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FluffGrenade posted:Grab a bigger UJM. The 650-750 range of KZ/GS/CB bikes should be large enough to fit you without getting you in too much trouble. You're aiming high. The GS650 makes 70+ hp. 400's are maybes. The GS400-450's make around 40hp. Which is plenty for two up, even highway work. I don't know about the KZ, but the XS400's are very questionable two up. I'd say anything 425 on up is a good bet. Being whatever height, and whatever weight doesn't matter in the least until we're talking people 400lbs plus.
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# ? Oct 13, 2008 03:05 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 17:15 |
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NVaderJ posted:Picked up the Magna today, for $50 less than what was advertised. The owner included a trickle charger, replacement gas tank, replacement radiator shield, replacement turn signal, unused front tire, and a refurbished front wheel, disc included. It will need a little work here and there, but it runs, and I'm geeked. Be VEEEEEEERY careful with that thing. Just because its old doesn't mean its a good first bike. Magnas have killed a lot more riders than you'd think. As for the bike, thats one of the most reliable motors out there, its almost the same one that is in the interceptor.
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# ? Oct 13, 2008 03:07 |
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Nerobro posted:You're aiming high. The GS650 makes 70+ hp. 400's are maybes. The GS400-450's make around 40hp. Which is plenty for two up, even highway work. I don't know about the KZ, but the XS400's are very questionable two up. Eh, I just assumed the other similar ranged UJMs were like my CB750; it's got ~70 horses, but it's pretty docile about the delivery. You really have to know to wring it into the high revs to get it to misbehave.
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# ? Oct 13, 2008 03:33 |
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quote:
Erm, height doesn't normally matter unless you're talking about being too short, but you might want to at least sit on the a few bikes before you make the decision. I'm 6'4" and did my test on a GS500, which, although smallish (aparently I looked too bike for it) fitted me fine for the most part. I only encountered a small difficulty when it came to the turn-in-the-road and my knees impacted the handlebars when they were turned to full lock. Had to lean my knee out before I started the turn, knee-dragging at 3mph on test ftw (didn't actually drag the knee, but it was definitely out there). But yeah, from what I've seen, weight is a tiny tiny factor, and only affects accleration and braking. Top speed is all about drag and engine power.
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# ? Oct 13, 2008 09:48 |
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MetalClawWolf posted:Be VEEEEEEERY careful with that thing. Just because its old doesn't mean its a good first bike. Magnas have killed a lot more riders than you'd think. I've read lots of stories about the V45 and Super Magna models leaving a trail squidly remains. From what I'm reading, and based on the very little I test drove this bike, the suspension is quite soft, and bottoms out with heavier riders. I'm a very cautious guy by nature, and finding this bike's handling limits is not something I plan on doing.
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# ? Oct 13, 2008 11:26 |
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Someone please buy this http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/878615205.html Please.
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# ? Oct 14, 2008 17:08 |
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Too good to be true? http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/877986821.html
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# ? Oct 14, 2008 21:53 |
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iroc_dis posted:Too good to be true? That's possible if the guy needs the cash bad. He probably had it at $6000 for a couple weeks and didn't get any calls. I had my 05 listed at 6000 for a month (granted it was September in Michigan) and only had about 5-10 people email me about it.
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# ? Oct 14, 2008 21:56 |
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Bob Morales posted:That's possible if the guy needs the cash bad. He probably had it at $6000 for a couple weeks and didn't get any calls. I had my 05 listed at 6000 for a month (granted it was September in Michigan) and only had about 5-10 people email me about it. If I had my 2000 CBR sold already I would probably be all over that thing in a hot second. I love my some Kawi green
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# ? Oct 14, 2008 22:03 |
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iroc_dis posted:Too good to be true? a lot of times with bikes like that, a person finances them and rides them for the summer, then just looks to get the balance back at the end of the season. Sort of a self-administered super short term lease.
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# ? Oct 14, 2008 22:08 |
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ClockworkZero posted:a lot of times with bikes like that, a person finances them and rides them for the summer, then just looks to get the balance back at the end of the season. Sort of a self-administered super short term lease. Yikes, I had never heard of that happening before. That sort of thing doesn't do anything bad for your finances or credit rating or something?
