There are an excess of old motorcycles available, mostly Japanese and Eastern European, that cost less than £250 and still have a bit of potential life left in them. They rarely turn up in the established motorcycle press, most likely to be found on postcards in newsagent's windows or in Free Advert papers. Also through the cosmic exchange system which has gone way beyond the remit of old Brits, and accidental sightings when abandoned in front gardens. As a last resort, when the going gets desperate, it's also a good crack to place 'Motorcycles Wanted' adverts wherever they are cheap or free. It also pays to keep an open mind on choice of machinery, take whatever comes along and bodge to suit your personal whims.
That's the good news, the bad news is that a few English winters, combined with the usual neglect, leads to some deep corrosion, especially in components like exhausts, calipers and rear end bearings. Nothing a lot of bodging can't fix. Those with insurance problems might do well to look at machines over 15 years old, when 'classic bike' insurance applies and keep a spare speedo to overcome the mileage limitations such policies contain (although you shouldn't even be thinking about making a claim, it's quicker and cheaper to repair most damage yourself).
Some old Japs are even beginning to assume classic bike status, although no-one has yet to claim the same for MZ strokers, which puts most of the sixties stuff out of bounds, especially as it's useful if not essential to have a second (or third, or fourth...) bike as a source of cheap spares. Most seventies' bikes were less powerful than earlier examples because of noise and pollution controls, can be revived by modifying the air-filter and exhaust (as well as rerouting the engine breather away from the former). One of the nice things about cheap hacks is their general simplicity, the ease with which they can be modded to suit individual tastes.
For pure town work there ain't much better than an old Honda stepthru (£50 quid up), which works best in C90 form, giving that extra bit of speed for carving up cagers. The combination of worn out trailing link front forks and rusting rear subframe gives handling on a par with a drunken camel. The hidden benefit being that it'll take your mind off the rumbling mains, rattling valve-gear and cackling camchain; as will the deathwish drum brakes and lack of lighting.
As ubiquitous as MZ250s amongst hacks are old Honda twins. Such enviable devices as the CD or CM 125 having a useful edge over the single cylinder CG125 in the longevity stakes. The CG, and the even older CB125, are fine for town work but the rumbling vibes limit the time they can be run flat out on A-roads, something of a necessity given the high speeds at which cages can, these days, hurtle along. Later, Brazilian, variants of the CG125 aren't recommended after 30,000 miles, a combination of poor quality materials and general corrosion - even the crankcases have been known to crack up.
It's hard to tell if the single or the twins have the worse gearbox, once more than 25000 miles are done, with an excess of false neutrals in either case. The CD125, in particular, has the wondrous ability to survive throttle-to-the-stop sorties and quite excessive neglect, as likely to fail from chassis corrosion as engine demise. A good example of any three of these models with fetch £500, but they do decay cosmetically, at an exponential rate after the first three years. A rough looking example with a reasonable engine can be had for £200 to £250. It's more a question of a bit of hard graft rather than massive expenditure to put them into reasonable shape, where necessary mixing and matching with whatever bits the local breaker has on offer cheaply. Such effort will probably extend to the forks and shocks, unless you actually get a rise out of a bike that wallows and weaves.
Even better, from a highway kicks point of view, are the Benly series, although early bikes weren't as tough as they should've been - especially when compared to the original CD175 series, quite a few of which have defied the effect of time by still running well. The odd engine capacities (185 and 200cc) make them useless for learners and of little interest to the usual hoodlums. The CD125 mill can be force-fitted and I've even seen a total rat with a CG engine shoe-horned in. In the hack world, anything goes as long as it saves money. Again, £200 to £250 will purchase something with a viable engine and rotting chassis.
I personally own a CD200 with Superdream front end, homemade seat and panels, plus a pair of near rigid Girling shocks. The engine's done 62000 miles without being stripped (1000 mile oil changes, naturally) and still puts 75mph on the clock whilst averaging 80mpg. As a winter hack or second bike it's a winner and brilliant value for money.
