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^^ A secondhand project bike just seems to scream 'avoid at all costs' to me, but maybe that's just the cynic in me.
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Oct 10, 2008 20:38
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That just looks like the standard "selling for this cheap because X needs to be replaced," where X is usually something trivial like a starter or a battery. Just ask yourself - if you could sell your vehicle for $2500 instead of $1200 by having $500 in work done to it, why wouldn't you? Unless, of course, you know that there are other things that have failed, or are about to.
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Oct 10, 2008 23:14
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You need permission to transport your race bike, or do you actually plan to ride it to the track? 
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Oct 27, 2008 05:29
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Z3n posted:Technically, you need a permit to transport any motorcycle that you own on public highways, regardless of what the use is.  That's... really loving wierd. How does one go about transporting a bike they just purchased, then? Up here, as long as the bike isn't actually driving on the road, the cops just consider it part of a vehicle's cargo, and there's certainly no requirement to register it. That's loving retarded. Wormy Guy: You're the exact same way that every other goddamn newbie getting into this is - you see something for a (to you) ridiculously good price, with everything you think you could ever want/need, and you get your mind set on it. NOTHING that anyone says to you, regardless of how much experience they have, with exactly the same situation, will dissuade you from your All I'm saying is, I had a friend this summer, who approached me to help find him his first bike. I suggested many good starter bikes, at fair prices, and everything I went to look at with him (barring 600cc sport bikes), he shot down since he already had his mind made up. So, despite everything I could and did say to him, he still bought pretty much the same bike that you posted, right down to the dubious black paintwork (used to hide crash damage without actually rectifying it). He lowsided it at least 3 times within a month of owning it, and at the end of the summer, he was still far less confident riding (and slower) than another friend that started at the same time on an old UJM. :facepalm:
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Oct 28, 2008 01:31
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The Wormy Guy posted:Thanks for hearing us out. It may sound like we're a bunch of old, crotchety, fun police, but really, we just want to see more riders actually stick it out (safely), and sanely. Six months or a year down the line, after you've put thousands of km on a bike that doesn't want to kill you or spit you off on every corner, you can buy that sweet rear end deal of a 600 off the guy who didn't start slow and now is too scared of crashing to ride it anymore. If you doubt that last part, just check through the classifieds, and see how many sport bikes are being sold with barely used gear. 
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Oct 28, 2008 20:50
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Well, it does have the cowling from the faired bike (the naked one just has a big 'ol round headlight, and a pair of guages), so chances are it's been down, and the seller just couldn't be bothered to source new plastic. With the lack of fairings, the higher mileage (for a 3yr old bike, that's pretty solid mileage), and other cosmetic defects, I think $2,000 probably wouldn't be an unreasonable offer to make, especially at this time of year. As long as the guy isn't just looking for a cash only sale to get rid of a hot bike, but usually those people will advertise some retardedly low price, which this isn't. Go have a look at it, they're perfect bikes to start on. Suzuki has been making the GS500 for rougly eleventy-billion years, so parts are plenty, there's knowlege of any and every problem (of which there aren't many), and once you get to the point of wanting something more, you can swap bits of suspension in from faster Suzukis. I had one as my (second) first bike, and it was brilliant. Dead reliable, really cheap to run, no problem with highway travel or longer trips, comfortable, and yet still quick enough to get ahead of any traffic at a stoplight.
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Oct 29, 2008 00:34
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That's a pretty lovely price, tbqh. You could likely find a post 2000 example of the exact same bike for pretty much the same money he's asking. Good bike, wrong price. http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/886828611.html See? Simkin fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Oct 29, 2008 |
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Oct 29, 2008 19:30
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yeop. Good buy. As long as that's all that's missing, that's pretty minor, and the price is right.
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Oct 29, 2008 19:41
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True. I guess the basement price for a running motorcycle is around $1000, regardless of condition. I still think she could get the same bike, newer, for the same amount of money that she'll eventually settle on for the 86.
