First bike help and questions.

TonyTX · 08-12-2015, 06:29 PM

Hi, so I am looking to get a dual sport to commute to school with. I have around $1300-$1500 and this needs to include the shipping. I am unsure which one to buy as there are so many sites. If anyone could recommend me anything I'd appreciate it. I am 5"7' and like I said before I am pretty lost as I am just getting into this and I am not really mechanically inclined. Thanks guys!

Louis Angel · 08-12-2015, 08:51 PM

Well, let me say hello and welcome to the forum.

For that tight of a budget you are in fact limited to just a few
Chinese bikes to pick from. Finding a good used Jap dual sport
I truly feel is no better off than a new China bike.

You said "I am not really mechanically inclined"
That and any Chinese bike usually mix about like lava and ice cubes.
Just the cold hard truth.

There are some tings you have to be aware of.
1) Virtually all of the bikes you will have to do some basic assembly yourself.
2) Regardless of what bike you buy, they are all "hands on" bikes.
in other words, any repairs (and there will be minor ones I assure you)
and basic maintenance you will have to do yourself. No dealer support
from one ordered off of the internet.
3) Are you in a hurry? Most all bikes are shipped without the
Manufacturers Certificate of Origin. In most cases you are looking at
two to six weeks AFTER the bike arrives to you before you have the MCO
in your hand. You must have the MCO, along with the bill of sale, to
get it licensed and insured.
4) As you have asked this in the Dual Sport section, I want you to be aware
that most all China dual sports max out at 55 to 60 MPH.
But understand this: At that speed, they will be running at or dang near on
the redline!!! NOT good for long engine life. If you are fine riding around
most all the time at say 45 MPH, then you will be fine. Even the little
" WILL " 200cc bike I had was awesome power wise hopping around
in town. But out on the main road where the posted speed limit was
55 MPH, I was screwed. Even WITH a rear sprocket change, the
horsepower needed to go 60 MPH would not have been there.
5) Do you have a place to assemble the bike? The basic skills to do this?
The ability to do your own repairs?

If all the above you are OK with, then might I make my own humble suggestion, based solely on my own ownership experience with the WILL 200cc bike and what I have heard others talk about.
In some places it is called the "Hawk 250"
http://www.motobuys.com/vento-hen-enduro-250cc.html

I had this model in 200cc:
http://www.motobuys.com/db-08-200-rkta.html

Now, if you read through my past post's, you will undoubtedly note
I had a very LOOOOOOOONG wait getting my MCO from Motobuys.com
However, a few others since then have reported no big issues getting their
MCO's. So maybe it was just my dumb luck. I would use them again if I were not in a hurry simply because they are, from what I can tell, the cheapest resellers out there. And you CAN get a warm American body to answer the phone there. After 5 try's. :-D

TonyTX · 08-12-2015, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louis Angel

Well, let me say hello and welcome to the forum.

For that tight of a budget you are in fact limited to just a few
Chinese bikes to pick from. Finding a good used Jap dual sport
I truly feel is no better off than a new China bike.

You said "I am not really mechanically inclined"
That and any Chinese bike usually mix about like lava and ice cubes.
Just the cold hard truth.

There are some tings you have to be aware of.
1) Virtually all of the bikes you will have to do some basic assembly yourself.
2) Regardless of what bike you buy, they are all "hands on" bikes.
in other words, any repairs (and there will be minor ones I assure you)
and basic maintenance you will have to do yourself. No dealer support
from one ordered off of the internet.
3) Are you in a hurry? Most all bikes are shipped without the
Manufacturers Certificate of Origin. In most cases you are looking at
two to six weeks AFTER the bike arrives to you before you have the MCO
in your hand. You must have the MCO, along with the bill of sale, to
get it licensed and insured.
4) As you have asked this in the Dual Sport section, I want you to be aware
that most all China dual sports max out at 55 to 60 MPH.
But understand this: At that speed, they will be running at or dang near on
the redline!!! NOT good for long engine life. If you are fine riding around
most all the time at say 45 MPH, then you will be fine. Even the little
" WILL " 200cc bike I had was awesome power wise hopping around
in town. But out on the main road where the posted speed limit was
55 MPH, I was screwed. Even WITH a rear sprocket change, the
horsepower needed to go 60 MPH would not have been there.
5) Do you have a place to assemble the bike? The basic skills to do this?
The ability to do your own repairs?