The alternative to these robust four stroke twins are some strokers, the H100 and MTX125/200. The former's a relatively sensible commuter that often ends up thrashed to death in learner hands, or crashed, which means there's an adequate supply of reasonable motors in breakers. Don't expect much more than 30,000 miles from an engine even under commuter use, the resulting rattles self evident. The H100's a bit of a dead end as there's no easy way to upgrade the motor or fit an alternative engine; unlike the CD's the motor is much more likely to fail than the chassis. For around £250 very few nice ones are available.
The MTX125's a touch more amusing, being fast, tunable and the 200 engine can be fitted. The later RW version's too expensive to include here. The engine may well blow its guts when derestricted which adds to the general madness. For £250 you can expect a chassis on its last legs and a motor with piston and small-end bearing on the way out. Whilst Honda dominate the low end in four stroke designs they can't really match the finesse of Yamaha or Suzuki in the two stroke arena.
Honda's best 250 in terms of the riding experience was the RS, an OHC single that unfortunately had a bit of a habit of eating its piston. That suicide instinct's fine from the point of view of hacking as it stopped the bike assuming classic status as a sort of four stroke equivalent of the MZ 250. Given that thousands were sold it's a bit surprising to see so few left on the road. Or perhaps not, as chassis rot was added to engine problems but it's not an impossible situation because there are plenty or real rats to buy as back up to a running hack, which are available in the £200 to £300 range.
The CBX250RS version is a vastly superior bike but the only ones available for under £250 are likely to have blown electrics, ruined chassis and more than fifty thou on the clock. The engine's similar to the GB250 grey import, so the odd decent motor may turn up in breakers.
Much more ubiquitous are the 250/ 400 Dreams and Superdreams. The former look rather pudgy but go quite well until they are almost worn out at 45000 miles. The Superdream, especially in 400 form, makes a viable hack and rattly engines in rusting chassis can still have a surprising amount of life left in them. The really good stuff might fetch £750 but £150 to £250 secures a viable runner. A comment on the poorness of the engine design is that if the chain driven balancer's chucked the vibes don't noticeably increase (perhaps partly because it's a quick wear part of the motor).
Of the 500cc Honda's there a surprisingly large choice in a number of different engine configurations. The poorly designed FT500, for instance, can largely be revived by modifying the suspension and fitting an XBR (or GB400/500) motor. Not such an outlandish idea as a reasonable FT can be picked up for £250 but don't expect the original engine to give long service.
The CB500T has a similar poor reputation and low price, mainly down to variable build quality when they were introduced as an update to the CB450 twin back in 1975. Those still running are the survivors of many engineering adventures and some have even been modded with CB450 cams for more performance. The chassis is built to sixties rather than seventies standards, doesn't rot that quickly and easily modified by upgrading the suspension. More than most hacks, prices are likely to rise.
The CX500 also had its fair share of engine hassles, but the sheer numbers sold meant that quite a few have survived more than 75000 miles. All kinds of expensive problems can crop up in the watercooled vee-twin motor and the twin shock chassis bore more than a passing resemblance to a high speed blancmange. They are almost cult bikes, these days, and 250 notes doesn't buy much.
The CB500 four, and the 550 variant, are only available as rat bikes at these prices, mainly because a gloss black paint job brings out their classic lines enough to inflate prices. The four cylinder motor is rather bland, even when aged and fitted with a straight through exhaust, but as hacks they are more than adequate.
Yamaha make clever strokers that have superior reliability to most other makes. They have made some rotten chassis, such devices as the RS100 and 125 being so fast corroding that very few are left on the road. If you come across a nice engine it can be fitted in the superior RXS100, which is one of the few strokers to rival the sheer practicality of the CG125 Honda. More a comment on the lack of development of the CG than the advanced nature of the RXS.
Like most strokers, engine durability's down to the type of owner, more than 30,000 miles possible under a mild hand. This Yam appeals to so many different types of riders, from 17 year old learners who thrash, neglect and crash, to experienced riders who need a winter bike, to OAP's who can't manage anything bigger, that just about any kind of hack's likely to turn up on the used market. It's worth waiting for something reasonable to appear, although there are plenty of spare engines and bits in breakers. The dynamics of the RXS100's performance won't impress but the ruggedness will enlighten.
