Okay, I've staved-off motored transport for long enough. i was totally into biking, but my road bike can only get me so far. i've determined that maybe it's time to start looking for a good, cheap motorcycle. obviously, a used bike is the preferred option here. i have about $400 i'm willing to drop on a bike. might not sound like much, but i live in Milwaukee, and this is a very motorcycle friendly town with a fair amount of cheap bikes for sale. i've heard i can find a good older bike locally at the rate of about $1 per cc of engine displacement. that means ideally, i score a 400cc bike.
my questions:
i'm about 5'10" and 150lbs. what is the minimum engine size i should stay above if i were to do mostly city riding, but possibly some longer highway rides?
what models of older bikes do you NSers find to be more reliable and/or cheap and easy to work on?
any bikes i should avoid?
any input is appreciated. since i'm going to be hitting up swap meets and craigslist ads, i'm not sure exactly what my options may be. i just need some help knowing when to jump on a deal. figured maybe my fellow NSers could offer some help. haven't searchbarred, but it's summer. what else do you have to do?