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Oct 30, 2008 04:06
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Depends. Is it your first bike?  I see sport bikes with higher mileage as a dicey proposition. Chances are good that they've seen at least the occasional bout of abuse, they've gone through multiple riders posessed of questionable mechanical empathy, and are only still alive out of spite. If it's a race bike you're looking for, specifically one with high miles, Z3n would be the one to ask, as he's had an SV track bike with retarded high mileage. I can't honestly tell you what my track bike has for mileage, as I've never bothered to take off the duct tape that's covering the speedo/odo on my guage cluster - it was there when I bought it, and the bike still works, so why worry? 
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Dec 4, 2008 06:45
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Sounds pretty reasonable to me. If it has 31k on the engine, does that mean that it's not the original? $1000 for pretty much any running bike without serious damage or ridiculous mileage seems to be the low end around here, so I may have my opinion skewed by that.
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Dec 5, 2008 11:14
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So.... he's only done minor maintenance to it then, and left the major mechanical problems for the next person to buy it off him? 
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Dec 8, 2008 20:19
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The radian's a good bike. I think it just brushes up agains the upper range suggested for new riders, but failing that, it's an old and fairly solid engine design, it's not too high mileage, considering the year, and it's naked. These are all points in its favour. I had an FJ600 as my first bike, and I believe that the Radian has the same engine - an air-cooled, 8-valve, inline four. The price does seem a bit steep, but if you could get him down to >$1500 that would probably be an okay deal.
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Dec 10, 2008 05:10
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They're big comfy bikes, that handle surprisingly well, considering their ground clearance. A lot of people poo poo on them for their looks, but if all you want is something utilitarian that will do pretty much anything you ask of it without complaint, you could do a lot worse. Sharing an engine with the second gen SV650 (fuel injection  ) means lots of spare parts availability. I think most people regard them as being a little more road oriented than other D/S bikes like the Kawi KLR650, but a good set of tyres should cure that.Oh, and 1k miles is pretty much not even broken in. Who the gently caress sells a bike after only 1k of riding? 
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Jan 7, 2009 18:13
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You might be able to find a Suzuki Bandit 1200S in your price range, and afaik, they were offered both naked and faired. My biased suggestion would be to look around for the bike that I'm currently riding as my dd, a Kawasaki ZR-7S. 738cc of air cooled fury.  It's got a really, really comfortable riding position, hard points to attach luggage to, enough fairing to be comfortable for longer journeys, and the engine has been around for aaaages. Sure, it's not the most powerful thing around - I'd say it felt about on par with a V-Strom 650 (though the power delivery on a V-twin is obviously quite different) - but it's plenty happy burbling along at +110kph all day long. It never sold terribly well on this side of the pond, although if you can find one, it's likely to be fairly cheap, as Kawasaki was selling them at a pretty low price. Ninja edit: I believe it was also called the ZR 750 outside of NA. http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/buyersguide/Kawasaki-ZR750-ZR-7S.htm
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Jan 14, 2009 20:52
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GS500s are perfect starting bikes - even more so by virtue of the mechanicals being historical artifacts. Every problem that could possibly happen to one, has, and so both parts and knowledge for the bike are in very good supply. Riding an air cooled bike also makes you 1000x more awesome than riding something with a radiator. This is a scientifically proven fact.
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Jan 15, 2009 21:25
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Yes, there is a difference between standards and nakeds. Any bike w/out a fairing can be considered naked, whereas standard implies a certain ergonomic layout/configuration. Just to be even more confusing, you can get faired standards (or part faired). The GS500 is a standard, and unless it's the GS500F, it's also a naked bike. Clear?  