Equally beyond the pale to many who idolize the race replica creed, the YB100 has long crunched along UK roads and is even, in many practical guises, still sold as a working bike in good old Yippon. Many parts are common to the teen favourite of yore, the FS1E and it's not beyond the realms of science fiction to fit the YB's motor into the moped chassis. Or vice versa if you want to get particularly perverse. Something to watch out for!
Perfectly adequate YB100's exist for a hundred notes if riders are willing to don a suitable disguise or pour a tin of Hammerite over the blistered chassis. Two hundred quid should buy a jolly nice example and breakers have a viable supply of bits in most parts of the country. One thing to watch out for is that mild knocks and rattles, that are normally par for the course for an aged stroker, can overnight turn terminal. The engine strip revealing blown crank bearings as well as a dead piston and bore. When that happens there's no economic means of repair, replacement of the bits, or whole engine, necessary.
Yamaha's RD125LC is much more serious stuff. The engine manages to retain its reliability when the power's doubled from the restricted 12hp form, a state most motors find themselves, these days. The chassis is adequate to 80mph speeds but crash damage can rear its ugly head in the form of cracked wheels or bent frame tubes. Given their popularity with youths this is all quite likely. The majority of bikes are now in a poor, if not dubious state, but they remain a cheap way into both the learner and speed game. 250 notes buys a merely adequate example.
Even more likely to have had the balls thrashed off it is the earlier RD125 twin, which managed to combine almost classic looks with a whizz-bang kinda motor. Reliability of a recently rebuilt motor should be okay but many engines will be on their last legs, evident from the smokescreen and engine rattles. It's possible to fit other engines into the chassis, which doesn't rot at the rate of later Yamaha efforts.
Larger Yamaha strokers were built in abundance but 250 notes won't buy much more than a couple of crates filled with paperweights. The DT175 being the only exception of note. Unfortunately, this just happened to be a very useful off-road bike due to its combination of mass and power. That means the vast majority are little better than rolling wrecks waiting for their day in the great scrap yard in the sky but the odd usable one might turn up for two hundred quid. Expect minimal lights and a rotting chassis, although the engine's tough enough. The early twin shocker may even eventually make it as a classic!
Yamaha earlier efforts at building four strokes were often indifferent, making for some great potential hacks. The SR series, at best, made it as worthy rather than exciting. The SR500 version has some semblance of attractive lines when painted gloss black but its appetite for pistons doesn't impress even if its simplicity means it's easy enough to take the motor down every 15000 miles and there are lots of useful aftermarket engine bits, exhaust systems, cycle parts, etc. There are some nicely sorted examples around but not for under £250. That kind of money buys a runner with worn out suspension and decaying cycle parts.
The SR125 and 250 are a bit more reliable than their larger brother, longevity depending on how well the motor's treated. Neither will impress with their performance, the 250 having a useful edge, and both decay rapidly after the first few years of use. The custom style may appeal to the misguided but Yamaha appear to have missed the chance to produce a four stroke rival to the MZ's. There are many examples on offer, £250 should buy something in working order.
Yamaha took their cue from Honda with their series of XS twins, throwing in their own character building exercise by making them very temperamental starters, something shared with the older SR singles. The initial cause of such traumas was a corroded kill-switch but aged wiring also made life exciting. The XS250/400 shared most chassis components to the extent of being able to swap engines, although most sensible riders will, by now, have swapped the suspension and brakes for something more modern. Like most hacks of this era there's a more than adequate engine ready to be raided for the goodies. It just takes a bit of work on the chassis. Some people demand silly money but few are willing to pay it, so less than £250 still buys a hack.
