I guess i should have provided a little background info before asking my question, seeing as how it actually pertains to why im looking to sell the thing when im done with the trip.  

So im in college, though im 26 years old…not completly wet behind the ears.  Iv ridden bikes since i was 12 and i've taken a 300 mile trip before so i know the love hate thing you feel when doing such.  

But anyway, Uncle sam hit me back this year with 2 grand and while i had my mind loosely set on making a trip to california, hitchhiking and camping along the way, just scraping by, with the end goal of meeting up with a few friends, i didn't want to blow the whole 2 grand doing it all.  I've got rent to pay when i get back.
 
So i first thought that i would buy a one-way plane ticket to cali. foraround  $100 (no joke, they're that cheap), and then find a bike out there for around $1500 and ride it back east (Lake george NY) where i would sell it (right before Americade ) for what it was worth, and find an apartment for the summer with whatever cash i got back. Maybe i'de hookup with a foreign exchange worker somewhere in between.

But then i realized that now was probably the best time, if not a few weeks before christmas, to buy a bike from someone who's hard up for cash and willing to let a good bike go for less than what its worth.

So thats when i started looking.  i grew up on hondas (why are honda rebels holding their value so well?  are they just THAT reliable? Maybe i should buy a honda rebel.  Che Guevara rode all over South America before I was born on something way crappier than a honda rebel.  And then he went on to kill a bunch of people in the name of what he believed.  “Cool”....not really, but I just want to ride across the country and change my out look on things!)  

So right, back on point, i noticed that the savage sells used for a lot less than the rebel,  and that a 650 cc engine sounds way more bad ass than a sissy 250.  But the price difference makes me grow suspicious and i start to draw imaginary correlations in my head between the price of a savage and its reliability.  Well, i found this site with all sorts of people who know tons and are nice enough to spread their wisdom.  So I really don’t care if i putter across the country, so long as I just do it.  But I don’t want to waste my time on the side of the road with a broken down bike.  That’s not cool.      

So, should i just buy a rebel? Or just rent?

PS: while im going to insure the thing, im taking my chances and not registering the it so I don’t have to pay that tax on the sale.  Sorry guys, Im just a reckless soul.  Or maybe just a fool.      

Thanks again!  All of your comments have helped!
 

Yeah, all that detail does make it easier to give you more detailed advice... Where to start?? OK...

Regardless of what brand, model, size or year of used bike bought for a long road trip, a through examination of condition before liftoff is highly advisable. Myself, if the tires weren't already like new, I'd put new ones on before heading into the desert or mountains etc... Along with all common maintenance of filters, fluids and so on...

Savage specific: I'd find out when (what year model) the head's "cap-plug" problem was resolved, and if the bike were earlier than that date, and hadn't been fixed, I'd plan on sealing that too; before hitting the road. I don't think the leak gets so bad as to cause a low oil condition between gas fills, but why have to worry about it all the time? Also I'd want to check my cam chain parts wear/tension. There are only a few bikes that are so low maintenance as to not require similar checkups before riding into the sunrise(set).

As for the "Rebel" ya they have a solid reputation; but there's no way I'd take off cross country on the 250cc version with my big self and a bunch of gear on board. Personally, I'd seek out one of the early (87-89?) 450cc models as a bare minimum. I've entertained the idea of getting one of those anyways; as I've read and heard that they scoot along really good for their size/displacement.

Overall though, I like your "ride it and sell it" plan, and I've done the same thing with my money many, many times on motorcycles and other things. I look at it as getting to spend the same money multiple times before it's finally gone. I'll buy three guitars, and sell two for enough to get all or most of my money back. In the meantime I got to play a bit on all three nice guitars; then get to keep one for next to nothing. Or in your case: Put a few thousand miles on a bike; then get most or all of your money back. Thrifty planning, and it can work. Especially with a bit of "sweat equity."

Good luck with it!

  westward john thinks you could even break even on the bike, I wonder what he's been smoking

Since you haven't bought it yet.

First look at the NADA website and get the value of it.  
http://www.nadaguides.com/SectionHome.aspx?LI=1-28-0-5000-502-565-50214&l=1&w...

Go to your local Craigslist and look to see what's there.  Or, look on eBay and look for bikes within 100 miles.  

If you are going to drive cross country, then sell it,  there may be better bikes to buy.   For long highspeed (70+ MPH) driving, I've been told water cooled bikes are better.  Others tell me water cooled is just more parts to go bad.  

To get what you bought it for, you need to maintain it, and make it cleaner than how you bought it.

Buy a used bike and it comes with a plate.  If you get stopped show the bill of sale and say you are moving to ______ and will be registering it there.  When I rode the five weeks in England and Scotland (and 5 miles into Wales) I didn't bother with insurance.  Here in California insurance is mandatory, yet un-insured coverage costs a bundle since such a large percentage of drivers are not insured.

Twice I've hopped on the bike about 9pm Friday and rode a 350 mile round trip to enjoy the Fool, er, Full Moon over the Mojave getting back home 6 or 7 am  -- no problem whatsoever.

1340 miles to Oklahoma city in two and a half days on the interstate, 48 hour layover, five days on the return trip via 2-lanes.  Got home and did not even LOOK at the bike for two days.   300 miles is nothing.  200-300 miles day after day after day is grinding.  Odds of doing will go up considerable on a more suitable motorcycle.

I bought a car/truck/van, heck, cant remember now, but I had to work on it before I could drive it. so I just waited to transfer the title & all that mess. When I DID do it, they said I owed some kind of penal;ty, cost me like $40.00 or so, a long time ago. Would surely be $100.00 now. This is Texas, tho, I dont know about where you are. I recommend doing the papers all legal, that way there wont be any "misunderstandings". Sometimes people Understand, but act like they dont, so it can be harder on you.

That depends on what state he buys it in and what state he lives in.

In Pa, you get new plates when you buy a vehicle.  The only way you can keep your plates is if you trade something in (which you owned previously) and they can transfer them to you.

Being from out of state, you will have a few problems.  The motorcycle is a titled vehicle. You cannot insure the bike without a title being issued in your name. You will have to pay for the title transfer in whatever state you buy it in, then you will have to pay to have it re-titled in whatever state you return to and attempt to sell it.  Those fees can add up to several hundered dollars.  

As for the plate?  It's your neck on the line.  Since you are not a resident of California, I don't know the laws about you using the existing plate for 'transport' back to your home state.  You may ahve to apply for an 'in-transit' plate from your home state that will give you temporary registration and allow you to ride it back accross the country.

On paper, it sounds like a crazy once in a lifetime adventure.  But in the real world, it's alot more complicated than it may be worth.  You're going to be out alot of money buying the bike.  Then you're going to have to make sure that it can make the journey back. Thats even more money.

Then theres the legality of what you're planning.  You may be able to get away with it.  Then again, you may get caught.  Riding an unregistered out of state motorcycle?  Not a good idea, since the police will likely treat it as a stolen vehicle (at least until you can produce a bill of sale, but even then...).  Then you have the responsibility for insurance and registration.  Again, don't have that, they impound the bike and you're walking home.  Not to mention the fines, penalties and fees..  Then there's the question.. Do you even have a Motorcycle operators endorsement?  Not a temporary permit.. That won't cut it.


Nice idea, but you're going to need a alot more cash than you're planning on to pull it off (legally of course).  

Might I suggest you hop a SouthWest one way flight, bum around in SanDiego and the like for a while, then when cash gets tight either SouthWest back home or Greyhound?