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# ? Oct 15, 2008 01:54 |
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iroc_dis posted:Yikes, I had never heard of that happening before. That sort of thing doesn't do anything bad for your finances or credit rating or something? He could have gotten a personal loan from a bank, for say $5000, made a couple payments over the summer, and now just wants his $ back
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# ? Oct 15, 2008 02:16 |
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iroc_dis posted:That sort of thing doesn't do anything bad for your finances or credit rating or something? If you're going to do that, then you'd make drat sure you get a loan without a fixed payment schedule or an early repayment penalty. But I can't see any reason why it would screw up your credit rating. It might not do anything good to your credit rating (that's a wierd one, normally getting better when you've paid back on time but there are some really wierd variables in there) but it wouldn't make it worse (you're not going to be late in any payments). Only problem I could see is if you're trying to recoup most of your original payment, you may not want to buy a brand new car as the depreciation may be too much for the budget, and you'd lose 10% of the money straight off. Moving on towards me, I passed my test a month or so ago, DAS course, Britain, so there's no limit on what bike I can ride (apart from finacials). I've stuck with my Honda XR125L for the moment because it's bloody cheap to run and I'm fairly poor atm, but I've just got a new job. I don't want anything too big (insurance and fuel economy), something 600 would probably be the top end, although the SV650 is definitely a possibility, and I'm 6'4" (in case some of the bikes are too small) so there's nothing really too big. Budget will be about £2000, hopefully £1500. However, I'm wavering between two options. Either something like mine but with a bigger engine (I love the riding position and the visibility though I don't do much (any) offroad atm, so XR650R or F650GS type machine). Other option is something similar to the bike I did my test on (Suzuki GS500) which would seem to be better for long distances than the dualsport option. I do like the naked/standard look, and I've been told the ER-5 is a good machine, a friend of mine has a CB400 which is a nice machine. Can anyone recomend any other models? Preferably a bit more recent, I'm not hot on the wrenching side and it will be a bike for commuting so something reliable would be nice.
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# ? Oct 17, 2008 17:01 |
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Orange Someone posted:If you're going to do that, then you'd make drat sure you get a loan without a fixed payment schedule or an early repayment penalty. But I can't see any reason why it would screw up your credit rating. It might not do anything good to your credit rating (that's a wierd one, normally getting better when you've paid back on time but there are some really wierd variables in there) but it wouldn't make it worse (you're not going to be late in any payments). Only problem I could see is if you're trying to recoup most of your original payment, you may not want to buy a brand new car as the depreciation may be too much for the budget, and you'd lose 10% of the money straight off. I'm not sure a gs500 would be any more comfortable for long haul driving than an f650. mine is really comfy for long drives, loads of leg room, space to move around to take pressure off muscles. the GS500 would maybe be a bit smoother in the 80+mph range. Also on street biased tyres they are dual sport pretty much in name only so i wouldnt worry about not taking them offroad, the ergos and suspension make them easier to manage on poor surfaces than standard bikes but traction will become an issue pretty fast on anything other than dirt/forestry roads
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# ? Oct 17, 2008 18:30 |
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Orange Someone posted:If you're going to do that, then you'd make drat sure you get a loan without a fixed payment schedule or an early repayment penalty. But I can't see any reason why it would screw up your credit rating. It might not do anything good to your credit rating (that's a wierd one, normally getting better when you've paid back on time but there are some really wierd variables in there) but it wouldn't make it worse (you're not going to be late in any payments). Only problem I could see is if you're trying to recoup most of your original payment, you may not want to buy a brand new car as the depreciation may be too much for the budget, and you'd lose 10% of the money straight off. Maybe something like a 2000-2004 Aprilia Pegaso? I just bought a fairly mint '06 for £2400 which is the new model with the Yamaha engine. Gnomad has one on here, he could probably tell you more about the previous generation.
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# ? Oct 17, 2008 21:04 |
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ClockworkZero posted:Maybe something like a 2000-2004 Aprilia Pegaso? I just bought a fairly mint '06 for £2400 which is the new model with the Yamaha engine. Gnomad has one on here, he could probably tell you more about the previous generation. Make that "had" one, but I can still recommend them as a starter bike. You UK guys get the other Pegs too, IIRC there is a 125cc Pegaso? The other kühl bikes you get over there? CCM. I loving love this bike. This one is pretty bitchin too. If this bike doesn't scream "wheelie down the sidewalk while flipping the rozzers the bird" I don't know what bike will.
