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total fucking newb

6K views 57 replies 11 participants last post by  DesmoDog 
#1 ·
Hello guys,

Name is Jay. 34 and in Brooklyn, NY here!

So about two years ago my motorcycle savvy friends started bugging me about getting into motorcycles and riding with them. I pretty much figured ah why the hell not, I need a new project. Over the past year I've perused many message boards and lurked all over CL and eBay. I always return to this one for several reasons. (There was one thread in particular where some dude got a bike, slapped it into his garage, and the board veterans reacted in a "WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA PUT DOWN THE TOOLS STEP AWAY AND LET US HELP YOU" type vibe which is enjoyed and hope persists.)

So a few weeks ago I'm walking down the street in my neighborhood and I see this bike collecting parking tickets. It sits there for about a month before I leave a note on it. Talk to the dude and settle on a price. He stalls and I get the price lower. Long story short as of last night I now own a 1971 Honda CL 350 that i got for dirt cheap with a busted tire seal, a broken clutch lever and a bad ignition switch. The parts are already in the mail just to make it run before I proceed doing ANYTHING. He says it will start right up once I pop in the switch but WE SHALL SEE.

So hi to everyone and WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW? :D
 
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#3 ·
What the "Hell" you do now is.....

- sign up for NYC vinmoto's email list. There are a fair number of cb350 racers on there who live in NYC (mostly brooklyn - Jen MArkus, Rosko, etc....). There are also a bunch of 350 street riders on that list to trade parts and tools with.

- try to meet me, jaguar, larry bones, derby, buckets, and any of the other NYC people that are on this list in person because that is how you get a network of vintage riders to help you figure out stuff. The best way to do this is to attend a bike night at bar matchless on monday night or one of our events and rides on vinmoto.

- once the bike runs and is rideable you get "ownership papers" in your name by registering it and insuring it. the bike is a 1971 so you have a transferrable registration instead of a title.

- then you ride, and as you ride you try to figure out how to make the bike handle better, stop better, go better, and be more reliable. I always tell people the seat/bars/rearsets should be toward the end of the list because a racer tuck is a harder place to evaulate improvement from. a superbike bar, some bar ends, and lots of seat time is the best way to have fun with a bike.

what part of brooklyn are you in?
 
#4 ·
Judey,
I will take some pics tonight when I get off work and post them then.

Geeto,

-Thanks man. I signed up for the list.

-I will try to make it out to Matchless next week. I am friends with most of the people who work down the street at noname and play pinball there often.

-I was aware of the pre-1973 titlessness and I have been given a Bill of Sale

-I don't even have a fucking license right now, but I have a friend who told me the best way is to have him follow me in a car and go out to Red Hook and do the figure 8s int he road shit there. What's up with this $400 safety course? Some people tell me it's mandatory and others tell me it isn't.

I live in Bushwick off the Jefferson L stop.
 
#6 ·
quote:
Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles - model year 1972 or older

The acceptable proof of ownership is a NYS transferable registration or the acceptable proof of ownership for that vehicle issued by another state.

NYS does not issue title certificates for 1972 and older vehicles. NYS DMV normally issues a transferable registration for proof of ownership for a 1972 or older motor vehicle. The owner can use the transferable registration to transfer ownership to another person. If the proof of ownership is a NYS registration document, make sure the registration document is marked "transferable" on the front. The person whose name appears on the proof of ownership must sign the transfer section of the proof of ownership.

Different states issue different documents for ownership and transfer of older vehicles. To make sure that an out-of-state document is the acceptable proof of ownership, contact the DMV in the state that issued the document.
So this dude just wrote me up a bill of sale assuring me it's what the dude did for him when he bought it and he got it registered.
Hmmmmmmm......
 
#8 ·
Ok first off....well ill leave the judgment off a bit until we meet....
This site is kinda like a dating site for men with old broken motorcycles
Pics NOW

IF the bike was in ANYONES name in the last 5 or 10 years the DMV will NOT just take a BOS, they will tell you to get the signed transferable regi for that guy.
IF the bike has just been sitting un registered for 10 years or so then you can take a BOS and fill out forms at the DMV to transfer ownership to you, ill tell you know this will be many trips and the people at DMV will not help make this easy

You are saying that the guy that you got it from registered it in his name? if so he has a transferable regi and you cant do anything with out it.
Dont spend a dollar on the bike untill you know its actually yours
 
#9 ·
All those tickets could be associated with that bikes vin#, just saying this bike could possibly cost you more then what you bargained for. Give the PO a call and check the vin# for any "history".
 
#12 ·
shit, I didn't even think of that - you may have inherited all his tickets. DMV will make you pay if they have the tickets on file before you can register. you can negotiate it with them but really - it sucks if he just hit you with $500 of parking tickets.

Bill of sale is worthless unless he gave you a DMV MV-51B. If it is a handwritten bill of sale on a piece of looseleaf it doesn't even make good toilet paper. If he registered it get his transferrable registration - otherwise you and him may have a date at the DMV when you go to register it.

I know jessica down at no-name. so you are in touch with all the right people.

the safety course is not manditory but it is the way to get a license with the least amount of hassle. You show up to the MSF course with a helmet and a learners permit and by the end of the weekend they give you the license. Plus you get 10% off your insurance. The regular way of doing it is to have a registered running bike with full street equipment, a friend with a motorcycle license, a car, and a free weekday. your friend rides the bike to the test site while you follow in the car (very important - you will fail if you ride the bike there). then you get on the bike while the instructor follows with your friend in the car. they honk instructions to you. it is annoying but it only takes a day, not counting all the time you spend wrangling all that shit together in the first place. So yeah - pay the $400 and take the course (it used to be $280 - make sure you have the right course, one that gives you the license at the end).
 
#13 ·
i appreciate the concern about the tickets but i already handled that shit.
turns out he only had two and paid them (i checked last week) but was keeping them on the bike so he wouldn't get more.

already in contact with the dude presently to get me the right paperwork. *phew*

and yeah man. i know jess and ray. i think she MIGHT let me hole up at her shop.

good to know about the safety course. is this the one you're talking about? http://www.nysmsp.org/Default.aspx
 
#14 ·
yup that is the one.....

two of those schools I can recommend:

TRAMA'S AUTO SCHOOL, INC. QUEENS BOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

(718) 847-2015 BAYSIDE NY

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY SCHOOL, INC. SPRING CREEK BROOKLYN
(718) 599-1079


says fees vary by school so give them a call and see who is the cheapest. Trama has been around for more than 20 years.

it ain't jess's shop....not completely hers anyway, I don't really know the arrangement so be wary of that.
 
#16 ·
I just read the previous posts...

I work as the Lead Designer and Director of Design & Development for Evolve Motorcycles. My office is on Grand st between Berry and Bedford.

Swing that way sometime if you're around there during the days.
I can sneak outside for a cigarette and bullshit for a bit.

Larry -
 
#17 ·
Thanks for the info and warning, Geeto.

Hey Larry,
I'm a systems administrator for a retail company in the city (blah blah computer shit) so I don't have a lot of free day time to chill around williamsburg, but I appreciate the invite.
I'm more of a beer guy, but man that watermelon soju at dokebi in the summers is whip ass.
 
#23 ·
quote:Originally posted by jaguar

quote:Originally posted by Geeto67

you should just have it say "Biggest Dick in the Room"
you do know he is asian right?
it's brooklyn - everything is ironic
 
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