Don't know if to get a bike or wait? College

[Derk4397]

I am transferring to a major state university in January, and I've heard bad things like bikes being stolen and stuff like that from people that live on campus in the dorms and such. For that reason I'm not so sure about getting a bike now and just wait until I'm out of college. Anyone have any advice?

[ny450]

get yourself some theft insurance on the bike and take precautions in keeping it locked and secure and you should be fine. im a freshman in college and ride to school alot...although i just go to a local community college(no comparisn to your school), i actually look forward to going to class just so i get to ride.

go for it man, you wont regret it if you do things the right way.

[Gaolee]

Is this a motorcycle question or a philosophical question? If you don't need a vehicle while you are in college, why have one? It is just another expense and another detail to deal with. I went to college in a ghetto in the north east. Some colleges are in bucolic towns. I can't imagine a bike getting stolen in some college towns, but I can't imagine it not getting stolen in some others.

Not much help, eh? Sorry.

[RayOSV]

If you're willing to put up with the risk and inconvenience, go for it. If you're uncertain or really don't care, wait. It can be done, obviously, but will take some work and attention on your part.

[Don't Panic, It's Kat!]

Depends on many things as others have pointed out above. Simply, because it's a university doesn't mean it's not safe for bikes (parking that is, riding is a different story for both motorcycles and bicycles). I work at a mid-size university and haven't had any problems.

Considerations: Which university, city, typical weather, finances, main transportation, etc.

One advantage is that there usually are separate distinct parking spaces for bikes, which makes it very convenient. When I was an undergraduate, I could always wait until the last minute to ride into university because I could easily find a parking spot.

[Goin Ape Nutz]

bikes are stolen everywhere, every day... so don't work yourself up over a possibility. If that's a huge concern, get a bike no one wants... then it won't get stolen. Also, bikes that do not look like whatever model they are (i.e. a rattle can paint job on the plastics... removed fairings... etc) are generally skipped over for a bike that screams it's name.

If i were to get a bike, that i would be using while living on campus, i would get full coverage insurance to protect it from being stolen, and an alarm or kill switch for the bike (lojack style). That's just me though.

[jeepcoma]

Best study break I had in college. Get old, get cheap, get naked. Look for well taken care of 80s models that people just want to get out of the garage, you can find a great bike for under $1000. Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to maintain... all great things when you're in college.

[UberGoober]

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

Best study break I had in college. Get old, get cheap, get naked. Look for well taken care of 80s models that people just want to get out of the garage, you can find a great bike for under $1000. Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to maintain... all great things when you're in college.

This is the best advice any young person can get. Look around for something old and cheap. It doesn't matter what it is - I guarantee you will have the time of your life on it and pine for it years from now even though you are sure to be riding much more high tech machinery that is superior in every way.

My college bike in 98-99 was a 1969 Yamaha 125 enduro. Laugh now, but that little SOB would do 60+ mph and stopped with front and rear drum brakes (and a LOT of effort). It was loud, smokey and made the books I had strapped to the back smell like burned 2 stroke oil. It was a vicious little brute that broke down and left me stranded a time or two, but was easy to push home and it makes me smile to just think about it.

[DaleCaliente]

Money
Maintenance
Time
Responsibility

A bike requires all of these to keep both you and it in good condition.

If you believe you will have them at college in abundance, go for it ! its the best thing in the world.

If not, wait. A bike cant be done half assed or on a shoestring, you know?

[Anthonyd5189]

It's true about buying old...half the bikes out here are early 90's CBR and FZRs. The other half though are all '07-'08s.

[Derk4397]

I thought buying cheap bikes usually means that work needs to be done on it and the owner is leaving that responsibility to you. I know next to nothing about automotive repair.

[Anthonyd5189]

Not always, you can find a good deal on a well maintained F2 or F3 and it will run fine. It's when you look at bikes that have been neglected, that's where you run into problems.

