More attractive to thieves? A flash new dirt bike looks expensive!

Any further pro's and cons or recommendations would be great!
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  #2  
Old 29 Jul 2013
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My recommendation would be an airhead BMW twin, classic bike, as reliable as anything if you don't buy a dog, good spares availability and a reasonable price if you don't go for an overpriced G/S or GS model.
The biggest downside is petrol consumption but they can still manage 50 mpg, imperial if driven steadily and 5000 mile service intervals.
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  #3  
Old 30 Jul 2013
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Air Head
Using an Air head, with a simple single cylinder engine is the easy way to go.
Less things to go wrong. Easy to fix on the road. A Carby is easy to work on as opposed to EFI.
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I'm not getting older; I'm just progressing through LIFE!! Harleys do not have a throttle- they have VOLUME control!!!
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  #4  
Old 30 Jul 2013
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Do you know where to find the air bypass o-ring on a diaphragm carb? Can you balance a pair of bings by ear? I can but it is less natural than starting a flash code display. Do you have the time, skill and money to put a quarter of a century of previous owners fiddling right before you set off? Do you have the patience to track down classic parts or deal with importing them?

The "get an airhead BMW" plan is too simplistic IMHO. Get the bike that suits your knowledge, background and what you want, or plan the learning experience around the trip.

I've had mz's since before the wall came down. Motorway performance from a 250 , no valves and oil changes/chain adjustments at 10000 mile intervals. I could be happy getting one ready for a big ride, or I could just fill the wee's tank and go. The mz would break down and need parts from Germany, the wee would have a dealer network. It's all just part of the trip.

Andy
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  #5  
Old 10 Aug 2013
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Another vote for an older BMW
Robert...

I wish I could remember who said it on one of the HU DVD's, but the advice given there was to buy the motorcycle of your heart. That's the best advice anyone can ever give you. I was fortunate enough to come to that conclusion on my own several years ago and found myself a '75 R60/6. I've put 70,000 miles on it... from the top of Alaska to central Turkey. I love it. It's an easy bike to become your own mechanical expert on, all parts are easily available on-line and there are some excellent maintenance-oriented websites to help you understand what's going on.

I'd have to say that the only drawback is that it seems to be a real heart breaker. People come up to me all the time, gaze at it and sigh. It seems that a lot of people had them in their youth and regret ever having gotten rid of them. Many have told me that it was the best bike they've ever had. Makes me feel bad. Sort of.

But follow your heart, and you will not regret your decision, no matter what it is. Once you decide, shop carefully, get one in good condition, and learn it inside and out. It's your horse. Take good care of it, treat it nicely and it will always take good care of you. Good luck!
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  #6  
Old 11 Aug 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam I Am View Post
I'd have to say that the only drawback is that it seems to be a real heart breaker. People come up to me all the time, gaze at it and sigh. It seems that a lot of people had them in their youth and regret ever having gotten rid of them. Many have told me that it was the best bike they've ever had. Makes me feel bad. Sort of.
That's very true. This year I've been running around on a couple of mid 70's bikes - a 125 Suzuki and a 400/4 Honda, and each journey seems to take quite a bit longer because of people coming up to me and chatting about the bikes. Usually I'm not in much of a hurry (I wouldn't be using them if I was) so I'm happy to chat but I never get it when I'm riding anything modern.

Whether it's a good idea to do a long trip on a classic bike comes down to how spanner friendly you are. Older bikes need more looking after because -

a. they're old, so different parts are at different stages of their life cycle and it can be hard to tell what's likely to fail next.

b. back then a more hands-on approach was expected.

Whatever you choose it might be an idea to check out the spares situation first as some makes (Honda springs to mind) seem to be better served that others.
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