First bike, $1500 or lower...

I like these too.. I just have no experienced friends to ask and tell me which to go for! Haha.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/mcy/1579641781.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/1578790239.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/mcy/1583590866.html

http://bend.craigslist.org/mcy/1580039306.html

http://eugene.craigslist.org/mcy/1557248171.html

I do think I'm narrowing in on Nighthawks. I like the look, I do like Hondas... If the gas mileage and parts availability and ease of maintenance is there, seems like a safe bet..

Nighthawk is a good way to go. If you're looking at one of the 700 S models, I'd recommend taking it to a shop to make sure the forks are in good shape. They're oddly complex inside (for a Honda; not for, say, a BMW for instance), so a rebuild can be pricey. Otherwise, there's not much to say against them.

Oh, and for the record, those Twinstars are capital T tiny. Like 7/8 size motorcycles. Fairly gutless for moving around a full-size adult male, too.

Can't go wrong with the first 2 on the second post.

Mileage isn't gonna be great, but it's reasonable for a decently powerful carbed bike. I get around 40 on mine. Shaft drive and hydraulic valves really help with the maintenance requirements though.

'86 KLR 600 Enduro? http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1586565710.html

Geez I'm all over the place, but it's exciting choosing a new 'vehicle' haha

Cool Yamaha! http://roseburg.craigslist.org/mcy/1560745725.html

I appear to be a fan of 'clubman' handlebars. Or something like that. Low handlebars. But definitey love the look, like that Yamaha... I really like that Yamaha..

http://medford.craigslist.org/mcy/1582536445.html

1976 Goldwing.. 30k miles. Like the looks.. Little older than I wanted, but nice.

In reply to Fuzzylogic:

Yammie Radians always got great reveiws from the riding pundits.

And the clubman bars on that bike REALLY look awesome, although my back, shoulder and arm muscles might require slightly higher bars.

For sure!

That's nice to hear about the Radians... I like that one a lot, and I was pretty much moving towards a Goldwing or Nighthawk. Still really like the Hondas and it SEEMS like handlebar replacements aren't too hard to come by...

The Goldwing is a lot of bike to handle at low speeds. I'd look for something lighter as a first bike.

Okay, back to Nighthawks, haha. Or that Yamaha..

Found a '03 Ninja with 20k miles for 1.4k...

I was looking for a naked gl1000 for my first bike, till I sat on one. I'm still going to get one in the next year or two, though. I instead found a 450 nighthawk, which is spectacular. It is plenty fast even with 2 and gets about 55mpg. Quite a bit different than the larger nighthawks though, it is more of a revised cb400. Cost me $600, a $60 seat cover, a good cleaning and I was set. Don't forget to factor in the cost of the gear too.

Fuzzylogic wrote: I do think I'm narrowing in on Nighthawks. I like the look, I do like Hondas... If the gas mileage and parts availability and ease of maintenance is there, seems like a safe bet..

I can buy new, original Honda parts for my '71 without any trouble. I don't think finding stuff for a Nighthawk would be much of a problem.

I'd stay away from 1984-1986 CB700/750S. There is known issue with these, the starter and alternator are driven on a separate chain driven shaft to make the engine narrower. The chains are notorious for breaking and the only fix is to split the engine.

If you're anywhere near Missouri I'm going to have GS1000's for sale...

The 450 Nighthawk would be a very nice first bike. More than enough power to get into trouble, light enough to manage easily, and more than capable handling. You really can't go wrong with any of the late 70s-early 90's mid size Japanese bikes in the 400-650cc range. Parts are available, they were well built, and there were literally millions of them, so prices are very reasonable.

I had a KLR 650 and it was an awesome bike with huge aftermarket support, forums, etc. Get one.

Buell Blast. It's not a fancy bike, but it is comfortable, reliable, and will get you moving in a hurry for a little ~30 hp thumper. When you drop it, it holds up well to impacts at speed and while standing still. I watched my roommate drop hers on a gravel road at ~15 mph. A new generic turn signal, some scratch remover, and a few tweaks to some metal bits and it was good as new.

I rode her two-up when she dropped mine and we went for ice cream while my transmission cover's new hole was sealed by some JB Weld. It did so effortlessly and comfortably. And I'm 5'10".

(It does shake an awful lot, but you see it more than you feel it.)

Um, just stay away from the 2010 Blast. This is how they were sold.

If you just plan on using the bike and selling it the Blast is a wicked little bike. Muffler + larger jet + carb adjustment made the bike a nasty little beast. I have almost 30,000miles on it and it keeps running. The bottom cylinder gasket is starting to leak, it consumes a lot of oil, but it still runs. The clutch is also shot, but I still make it around.

Speaking of crashworthiness I put the bike down twice, once doing over 40mph around a turn late at night tearing up the hood. I bent the handlebars, cracked turn signal lens, broke a footpeg, broke the instrument cluster mount position, etc, total cost to get the bike back on the road 110$ and about 3-4hour. The next time I ran it into a curb, bent front rim, and forks. Gave it to my father, 14000lbs with a press later I had a straight enough front end to ride on. Have done 10miles since last crash.

I was waiting for you to chime in...

E36 M3e...there is A LOT of stuff out there in your price range. Bikes are insanely cheap in the USA. I'm assuming that's where you are...didn't look

Remove all the plastic, make up some rearsets....

http://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/1624334134.html