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Vintage bike daily use?

  • 06-12-2025 04:04PM
    #1
    gerarda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 455 ✭✭


    Does anyone use a vintage bike for daily use? I'm looking at a few machines and they are great prices.



Comments

  • #2
    Hotblack Desiato
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 41,282 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Depends what you mean by vintage.

    There's lots of 70s/80s Jap bikes in regular use I see out and about. Old British stuff, not so much.

    I'm partial to your abracadabra
    I'm raptured by the joy of it all



  • #3
    Cienciano
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,197 ✭✭✭✭Cienciano


    1995 Hondas are known for their reliability. But still, 30 years old, it's going to take a bit of extra maintenance. Some bike shops aren't interested in any carb problems for instance.



  • #4
    pjdarcy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 545 ✭✭✭pjdarcy


    If you're handy with a set of spanners it might be worth seeing if you can get an old Haynes manual for the bike you're gonna buy.



  • #5
    lalababa
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,782 ✭✭✭lalababa


    I used to use 20/30 years old jap bikes. All 125s or 250s or 400s. Simple often single carbed easy to work on. My favourite..cb250 nighthawk.

    Well maintained without points. All carbed. If you keep on top of electrical issues esp. during very wet weather, you are entering the reliability of newish bikes, if not surpassing them.



  • #6
    Lorddrakul
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,071 ✭✭✭Lorddrakul


    I used a 30 year old Honda as a daily commuter for a while. After I got the niggles sorted, it was as reliable as anything else.

    Similarly, I used a 22 year old Kawasaki for the same. The Kawasaki was by far the better prospect. That said, I put 50k miles on a second hand Ducati.

    All depends on initial condition and how well you look after them.

    I heard of a guy in England (through a forum member) who uses an 80+ year old Rudge to trudge between farm and local town. Horses for courses.



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