Buying a used bike, Nighthawk 750 or GS500??

So I need some help here. Hoping to pick up a new bike here soon plenty of experiance with smaller supermotos and ninja 250s.

My options are a 1982 Honda Nighthawk 750 with 17,000 miles. Seems to be in good condition cosmetically a little worn as expected but nothing to bad. $1000



I am also looking at a 1994 GS500E with just over 7000k seems in great shape needs nothing but has the kinda wanna be rat rod thing going i will need to change up. $1000



Also looking an 83 650 that doesnt run but only have 3,000 miles!!!. $800



I don't know what to do! i think i like the nighthawks better but one doesn't run (could have hidden problems), and the other has 17k on it. The high mileage honestly doesn't bother me is 17k considered high for these bikes?

I figure the GS500 is lighter weight and more street bike(ish) but i am not looking to race around town by any means. The GS is newer and with less miles so i am sure i can get plenty of miles out of that but i dont want to get bored with it quickly considering it is an entry level bike..I want a reliable cheap COMFORTABLE bike for weekend trips.

 

Greetings.

I like the Suzuki. Great bikes with a bullet proof engine. Plenty of aftermarket parts still available for them. I like the riding style and small light bikes are a blast to ride. I have an SV650.

The Nighthawks are also great bikes, but the style says, "Old guy!". All are great bikes. I guess it just depends on the style of bike you like. Good luck.

The Fed

 

Get the newer one.
The Honda DOHC engines had issues with the generator and ignitors, and parts are getting few and far between.
When I bought a pair of '81 CB750s, I was able to source a lot of parts.
During the next year I worked on those bikes, the supply of NOS dried up, and ebay is a bunch of crap.... this was 2009. I can't imagine trying to source parts for the '82 now.

17,000, if the valves have not been reshimmed at least twice now, it will be needing exhaust valves very soon.

 

Interesting thanks for the insight
Here is another i am considering:

1984 Honda CB700 Nighthawk SC


Honda CB700 Nighthawk, owned by a motorcycle shop mechanic, never laid down however
dropped once on a trailer, 17k miles. Has
been painted all black, has seat newly
recovered, new tires, only problem with
bike is cosmetic, it has one dent in the side of the tank from being dropped on a trailer. NEVER WRECKED
Carburetors rebuilt, new spark plugs, and fuel lines on November 28th 2013. New starter December 12th 2013
$1050 firm.


thoughts??

 

Way too much for any of the older bikes.

Put it this way... I bought BOTH of my '81 CB750s, one is a 750K and one is a 750F, for $1200 (in 2008).
One has 12k on it, one has 18k on it. The K runs pretty well (but needs the valves adjusted), the F was running but not well when the previous owner parked it.

Vintage bikes are a hoot, but they are ALL project bikes.
You are not going to buy a 30 year old motorcycle and use it as a commuter without putting serious time and money into it.

These things need to have their valves adjusted every 5k.

 

Ya those prices seem a bit high. What kinda riding do u want to do? Just cursing around the mountains or a little more aggressive runs through the mountains.

My opinion would be to get the gs500 they are easy to work on and pretty fun. With a little work they can look really nice too! Anything above 20k is considered very high mileage. My gsxr600 just passed 19k miles but I feel it's got plenty of miles left but most don't think this way. If you keep up on the maintenance with anything it should run a long time.

 

honestly the only thing keeping me from the GS is lack of power. It only makes something like 42 HP with the 700sc nighthawk making high 70's. I just don't want to get bored with it the week after i buy it.

 

Then save some bucks and look for something newer.

By the time you've owned those Nighthawks for a year, you could have bought a Ninja 636.

 

I started out on an 86 Nighthawk 700SC in Red/White/Blue. It is an AWESOME entry level bike. It is shaft drive, however there is no "shaft drive climb" whatsoever.

I put about 25k miles on the bike and never did anything but oil changes which are easy enough to do yourself.

 

at would be a more reasonable asking price?

 

For the Nighthawks?

$600... and the sellers are going to laugh at you for offering that.

 

Hmm well sounds like I need to keep saving

 

I've bought probably 30 or more bikes in my life and from my experience I would never pay anywhere near a thousand for a bike that's not running(unless it's something very very special), way to many things could be wrong with it. Also to start with on an old bike I always replace tires and it's a good idea to replace the brakes, most likely the carbs(4) will need to be rebuilt, fork seals, battery and who knows what else.

Last two non runners I purchased I put between 600 and 800 dollars into them and lucked out that there were no major mechanical issues.

Vintage bikes are cool and my favorite but do require lots of attention, if you like working on bikes one should fit you well.

Out of the bikes you listed I like the 84 CB700 Nighthawk, to bad it's not original, they were such a nice looking bike stock!

 

I'm going to have to argue with both your points. As for price, vintage bikes are going up in price so using 2008 prices is completely invalid now. I got my 79 cx500 for $100, now it's hard to find one for less than $700.

The 700 nighthawk had hydraulic valve self adjustment and a lot of those 80's hondas have interchangeable parts so working on them shouldn't be too tough.

I use my 79 as a daily commuter, about 40 miles per day 3 days a week at least and haven't had to put much money into it. Time...yes, if you're going to buy a used bike you should definitely count on working on it yourself. A lot of shops won't work on something older than maybe 10 or 15 years.

Like somebody said, the 700 is shaft drive so no adjusting or replacing a chain or drive belt. I love how those look, if I didn't have my cx I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat.

I'll throw this out there finally, my 79 has over 60,000 miles on it. I don't know the exact mileage because when I got it the speedo/odo didn't work and had stopped at 45,000. I replaced it with a used one from a cb and have put over 25,000 miles on it since. I know not all bikes from the same maker are equal but the Honda CX's just don't quit!

 

OP is looking at bikes in questionable condition, wanting a turn-key commuter. A fair deal for us probably isn't a good idea for him.

And I've got a PAIR of '81 CB750s that you can have for $1200 if you can get a trailer to Riverside.

 

I am looking for a commuter that needs work. A running/ride-able project essentially. I plan to put about $600 into the bike on top of the purchase price and from that i plan to have a reliable commuter. And finding a running older bike can not be had for less than $800 in my area so although these deals have passed i believe that they would have been a good option.

 

I've had both an 83 CB750 and 78 GS550. The GS550 ran like a raped ape with the 6 speed trans and light weight. The CB750 was a total dog. Heavy ass bike and geared for highway, so it didn't run hard around town. Suzukis are easy to work on and parts are reletively cheap compared the hondas. Carb rebuild kits for the honda were quite a bit more than the suzuki ones. Just my experiences with which I would choose.

 

You are comparing a side by side twin 500 to an inline four 750... quite the difference... you will have to take them for a spin and see what you like.

If you spend more time on interstates or higher speeds, get the night hawk. if you are more stoplight to stoplight, get the gs.

The GS is going to be a much simpler machine than the night hawk.

they made more night hawks back in the day. but they made the GS more recently.