Biking to Mexico...need a bike

[khtm]

Ok, I'm going on a trip down Baja in May and don't have a motorbike yet.

I'm looking for a cruiser, touring, or dual sport...something used, less than $3000, and something that will be reliable and won't break down halfway there.

Anyone know where I can find such a bike? :dunno:

I've called a bunch of ads on BuySell.com and they were all sold out...I guess they go fast or something. So maybe a used bike dealership would be a good bet? I dunno...totally lost here.

:goflames:

[Rarasaurus]

WWW.PINKBIKE.COM

[handsomebassman]

http://www.maca-over-limits.com/beachriders/Limo%20Beach%20Cruiser/DSC00028.JPG

:D

Its a big harder with your budget to find something you want, but just give it time, and "the" bike will come. Just keep your eyes peeled on canadatrader.com, and you could maybe even use ebay if you are fairly impatient.

Hope you find somethin!

[khtm]

Maybe I'm retarded, but that looks like a site for BICYCLES?

I'm looking for a motorbike :D

[shakalaka]

^hahaha They thought you were talking about bicycles!
Anyways I really doubt you can find a motorbike that would fit that budget! Dunno man, try canadatrader.com I guess

[handsomebassman]

^^^lol, i didnt think he was talking about bicycles, it was a joke. Hence why i suggested canadatrader.com :D

[Dave P]

Your planning on riding to mexico with a older bike worth less then 2g's? have fun with that.

Old goldwing?

[BlueGoblin]

You can sometimes find old BMW's like a mid 70's R75 in the $2500-3500 range. They won't be pretty and usually have nasty vetter fairings and stuff, but they are nothing if not reliable.

As Dave P pointed out, an older Goldwing may be a good choice too if you can find one. I have ridden examples with over 100,000 km that were well maintained and ran well. Even the oldest of them were pretty well built.

You will probably have better luck with the bargainfinder rather than Canada Trader for lower priced bikes. Edmonton's used market seems to be a little cheaper overall than Calgary's too for some reason.

I personally would be hesitant to head into Mexico on a $2000 bike, but to each their own.

Good luck on your search.

[BlueFrenzy]

Hey KHTM ... fancy seeing you here. Didn't know that you were into bikes.

Did you look into Bowcycle's website .. they have a free classified section there as well and I think there are a few good postings there for cruisers. http://www.bowcycle.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi

Most of them are a bit higher than what you're looking to pay but one that caught my eye is the 1995 Virago (but it's in BC) or the 84 Honda Nighthawk.

Other than that, hit the dealerships hard! Good luck, buddy and let us know what you get.

[khtm]

Thanks for your responses (and hey BlueFrenzy...hope your 8 is doing well!).

I went around today to Pro-Am, the Bike Exchange, and Blackfoot to look at bikes. I think I'm leaning more towards a dual-sport bike...apparently they're good for this type of trip and the fact that I'm fairly tall.

The Kawasaki KLR 650 is looking pretty nice...can get a 2006 for ~$6000. Hmmmm.....

[Phy]

The KLR can deal with bad road really well, as it's basically an enormous dirtbike, with slightly less dirt tires. Potential problems are that it's not set up as a touring bike, so you may not make the kms on it in the same comfort you would as on a dedicated tourer. Also, it's one-cyl, so it doesn't have a lot of power. It can do highway speeds without redlining, but don't expect much more of it.

That said, it's rare that I've seen one on the used market, except as a trade-in to dealerships, possibly by people that were intimidated by Suzuki's V-Strom series.

[khtm]

Hmmmm...too many choices! :dunno:

What do y'all think about the Suzuki Bandit 650?

http://www.motorrad-suzuki.de/modelle/street/images/suzuki-bandit-650.jpg

Blackfoot has 2006s for $6500.

:goflames: