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Saga posted:Monster 696, other than the pillion thing. Very light and tiny (by modern bike standards). Hopefully no burning, but with Italian electrics who knows? My impression was also that Monsters are smaller, but both the 600 and 696 (the smallest ones) have basically the same wheelbase and weight as the SV650, and maybe 1" shorter in the seat. Are these numbers misleading, and they're somehow smaller in some measurement than the SV? So far as price, might this be worth bidding on (setting aside goofy paint)? Reserve is $2,900: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120795580376&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3ASS%3AUS%3A1123 Though again, the word on the street (except for from Ducati enthusiasts) is that they're more maintenance intensive than a Japanese bike. If they're notably smaller, that it tempting, but otherwise the only advantage seems to be they look (arguably) somewhat cooler than the SV.
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Oct 18, 2011 02:53
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If you hold out, you should be able to find a 2nd gen SV that's had the front end gixxer swap and the rear shock swapped for something else, in pretty good condition for fairly cheap. I know there were a few when I was looking, but I was set on the fully faired S version, in red or blue. There are a few sites that search multiple craigslists at one time, so try that out.
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Oct 18, 2011 03:46
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invision posted:If you hold out, you should be able to find a 2nd gen SV that's had the front end gixxer swap and the rear shock swapped for something else, in pretty good condition for fairly cheap. I know there were a few when I was looking, but I was set on the fully faired S version, in red or blue. Yep, but since I a) don't have a car, and b) don't have a motorbike since mine got stolen, my ability to just run up to Baltimore to check out a bike is somewhat limited. I'll keep watching DC Craigslist; checked CycleTrader too but not seeing much good there. Best to just stick with CL? I've heard of the gixxer fork conversion, but haven't seen that even on the used bikes that have a fair number of mods. Will watch for that. I know some folks like 1st Gen SVs, but for a non-aficionado is a Gen2 definitely preferable? I don't necessarily need the extra power just for cruising around, so if a good deal on a Gen1 comes up, any reason not to jump on it? Current plan is to get an SV650, sell/swap any nice parts for cosmetically-damaged parts + cash, and then paint, raised handlebars, and see how it is from there. A couple of the streetfighter boards were whining that flat black is played out on rat-fighters, so in an effort to expand the palette I'm thinking of getting desert tan paint, and then stenciling on some Arabic script along the side, military-crate style. Aside from just liking interesting stuff, and wanting a bike that I'm not afraid to get rained on or scratched in a parking lot, it also wouldn't hurt to avoid looking too yuppie, and also having a bike that looks less tempting to steal. Whether through being more visually distinct, or else just cosmetically looking rough. I don't want to go quite this deliberately goofy, but this kind of look is awesome (on a GPZ750r Ninja):  Minor SV question: is there any mod/alternative to that really pointy-ended tail? I've seen even more pointy mods on custom bikes, but is there any way to have the full seat be a bit more bench-like, such as on the Ninja?  Not to demand one bike be everything, but it seems there are a lot of ways to mod an SV650 seat, but I just haven't seen one that has that more old-school UJM look to it (and would presumably be comfier for a passenger too).
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Oct 18, 2011 05:50
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With enough money and/or fabrication skills, anything is possible.
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Oct 18, 2011 13:58
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Alceste posted:I'm going to go look at this tonight: http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcy/2651173375.html The woman selling the bike abruptly stopped responding to texts or phone calls after making arrangements for me to come see it yesterday, so I'm moving on to other candidates. Here's another one: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/mcy/2655344868.html My question is: why do I see so many bikes for sale with no title? How likely are they to have been stolen? Why are motorcycle owners so much more careless with titles than car owners? Or are they? I read up on the bonded title procedure and it sounds like a pain in the rear end but nothing too terrible. What I am wondering is if lack of title should be a deal breaker or a red flag, or if it will interfere with getting registration, insurance, etc.