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# ? Oct 18, 2008 04:18 |
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Since it's a variation on my dirtbike, and I really enjoy my current bike, a supermoto is scarily tempting. I think it would be so much fun, though probably too much fun. That Pegaso looks nice. The F650GS has always seemed a sensible idea, but there's two problems, one, the whole "I'm not an old man, what am I doing owning a BMW?" thing, two is the fact that either due to target market or to the fact that they're BMWs, they're fairly expensive bikes to buy compared to other options. I was scared at how cheap SV650s were when I started looking. A 600 Hornet is my other tempting bike, I'd love one of those but they have a tonne more power compared to things like the SV, GS500 or the CB400, I guess it's the inline-4 engine rather than a V or Parallel twin. Obviously the CB400 loses out due to being smaller.
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# ? Oct 18, 2008 18:03 |
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Orange Someone posted:
Not only is the Peg a better package overall than the F650, it's usually a good bit cheaper and there is no stuffy old man vibe happening there. Aprilia made the F650 for the 1st 4 years, right alongside the Pegasii in the same factory. The F650 is heavier, I guess you buy that bike by the pound so the Peg comes out cheaper.
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# ? Oct 18, 2008 19:05 |
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What's a good price for a used 07 Ninja 250r? I've seen them for $2000-ish in my area, but I'm looking at a used one on craigslist with 17k miles for $1750. Looks really clean and the guy says it's had new tires and oil recently. It's potentially going to be my first bike. Should I jump on this deal? http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/mcy/883205127.html
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 06:13 |
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Entreri posted:What's a good price for a used 07 Ninja 250r? I've seen them for $2000-ish in my area, but I'm looking at a used one on craigslist with 17k miles for $1750. Looks really clean and the guy says it's had new tires and oil recently. It's potentially going to be my first bike. Should I jump on this deal? It's been down, probably hard. Just keep that in mind when you go to look at it. You can tell from the spray job on the tank and the dents, the hosed up clutch cable. I'd consider it, but you need to have an experienced rider for a test ride, go over everything, and ask about accident damage. If he denys it was ever down, run. Check EVERYTHING with a fine tooth comb. If it's all good, talk him down to 1500$ and go for it. If he goes much below 1500$, that'd be suspicious. Z3n fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Oct 19, 2008 |
# ? Oct 19, 2008 06:24 |
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Z3n posted:It's been down, probably hard. Just keep that in mind when you go to look at it. You can tell from the spray job on the tank and the dents, the hosed up clutch cable. I'd consider it, but you need to have an experienced rider for a test ride, go over everything, and ask about accident damage. If he denys it was ever down, run. Check EVERYTHING with a fine tooth comb. If it's all good, talk him down to 1500$ and go for it. If he goes much below 1500$, that'd be suspicious. Is there anything besides what's in the http://www.biekwiki.com/index.php/Buyers_guide list that I should look for?
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 06:33 |
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Entreri posted:Is there anything besides what's in the http://www.biekwiki.com/index.php/Buyers_guide list that I should look for? http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html There's the really, really complete list. I'd highly recommend that if you bring a friend to look over it with you, ideally someone with a fair bit of experience buying and selling bikes. Something like that 250 could be a great deal or it could be a timebomb waiting to happen.
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 16:13 |
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After actually looking at those photos, I don't know if that is really even a good beginners bike, it's been thrashed and crashed pretty hard. I'm not that fussy but my definition of "clean" doesn't include dents and a tweaked subframe (look at the picture of the rear end end, it's obviously not straight). If you could find a better one for $2K-ish, I'd do that, rather than take a chance that hidden frame damage may decide to bite you later down the road. You have to think to yourself "can I trust a seller who describes this bike as 'clean'?"
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 18:39 |
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Entreri posted:What's a good price for a used 07 Ninja 250r? I've seen them for $2000-ish in my area, but I'm looking at a used one on craigslist with 17k miles for $1750. Looks really clean and the guy says it's had new tires and oil recently. It's potentially going to be my first bike. Should I jump on this deal? An 07 with 17k miles would probably still command $2500 if it were in good condition. Hell, my gf paid 1700 for her 98 with 10k miles this summer. It is a good bike, but I will echo everyone else and say that that bike is not, you'll be looking at dumping more money into it after picking it up.
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 19:42 |
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How would the Ducati Monster 750 stack up as a first bike? A kind of old one, from 99-01.. It's got 63 hp, and looks really good. There are a couple for sale in my area, prices in the 3-4k area.
