Discount touring / cruiser

[WRT_GPX]

Ok, so heres my deal, im already looking for a second bike, but unregistered, in decent condition, mainly a tourer or cruiser in the 400-650cc range (hower i will accept up to 900cc... but id have to shed it for a while) the reason is in a year or so i will have some fairly decent touring trips to undertake, 1-2 thousand km each way, mainly to brisbane and back, to holidays down at batemans bay, and if im feeling really amarous... a trip to melbourne or cairns... O.O... but yeah, im looking for a cheap bike thats still running but a fixxer upper.

so heres the real question, is there any decent 80's or early 90's kawasaki tourers or cruisers that would be suitable, with easish spares to come by (eg, how the ex250 motor is in alot of bikes, and can pretty much be just transplanted)... if not what else would you suggest (im open to all makes here, eg i liked the look of the Yamaha XJ600)

[I-K]

Ok, so heres my deal, im already looking for a second bike, but unregistered, in decent condition, mainly a tourer or cruiser in the 400-650cc range (hower i will accept up to 900cc... but id have to shed it for a while)

You haven't shared the most important piece of information... how much money will you have to work with? We need to know this before we can start recommending particular models.

In all seriousness, unless you've got a major compulsion to do some spannering (which is healthy and should be indulged, if present), you'll end up getting more for your money if, instead of buying a shitbox with the money you have now and then drip-spending on repairs for a year, you just save up and buy a running, registered bike next year.

so heres the real question, is there any decent 80's or early 90's kawasaki tourers or cruisers that would be suitable, with easish spares to come by (eg, how the ex250 motor is in alot of bikes, and can pretty much be just transplanted)...

The diference is, the EX250 motor is still current, meaning that, if you need parts, you stand a decent chance of pulling them off a crashed bike only a couple of years old. Very, very few big motors of similar vintage have persisted as long... and in the cases in which they have (eg, the oil-cooled GSX-R1100 motor in the Bandit 1200) things like brakes, forks, exhausts and wheels willhave changed several times over.

Basically, if you have an old bike, all you should count on being able to dig out of wreckers is old parts, which might well not be in significantly better shape than the parts you already have and need to replace; things like slide diaphragms, cams, gearbox clusters, clutch baskets etc.

This is why you'll get more for your money if you buy an old bike that's already spent some time in a shed being worked on; someone else will have gotten sick of the demoralising experience of searching endlessly for imperfect spares, then fitting them only to discover something else needs fixing as well, and will have decided to fuck the thing off for far less than what it's actually cost them, all up.

[WRT_GPX]

ok *in drunk mode* im too blown to read half your post but yes im up to spannering most of it, and even turning it into a rat rod as long as its roadworthy... im experienced with cars but bikes are somthing different unfortunatly... but still it should be fun, unfortunatly i have limited funds since im a uni student (we are talking like 50 bucks aweek.... MAX... unlessi work with my uncle which is a boout 150 bucks cash in hand... mmmm cash*\


*hmmm still drunk* i saw my sig was removed... what is the size limit since ive seem plenty of people with large sigs. but not removed*

[bonester]

Mate GT550 is a great tourer- did 1000km on mine in the last couple of days.(towing a trailer too!) They cost between $500-$2000 tops and are very low maintenance, shaft drive, comfy with great fuel range (430km ish out of 21.5L tank) No-one wants them coz they are ugly and old, but their virtues far outweigh their negatives. DAMNED cheap to run too- tyres for mine cost $180 the pair (shinkos) and look like lasting 15000km or so. I have done 365km straight without stopping coz they are so comfy. Bigger bro GT750 has 20 more Hp- won lots of bike of the year awards when it was new. I'm looking for a cheap one of them for my next tourer. A do-upper GT750 went for $400 on ebay recently.
I bought a second GT on ebay recently for $355 but she is a bit of a dog. Restorable but you would want to be very keen. Probably just a parts bike.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... %3AIT&rd=1

[Neka79]

ur gunna spanner urself?? are u the same dude who had his mum open the fuel tank??...or was that sum1 else??

[mike-s]

shoulda got the gpx, she's goin to a new home tomorrow night

but yeah, a gt500/750 might be an idea, given the positives said in here about them

[Rossi]

ur gunna spanner urself?? are u the same dude who had his mum open the fuel tank??...or was that sum1 else??

[painter]

Hi guys....it was I who bought that GT750. I now have three GT 750's 2 in bits and a 3rd one that was just purchased. They are a great bike...easy to obtain parts for, comfy, economical, easy to maintain and very reliable. The one I just purchased needs an engine rebuild....while thats being done I will detail the rest, kind of a semi custom job (de-badged, candy apple red paint, non-painted carbs, polished engine covers, etc) Does anyone know of a reliable motor mechanic around the Frankston area???? If not I might take it up to Dynoverks in Boronia....They seem to get a good wrap....Whaddya reckon it would cost for an engine rebuild??? Anyway....grab a GT550/750, you wont look back...they are the best kept secret in the motorcycle fraternity but are becoming rare and any that do pop up are being priced at around the same it would cost to rebuild the same bike up to a near new standard. Good to see another GT enthusiast around!

[WRT_GPX]

is it easy to find some junker or second hand motors in good condition or previously rebuilt? if it is than its probably the better idea, unless your just doing ultra basic rebuilds that i dont really recomend (if your in there, why not do the full job...) and totally rebuilding the motor from ground up will probably be pretty pricey, looking at 2 - 3 grand most likely for a good job back to stock.

[painter]

Yeah....sounds about right....would it be hard to convert a chain driven engine to a shaftie and whack it in ya reckon????

[bonester]

Local wreckers told me last week that chain to shaft conversion in the Z/GT range is a piece pf piss- bolt in- both engines are the same. After a shaft though I wouldn't go back to chain!

[painter]

Thanks for the info Bones....Guess I`ll have to look out for a z750(there seem to be a few gpz750's about) and try that approach. I have a GT 750 factory manual here....if ya need anything photocopied and sent to you just let me know, they cant be much different to the 550.