What bike?

I will finally have a job over the summer and I am tired of having nothing to wrench on. So I want a bike to buy cheap do a little work or light resto on. This will be my first bike as well. I was thinking either a '80s dirt bike or a UJM. I would prefer an old British bike like a Triumph or Norton but I am guessing those are out of my price range. Any suggestions? And can you make a dirt bike road-legal?

How about a Honda Hawk GT?

Aren't those a bit expensive? I was thinking cheap as in $500 dollars or less to buy.

I've seen them as low as a grand within easy driving distance from me, needing pretty basic work.

I don't know much about bikes, though, so that was pretty much just a knee-jerk reaction.

You're pretty much limited to whatever you can find for $500...any Triumphs or Nortons in that price range will probably be not much more than a bare frame. You may be able to find a Yamaha XS650 in that price range that needs work but is restorable. If you want a dirt bike, find one that's already street legal; trying to title a motocross or enduro will be very difficult.

Since this is your first bike I'd stick to something 550cc or smaller; people will come on here and say that's too small but plenty of bikes in that size range will keep up with traffic just fine - if you decide you want something bigger later on you can always sell it.

Well most of the riding will be done on campus. I mean I am in Alabama but I reside in Kentucky and the laws are pretty lose there so I was wondering if getting a dirt bike road legal would just be a matter of adding lights.

Mid 70s to mid 80s UJMs are your friend.

I found this. It is tempting.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/mcy/1635076027.html

For a first bike, I would suggest a dual sport, like an older Honda XL-125-175. Easy to learn on, rugged, and you can decide if you like ridding on dirt, or the street more.