Got an email from Jennifer up north this morning:

Hi there,

I just bought my first bike last night. I had no clue what I really had until I started researching it online this morning.

I definitely think I got a great deal after reading about this bike. It's been a one and half owner bike. I say half because the second owner had it for the last 5-6 yrs but never drove it. It was kept in his living room (seriously) since he got it. Anyway, the bike only has 5871 original miles on it and is still sporting the original rubber it had from the factory!

There's only a small dent in the tank just above one of the emblems. It's coppery orange and black just like yours. The only thing this bike needs is a battery and I would like to replace the emblems. Even the seat is in mint condition! The fuel tank needs to be cleaned as it has a bit of rust in it but the guy who just had it was smart nough to disconnect the line from the carb so I don't think there will be any problem with the carbs. So I got this sweet ride for $500 Canadian (about $400US).
Well just wanted to share.

First off, congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful, smoky world of R5 ownership! From my personal experience (and the writings of many others) this is one of the best beginner bikes to have, a bike with much historical significance, and an all-around fun vehicle...

I find it pretty interesting how similar your story is to mine:

• This was my first bike as well, bought it from a fellow who accepted it as trade for construction work from the first owner and never really rode it...had only 3000 miles on the odo! So I guess you could say it's a one-and-a-halfer as well!

• He had stored it in his garage for the better part of 30 years, but this winter I brought the bike into my house! I guess you could call it the living room - my place is just one big open loft space, no walled rooms save the bathroom... see here...

• Just like you, the only thing that needed replacing on the bike was the front tire... all the rubber was good, the seat pristine and the paint in great shape!

• I have the same sort of dents in the same area you speak of, as well as the same paint scheme! See here...

• The owner was smart/I was lucky that the entire bike was sprayed down with WD-40 while being stored, so there was almost no rust anywhere, nothing that couldn't be taken off with an hour or two with a brass brush...

• Mine was purchased locally (although via eBay) for $550 US! A veritable steal! You could see the guy didn't really want to part with it, but he had no use for it, hadn't ridden it in years, and needed the space...

It really is amazing how I'm seeing more and more of these bikes popping up... and not just on eBay. I've been seeing some R5s (although older) and RDs of the same era around my neighborhood... it's very encouraging, and a testament to the durability, ease of repair anf fun factor of these bikes.

Anyway, thanks for writing in, Jennifer... have fun, and keep the rubber side down!

Labels: Reader Mail

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 26, 2005 at 3:24 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.