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Post by dginfw on Jun 18, 2006 19:44:10 GMT -5
Hello all. I am about to purchase my first motorcycle, and for some reason, I keep finding myself drawn to the SR's. Maybe its because I don't fall into the typical crotch-rocket, boy racer crowds, nor the do-rag wearing, leather vested crusier crowd. Maybe its because I feel older bikes (as well as cars) have more character. I dunno...
my questions are about general reliablity. I plan on using it for an (almost) daily driver. I'm pretty handy with a wrench, (and a volt/ohm meter) so the hands on portion is not what worries me. Having it stall and die in rush hour traffic is what worries me. I grew up watching my brother kickstart his Triumph, have seen plenty of frustration vented toward the bike when it didnt start. Assuming proper state of tune, how are the SR's as far as reliabilty? Anything I should look out for when buying an SR? I realize they are not as plentiful as the were, say, in '79, but I have seen at least two listed locally in the past few months. Any advice you folks can provide here will go a long way towards my motorcycling future.
thanks,
dave
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Post by hopwheels on Jun 18, 2006 21:43:38 GMT -5
Welcome aboard! I think it's great you're drawn to the more classic standard bikes. That's what attracted me as well. I'd have to say, that stalling in traffic would freak me out a bit with the SR. Unless you have the compression stroke kick down to second nature, I'd say a push-button start would be better, especially for your first bike. It's a (relatively) light bike, and with no fairing, if your commute is at freeway speeds, it gets a little windy and buffet-y.
The engines themselves seem extremely reliable however. You kinda have to really beat it to death it seems. My '78 has 39K miles on it and still runs pretty great. It's relegated to a weekend cruiser role right now. But I'm building another for more fun.
Couldn't tell from your profile if you're in the US or not. If you are, the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation), beginning rider course is a great place to start (if you are in fact a new rider, as well as first-time bike owner). If you're in the US, they'll have one in your area. You'll get to learn on a bike style that suits you (my class enabled me to choose from a standard, cruiser or sport bike, but it'll be based on what the school has available and running).
I think you'll get a lot of great feedback on this site. If you truly want an SR, they are great bikes. Fun to work on, fun to ride. Great bike/rider feedback. And you can personalize them as much as any bike I think. Parts are pretty reasonable, and pretty easy to find still.
Sorry for the rambling welcome... have fun!
Gary
Hopwheels
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Post by tradrockrat on Jun 19, 2006 8:45:19 GMT -5
My 78 served as a daily commuter for about a year and a half- - the only concern i had, and why i went with a new "do rag and leather vest bike" for my commuter is unavailability of parts. When a SR goes down, it can be down for a few weeks while you search and wait for parts. If you have a second vehicle - no problem, but if it's your sole source of transpo - get something new.
Kicking an in tune SR is easy - one or two kicks to start, seriously.
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Post by wotavidone on Jun 19, 2006 17:52:39 GMT -5
My bike is 100% reliable. That is, if you define reliability as never breaking down and always getting home from whatever journey you set out on - well, it never breaks down and I always get home from whatever journey I set out on.
But, I have to say, you've gotta be good with a spanner, and diligent. The reason my 28 year old bike never lets me down is because I never knowingly ride it when any sort of maintenance, repair or adjustment is over due. If it needs any part or whatever, it does not go anywhere until I have it. The payoff is a bike that starts first or second kick, doesn't stall in traffic, and never stops on the side of the road.
Given the three thousand km service intervals recommended in my workshop manual, I would not use mine for a daily commuter, aqs the services would just plain come up too fast for me
Mick
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Post by G Man on Jun 19, 2006 18:41:49 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Hi Dave! Welcome to the forum!
G Man[/glow]
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Post by dginfw on Jun 19, 2006 20:29:39 GMT -5
Wow! thanks for the feedback, everyone. Yes, I am in the U.S. -and have looked into the MSF rider course. As soon as I can talk my boss into giving me a weekend off, I'm there. At this writing, the course is about $180 bucks. While I plan on using my bike as much as possible, I will still have my good ol' reliable Mazda as my back-up, so down time shouldn't really be too much of a problem. I like the retro-ness (Is that a word?) of the SR, but want to modify it with spoke wheels for a more classic look. I have read the the spoke wheels from the XS650's will fit, but does it require much modifications to the brakes? Are newer, Japanese market wheels from their SR's available here?
I realize I will probably get bashed a bit for saying this, but my other choice for a bike is a Royal Enfield. Still a 500cc thumper, but quite a different bike from the SR. It's a 50yr old design, so it has some shortcomings, but on the bright side they added electric start a few years ago. But for the money a new Bullet would cost, I could build a helluva nice SR, right?
dave
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Post by miker on Jun 20, 2006 8:44:47 GMT -5
An SR will seriously out-reliable a Bullet, IMO.
Front XS650 spoke wheels bolt right up, but you'll need to use the later (1976-on) brake disc.
Rear XS650 spoke wheels are drum-braked, you'll need to add a backing rod bracket to the swingarm, modify the pedal linkage, etc. to use that. Also the wheel needs to be centered differently, so new spacers are called for. And the axle size is different, either more spacers or milling out the SR swingarm axle slots.
Another option is to get an XT rear hub and lace it to the appropriate rim. Then the axles and spacers are right.
miker
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