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# ? Oct 19, 2008 23:14 |
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Well just for shits and giggles I posted my 2000 CBR600 on Columbia Craigslist asking $4800. Probably high but eh, you never know if someones willing to pay that much. edit// maybe I can sell it fast and buy this iroc_dis fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Oct 20, 2008 |
# ? Oct 19, 2008 23:18 |
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Entreri posted:What's a good price for a used 07 Ninja 250r? I've seen them for $2000-ish in my area, but I'm looking at a used one on craigslist with 17k miles for $1750. Looks really clean and the guy says it's had new tires and oil recently. It's potentially going to be my first bike. Should I jump on this deal? I was just in this situation a few months ago so I've got some (long winded) advice. That looks about as abused as my '04 EX250 is. Mine has rash in weird places, has a couple small tank dents, a right handlebar that's been welded back on at /slightly/ the wrong angle, cracked upper cowling, and both front signals were broken. In my case aside from the signals the damage hasn't been a big deal, though I've spent a little time and money repairing things. If you're like me, there's going to be a lot of stuff you don't notice about the bike until you've been around it for a week or two. With the fender-eliminator stupidity you no longer have a license plate holder or a light on that bike. I had the same problem (except the plate was attached to the bike with some angle brackets and some metal flashing), and I had to track down the stock license plate light from a parted-out bike to get the connector that connects up to the wiring harness. I soldered that to a LED lamp I picked up for $10 so I could pass inspection. I can't tell if the front signals are broken off or if those are flush signals. If those are broken off you can pick up flush mount ones off the web for like $50 or so, or you can get crappy ones and spacers like I did for $30ish. Also if they're broken, check the state of the wires going to the signals. The previous owner just ripped the broken signals off in a fit of retard strength instead of taking them off the wiring harness properly, so I had to solder a fair bit to get new signals on. It's a pain in the rear end doing that. Also, keep in mind plastics are expensive to replace! I'm looking at getting a new left side panel and a new upper cowling, which will set me back $300 or more. Check the mounts on the plastics in addition to inspecting for cracks, especially on the left and right side panels below the seat. Those are held on with one screw and three plastic mount things that break very easy, and one with broken mounts is really annoying as it'll pop out and look like crap. If you go with the bike you're looking at $100 or so in random fix-up stuff to get it street legal, $200 or so for an ok set of tools to work on it if you don't have them (metric sockets in 1/4" and 3/8" drive, metric wrenches, torque wrenches in ft/lbs inch/oz, spark plug socket, metric allen wrenches, a good set of screwdrivers that includes torx, a 3/8" drive breaker bar, vicegrips if you ever dream of taking the carb apart with the super-soft screws holding the float bowls on), and a few hours of work. I'd also suggest changing the oil when you get it regardless of what the previous owner says, just so you know what's in there and how old it is (and its a good way to get to know your bike ) Anyway, if the thing runs okay, the forks are straight, and the brakes are good I'd probably buy it, but then again I bought a 250 that was kinda beat up and then spent a few weekends wrenching on it to get it running well. I'd try to get the guy to drop to $1500 just because of the miles on a bike that has to be flogged to get anywhere on a highway, though. If you get the bike, faq.ninja250.org is an excellent resource for just about all of the questions I had regarding parts of the bike and routine maintenance.
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# ? Oct 20, 2008 01:45 |
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How does this look for my very first bike? http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/885257687.html
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# ? Oct 20, 2008 03:51 |
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Not bad at all if it runs and drives good.
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# ? Oct 20, 2008 04:13 |
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Looks like I've found a good beginners bike. 1994 Nighthawk 250. quote:
Comments about a standard 250 bike for a 6"1 190 guy? Will be first bike. Was looking more towards the 1000 even range.
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# ? Oct 21, 2008 04:48 |
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Captain Apollo posted:Looks like I've found a good beginners bike. Brilliant bike for starters. I think it's what the MSF uses (assuming you're a yank). Standards are quite comfortable and being 6'1" you won't have any problems flat footing it. You won't be too big, I'm 6'4" and I was fine on the 125 standards we trained on. Only question might be if you're planning on doing a lot of highway work, some people seem to think 250 doesn't really have the legs for it. I've done some miles on the motorway on my 125, and although it's WOT all the time, it's not as bad as it was made out to be before I went on. To each their own though.