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Oct 18, 2011 16:19
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I, personally, would not buy a bike without a title, though I'm not sure how Texas is about it. It could be due to any of the following: stolen, tax lien, bank lien (probably not likely on a seven year old bike), probably some other stuff. The thing is that if the title holder claims it, it's theirs, regardless of any bill of sale. If it's genuinely theirs, they should be able to get the title. Losing a piece of paper doesn't mean it has no title. It may take some effort to get a replacement, but that should be their problem, not yours. At least in VA, it's not even difficult to do.
Endless Mike fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Oct 18, 2011 |
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Oct 18, 2011 16:23
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Alceste posted:The woman selling the bike abruptly stopped responding to texts or phone calls after making arrangements for me to come see it yesterday, so I'm moving on to other candidates. Not an expert on Texas law, still less arcane titling poo poo, but it could be subject to a lien OR just plain stolen. Surely it should be a deal breaker (unless someone can explain why not)?
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Oct 18, 2011 16:24
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The idea of the real title holder coming out of the woodwork to reclaim the bike, in the three year window that they have with a bonded title, really bothers me. It just seems really common for the bikes I'm looking at not to have titles. One guy said he had it but lost it, but I haven't spoken directly to any of the others to find out why they didn't have titles. There was another bike listed at $2750 without title and $3750 with title, so basically a $1000 premium for the seller to get a new title for it.  Someone else posted on the board just to call them out on that one though.
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Oct 18, 2011 16:31
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Alceste posted:The idea of the real title holder coming out of the woodwork to reclaim the bike, in the three year window that they have with a bonded title, really bothers me. It just seems really common for the bikes I'm looking at not to have titles. One guy said he had it but lost it, but I haven't spoken directly to any of the others to find out why they didn't have titles. I would have thought a bike in this situation has most likely been sold without discharging a lien in favour of a finance company and has been floating around ever since. If it's only worth $2-3,000, they may not bother trying to track it down and repo it unless someone turns up and offers it to them. Or yeah, just stolen from the real owner. I guess if you ride without a licence or insurance, it doesn't bother you, and there are those people.
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Oct 18, 2011 16:39
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Here's the reason you don't buy a bike with no title: Because if the person selling it doesn't have the title, they don't have any proof that they own the bike. The only situation where buying a bike without a title is ok is when you go the DMV with them, and they fill out the duplicate title and transfer paperwork with you there, and the DMV verifies that they are the owner and you get issued a new registration in your name. That effectively voids the old title, and issues a new one to you. There are a handful of other exceptions, but they're edge cases revolving around salvage titles and other BS and you don't want to get into that.
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Oct 18, 2011 17:30
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There's a '93 GS500E with 7k miles locally for $1700, with Dyno Jet Kit, K&N Air Filter, Vance and Hines Exhaust ($275 new from BikeBandit), and new sprockets/chain/tires/forks/seals this year. Worth at least checking out? Only problem is he's a bit far from me, still 17mi even if I take the subway up to the end of the line, so I'd hate to drag him down unless I'm pretty seriously interested. CL bike:  At first I thought $1700 seems a little high (and maybe it still is), but the mileage is low, the guy seems to have taken care of it (unless he's just suddenly making up for years of neglect), it has a few hundred bucks of actual decent parts on it, and most importantly basically all the <$1200 GS500Es I'm seeing in the area have extensive damage, are "a little clogged up but will run great with some TLC", have 40k miles, etc. Does it matter that it's a somewhat older bike, or is the low mileage the more important issue? Minor cosmetic question: the silvery bit of the frame that comes down from the frame to the kickstand area, would painting/coating that be more of a pro job to avoid unduly ruining the bike long-term? I only see a few pics of GS500s where it's black rather than silver, so can't tell if a few models had black, or whether folks powdercoated it or something.
