By John Burns

And then did King Trump threaten the motorcycle traders with big tariffs, and then did they all tremble in fear and wail and gnash their gear teeth. And yet fear nowt they should, as 25 years ago, yea verily a quarter of a century, the frugal motorcycles on the market for $6000 ducats were mainly cheesier than the ones you can get now for about the same money. Consumer Price Index, Shmindex. Let us squawk back to the days of the dial-up modem and when photography required skill. A reading from the book of Andy Saunders and the men who founded MO, before some of them became women. Amen.

Frugal Flyers: A Six-Bike Shoot Out

By Andy Saunders Jan. 15, 1995

What’s the best bike for your bucks? At Motorcycle Online, the garage is crammed full of new machinery, just waiting for eager staffers to jump on and turn the key. But like everyone else, Motorcycle Online staffers sometimes have to get real. New bikes equal big bucks. What to buy if basic transportation is all you can afford, but the thrill of a new motorcycle is what you want?Even in these days of $16,000 Harleys and $20,000 Ducatis, there are plenty of options out there for the financially challenged. Road test that new credit card, rack it up to the limit, and you can still buy yourself new wheels for under six grand.

The budget contenders are many, and they aren’t all Japanese imports. BMW, Ducati, Triumph and Moto Guzzi didn’t make our $6000 budget, but Harley-Davidson did, with the basic 883 Sportster. And we had one German import, the Saxon Tour from the former eastern-bloc company MZ . Other entrants included Honda’s CB750 Nighthawk, introduced four years ago as a bargain bike and still qualifying, Yamaha’s 600cc Seca II and Suzuki’s bright …read more

Source:: Church of MO: Frugal Flyers: A Six-Bike Shoot Out