Well, I bought my first bike about two weeks ago for $200. It's a 1982 Honda CB 650 Nighthawk SC. The guy who sold it to me tried to turn it into a custom job, by chopping the back off and welding on the back end and fender from a Harley Sportster. He intended to build this as a bike for his wife. He has also cut the tank with a welder, in an attempt to make the bike (and tank) look more 'wasp-waisted'. The welds on the tank still aren't sealed, so I would have to take it to a welder to get this done. Otherwise, I would need to get another gas tank. The guy suggested either a Harley Sportster tank, or simply a Nighthawk tank.

In the ad, the guy told me that all the bike really needed was a paint job for the frame...which seemed perfect for me since I am getting into doing murals on motorcycles (gas tanks, fenders, etc.) as well as helmets. He welded some custom handlebars for the bike which he thought looked cool, but I don't understand how they would work since they block the ignition lock.


I have also noticed that some other parts of the bike are missing, such as the speedometer/ tachyometer instrument panel.

Of course, half the Bike's engine is removed and is currently sitting in a box in the shed...along with the bike itself. However, in order to paint the frame of the bike, I will have to remove the rest of the engine (the bottom half) myself (or hopefully with some help).

I also recieved a Clymer shop manual for Honda CB fours along with the bike. I suppose this isn't as good as the owner's manual itself but it's better than nothing. The manual actually seems quite comprehensive. However, since I know very little about motorcycle mechanics it seems like quite a daunting task.

When I recieved the bike, I paid $200 in cash for it...yet neglected to get a reciept or the ownership papers for the bike. I called the guy who sold the bike to me right away, informing him of this. He told me that he would either mail the ownership to me, or mail a complex reciept to me...which would permit me to get the bike registered.

I have done quite a bit of research in regards to buying a motorcycle, especially a 'first bike'. One authour warned against the 'false economy' of purchasing a cheap 'fix-up' model, since it would cost more to repair a $200 'as is' bike than it would cost to buy a $2,000 used model that had been certified. I can certainly understand the reasoning behind this, since I must now not only purchase all the tools and parts required to get the bike up and running, but I must also invest the time to take apart the engine, paint the frame, and put the engine (and the bike) back together. Not to mention the fact that I will be effectively learning as I go.

However, even though the investment in tools and equipment for repair and maintenance of the bike might cost as much as another bike...I expect that I could save as much money by learning to do my own maintenance and repair myself. Also, if I want to get into the business of custom motorcycle murals I should become familar with disassembling and reassembling the engine in order to paint the frames of any potential customers I might have.

I can't really say that this bike is a 'rip off', since for $200 the bike is worth the cost of the tires alone. It would certainly be useful as a 'parts bike', since most of the peices of the bike seem to be there.

However, if I don't recieve the ownership/ reciept in the mail, I doubt it would be legally rideable.

Still, for a mere $200 it will be worth the experience just to custom paint the bike with a kick-ass paint job/ mural and reassemble the bike as a 'show bike'. Not to mention the experience I will get in disassembling, cleaning, tweaking, and reassembling the engine.

I am thinking of covering the tank, front and rear fender with H.R. Giger murals. However as this is my first bike (and I am bound to drop or crash it) I might want to start with something simpler, such as a flame job/ pinstripes, and so forth.

Ideally though, I would love to be able to ride this motorcycle as my first bike.