The XS500 twin was one of those bikes that was fine in theory but in practice the four valves per cylinder, DOHC's and chain driven balance shafts combined to cause much mayhem. Fine until it broke, the poor engine alloy stripped threads and cracked up when attacked in the usual fashion, whilst chassis rot didn't seem to make any effort worthwhile. Despite this, rather in the fashion of British twins, a few survived the rigours of the used market, proving themselves fast, capable and something of a bargain given that their poor rep has kept prices way down.
Yamaha's best twin was undoubtedly the XS650, so good that the only ones likely to be available in hack country are mangey chopped examples, but even these are worthwhile as the motor can be popped into an old BSA A65 chassis to get the best of both worlds. The XS650 twin's as tough as they come but the stock chassis is a nasty piece of work.
Yamaha's other foiled attempt at originality was the XZ550 vee twin, another bike that was very variable in build quality. Most have expired from exasperation at their poor carburation, the kind of malaise that makes you want to take a hammer to the engine. Unfortunately, the chassis is so unique that it's unlikely any other motor could be shoehorned in. Paying 200 notes for something that seems to be running well could be throwing money away; check the bike by giving it a jet-wash and seeing if it starts!
Any XS750 triple still on the road is likely to have had its manifold problems sorted and they can keep running even when in a very decrepit state. And they do become very rat-like if not given an excess of TLC. There's the odd owner around touting immaculate examples at silly prices but it's very easy to spoil their day by mentioning the gearbox. XS750's specialise in the exploding gearbox syndrome. For hack money we are talking real rat country but what the hell, it'll still do a ton and sounds good on rotted through pipes thanks to the three cylinder symphony.
Suzuki often match Yamaha with the strength and competence of their strokers, especially in the low capacity commuter genre. Thus the A100 and infamous B120 are as tough as anything else on offer, although the mad escapades of learners and lacklustre build quality of the GP100 doesn't inspire the same kind of respect. There are some quite nice examples of all three models available for under £250 and many hacks for as little as fifty quid.
Early GP125s, in 16hp form, were fast and fun, although most later versions have also been tuned way beyond the 12hp with which learners are clobbered. In more enlightened markets 125 strokers come quite reliably with 20 to 25 horses but those are new bikes rather than some aged bit of engineering that 200 notes buys. The best advice for a rider of a tuned GP is to keep the left hand over the clutch - always! However, the way things are there are plenty of crashed bikes in breakers from which a reliable stock motor can be extracted.
Suzuki made many an interesting stroker twin in their time, finding fine form with the idiom. The GT125 was perhaps atypical, with a peaky, unreliable motor and somewhat degenerative handling on quick wear suspension and chassis bearings. Only really of use to those forced into the capacity by the learners laws , with few good ones left on offer.
The related GT185, when given 500 mile doses of TLC, proved better, the main cause for concern being naff swinging arm bearings. 20,000 mile engine rebuilds are about what you'd expect but there is the possibility of low rev running and reasonable economy when not in full throttle mode. Like the GT250, these bikes represent good value for money and can easily be upgraded into neat pieces of hardware. Buy one before the prices go the same way as the RD250/400.
The GT250X7 was Suzuki's attempt at beating the RD, with light mass and high speeds making for an interesting cocktail of on the road kicks. Anything decent costs more than £500, anything cheap's likely to be more trouble than its worth. When they go bad they do so in a big way, with blown cranks and cracked frames.
An interesting oddity was the SB200, derived from the rare GT200. A sort of two stroke CD175, the SB had all the panache of a plateful of stale blancmange but it works well in commuter mode and there's even the odd grey import around as such working bikes remain extremely popular in Japan. They can rot away beautifully!
Less liable to decay, perhaps because they turn their owners' heads, the GT500 has long been recognized as one of the toughest strokers to come out of the Orient. Its mild state of tune and large capacity being unique, the only sign of stress occurring when the crankshaft seals go and all the oil's sucked out of the gearbox! Their rep is such that only rats are available for £250 but it's worth putting in a bit of effort. Unlike the GT750 triple, the 500's a real classic in the making.
