Next Bike
- Barnsey
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
- Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
- Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Next Bike
Dear All,
Having very much enjoyed fixing up my C50 I am looking towards my next bike to do. I would welcome ideas.
What I like about my C50:
1) Small enough and light enough that I can put it in my cabin to work on.
2) Excellent parts availability
3) Very simple and everything is very accessible
4) As a project it is small enough that it doesn't have to dominate my life, I can do a couple of hours work on a Sunday morning and then close the door on it.
I am not so keen on:
1) A little slow for keeping up with the traffic, but not a major issue.
2) Prices are getting a bit silly for what it is in my humble opinion.
Bikes I have considered are:
Honda S90, C200, CT100, BSA Bantam, Royal Enfield Bullet.
And tinkering is important to me, as much as riding.
Regards,
Ian
Having very much enjoyed fixing up my C50 I am looking towards my next bike to do. I would welcome ideas.
What I like about my C50:
1) Small enough and light enough that I can put it in my cabin to work on.
2) Excellent parts availability
3) Very simple and everything is very accessible
4) As a project it is small enough that it doesn't have to dominate my life, I can do a couple of hours work on a Sunday morning and then close the door on it.
I am not so keen on:
1) A little slow for keeping up with the traffic, but not a major issue.
2) Prices are getting a bit silly for what it is in my humble opinion.
Bikes I have considered are:
Honda S90, C200, CT100, BSA Bantam, Royal Enfield Bullet.
And tinkering is important to me, as much as riding.
Regards,
Ian
- Capitano
- Posts: 5794
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 8:05 pm
- Rides:: '92 C90, '97 Divvy 6, 36V home-built e-bike
- Location: West Sussex
- Contact:
Re: Next Bike
That's a good list, given your sentiment.
Good luck.
Good luck.
- Barnsey
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
- Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
- Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Re: Next Bike
I might add Honda SR 650 / Dominator to the list.
- bikerbaker
- Posts: 2823
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:35 pm
- Rides:: 1990 C90, 2016 Kayak 110, Riders Cub, 2xSV650, BMW F800GT, Buell XB12R CT90/110
- Location: Rochford Essex
Re: Next Bike
A good mate has one as his everyday bike. He has the choice of more modern and older bikes but prefers it since he did a top end rebuild a few years ago. He had a hip replacement this year too and finds it the easiest to manage.
- Barnsey
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
- Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
- Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Re: Next Bike
It sounds like quite a good option then. I might also add the Enfield Himalayan, although they probably aren't old enough to become a potential project.
-
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:33 pm
- Rides:: Honda Super Cub C125
Re: Next Bike
If you like tinkering, any of the small Hondas. If you fancy an Enfield, based on many, many years of ownership, and huge mileages, go for a late unmolested 350 Bullet. I've had both 500 efi bikes, and a Himalayan. Once Enfield have their supply chain sorted out, then I would only consider them, otherwise, a good old iron barrel 350 Bullet, and a box of spanners would be my choice.
- Barnsey
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
- Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
- Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Re: Next Bike
Interesting.... So, how is the 350 better than the 500? I confess that I had thought of the 350 but only in as much as I could have fun upgrading it to 500 spec. I also thought to go for a 1990s bike with carbs and drum brakes, for the tinkering, but others may disagree.
Oh! and by the way, I already have quite a few spanners, not in a box, but like a flock of ducks across my cabin wall.
Oh! and by the way, I already have quite a few spanners, not in a box, but like a flock of ducks across my cabin wall.
- Newtsalad
- Admin & site janitor.
- Posts: 17627
- Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 8:30 am
- Rides:: XL1200c, Cali III, C125,GS750,XV535,XL350,BN125,C90's,C200's,CT200,Little Cub's
- Location: Essex boy loose in Suffolk!
Re: Next Bike
C200 is a very nice bike, and the prices aren't ridiculous yet. However the exhaust system is rare and difficult to source. But can be fabricated with some skill from other exhausts.
- Barnsey
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
- Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
- Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Re: Next Bike
I saw one sell on EBay a couple of days ago which would have been a perfect project. Annoyingly I am not in a position to put in a serious bid yet. I doen't mean that I can't do the research though.
- wightegi
- Posts: 9731
- Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:23 pm
- Rides:: 12v 1988 e start C90,Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
- Location: Isle of Wight
Re: Next Bike
The south coast bikers facebook group have a few bike for sale and look at wightbay 10 minutes away by hovercraft.