Beginner

[pharoahimam]

Soory for he long introduction, but I am planning on going to College in Daytonna, FL, and I cant afford living there, so i decided to move back to my parents house in Orlando, and it's about 1 hr drive to get to school... so that's a 2 hr trip daily, 5 days/week. I decided to use a bike for transportation instead of my Nissan frontier 6 cylinders pick up truck, which would make the idea of getting into more debt seem pretty cool if i drive it there. Anyway, so i have a 2005 Honda rebel, with 1500 miles on it, offered fo sale... considering the fact that i will take my motorcycle school next week to get my lisence, (never ridden before), could you please give me a price forr the bike, and if the rebel would be a stong bike for interstate I-4? I'm 5'9" and 180 lb. bodybuilder. I forgot to mention that the rie is about 120 miles round trip, and i was told that the bike will start shaking at about 70 mph, is that true?

Thank you for your time and sharing your experiences with me.

[Duke Bushido]

an individual bike might shake at a give speed; that's a problem with the bike itself. Possibly tires, balance, or spoke issues. It's not going to shake because it's a particular bike.

I run mine off the speedo constantly; no shakes.

Yes; the Rebel will run Interstate speeds. It's more a matter of if you can do it on a Rebel, and not if the Rebel can do it or not.

[GearJammer]

Agreed.......that Rebel shouldn't shake unless there's a problem somewheres.

With only 1500 miles, it might be hard to tell yet, but you could take a close look at the tires to see if there's any uneven tread pattern wear. You could also take a look at the rear chain adjuster scales on either side of the swingarm & see if they're at roughly the same setting position when comparing both sides of the bike.

Closely check to see if the bike has ever been down, particularly looking for any damage that might have tweaked the fork legs or the frame itself. Position the handlebars so that they're straight & then closely check to insure that the front wheel is also straight, no dings on the fork legs themselves, etc. Also eyeball the wheel rims on each side to insure that there's no dings on the rims where the rim & tire surfaces meet.

What price is he asking ?

And welcome aboard! ;)

[pharoahimam]

She is asking for 2,500, and I will try to get it for 2,000-2,200. I'm trying to get gear with the rest of the money. I also need strong saddle bages for books, and a possible labtop. Would be a good idea to take a labtop on the bike? oh, and thanks for the replies.

[GearJammer]

It's been a buyer's market for motorcycles since 2002 or thereabouts, meaning that the used bike market is glutted & a buyer should be able to find a lot of bikes to choose from at the price they want.

Just checked the completed auction listings on eBay & saw an '02 that sold for $2200 and an '06 that went for $2500. Figuring that eBay commands the highest prices, when buying privately/locally, your offer of $2000 isn't unreasonable at all, but you do want to insure that there's nothing wrong with the bike.

You can check out the dealership as well as local indie shops to see what they've got to offer in sturdier saddlebags. eBay is also an option or Jack's in Sanford, FL........Jack specializes in Rebels & would do ya right. You can check out his webpage and/or give him a call www.rebelcatalog.com

Some also build their own hard bags. Packing a laptop shouldn't be an issue and please keep in mind the option of wearing a backpack as well......

[txsizzler]

I wear a backpack all the time when riding my Rebel. Makes it alot easier hauling stuff. I will eventually break down and get saddlebags.. just not sure when yet.

As far as running at interstate speeds, i do it all the time, without the shakes. If that bike starts shaking at 70 mph, you need to check those tires for uneven wear (like GJ mentioned), or make sure the front tire isn't a bit bent. Remember this also, the Rebel only weighs 335 lbs dry. When you get some wind hitting you at high speeds, and you aren't used to the Rebel, it will buffet you around some.