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Oct 19, 2011 04:39
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:7k miles locally for $1700 I have an 89' GS500E and love it to death. It's relatively comfortable, enough pep to get up on the highway, and easy as pie to maintain. The spare parts/upgrades is a huge market, and the support online is large as well. The two big things I'd look for: Rust in gas tank Rust under frame/bent frame (especially if the side covers have been scratched/dented) Older bike vs. Mileage is kind of an apples/oranges debate. The scenario will depict the condition of the bike, basically: keeping it in a garage for 10 years with the tank empty is different than letting it rot in the backyard. If it runs well, it's a great reliable beater bike to commute on, and at the same time can get low in twisties. If you show up with $1300 for a test-ride I think that's a fair number depending on condition of course.
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Oct 19, 2011 04:56
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Hi guys, I am looking at purchasing a use 2004 R6 from Craigslist. The bike has quite a few miles on it (31k), but looks like it is in decent shape otherwise. The seller said it needed a new front brake caliper which he said would be about $80 or so. What do you guys think? Here's the posting. I got him down to about $3100 instead of what he is asking for, and he did say he put new tires on it last week. http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/mcy/2657176136.html  Any help is appreciated! cixelsyd fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Oct 19, 2011 |
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Oct 19, 2011 21:16
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What will you be using the bike for? That seems kinda on the high side. Has he had the valves adjusted?
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Oct 19, 2011 21:22
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I just want to use it for casual driving, sometimes to and from work, and sometimes on the weekends. I do not know if he had the valves adjusted, but I will ask him if he had that done. Is that included in doing a regular tuneup or included in regular maintenance?
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Oct 19, 2011 21:41
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cixelsyd posted:I just want to use it for casual driving, sometimes to and from work, and sometimes on the weekends. I do not know if he had the valves adjusted, but I will ask him if he had that done. Is that included in doing a regular tuneup or included in regular maintenance? It should be done every 25k on that model of R6, so if it's not done, it's overdue. Ask for the maintenance records if it has been done.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:57
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Thanks for all the advice, I think my goal now is to get an SV650, sell off any clean/undented parts and replace them with cosmetically beat parts, paint the tank, do a few rat-fighter mods, etc. Trying not to double-tap, but I posted a question in the SV650 thread as to whether I should beg/buy a ride up to Philadelphia from DC (3+ hrs) to buy a 2005 SV650 with only 3k miles for $2500. Price seems almost a little too good, and the guy's another 20mi north of downtown Philly itself, so it'll be haul to even get to the bike. But it's just what I'm looking for, and has the very popular mod of a 750 front end. If anyone has thoughts to add to the SV650 thread that'd be great since I pretty much have to decide to do it this Saturday or not at all.
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Oct 20, 2011 04:21
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Thanks for all the advice, I think my goal now is to get an SV650, sell off any clean/undented parts and replace them with cosmetically beat parts, paint the tank, do a few rat-fighter mods, etc. Why not just take the train to 30th st. and then SEPTA? I'm sure one of the regional lines will run close enough to the seller if he's only 20 miles north of Philly. Or, if he wants to make $2,500, have him meet you at 30th st. e: anyone ridden a Sachs Madass? Had one come into the shop next to my work the other day and it looked potentially awesome. Googling suggests no-one has put a big single or a Mito/RS125 engine into it, which I find inexplicable - please someone tell me I'm wrong. Saga fucked around with this message at 11:53 on Oct 20, 2011 |
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Oct 20, 2011 07:03
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Endless Mike posted:Slightly higher, I guess. It's not really a major concern in most cases, though. Consider that GS500. Here's a six foot tall person with a 32" inseam on one: poo poo, can you give us the link to that website? I lost it ages ago. edit - never mind, the key word is of course ergonomics. freebooter fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Oct 21, 2011 |
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Oct 21, 2011 07:00
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cixelsyd posted:Hi guys, Honestly i've never been a big fan or the pre 06 R6 bikes, i'd try to find a nice 04-07 gsx-r or an 05-06 636. That being said the price on that R6 isn't too bad, if it's been well maintained 31k is no biggie.
