• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Honda CB1 a good beginner bike?

StevenDavisFoto said:
thanks a lot guys. i'm still figuring out how the BARF community works. i really appreciate the help and off collar humor :p sorry i'm an overly cautious, picky, "wanna do it right" kinda guy. that's just my nature. thanks!!!
Click to expand...

No used bike will be perfect. The most you can hope for is that it was maintainted well and the wheels won't fall off it 5 minutes after you buy it. If you're really worried about "cautious/picky/wanna do it right", buy a new bike. Otherwise, find a decent, well maintained used bike that's pre-dropped so you won't feel bad if you drop it yourself. The important thing is to get out and get seat time and practice what you learned in MSF, while not getting yourself pancaked by an SUV at the same time. Seat time, miles, and maybe joining a good group ride (check Bisugo/Turtle's mellow rides) trumps any posts here - you have decent gear, get a bike and go out and use it. Bike's not gonna ride itself!
 
StevenDavisFoto said:
thanks a lot guys. i'm still figuring out how the BARF community works. i really appreciate the help and off collar humor :p sorry i'm an overly cautious, picky, "wanna do it right" kinda guy. that's just my nature. thanks!!!
Click to expand...

if you had been riding all this time you coulda been learning soooo much
 
ackbar_its_a_trap.jpg
 
StevenDavisFoto said:
can i get a windshield for it? or would it not matter since i have a full face helmet?
Click to expand...

I think you can use windscreens that are compatible with the gs500.


Though in my opinion putting a windscreen would make the bike look kind of funky plus it wouldnt really help in the wind protection cause its really small.
 
NoobCorpse said:
buy the thing, and start riding. You've posted threads about "is this gear good", "is this bike good", etc - buy some halfway decent fucking gear and a bike that runs - and from a BARFer is probably your best best - and go fucking ride already.
Click to expand...

Buy any bike now and get your ass on a bike and ride, ride, ride. You will find all the answers once you start riding. BTW, I owned 2 CB-1s. :p :ride
 
Last edited:
your full face helmet will protect your eyes from the wind and debris.
 
Just finished a little over 600 miles with Mr. and Mrs. Motoprponant. They have too many bikes (really they do) I personally witnessed tears from both of them as this CB-1 is a family member.
I don't think you will go wrong with the bike, it is a cult classic and gives you instant cred. Honestly a CB-1 is a very cabable bike.
DO IT!
 
Happy Hornet said:
Just finished a little over 600 miles with Mr. and Mrs. Motoprponant. They have too many bikes (really they do) I personally witnessed tears from both of them as this CB-1 is a family member.
I don't think you will go wrong with the bike, it is a cult classic and gives you instant cred. Honestly a CB-1 is a very cabable bike.
DO IT!
Click to expand...

cool. i'm checking it out sunday afternoon, after my jesus time :p got a good feeling :)
 
These people are the real deal. A lot of knowledge in that house. There are a few bikes that people go on an on about. The CB-1 is one of these bikes. A rarity in that it is a manufactured Japanese bike with heart and soul.
I guarantee you the will regret selling the bike the minute it leaves the garage.
 
OP, don't worry too much about whether it's the perfect bike or if it's in perfect shape or anything.

Yes, you want a good bike, in good shape, that's capable. But you don't need perfect. If it turns out it's not right for you, just sell it and buy another, that's how bikes work!

Of course you don't want to pay too much for a bike (such as when the engine explodes as you ride away- you can't sell it for $5 anymore!) and you don't want to have to sell bikes every week, so you try to find one that is decent quality and you are fairly sure you like, but if you insist on perfection you'll never get to ride, and that would just defeat the whole purpose.
 
If I had the money, I would buy it.

Not because I like the bike or think it's a good deal, but because I'm gonna miss these threads if you get a bike and stop posting them.:twofinger
 
StevenDavisFoto said:
So I had my heart set on an EX500 or a GS500 for a beginner bike, but someone on the this forum wants to sell me a CB1. Is this a good beginner bike? I'm looking for something that handles well on the freeway, but also isn't too powerful, and is a standard seating position, not sport.
Click to expand...


You're making this all much too complicated , and yes a CB1 is a good , indeed a *great* little scoot , overall a better piece than was the 400 Bandit.
I''ve still got the one I bought more years ago than I'll admit to publicly , makes glorious sounds , easily modifiable handling and braking wise ,though it will be quite some time before you need to do so , you don't see them everywhere 'leventy million times a week , it'll teach you how to keep something in the powerband etc.etc.

I happen to have a thing for 'little bikes' ( yeah yeah I've got a GSXR1000 too but that's beside the point) and the CB1 was one of the best. Yes I do like the 400 Bandit too , sadly the last Bandit I had got destroyed on a sweet little bit of swervery along the Tennessee River.

Anyway while as Junkie mentioned the downside *could* be parts availability there's a lot of other Honda parts that will fit or could be adapted. And it's a HONDA for crying out loud , you're fairly unlikely to be needing much except for brake pads , oil and filter etc. if you buy it you may find it to be a bike that you keep for a long , long time even after you've bought other bikes. A nice running CB1 and a tight road is *still* one of motorcyclings joys.

As an aside , a early 600 motor shoehorns into the chassis too.

And then there's the fact that the owner of the white one you're refering to is very well thought of in these regions , thats worth quite a lot.

Though I will say that I usually recommend that a socalled 'newbie' buy a dual purpose bike as they're eminently crashable/droppable with relatively little damage , somewhat dirtworthy ( get some DIRT time if you want to learn a lot quickly) cheap etc.etc. but that said if you want something that's purely street you really couldn't go wrong with a CB1 , and did I mention that they make GREAT sounds? Sounds that hearken back to the glory days of Hailwood and the Honda Six.

Lotsa character ( now watch the debate about character in a motorcycle surface again) cult bike status ( for whatever that's worth) and once you begin to look at Honda racing history a distinct sense of history and timeline that's resident if few other bikes.

SO just buy the CB1 and get it over with , do it before I get a hair across my ass and buy it out from under you.
 
oh my god really?
 
Just get a bike man. I got my first bike in april 08. A 1993 CBR1000F with 42k miles on it. It's ridiculously heavy; over 500 dry, and is decently powerful, for a early 90s literbike.

I'm sure if I was on barf before I bought it a lot of people might have said it's a bad idea, so I guess it's a good thing I wasn't; because I love that bike.

After riding it for nearly 2 years I picked up another, smaller, lighter and less powerful bike; albeit more beautiful but I still love to ride my Honda. It's just so comfortable and torque-eee

You just gotta get a bike and ride man; aint nuthin to it but to do it

Edit: It also handles being dropped very well. And when a car ran it over while it was parked, it wasn't damaged too bad. I think it might have cracked the cement though
 
dwarf said:
Just get a bike man. I got my first bike in april 08. A 1993 CBR1000F with 42k miles on it. It's ridiculously heavy; over 500 dry, and is decently powerful, for a early 90s literbike.

I'm sure if I was on barf before I bought it a lot of people might have said it's a bad idea, so I guess it's a good thing I wasn't; because I love that bike.

After riding it for nearly 2 years I picked up another, smaller, lighter and less powerful bike; albeit more beautiful but I still love to ride my Honda. It's just so comfortable and torque-eee

You just gotta get a bike and ride man; aint nuthin to it but to do it
Click to expand...
New sig line thanks :thumbup

somehow I thought you'd been around longer than me. You're just that cool I guess.
 
You really ought to just get a DRZ 400.

The GS500 is rustbucket that runs like poo in comparison, and in terms of fun factor is way off base as well. :thumbdown

Just my :2cents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top