Best bike to rebuild for a beginner.

Hi All,

I'd appreciate any help with this at all, whether that be a link to a thread I've missed or private messages. Apologies in advance if this question has been asked already.

I am an aircraft technician by trade and have recently found myself working more on computers then with my hands. To help me get over this I have decided that restoring a bike would be a great hobby. However, I don't know where to start with regards to what bike to choose. I'm looking for something relatively easy for my first rebuild. I love the look of Cafe racers however I'm 6ft7 with a 38" inseam... So not the best choice for me. Having said that I plan to sell the bike on once finished and start another rebuild.

Please can I ask for suggestions on what bike to start my journey with I hope to get online payday loans in MI for buying this bike, so hope for your advice?

Thanks in advance!!!!

Something simple, with good parts availability.  And if your intent is to resell, something that's popular.  Something like a 1970s Honda CB350 wouldn't be a bad choice.

The thing with cafe racers is, anything works.

Gold wing

XR 650

KLR 650

The list goes on. 

I was going to suggest a single, until I saw the Aircraft Mechanic bit. Find something cheap that you can get a manual for. Post a build thread here. Cheers.

Something aircooled, perhaps.  Triumph Bonneville?  Honda CB?  Suzuki GS?  Go looking around the neighborhood, watch Craigslist for projects that someone else quit on, that sort of thing.  Spring's coming and some folks are going to want their garage space back.

Honda CBs have gone up in price as they are the easy way to go. there is a good source of aftermarket parts for it. Ten years ago the running and complete CB360s with titles that I was looking at for $400 are now selling for $1600.

I went with a XS400 as they share a lot of parts with other Yamahas around the same age. Also a lot of XS650 parts will work. They are still cheap, easy to work on, have kick and electric start and they made a decent amount of them. The single cams have good looking motors and frames.

Probably not the best for someone your height, but if you don plant to keep it, does it matter?

I bought a cheap Royal Enfield Bullet in pieces. It kept me occupied for several months just doing a stock 'resurrection'. Only downside was almost everything had to be ordered from Great Britain. I had so much fun doing it I wrote a (short) book about it.

My main parts source Hitchcocks offers all sorts of customization parts to do everything from making a rigid bike to a trials, scrambler, cafe or anything in between. An 'iron barrel' like I have is the same bike 1955-2007 (mostly). The newer EFI models are almost as simple but have the injection, electronic ignition and electric start. You can't get much more basic than one of these. Unlike Triumphs, etc I didn't need any special factory tools to take it apart or put it back together (TBH I didn't split the cases or have the crank out of mine).

Barring the above a Honda CB is probably the easiest because they sold a bajillion of them in the USA and they are everywhere. Collector interest has started to rise though which drives the prices up.

Did you decide on a project to start? I’ve got a Honda v30 magna, a rebel 450 (only built 86 and 87) and a buell blast, my wife just convinced me to unload. All need work, all have been ridden by me, before minor repairs turned into project creep. I’ll get some pictures snapped, and post decent for sale post this weekend. I’m in L.A. ... lower AL... near Dothan. / ft Rucker.