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Oct 21, 2011 09:15
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I really liked the 03 R6 I rode and the 02 R6 I owned. Also some of the best looking sportbikes made. Not the overdesigned swoopy poo poo of current bikes.
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Oct 21, 2011 23:24
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Okay, I've been watching for SV650s on CL, and each one I'm finding under $3K has various things discomfiting about it. Thinking on it further, I've also been apprehensive about tripling the horsepower from my previous CB250. I took up motorcycling because I was uncomfortable with the idea of riding, and I gained a lot of confidence riding the smaller bikes, but jumping to 80hp and lots of torque had me hesitant. I was checking out CL and found an example of another bike I'd considered as a safer and beater-er option: 1991 Kawasaki EX500 pre-Ninja. 16k miles, new rear tire, new front brake pads, just passed VA inspections, V&H exhaust. Fairings are beat and patched, and repainted, but I want to take it naked anyway. Went out to look at it, agreed on $1000. I'd asked him coming in if he had the title, and he had it on him, but when we went to sign it turned out it's his buddy's title that buddy pre-signed for him. I thought that was sketchy, and he couldn't raise his friend on the phone, so I walked away. I'm only a few stops towards home on the subway when I get a call, he got a hold of his friend and the friend is coming in to do the deal. I buy, get it insured over the phone, and ride it home somewhat apprehensively since I'm not at all used to riding even a weak sportbike and the roads were wet. Great foggy ambiance though. Bike seems to be running and handling well, though to pass DC safety inspection I think it's going to need two mirrors vice one, and there's something odd with the turn signals where they stay on rather than blink, so I'll have to troubleshoot that. I know that first generation EX500s are known for having a crappy flywheel that can be replaced with a slightly modded post-'94, and a cam chain tensioner that can be replaced drop-in with a post-'94. Video clip from the seller  These do look pretty awesome streetfightered out; something along these lines doesn't look too difficult other than the seat mods:  Overall, decent option for someone who's not sure he's ready for an SV650, who wants a beater and city runaround bike, and wants to rat/streetfighter a bike out without destroying too much value?
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Oct 25, 2011 06:51
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I think you did good. Enjoy the bike!
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Oct 25, 2011 07:13
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Z3n posted:I think you did good. Enjoy the bike! Yeah, nice bike - especially if you're going to mod it and don't care about the paint. You can't go wrong with an EX500 IMO, as long as it's running.
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Oct 25, 2011 12:27
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So my fiance just took her class and she is looking for a first bike and she really fell in love with the Honda CB250 Nighthawk she rode during the class so we started looking for one and found this: http://treasure.craigslist.org/mcy/2647011581.html Guy didn't post pictures but sent me these later: http://imgur.com/a/HRlpX Honestly the bike looks in good condition and the guy sounds like he's willing to negotiate down. My fiance is incredibly small (5'5" or so and barely 110lbs) so she should fit well on a 250 and I don't see her wanting "more power" at any point soon. Would paying between $1500 and $1700 be bad for a bike in this condition? We're probably going to go check it out this weekend pending him sending us over the VIN so I can run it and all. Thanks all!
