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Comment by UI_at_80x24 | Hacker News Reader

I bought my motorcycle around 1995 for ~$800. It was a 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650. Sold it a few years later because I was moving and didn't have room for 2 vehicles. Fuel was ~$0.50/L $5 would fill it up (10L tank) I could drive ~200km on a full tank.

Adjusted for inflation that equals ~$1300 today.

I've looked around at a lot of used motorcycles and I've see other 1984 Honda's that are asking $2500-$3000 The average price seems to be $4k-$5k for 20 year old bikes!

This used to be a financially viable option for CHEAP transportation. Not anymore.

I want to ride again, and even though my wife would kill me if I did; I just can't afford it. Once upon a time, it was all I could afford; now it's a fancy toy that I can't afford. I think that stings more.

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You should be looking at 2000-2010 japanese bikes, not classics for nostalgia's sake. Kawasaki ninja's will run you $1,300 - $3,000 and get 50-70mpg.

The old ujms have hipster cred and they aren't made anymore, so the price has gone up due to scarcity. Try a cbr 150 from like 2011. You can get those for like $1000 now.

> I bought my motorcycle around 1995 for ~$800 […] > I've looked around at a lot of used motorcycles and I've see other 1984 Honda's that are asking $2500-$3000 The average price seems to be $4k-$5k for 20 year old bikes!

To be devils advocate here, that’s a one-time capital cost that you may well be able to make money on once you sell again, assuming the price trend continues. It seems to me that price is also way cheaper than a comparable* car. If it were me, I’d be enjoying fun driving, cheap operating costs and easy parking long after the sting of not getting the bike for $800 had worn off.

*for some definition of “comparable”

Those are classics though. Also why do you need 650cc? Isn't 250 enough?

250 probably isn't enough for highways and long distance riding in the US.

For example, Texas State Highway 130 has an 85 mph speed limit and traffic typically rolls along at 5-10 mph above that. There isn't a lot of headroom for passing a car going 80 mph on most 250cc bikes.

If I were buying a bike today, I don't think I would consider anything that didn't have anti-lock brakes.

My last bike was a KLR650 and it was pretty crude. I sold it and gave up on motorcycles because drivers around where I live are too distracted. I rode 35 years accident free and decided to quit before my luck ran out. I do miss it though...

Anti-lock brakes are standard on the majority of new bikes now. In Europe I think they are required for all models. I would expect the US to follow suit in the next 5 years.

I learned on a nighthawk 650 :) Brings back good memories.

I had the 250cc Nighthawk. I sold it thinking Honda's were junk. I was wrong obviously.

I used it to get me to high school. I was always sick that winter though. I had money for the bike, but not the gear.

CA had a insurance policy of requiring insurance, but not demanding it at DMV. Cops couldn't ask to see proof of insurance for any reason. It was all civil if their was an incident.

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