If all the above you are OK with, then might I make my own humble suggestion, based solely on my own ownership experience with the WILL 200cc bike and what I have heard others talk about.
In some places it is called the "Hawk 250"
http://www.motobuys.com/vento-hen-enduro-250cc.html

I had this model in 200cc:
http://www.motobuys.com/db-08-200-rkta.html

Now, if you read through my past post's, you will undoubtedly note
I had a very LOOOOOOOONG wait getting my MCO from Motobuys.com
However, a few others since then have reported no big issues getting their
MCO's. So maybe it was just my dumb luck. I would use them again if I were not in a hurry simply because they are, from what I can tell, the cheapest resellers out there. And you CAN get a warm American body to answer the phone there. After 5 try's. :-D

Thanks for the awesome reply! Yeah I am not mechanically inclined but I am willing to learn. I won't be riding this on the freeway or anything like that. I am just riding it to school and on the back roads. I would say yes I do have the space to make it. Do you know of any videos of people assembling them?

shammash55 · 08-14-2015, 10:35 AM

my first bike was a viva and i learned how to ride on it on gravel. these are good bike and great learners on the art of maintaining. there is a list of links for duals floating around and i was looking yesterday and one of them has a sale for the hawk for like $1050. if i had the money i would jump on it. miss my lil 200. it was under a different name but was looking at the pictures and compared.

andyj812 · 08-14-2015, 04:39 PM

Hello and welcome, I have a will 250 (which now the 250 is hard to find) and I'm impressed with how it runs. After a sprocket and carb upgrade I can run 55 without the throttle being wide open, it won't do much more than that but can cruise comfortably there.
Another option might be a gy6 engine scooter. you can pick a 150 up for under $1000 and I think the 150 wll do 45+ mph. There's a dealer not far from me that sells the brand new for under $700, I'm thinking about picking up a couple this year for family Christmas presents.

fratermus · 08-14-2015, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyj812

Another option might be a gy6 engine scooter. you can pick a 150 up for under $1000 and I think the 150 wll do 45+ mph. There's a dealer not far from me that sells the brand new for under $700,

I was going to suggest the same thing. A scooter is epic for getting around campus and making short trips. Also more storage in case OP needs to transport beer or (gasp!) food.

TonyTX · 08-14-2015, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyTX

Hi, so I am looking to get a dual sport to commute to school with. I have around $1300-$1500 and this needs to include the shipping. I am unsure which one to buy as there are so many sites. If anyone could recommend me anything I'd appreciate it. I am 5"7' and like I said before I am pretty lost as I am just getting into this and I am not really mechanically inclined. Thanks guys!

haha thanks for the suggestion guys. I don't live on a campus just at home. :P
My school is just like 2 miles away. Also I use to ride my bike around the back of my neighbor hood and it has some pretty sick backroads. However, my mom does want a scooter so I might go for that because then she'd be more happy about me getting 2 wheels.

Louis Angel · 08-14-2015, 10:29 PM

If you go the scooter route, there are tough little scoot's that look as cool as a scooter can be made to look (except for the mad dog 150, just my opinion, but over Tony's budget)
For Sub $1500 to the door:
http://www.motobuys.com/rkta-mc-31-150.html

08-12-2015, 06:29 PM	#1
TonyTX Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 3	First bike help and questions. Hi, so I am looking to get a dual sport to commute to school with. I have around $1300-$1500 and this needs to include the shipping. I am unsure which one to buy as there are so many sites. If anyone could recommend me anything I'd appreciate it. I am 5"7' and like I said before I am pretty lost as I am just getting into this and I am not really mechanically inclined. Thanks guys!
	0