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Oct 25, 2011 12:36
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Z3n posted:I think you did good. Enjoy the bike! Glad to hear it; it's going to take some small work to pass DC inspection, and more to get it how I want it, but it runs well and definitely is a beater I won't mind ratting or dropping. I'm already ahead of the game on the latter: in a burst of impulsiveness I went to look at it at 9PM last night as soon as the CL ad posted, ignoring the fact that it was raining. Did the test drive in the park-n-ride outside a subway stop, which was greasy, wet, and also not level ground. At five mph I was making a slow turn, and braked slightly going into it. Foot brake had a lot of travel, so I momentarily freaked and tried to tap the front brakes a little (don't think I grabbed a handful or anything). Turns out the rear brakes are an older but functional drum brake set with a lot of travel... and the front was brand new disc brakes with minimal travel. So I laid it down, no injuries except skinning my thumb knuckle despite gloves, and broke the little ball of the tip of the clutch, put a few more scuffs on the already cracked/scuffed/repainted fairing, and cracked the wind screen. Overall good thing I was happy with the bike itself and bought it, since that would've been awkward. No pain at the time, but I woke up at 4AM with a terrible pain in my right hand. No pain at my wrist or lower, but the fatty pads of the hand hurt and it's painful to close my grip, so I'm guessing I overextended the muscles there. Will be icing/heating the rest of today, and I think I'm going to have to be doing alternative exercises for most of tonight's Crossfit routine. Lot of lesson learning with this purchase. I had momentarily considered just buying the bike with the signed-over title before the owner showed up, reckoning "well, the title is the bike", but a 15 second glance at Google for "different name on title" indicated the popular consensus that this is a terrible idea. quote:Honestly the bike looks in good condition and the guy sounds like he's willing to negotiate down. My fiance is incredibly small (5'5" or so and barely 110lbs) so she should fit well on a 250 and I don't see her wanting "more power" at any point soon. Would paying between $1500 and $1700 be bad for a bike in this condition? We're probably going to go check it out this weekend pending him sending us over the VIN so I can run it and all. I've owned two 2001 Honda CB250s, one for $1500 and one for $1300. Both had decently more mileage (14k or so), the first some bad dents and scrapes, and the second a really tore up seat. If the bike's in such great condition and only 6k then $1500-1700 sounds good to me. I really like the little Nighthawk, has been a great city bike for me. Very easy handling and light, and short of going on the interstate has plenty of power for everything in town and the quieter roads between towns. I have actually done interstate on it in Austin, and the main limiting factor there is that if the weather is gusty you'll really feel it. On roads any quieter/slower, it's great short of being out on the prairie with high winds (done in TX and made it fine but not enjoyed). TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Oct 25, 2011 |
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Oct 25, 2011 13:13
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So, looking to be a first time bike owner, and I know that Harley's aren't the most popular bikes 'round these parts... I really like the aesthetics of this one (Sportster Forty-Eight), low, compact, aggressive, lower grips, fat front tire; I also realize that buying a Harley means that you're paying a lot for a name, but is there a comparable style represented by other bikes? A few friends of mine have cafe-racer style bikes, and I appreciate the stripped-down look with racer grips, but they seem a bit 'light' for me. I'm not completely familiar with all the jargon/culture feel free to mock me 
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Oct 26, 2011 04:16
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Victis posted:So, looking to be a first time bike owner, and I know that Harley's aren't the most popular bikes 'round these parts... Buy small, cheap, and disposable for your first bike...you'd want to kill yourself if you buy the perfect bike and then drop it and do a bunch of damage to it. Scan craigslist for something cheap that you can abuse, drop, and neglect, and buy the bike you really want for bike #2. You might find you want something different after getting some experience with bikes 
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Oct 26, 2011 04:46
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A 600cc or 750cc Honda Shadow is going to be comparable to an 883 Harley and can be tweaked into an essentially identical style for cheap if it's not like it from the factory floor already. Case in point, here is a bone-stock two year old Shadow Phantom: As a new rider, romantic as it may seem you really shouldn't be looking at new bikes, since you will drop your first bike, scratch it all to hell and break a bunch of minor parts at least once. Harleys are more expensive to buy used than Hondas and their parts tend to be obnoxiously overpriced.
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Oct 26, 2011 04:51
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Z3n posted:Buy small, cheap, and disposable for your first bike...you'd want to kill yourself if you buy the perfect bike and then drop it and do a bunch of damage to it. Scan craigslist for something cheap that you can abuse, drop, and neglect, and buy the bike you really want for bike #2. You might find you want something different after getting some experience with bikes I went this route after striking out on a couple of SV650's, and tonight I got me a 2005 Savage LS650 with 3800 miles for $2000. It's in near perfect condition too. I rode it home about 10 miles on side streets without incident, with my wife following, and buzzed around the neighborhood by myself after dark a little bit. All the familiar old roads were new again, and 30 mph was pretty exciting in the open air. I would like to come back to the SV650 later, but I think I did the right thing for a starter bike. Now I will just have to see how long it takes before I want something fancier. I hope it will be a while.