[spicy]

yeah, another vote for getting something that's in good mechanical shape but might be in lousy cosmetic shape...

decent bikes with no fairings are probably a good idea, or something that's been lightly rashed with no other damage other than dinged fairings and maybe a scratched bar-end or something.

depends a lot on where you're going to school -- i have my bike out at school because there are TONS of amazing roads out here, and considerably less traffic on the twisty ones than around my neighborhood in the 'burbs a few miles north of Boston.

i think of all the fellow riders at my school, the ones riding the motards/dual sports or old standards (CB750/GS500 etc) seem to be enjoying themselves the most.


tips:

scope out motorcycle parking (some are covered, others are in super-high traveled areas, could be convenient to your dorm (last semester i could look out the window and see my bike 30ft away), some have security like video cameras around, etc)

talk to other riders on campus, find out what they ride (how new, how rare, etc), where they park, and if they've heard of or have any horror stories

see if there are any convenient places nearby that are out of the way and not-too traveled, then park your bike there covered and locked.

[UberGoober]

Originally Posted by Derk4397

I thought buying cheap bikes usually means that work needs to be done on it and the owner is leaving that responsibility to you. I know next to nothing about automotive repair.

Buying an old used bike is fraught with trouble, especially if you can't work on something. Older bikes can be pretty tough to work on, especially if you get into the engine internals. Bikes that have sat for a long time can have all sorts of problems - batteries die, tires crack, brakes feeze up, cables rust, etc... they can be ugly.

Like others have suggested, the best thing is to find something that runs OK but looks ugly. Bets to take a firend who does know something about mechanics with you when you go to look, just in case.

But old doesn't always mean useless. Just to let you know how reliable some of these bikes can be, I have a story:

When I was about 19 I got my first bike. My neighbor Kenny who was about 16 got really excited about bikes and decided that he wanted to go for a ride together. There was a bike at his house so he decided to get that out and go with me.

Now the bike in question was a mid 60's Honda 300. It was the first "big" bike I had ever been around and his dad had bought it during the oil crunch in the early 70s - I must have been around 7 or 8 at the time. I still remember how cool it looked sitting on their car port.

One fall morning Kenny's dad was riding it to work on a country road and hit some black ice. I don't remember whether or not he went to the hospital but the crash scared him bad enough that he brought it home parked it under the eaves at the back of the house and never touched it again.

It sat out there in the weather for years and years, and since it was Washington state, it got a pretty nice patina of faded paint and mold pretty quickly. Also, because Kenny's dad wasn't into yard care, tall grass grew up into the spokes and after a few years the bike looked like it had been there a 100 years.

So 12 or so years later, this is the bike Kenny rolled back out onto the carport to get going. We picked all the grass out of the spokes, used a bicycle pump to re-inflate the tires and wiped the mold and moss from the seat. Then Kenny threw in some lawn mower gas (that was probably years old too). Of course we couldn't find the key either, so Kenny jimmied the lock with a screw driver and turned it into the "on position." Then he started kicking.

I kid you not, the bike started on the third or fourth kick. It ran a little rough at first but once the fresh gas got down through the carb it smoothed out pretty well. Then we went for a ride over to the local lakeside park about 4 miles away. The bike made it there and back with no problems.

Later, when we told Kenny's dad that it would still run, he looked at us like we were idiots and said "Yeah, of course. It ran when I parked it."

Nowdays I know there are a billion things that could have gone wrong and that Kenny could have been really hurt - especialy since he had no helmet, gloves or gear. The brakes could have been shot and made it so the bike couldn't stop, the old tires could have burst while we were on the road - all sorts of horrible things. But it was just fine. It still freaks me out.

I'll bet a modern bike would never do any of that.

[jeepcoma]

Let me just reiterate what I said: old, cheap, used, and well maintained from the 80s. These are the bikes that Gramps took care of, parked in the garage, took in for service every month, and putted around on through town. Gramps died a few years ago and now Grams wants it out of the garage and thinks $500 is a fair price for such a nice young man like yourself. Use your brain and you're eyes and you'll know if it's in good shape or not; if there's rust on important looking things, pass it up. If you look at the bike and say to yourself "wow I can't believe it's older than I am, it doesn't look like it... only only 18k miles!" jump on it.

$1000 for a bike from 1982 can get you a gem. $1000 for a bike from 1992 can get you a good project to work on for the street or track, if you're not worried about it looking like a million bucks. $1000 for a bike from 2002 will get you a heap of scrap metal.

Older = better