Highside/Lowside: Should I start on a vintage motorcycle?

And I mean old, as in a few decades old when I started riding it. Absolutely obsolete. It was abused, missing parts, and just beautiful to teenage Greaser. I had to learn how to fix it if I wanted to ride it, and I made a lot of mistakes. It would be a long time before I could actually ride the thing. If I’d saved up for a newer, running motorcycle, I would have had a nice head start on building my street riding experience instead of building my garage’s tool selection. At least I didn’t spend much on gas.

After buying the cheapest vintage motorcycle I could afford and fixing it up, I’d hesitate to recommend that experience to anyone. Really, I’d say get a decent modern bike first, then pick up something vintage so you can ride and wrench at your leisure. Not everyone has the money, space, or time for that, though. The decision to go vintage must be made on a strictly personal basis, I think. And a strictly bike-by-bike basis. 

Vintage doesn’t mean anything other than old. You might find a cherry Honda CB350, for example, ready to ride and well maintained. It might set you back a few grand and take nothing but oil, gas, and the usual consumables. As Ari knows, they’re great motorcycles. Just take care of them. A motorcycle can only be as good as it's maintained to be.

On the other hand, a totally thrashed basket case, like my first street bike, can also be called “vintage.” Since both the cherry CB and the basket case are “vintage,” can we really make broad statements about who should be riding them, or who should even consider them? Probably not, but there are a few truisms here. First, a vintage bike is the only option for some people. Modern bikes just aren’t the same, that’s for sure. Park a new Bonneville, let’s say, next to an old one, and some riders only have eyes for one. Who am I to say they’re wrong?

Second, a vintage bike will require research and patience to keep on the road regardless of reliability. Eventually, you’ll need some part or another. That’s normal for any motorcycle. Just don’t expect your local dealer to stock a part for your 1967 Yamaha two-stroke, or your early motocrosser, or your bevel-case Ducati, or whatever. (Harleys can be an exception to this, until you get into the really old stuff.) Do some research ahead of time to see what to expect for the model you’re interested in, and look around on some forums to see what other owners have experienced. Life’s too short to make all the mistakes yourself.

Finally, a vintage bike is probably going to bring some attention, so you’d better like talking to people if you ride it. Especially oldheads at the gas station whose brother’s friend had one “just like that” back in the day. In fact, the smart vintage rider will add a few minutes to trips anywhere: for conversation, adjusting the carbs, or taking that perfect picture for Instagram. Mostly joking.

In all seriousness, there are a ton of resources out there if you want to learn about vintage bikes, and you can start (or continue!) that journey with this episode of Highside/Lowside. 

How to listen to Highside/Lowside

As usual, the podcast version of the discussion offers an uncut listening experience for an even deeper dive into the topic. Plus, season two Highside/Lowside will continue to include an interview with a special guest in the podcast version.

Highside/Lowside is available via iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Libsyn, and Google Play for those with accounts.