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Oct 26, 2011 05:07
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Snowdens Secret posted:A 600cc or 750cc Honda Shadow is going to be comparable to an 883 Harley and can be tweaked into an essentially identical style for cheap if it's not like it from the factory floor already. Case in point, here is a bone-stock two year old Shadow Phantom: Out of curiosity, for small/affordable/mellow starter cruisers is the Suzuki GZ250 considered to be an okay option? 
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Oct 26, 2011 05:11
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It seems okay, but I dislike thumpers. Prefer v-twin/parallel twin 250s, myself. It probably would have better fuel efficiency than v-twin/parallels if that's your thing.
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Oct 26, 2011 05:57
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Out of curiosity, for small/affordable/mellow starter cruisers is the Suzuki GZ250 considered to be an okay option? Sure, as long as your freeways are relatively sane speedwise.
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Oct 26, 2011 06:00
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Z3n posted:Sure, as long as your freeways are relatively sane speedwise. I still wouldn't take the DRZ on them.
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Oct 26, 2011 15:04
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My general take on 250cc cruisers is that, depending on the size of the rider and the city/highway mix they're planning on riding, it can be underpowered to where one of two things happen: - They get so scared of getting run down on the freeway that they give up biking, or - They upgrade to bigger, pricier bike #2 too early, before they've gotten those random stop-n-drops and that critical first lowside out of the way. The good thing about 250cc cruisers is that they're very commonly used for MSF training classes so as long as you take one of them prior to buying your first bike (which you should always, always do) you can get a pretty good grasp of their power/weight before you have to decide what to own. DC freeways can be motorcycle nightmares, no matter what bike you bring. Your ability to avoid accidents is inversely proportional to your proximity to cars and the time spent that close. When everyone's stop-and-go averaging 10 miles an hour bumper to bumper you're just waiting on the guy behind you to nod off and miss the brake or some dickbag to blindly swerve into your 'empty' lane and crush you. Hell, just look at how often they hit each other.
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Oct 26, 2011 17:11
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Are 250 cruisers that much cheaper than 600's? Don't see how they are worth it out side of parking lots. I wouldn't buy a cruiser just to have to wring it out on the freeway.
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Oct 26, 2011 17:39
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Mcqueen posted:Are 250 cruisers that much cheaper than 600's? Don't see how they are worth it out side of parking lots. I wouldn't buy a cruiser just to have to wring it out on the freeway. I see GZs, Rebels, Nighthawks, etc. go for a grand all day on my local CL. If one didn't know about their utter lack of power, compared to small displacement sports/standards, I can see how they'd be an attractive purchase.
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Oct 26, 2011 18:32
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I like wringing my cruiser baby on the freeway. 
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Oct 26, 2011 18:43
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Mcqueen posted:Are 250 cruisers that much cheaper than 600's? Don't see how they are worth it out side of parking lots. I wouldn't buy a cruiser just to have to wring it out on the freeway. Around town, they're light and comfy and a lot of fun to toss around. I rode an $800 250cc cruiser that made a blistering 14 HP (as recorded in 1983) for about five months. I took it around town and on one or two long trips up state and US highways, and it was perfectly in its element. It was a great introduction to motorcycling, and it taught me a lot. Then I took it on the interstate and got out-braked by a Maxima 
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Oct 26, 2011 19:32
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http://nwct.craigslist.org/mcy/2666208953.html Texted the guy and he said its in pretty tip top condition but I know ~62,000 miles is a lot. Any idea on what I should offer?
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Oct 26, 2011 20:23
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