About

What’s Goin’ On Here?

Don’s 1985 Nighthawk 650

Welcome to Seattle-Motorcycles.com. I’m your host, Donald. I live in Seattle and grew up in SoCal in the 80’s. I probably spent as much time lusting over Honda Interceptors, Kawasaki GPz’s, and Yamaha FJ1100’s as I did over the lovelies in David Lee Roth’s “California Girls” video.

You know what? There’s way too much crap burying the cool, affordable, ridable, livable motorcycles for sale. If I see one more hillbilly trying to sell his 2 year old YZ490 dirt bike or suburb kid selling his pocket bike… I can’t say what I’ll do.

So what I will do is highlight only the bikes here that may interest you, the average motorcycle rider / enthusiast / shopper.

I will pay particular attention to really good buys – good bikes that in my opinion are priced very well. Bikes that are affordable – $2,500 or less.

Unless I highlight it here in order to point and make fun, you won’t find any dirt bikes (enduros are cool though – love KLRs, DRZs, XL/XRLs) , pocket bikes, quads, hardly any Harleys (if you’ve got $16,000 to blow on a motorcycle, chances are you aren’t reading blogs) or West Coast Chopper customs that cost as much as a home refi. You will find cycles for sale – BMWs, Hondas, Kawasakis, Yamahas, an occasional Suzuki (never owned one and the one I did ride – a Bandit 1200 – was a yawner). I am particular to the bikes of the 80s and early 90s. If I find a Yamaha Vision, FJ or Fazer, Honda CB -1 400 or 80’s Sabre, Kawasaki ZRX 1100/1200 or Spectre and it’s for sale in Seattle / Western Washington, it will show up here.

** Disclaimer – I am not advocating the purchase of any of the motorcycles that I highlight on these pages, I am advocating them for your own attention and inspection. You are responsible for checking out the cycle thoroughly, even if I profusely praise a particular cycle. I do not personally inspect the cycles, hell I probably won’t even contact the owner. Nor am I a mechanic, and I don’t know how much money/time it would cost to fix a bike’s carbs or anything else. I put stuff up on this little website that’s in my interest funnel for you to see for yourself. I make no warranties at all about the functionality or usability of any cycle I write about here. That’s my $10 legal babble.

Cycles I’ve owned:

1983 Yamaha RX50
1983 Honda CM250
1989 Kawasaki EX500 (Ninja 500)
1986 Yamaha Fazer FZX 700 ( two of them, and I’d take a third)
1991 Yamaha V-Max
1993 Honda CBR1000F
1988 Honda GoldWing 1500 SE
1985 Honda Nighthawk 650

I’ve ridden since 1983 and for a two year stint, a motorcycle was my only form of transportation (my 1989 EX500.) My favorite bike? The 1986 Yamaha Fazer FZX700. Unique styling, power to climb a wall, and very well engineered bike. In 1987, Yamaha changed the styling/colors, really uglified it. Perhaps because of this restyling and sluggish sales, there was no Fazer in the States after 1987.

What cycles are on my Dream List?

1984/1985 Kawasaki GPz 750 Turbo. Just ‘cuz.
Kawasaki ZRX 1200. Took one for a nice, long test ride. Comfort, power, style.
1984 Honda V65 Sabre
Honda XLR600 Dual Sport
Another 1986 Fazer

I’m not a real big fan of the current style of motorcycles. Bikes nowadays are extreme – seems it’s either an extreme sportbike or an extreme cruiser(they all look the same to me). I pine for the day of the good ol’ standard. I don’t need to go 150 mph and I’m not going to spend $11,000. I like Harley Davidsons about as long as their price is reasonable – I think 883 Sportsters are cool, but that’s about it. There are a few bikes from very recent years that I do like, though:

Triumph Speed Triple
Aprilia Tuono