Any thoughts on it? I've never owned a road bike...I've ridden them in other countries... this is moving up from a yz490 and XR200. I want a bike for commuting 3 miles and just because I haven't had a road bike.

Should I consider a 500? Someone offered me an 1984 ascot... with no compression in one cylinder after a valve adjustment for 500 dollars... I like the way the bike looks. All in all, I want a comfortable cruiser for cheap.

Or should I keep looking for a rebel? Are there any known problems with the bike?

 

i have never ridden a rebel 250 (though ive seen it a few times before), but if the price is nice, id take the rebel over the ascot. reason being, because a not-moving bike could be a problem. it might not only be the pistons and the cylinders or the valves or whatever.

 

we rode nighthawk 250's in the MSF course. parallel twin engine. pretty muted styling as opposed to the rebel which looks like a tot-sized jap rendition of a harley. i think the rebel seat is a little lower as they had a few of them in the class and the instructors directed most of the women to them.

if you're not going to put on a lot of highway miles, then a cheap lil 250 will probly be alright for you.

 

we had nighthawks and rebels for MSF. It may not be enough power to keep up w/ freeway traffic. I'd go w/ the 500 but I'm also a tech so I'd be comfortable working on the thing. Rebel is a very easy handle bike. I give the thumbs up

 

I used to own a Nighthawk 250, you can do highway speeds on them but the motor is working hard at ~80 mph, and if theres a headwind speeds are reduced further. Personally I like the Nighthawk styling better than the Rebels.

 

The 234 cc motor on these bikes is very reliable, almost bullet proof. Just change the oil regularly. I put 13,000 miles on my nighthawk and never had one problem with it. I no longer own it but it is still running strong today, saw it the other day while visiting my parents.

 

According to the lady who's selling the 84 ascot... she said that she gave it to a mechanic to do a valve adjustment... and a few weeks later... the bike lost compression in the front cylinder. Now the bike doesn't run and she's asking 500 for it... kinda high for a not-running bike no? What's a good price that I should offer for that bike? I'm not sure how to find the resale on bikes. I don't really plan to ride on the freeways if I get the rebel... It's mainly for the 3 mile commute to class... and the occasional ride on a 45mph highway to a friend's place 20 miles away. I'm comfortable with working on a 2 stroke engine... from rebuilding the carbuerator to new rings on the piston... but a 4 stroke... with valves... might pose a challenge.

Any thoughts?