08-12-2015, 08:51 PM	#2
Louis Angel Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: TENNESSEE Posts: 392	Well, let me say hello and welcome to the forum. For that tight of a budget you are in fact limited to just a few Chinese bikes to pick from. Finding a good used Jap dual sport I truly feel is no better off than a new China bike. You said "I am not really mechanically inclined" That and any Chinese bike usually mix about like lava and ice cubes. Just the cold hard truth. There are some tings you have to be aware of. 1) Virtually all of the bikes you will have to do some basic assembly yourself. 2) Regardless of what bike you buy, they are all "hands on" bikes. in other words, any repairs (and there will be minor ones I assure you) and basic maintenance you will have to do yourself. No dealer support from one ordered off of the internet. 3) Are you in a hurry? Most all bikes are shipped without the Manufacturers Certificate of Origin. In most cases you are looking at two to six weeks AFTER the bike arrives to you before you have the MCO in your hand. You must have the MCO, along with the bill of sale, to get it licensed and insured. 4) As you have asked this in the Dual Sport section, I want you to be aware that most all China dual sports max out at 55 to 60 MPH. But understand this: At that speed, they will be running at or dang near on the redline!!! NOT good for long engine life. If you are fine riding around most all the time at say 45 MPH, then you will be fine. Even the little " WILL " 200cc bike I had was awesome power wise hopping around in town. But out on the main road where the posted speed limit was 55 MPH, I was screwed. Even WITH a rear sprocket change, the horsepower needed to go 60 MPH would not have been there. 5) Do you have a place to assemble the bike? The basic skills to do this? The ability to do your own repairs? If all the above you are OK with, then might I make my own humble suggestion, based solely on my own ownership experience with the WILL 200cc bike and what I have heard others talk about. In some places it is called the "Hawk 250" http://www.motobuys.com/vento-hen-enduro-250cc.html I had this model in 200cc: http://www.motobuys.com/db-08-200-rkta.html Now, if you read through my past post's, you will undoubtedly note I had a very LOOOOOOOONG wait getting my MCO from Motobuys.com However, a few others since then have reported no big issues getting their MCO's. So maybe it was just my dumb luck. I would use them again if I were not in a hurry simply because they are, from what I can tell, the cheapest resellers out there. And you CAN get a warm American body to answer the phone there. After 5 try's. :-D __________________ " If it ain't broke, I can probably still fix it!" ---- Tim Allen
	0

08-14-2015, 10:35 AM	#4
shammash55 Join Date: May 2007 Location: d'iberville,mississippi Posts: 74	my first bike was a viva and i learned how to ride on it on gravel. these are good bike and great learners on the art of maintaining. there is a list of links for duals floating around and i was looking yesterday and one of them has a sale for the hawk for like $1050. if i had the money i would jump on it. miss my lil 200. it was under a different name but was looking at the pictures and compared. __________________ it takes the insane to keep the world sane Future 2015 csc rx3
	0

08-14-2015, 10:29 PM	#8
Louis Angel Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: TENNESSEE Posts: 392	If you go the scooter route, there are tough little scoot's that look as cool as a scooter can be made to look (except for the mad dog 150, just my opinion, but over Tony's budget) For Sub $1500 to the door: http://www.motobuys.com/rkta-mc-31-150.html __________________ " If it ain't broke, I can probably still fix it!" ---- Tim Allen
	0

08-14-2015, 04:39 PM	#5
andyj812 Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Indiana 812 area code Posts: 293	Hello and welcome, I have a will 250 (which now the 250 is hard to find) and I'm impressed with how it runs. After a sprocket and carb upgrade I can run 55 without the throttle being wide open, it won't do much more than that but can cruise comfortably there. Another option might be a gy6 engine scooter. you can pick a 150 up for under $1000 and I think the 150 wll do 45+ mph. There's a dealer not far from me that sells the brand new for under $700, I'm thinking about picking up a couple this year for family Christmas presents.
	0