jtiberius

The more you know....

Interesting point on the word "motherfucker"

White folks generally think it's somebody who fucks his own mother or something similar. Blacks, who originated the term, meant it to refer to a slaveowner who would come into the slave quarters and fuck a woman in front of her children.

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you on bikes. The Radian you posted might be a fine bike if it's in OK shape.

Regarding bike "age": Bikes age more quickly than cars when parked outdoors, but last much longer than cars when garage-kept and ridden occasionally. There are lots of 1985 bikes that are pulled out and ridden less than 1000 miles per summer.. Back here where it snows, the mileage is lower than in SoCal. But a maintained and rarely ridden bike is actually a common thing. These bikes are the best bargains, if you can evaluate them mechanically. If not, I still advise going to bike shops and looking for an old bike that the owner will vouch for.

Some sit until their tires get flat spots and all the rubber parts rot, and then go on the market, so exceptionally low mileage may not be a good thing. Guys get married and stuff the bike in the garage all too often. Generally, go for a bike that has been ridden regularly, but in no way looks "worn out."

Another good thing about the 1980's Japanese bikes is that almost all of them were built to be ridden. By the late 80's and definitely in the '90's the Japanese figured out that US riders generally wanted a weekend toy. It needed only to function in one small niche environment. Unlike the rest of the world's motorcyclists, US riders don't demand that their bikes be viable commuting and grocery-getting machines during the week. And US cruiser riders demand only that their bike look good while parked in front of some pub. Because most bikes out-accelerate most cars and most US riders have no idea about cornering or what real motorcycle performance can be, the average cruiser customer doesn't know what's missing. By the Y2K, all the big companies were building 1500+ cc cruisers that had less power and poorer mileage than their 400cc sportbikes. And the sportbikes were becoming more uncomfortable to ride at anything less than three times the posted limit. Tourers were getting obese with luggage, stereos, heated seats, everything but a pop-up camper (which you CAN buy as a trailer). In the 1980's, the Japanese still expected that every bike they built would spend Monday-Friday with a milk crate bungeed to the back, squirting through traffic.

What style of bike calls to you? I'd be happy to suggest some models. I'm generally of the opinion that Hondas are best, but a well-cared-for Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Suzook will often be a nice bit cheaper than an equivalent Honda. If you were trying to save every penny and find a $600 roach, I'd say Honda only.