Fixer upper for first bike?

[peanut]

I am an avid Craigslist browser. I keep seeing these bikes that need a bit of work on there for pretty cheap. And, after a while... its tempting. I'm pretty handy around the house and I have electrical and woodworking skills. I have shyed away from working on cars though, mostly because if its not back together by Monday, I'm not getting to work! And the specialty tools... who knew there was a 5.5mm socket?

My philosphy was to buy a bike in good working order, so when something is broke I'll have some idea what it should look like after I fix it. But these bikes with leaky gaskets or electrical issues seem really tempting. Are they OK for a newbie to tackle with patience?

Thanks.

[Water Warrior 2]

My opinion is a fixer upper is or can be a giant black hole where your $$$ will go. Buying a $500 bike and spending another $1000 on it will result in a running $500 bike.
A GZ needing a lot of TLC will likely need tire, tubes, chain, sprockets, valve adjusting, tune up, a battery and all sorts of little things. This may be a worst case scenario but you have to consider most of it on any fixer upper.
I would be more inclined to buy some one's daily rider that you know runs and is fairly well maintained. The up front price may be harder to justify but you get the pleasure of riding and just maintenance to contend with.
You can get away with a minimum of tools for a while too. Buy them as needed over time.
Oh, welcome to the forum. We will gladly help you along with the care and feeding of a GZ if you find one.

[JWR]

If the ad says, JUST NEEDS, why didn't the owner just fix it?
Ran when parked is another good one.

[peanut]

Thanks for the info! That is what I was thinking... a $500 bike is just so tempting...

There are a couple GZ's near me for $1400, but I'm not set on them yet. A newer 125cc scooter is tempting me too, as are some 90's bikes... decisions, decisions!

[raul10141964]

if you do the labor will be OK

[northsidegz]

Yeah, I love the "Ran when parked" ones. I chuckle every time. LOL

[mainlinecoffee]

You can't go wrong with a inline four from the late 70s early 80s. Whatever you get just do your research. Hound online forums bootleg manuals and study. And don't forget to tighten the oil drain plug before your first ride,it sucks to be sidelined because of a 10-1.25 bolt.