Suzuki made the gradual move from strokers to four strokes without any large blunders (don't mention alternators, please), quickly becoming famous for building the tough GS series. Very old GS125's are on offer as hacks but are likely to be about to blow their top ends if not their crankshafts. Old drum braked chassis have few problems, quite viable to fit in a newer engine, the electric start model being more fun in traffic - like many singles they can stall at junctions. The DR125's a variation on the same theme but with a chassis more likely to decay.
Several 250's were available from the GSX250 twin and GS250T variant, with its cheese-like four valve head, to the commuter delights of the GN250 single, which ain't quite old enough to make it as a hack, although English winters and cheap build quality means that happy day can't be far off. More likely to find the 400 version, or its trail bike brethren (SP370/400), decayed and rotted for silly money. Useful devices that can be cheaply upgraded and even fitted with the 250 mill if the going gets desperate. Don't expect an excess of speed but they are cheap to run.
Even more acceptable are the GS400 to 450cc twins, DOHC motors with a single gear driven balancer they take up where Daytonas and Bonnies left off, with excellent ones beginning to fetch serious money (not to be confused with the later GS450E). Old rats are available for next to nothing but watch out for burnt out exhaust valves and alternators on these otherwise very tough motors.
Less successful was the GSX400F which would wreck its crankshaft when stressed out, but it's otherwise not a bad package with the potential to take any number of engines. Like the GS550, many ended up so rotted that they are not expensive and only need a lot of elbow grease and a few tins of matt black paint to sort out. Lots of fun can be had with such projects.
Kawasaki make a pretty weird mixture of commuters, none of which sold very well in the UK. The KH/KE series of 100 and 125cc strokers are worthy enough, last well under moderate commuting abuse and don't have any startling faults. The KH's are a bit on the small side, leaving those of gorilla proportions looking pretty damn silly. Two hundred quid will buy something faded, rattling but running.
The odd near wreck of an AR125 may also turn up, but most of the watercooled strokers have been tuned to 20hp, or more, and the frames are quite easy to bend.
The Z200 and 250 singles are as neat an example of simple four stroke technology as you're likely to come across but age has taken its toll on most examples, with equally worn chassis and engines. Still, the basics are okay and a few intrepid riders even use them for long distances. Relatively good ones are still available for reasonable money. The KL250 isn't so inspiring but engines will mix and match.
The Z250 twin mill had such a penchant for ruining its top end that most high mileage examples have gone through two to four engines, making good motors very rare on the used market. That makes buying a non-runner a bad move and most of the ones available for £250 are going to be marginal.
Any Z400/440 twin that's survived so far is probably going to keep running despite a poor design, so don't be put off by a decayed surface.
The only other Kawasaki of note's the old 750 twin, which had enough engine balancers for a battle-ship and sufficient excess metal to fulfil a scrappy's dreams. The old dear lunged through life on a modicum of torque and surplus of rattles with no redeeming features whatsoever. Further potential horrors added by the few remaining examples being chopped so ineptly that they are at least cheap!
MZ 125 and 250's are so well known that few comments are needed. These strokers can cost next to nothing and last for years; even if they don't spare engines or even bikes are readily available (a strategy that should be applied to all hacks). MZ's are better than other Iron Curtain hacks but CZ singles have their uses, once all the electrics are sorted. In both cases the chassis are acceptable once the front brake's been upgraded.
Those desperate for Italian bikes will find the going hard as just about everything claims classic status. The odd old stroker may turn up and a really nasty V50 could provide an interesting mechanical work-out. British stuff's impossible unless you're willing to contemplate a BSA Bantam in twenty boxes, although the Enfield India 350 throwback has as much character as idiosyncrasies. Buy one for the retro style.
Hacks are well weird, very rarely in standard nick and often about to fall apart. That's all part of the fun of running something on a budget that would have most pushbike owners gawping in wonder (did you know that pushbikes are now serviced by dealers and usually don't come with mudguards and lights - yuck!), let alone those misguided souls who buy new motorcycles. The high gunge factor also makes them a fashion statement - or something.
Dick Lewis