Vintage motorcycles to restore, bobber style. Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha ?

I'm in the market for a vintage motorcycle. I really like the bobber-look, minimal frame %26amp; solo seat. I'm not looking for a ton of power as I only ride around town (never on the freeway!). I currently own a Honda CT70 that goes 50 on flat ground,but a bit more power and slightly larger frame would be ideal. (I don't think you can really call the CT70 a "motorcycle").





I've found a few different bikes in my price range by various makes. Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha. Which is the best? Is one better than the other in terms of reliability, quality, value, service,and parts availability?


I'm currently looking at a 1975 Kawasaki 175 Enduro and a 1979 Yamaha XS 650. Thanks for any insight you can offer on these bikes and the value of the manufacturers.|||That Yamaha 650 would be a fine choice,.... it is reminiscent of the old triumph's of the 60's with the vertical twin engine and can be bobbed without it being a huge overwhelming operation. Plus it would be a boss bobber. Spare parts should not be a problem and it is not junked up with todays emission control crud ruining the engine. You probably will not experience this problem as the chances of your running at high RPM continuously is unlikely, but watch the valves on the Yamaha and keep them adjusted correctly....(they simply had to be continually set for those guys that ran around thrashing the thing all day every day)|||I'm a big fan of the old Honda 350s like the CL and CB. They are light and simple, and the engines seem to run forever. They can buzz around town, and they can can run at 75 on the highway all day long. On top of that, there is a huge amount of aftermarket support for those machines and several really good web communities.





There are a bunch of great choices, but you wouldn't go wrong with an early Honda 350 twin.|||I couple years ago my gf's father gave me a few old early 70's Honda CB 750's. I basically just wound up selling all of them but I think everyone was bought by someoen who was going to either chop or bob them. I guess they are really popular bikes to restore. Not sure why, I imagine cheap and easy to find parts for. Plus that bike is already the right style.|||650 vertical twin Yamaha and Honda C.B. 750|||if you can get a 75 enduro completely redone would be worth as much as the 650 good luck|||the kawasaki and yamaha were neat bikes, back in the day.


but technology has moved ahead by making 2 strokes (the kawa) obsolete. plus the enduro type of bike has almost no options for customisation.


the yamaha was an evil handling, vibrating machine from the start of its production run. the engine design was ok but most i have ever seen or worked on had oil leaks, probably due to the vibes. it has some custom potential but most stuff for these is not widely available.


you may have more luck and more fun by finding a honda 500,550, or 750 four cylinder of just about any year. reliable, plenty of power, and relativly easy and cheap to maintain. and customising it to your taste would be fairly simple as well.


irregardless of which you ultimatly choose, enjoy the bike and the ride. being in the wind is what counts most. good luck and happy hunting!|||it all depends on your skill level and how much you want to spend. What you also need to check out is the availability of the possible parts that you will need. A lot of manufacturers do not hold parts stocks after a given date that the particular model ceased production so you could find your self with a half done bike and no more parts.


British bikes are often easier to refurb / restore as it is a very well established business here in the uk. There are many British bike clubs that support re-building by providing stocks of parts. The other bike that has a good 'old parts' availability is the German BMW's.


If you want to know more have a look at www.motorcyclenews it's a british weekly bike paper that will list all such details and contacts.


Have fun.