Are 20 year old bikes good for commuting?

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dan18 said:
You guys are making me doubt myself haha. I have enough mechanical and electrical skills to maintain the bike myself (I've done brake lines, exhaust, oil changes, and other minor electrical things here and there on my old golf). But one day my starter solenoid crapped out on me and I had to leave my car at school for the next couple of days and replace it in the autoshop. I just don't want things like this happening when I need to get to work because I can't walk nor take public transportation there.

Are there things like this that can go wrong with an old bike? Anything that would need me to order a new part and wait? Or can most of the issues be dealt with basic tools and a little elbow grease?
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The elbow grease and tools part is easy. Sourcing parts for a bike that's 2 decades old may be an issue. I mean, they are simpler machines and more often then not you'll be MacGyvering something on the side of the road, but that's part of the fun of owning an older bike. Fun being the subjective term.

if you need reliable transport, the answer is simple, get something newer that's in your price range.
 
dan18 said:
You guys are making me doubt myself haha. I have enough mechanical and electrical skills to maintain the bike myself (I've done brake lines, exhaust, oil changes, and other minor electrical things here and there on my old golf). But one day my starter solenoid crapped out on me and I had to leave my car at school for the next couple of days and replace it in the autoshop. I just don't want things like this happening when I need to get to work because I can't walk nor take public transportation there.

Are there things like this that can go wrong with an old bike? Anything that would need me to order a new part and wait? Or can most of the issues be dealt with basic tools and a little elbow grease?

p.s. If I go and check out the Bandit, how much should I offer him if the bike looks clean and everything is in check? It has 30k on it. I think his main selling point is going to be that it's rare...
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If you don't have any alternative, and it's your only transportation, I'd go with a newer bike. My bike's 30 years old, but I have a car, live in the city with public transport, and could work from home if I needed to.
 
Electrical systems are usually crap on older bikes. Both by design and because they are worn out and corroded.
Something like that goes you have to replace it and as mentioned above, it may be difficult to find.

$3,000 is a rip-off for that bike anyhow. $1,000-$1,500. There's no demand for those. It's not a VFR400.

If you really want to go old and cheap then get something that was very popular like a Ninja 500 for example. They were made up until 2009 and there's still lots around. Fairly easy to find parts new, used and aftermarket. My buddy bought a 2000 model, 2 years ago for $1,450. Needed tires and mirrors.
 
Answer to the original question: No, you need something older. Really, as stated above, it depends on the bike and it's maintenance history. I ride an '83 regularly and my back-up is a '75. My only problems have been electrical, and that was cured by a new batttery.
 
Aha I like your answer Lyndsay. I'm really leaning towards a CB-1 and hearing people with positive things to say about old bikes makes me feel better :p

Does mileage play a huge role in its reliability? I mean, can a bike with 60k+ still be more reliable than one with 10k provided it's been well taken care of?
 
dan18 said:
Aha I like your answer Lyndsay. I'm really leaning towards a CB-1 and hearing people with positive things to say about old bikes makes me feel better :p

Does mileage play a huge role in its reliability? I mean, can a bike with 60k+ still be more reliable than one with 10k provided it's been well taken care of?
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Yes.
Well maintained bikes always trump neglected bikes. It's not always about mileage.
 
I tested 2 1997 Virago 1100's 1 had 95,000 kms and the other had 22,000 kms.
The higher mileage bike ran better and felt better on the road. Didn't buy it but now I'm wishing I had.
 
Paid 1500 for my 92 seca, did me great for three years of commuting. Insurance was cheap and it turned out to be a great starter bike!
 
Sorry and didn't have an issue with maintenance, only repairs it needed was a new tire as the last one had cracks in the side wall.
 
My 23 year old gsxr is an awesome bike, like it better then my newer gsxr.
Great for daily and for fun.
Most parts are interchangeable from other bikes.
I don't think there is any extra maint depending on the bike.
If u buy an old beat up bike then stuff will be on Tue way out. If you buy a nice loved and cared for bike then you should have no issues. It done 30,000km with no issues. I did bust 4th gear but was my own fault. Besides that only regular maintenance and the bike is at 73,ooo km now.
 
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