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# ? Oct 21, 2008 14:07 |
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Captain Apollo posted:Looks like I've found a good beginners bike. The Nighthawk is an okay beginner bike, but its shocks/brakes/everything else are only adequate. I don't think it'll hold value like a Ninja 250 might, but the price is sort of ok for it (it's like half what it would be new) and parts are fairly plentiful. You do ride them on the MSF course, as was mentioned, and my opinion may be biased (those bikes are RAGGED), but it's sort of a scooter that looks like a motorcycle more than anything else. If you're 6'1" though, I'd think it's a bit cramped. Maybe you can scoot back on the seat, but you're not gonna be super happy with a passenger on it. I'm 5'8" and it felt a bit tiny.
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# ? Oct 21, 2008 15:27 |
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Ugh. So the person sold it right after I posted here about it.quote:I have a '97 Yamaha Virago 535 in my garage that belongs to my friend. When I told her I was selling the Hawk, she asked for me to find a home for the Virago as well. It's a beautiful little bike, but she had left it at her brother's house and he left it sitting outside for awhile. So, the rubber boots for the carbs are cracked and need to be replaced. If you are interested, I will see what she wants for it and if she is going to replace the boots herself or not. As far as I know, that is the only thing wrong with it other than needing a good cleaning. It was her first bike and we went thru it top to bottom for her a couple of years ago. She rode it for a year and half then sold it to her brother and bought a 750 shadow. He wasn't taking good care of it, so she took it back from him. Opinions THIS time?
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# ? Oct 21, 2008 17:44 |
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http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/888234416.html I wonder what's wrong with it.
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# ? Oct 22, 2008 00:51 |
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Probably a scam
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# ? Oct 22, 2008 01:06 |
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This looks to be a good deal... http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/886746150.html Craigslist posted:1989 Kawasaki Ninja 500 EX500 9700 miles, new tires, new battery, carbs are rebuilt. Great starter bike and 65 miles to the gallon. Cowl has some cracks but bike still looks great. Asking $1800 OBO please call **** or **** NVaderJ fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Oct 23, 2008 |
# ? Oct 23, 2008 19:35 |
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Does anyone in here have an opinion of Kikker5150 motorcycles? They are super-cheap and I can probably build the kit on my rooftop and carry it down the stairs (I think they're like a couple hundred pounds dry) and I really want another bike to ride. There are a couple dealers around here, so I have seen built ones and they don't look like cheap parts, but I don't expect to get a totally impartial opinion from anyone at those shops. The thing that worries me is there is a bit of talk on various forums about them being a hassle to get completed due to missing or ill-fitting parts. The dealers I talked to said this wasn't a problem for them.
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# ? Oct 23, 2008 21:53 |
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NVaderJ posted:This looks to be a good deal... That's really on the high side, especially for a bike that's been down and is almost 20 years old. 1300$ would be what I would pay.
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# ? Oct 23, 2008 22:18 |
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Pvt. Public posted:Does anyone in here have an opinion of Kikker5150 motorcycles? They are super-cheap and I can probably build the kit on my rooftop and carry it down the stairs (I think they're like a couple hundred pounds dry) and I really want another bike to ride. There are a couple dealers around here, so I have seen built ones and they don't look like cheap parts, but I don't expect to get a totally impartial opinion from anyone at those shops. The thing that worries me is there is a bit of talk on various forums about them being a hassle to get completed due to missing or ill-fitting parts. The dealers I talked to said this wasn't a problem for them. I just took a look at them, interesting, they have potential. I already have a CM400, and now you have me thinking about dropping the 400 motor in a hardtail bobber frame. I would think that a person would never be all the way done with such a project though, and no doubt you'll be fitting and fettling stuff. All part of the fun!
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# ? Oct 24, 2008 04:14 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 17:15 |
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Gnomad posted:I just took a look at them, interesting, they have potential. I already have a CM400, and now you have me thinking about dropping the 400 motor in a hardtail bobber frame. I would think that a person would never be all the way done with such a project though, and no doubt you'll be fitting and fettling stuff. All part of the fun! Too true, which is why I considered them in the first place. I could get in cheap, hone my build skills, and then unload it when I'm ready to move onto something a bit more involved. It has the added benefit of getting my brother to work on it with me, as he's not a large project kinda guy. I think I could talk him into that though.
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# ? Oct 24, 2008 05:03 |