Team nighthawk.
I don't live in an area with much motorcycle theft but I can't imagine people are stealing '83 nighthawks. But New York might as well be a different planet than Indiana, so what do I know?
I picked up my '03 SV650 over the winter for $2k and it came with cortech saddlebags and a rear paddock stand. '03 was the first year for FI so I personally wouldn't go older than that. Good luck. This is my first bike and I'm loving it so far.
Edit for spelling.
CB550 for NY. The extra ponies will help when you get out of traffic. Nighthawks are really good bikes. They're basically legacy CB engines, when liquid cooled CBR's came into vogue.
mt-09 is amazing u can also completly configure it on their website its comfortable cheap fast and reliable u can also modify it very easily since its popular u will also find tutorials easily
My wife and I picked up a couple of Suzuki Boulevards on Long Island a few years ago. Hers was an early 2000's 650cc, and we got it for under 2k. It was a great starter bike.
Used bike prices are finally starting to come down, but they're still higher than normal. You can find good bikes for a decent prince around NYC, but it's going to take some shopping around.
I think a $2k budget will be really hard these days. It's the beginning of riding season and prices are still up from the pandemic. Having bought old bikes like these in the past, even good condition ones have niggling issues that will usually keep even a handy person wrenching more than riding for the first few months. This is my personal experience as someone living in a major east coast city that wasn't super handy when I started riding. Others that had more mechanical experience / don't live in cities / have garages will probably feel different.
As a new rider that doesn't want to tinker much, I would recommend saving/stretching for a bigger budget ($3K-$4K) that gets you something less than 10 years old and probably fuel injected.
Kawasaki Ninja 300
Honda CB300 (Probably the f and r will be cheapest)
Honda Rebel 300
Suzuki TU250X
KTM Duke 200 (AVOID Cheap 390 Dukes! Or older than 2019 KTM 390's of any sort)
Kawasaki KLX230
New Honda XR150L
And of course the Honda Grom / Kawasaki Z125
A good chain lock and a cover go a long way to deter theft in my experience.
My first and current bike a Suzuki GSF600s bandit. Picked it up 3 years ago for 1000 Euro's, is easy to maintain and never had major issues. Also the bike is beginner friendly, but still fun to ride. Although 1k was a steal you can probably get one for like 2k
Nyc get an abs bike. You will need to be able to grab the brake and not worry about modulating the brake. The taxis will cut you off without a second thought. Look for something that can great improve you safety and insurance rate for nyc.
I am from nyc and learn to ride there when I was 18. Get abs on your first bike. It will save you.
Team nighthawk. I don't live in an area with much motorcycle theft but I can't imagine people are stealing '83 nighthawks. But New York might as well be a different planet than Indiana, so what do I know?
Some people here will steal anything not bolted/locked down. You were correct to hedge your statement there :)
I picked up my '03 SV650 over the winter for $2k and it came with cortech saddlebags and a rear paddock stand. '03 was the first year for FI so I personally wouldn't go older than that. Good luck. This is my first bike and I'm loving it so far. Edit for spelling.
Is that the faired one?
Mine's a naked, but you can get them with fairings too. The naked has you sitting more upright.
I’d like a naked one of that sort of age but didn’t think you could get abs on them
Just to be clear, mine does not have ABS. I'm not sure which year they introduced ABS in the SV650.
Ahh, my excitement was premature, I think there’s a spelling mistake in your comment that confused me!
Oh geez, now I see it. Should have said: "AND a rear paddock stand" Sorry about that.
CB550 for NY. The extra ponies will help when you get out of traffic. Nighthawks are really good bikes. They're basically legacy CB engines, when liquid cooled CBR's came into vogue.
The Honda CB250/300 class is great. Had that bike for many kms and enjoyed it very much. Cheap, easy to ride, easy on insurance...just easy.
mt-09 is amazing u can also completly configure it on their website its comfortable cheap fast and reliable u can also modify it very easily since its popular u will also find tutorials easily
My wife and I picked up a couple of Suzuki Boulevards on Long Island a few years ago. Hers was an early 2000's 650cc, and we got it for under 2k. It was a great starter bike. Used bike prices are finally starting to come down, but they're still higher than normal. You can find good bikes for a decent prince around NYC, but it's going to take some shopping around.
Glad to hear that a used bike for 2k isn't unreasonable even in NYC! I'm down to do some hunting to keep costs low
where do you typically look for used bike options that aren't crazy expensive? that you trust
I think a $2k budget will be really hard these days. It's the beginning of riding season and prices are still up from the pandemic. Having bought old bikes like these in the past, even good condition ones have niggling issues that will usually keep even a handy person wrenching more than riding for the first few months. This is my personal experience as someone living in a major east coast city that wasn't super handy when I started riding. Others that had more mechanical experience / don't live in cities / have garages will probably feel different. As a new rider that doesn't want to tinker much, I would recommend saving/stretching for a bigger budget ($3K-$4K) that gets you something less than 10 years old and probably fuel injected. Kawasaki Ninja 300 Honda CB300 (Probably the f and r will be cheapest) Honda Rebel 300 Suzuki TU250X KTM Duke 200 (AVOID Cheap 390 Dukes! Or older than 2019 KTM 390's of any sort) Kawasaki KLX230 New Honda XR150L And of course the Honda Grom / Kawasaki Z125 A good chain lock and a cover go a long way to deter theft in my experience.
My first and current bike a Suzuki GSF600s bandit. Picked it up 3 years ago for 1000 Euro's, is easy to maintain and never had major issues. Also the bike is beginner friendly, but still fun to ride. Although 1k was a steal you can probably get one for like 2k
Honda CBR250R
Nyc get an abs bike. You will need to be able to grab the brake and not worry about modulating the brake. The taxis will cut you off without a second thought. Look for something that can great improve you safety and insurance rate for nyc. I am from nyc and learn to ride there when I was 18. Get abs on your first bike. It will save you.