Jim Silly-Balls posted:

Why would you NOT buy an SV400

Tim Raines IRL posted:

of course Enfield needs "another week" as parts trickle in piecemeal, and I'm still not convinced any of this is going to resolve the problem.

I think I'm going to have to go back for my trailer that I left there next week in any case, because I need it the following weekend to help someone move.

I am tempted to eat a $1000 loss or whatever as a learning experience I shouldn't have needed, and just have the dealership cash me out at whatever they will cash me out on the bike at, and buy an SV400 in the spring like I should have in the first place. We'll see.

Slavvy posted:

From what I've seen they are identical outside of engine internals, carb jetting and they always have a black frame which I'll admit looks better than silver.

To ride they feel like a really peaky, really gutless SV. Like it would be fun chasing the revs if it made decent power and the chassis were tweaked to suit the different engine character.

There is nothing remotely special about them, just like you can get an er4-n or a gsr400 which are just sleeved down 650's otherwise identical to the donor bike. Heavy, underpowered turds built to exploit Japanese license laws, getting a new burst of popularity here because they fall squarely into "I want a 'big' bike but I don't have a full license" territory opened by the new license rules.

Ripoff posted:

It's kinda weird that a decent manufacturer like Hyosung or Sym

goddamnedtwisto posted:

Careful, New Zealand has had enough seismic activity as it is.

Ripoff posted:

I'm actually wondering how much longer we'll see Royal Enfield dealers in the US since we're pretty much in the midst of a recession (thanks, trump). Guessing by Tim Raines IRL's experience that the answer to that is "not long" being that motorcycles are considered toys here, and that nobody wants to buy garbage-tier toys.

It's kinda weird that a decent manufacturer like Hyosung or Sym doesn't try to make a simple, standard scrambler-style bike and market it as the "who-gives-a-gently caress-400", a super-cheap machine based on bog-standard Honda engine clones that you can chuck off a cliff and replace instead of wasting time on poo poo like oil changes. Sounds like it would give the notoriously underpaid Millenial generations here a cheap bike they can pick up and learn to enjoy.

Slavvy posted:

They do.



They are cheap, have decent suspension and run a Honda xr derived engine.

No Chinese brand or enfield are anywhere near Hyosung quality though.

Coydog posted:

I'm really sorry man. You couldn't have predicted this.

HenryJLittlefinger posted:

Seems reasonable but I never mess with ads mentioning the seller’s wife because I assume it’s sign I’ll have to listen to a rant when I’d rather look at a bike.

The Bananana posted:

I was trying to put a non-negative against the bike reason for selling it.

Because i don't want to say "now that im done with my learner bike, help me fund buying a good motorcycle".

The Bananana posted:

I was trying to put a non-negative against the bike reason for selling it.

Because i don't want to say "now that im done with my learner bike, help me fund buying a good motorcycle".

The Bananana posted:

I was trying to put a non-negative against the bike reason for selling it.

Because i don't want to say "now that im done with my learner bike, help me fund buying a good motorcycle".

The Bananana posted:

Shes got just 8000 miles.

Is that a pro or a con in motorcycles?

Slavvy posted:

I have only ever sold bikes online and have literally never lost money even on the few where it looked like I'd crash and burn badly, so here's some serious advice on how to flick a shitter:

Pretty much everything hinges on the photos in your listing, your description and your pricing as these do the bulk of the work in filtering out the morons and attracting serious buyers. Take good pictures.

By good pictures I mean get a hold of a DSLR with a long distance/portrait lens or something similar so you can take a few really pretty magazine style shots with competent framing. Give the bike a super anal retentive clean beforehand, use favorable lighting conditions. Only take 3-4 pictures, a few really good pics works much much better than twenty lovely ones. A smart phone can work in a pinch but you have to be more creative with angles etc. Don't take pictures of tires, instruments, other close up bullshit; it's just more chances for people to spot imperfections. Your want pretty distance shots that look inviting and make people want to look at the bike in person. Keep the description brief, don't go into details, just explain the tax status etc and give a reason for selling that ISN'T 'want to upgrade' or anything else that implies you're at all unhappy with the bike.

When it comes to the actual sale, make sure the bike is clean and tires pumped up and just generally the best it can be from a rider's perspective. In dealing with the buyers, say NOTHING unless you're asked; let them talk themselves up to it on their own. Never say anything negative about the bike if you can, never talk price until they do first, be generous (within reason) about test rides. Most of the sale is in the mind of the buyer and you trying to persuade them will just make it harder.

Example of what I mean:



That bike is much, much shittier than your street 750, wouldn't survive a competent inspection from 10 feet away and definitely the most challenging bike I've ever tried to make a profit on. But I did, because the guy convinced himself it was his dream bike from the photos alone and the actual inspection was just a formality.

Slavvy posted:

Those photos are utter trash and are actively hurting your ability to attract buyers. You have to make some effort to actually sell the bike and make it seem appealing, I did a big effort post on this a while back but the tl;Dr is: you aren't selling a sensible vehicle to a rational person making an objective decision, you're selling the idea of fun to someone looking for something to brighten their life. You've gotta get them in the feels, make them think of sunny days, sitting at the cafe admiring their beast. lovely pictures of a grubby anonymous blob is only gonna attract fuckwits and lowballers.

E: here you go, looks like I was even directly talking to you!

Slavvy posted:

Redvenom posted:

Thank you thread for justify my petty moral outrage. This all came from being asked to get off my bike the last two times I've filled up (different petrol stations). That's on top of being requested to remove my helmet ever since I moved state at the beginning of the year.

Would a justifiable response be to go and buy some big jerry cans and a funnel so I can get fuel separately, then fill up at home? It's so immeasurably petty but it shits me so much.

Redvenom posted:

Go gently caress yourself petrol stations, go gently caress yourself....

Renaissance Robot posted:

Every time you post this pic I hear your lovely frankenbike calling to me.

It's a really good picture.

Ola posted:

If only there was some source of propulsive energy available directly out of the walls of our houses...

tjones posted:

I like your style and sometimes do the same for non-ethanol high test, when I can get it --- but all that aside, if you're gonna buy gas in bulk to fill up later, you might as well get a can that holds more than a gallon at a time.

Skyarb posted:

I'm a giant loving idiot. Should I get a Grom or a Monkey?

Skyarb posted:

I'm a giant loving idiot. Should I get a Grom or a Monkey?