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Jan 16, 2009 11:01
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Fortune cookie says: YOU WILL FIND LOVE IN THE SEVENTIES   Umm... If you don't want to deal with upkeep on a vintage bike, there have been several (fairly recent) UJM reinterpretations, including the Kawasaki Zephyr, and another one that eludes me (I think it was a Yamaha? It looked a heck of a lot like a Bonnie).  Simkin fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Jan 17, 2009 |
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Jan 17, 2009 00:55
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Bugdrvr posted:Have you looked into the Kawasaki W 650? It's basically an old Brit bike made a few years ago by Kawasaki with all modern bits. Ah, thank you, I was losing my mind due to my inability to remember that bike.  Yeah, that bike was made in 2001, what of it? 
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Jan 17, 2009 11:07
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IAMKOREA posted:Does anyone know about the Honda Interceptor VTR 250? They seem pretty cool and I find the price attractive but I'm worried about buying a 20 year old bike that was only sold for 3 years. Price looks to be a little on the high side for a 20yo 250, but then again, pretty much any running motorcycle in good running condition should be about that price. There might be a bit of a mark up just in terms of it being a niche/collector piece. I've seen a few naked/half-faired versions of that bike running around town here, and they seem like nice little starter/runaround bikes. Not too sure about mechanical gubbins on them, but I don't imagine that it has as bad a rap as the old 750 interceptors.
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Jan 25, 2009 05:46
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wormil posted:What is a comfortable bike for medium rides, 8+ hours? For years I rode a sport bike every day until it was stolen but it sucked for more than a couple of hours. My wife owned a Nighthawk 750 that was comfortable but underpowered. I'm older now and would probably look silly on a sportbike plus I want something comfortable that I can spend a day riding and not need a day of recovery. It'll have to be used and not too expensive so Ducatis, Harleys, BMWs, stuff like that are out. I've been itching for a KLR650 but I don't think it would be practical for day long rides. Veeeeeeeessssssttttttrrrrrrrrrrroooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  Click here for the full 1024x768 image. Fun bike, super comfortable for long rides, and it's got an engine that everyone (well, at least Z3n :P ) knows and loves. Like a cheaper, more capable BMW F650.
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Jan 28, 2009 11:00
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Do you have the fuel selector set to Prime? That could be part of the problem, as setting it to that will just let fuel drain merrily away. It's a pretty trivial matter to replace all of the fuel lines on a motorcycle, so that's probably the first step to take. It should cost you about $5 at Crappy Tire. Also, where in BC? You should post in the Goon Ride thread.
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Feb 14, 2009 10:15
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Christoff posted:I have an obsession with the repsol CBR 1000 limited edition. I'm on a 600 right now but am thinking about upgrading in about 4-5 months. With a total riding time of about 6-8 months. Bad idea? I don't know much about CBRs at all. If not that then it'll be an older super sport bike. I'll toss my hat into the 'that's a pretty terrible idea' camp. Why don't you do some track days before stepping up to something that you'll be using even less of its potential?
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Feb 14, 2009 23:24
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Christoff posted:Aside from that is that a good bike choice? Man up and slap a Repsol paintjob on an RC-51. .JPG) .JPG) 
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Feb 15, 2009 05:01
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Christoff posted:Here's one you might like, but it does have a smaller engine   Seriously though, stop thinking about bigger bikes for at least another year or two. Get some time actually putting the bike through its paces, especially on a closed circuit. You'll have way more fun than you possibly would just tooling around on a bigger displacement bike.
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Feb 15, 2009 08:54
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Sorry, I think the overabundance of shitposts/troll threads in AI has broken my humour detector.  I jumped from a 500cc to a 750cc, and the difference was pretty big, but not absurdly so. Then again, I was going from an air cooled twin GS500 to an air cooled I4 ZR-7S, sooo....
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Feb 15, 2009 09:41
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Nerobro posted:On a smooth track. A RG500 would give even modern 600's a run for their money. I'd love to have a try at a modernised (suspension and brake-wise) RG500 on a track. I'm pretty sure I would either scare myself witless, or die laughing. Possibly both.
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Feb 15, 2009 18:35
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Stoic Commie posted:Are getting new brakes for it going to be a pain? The front disc is not ventilated and I want one that is, are brakes often interchangeable? There's no good reason to swap to a drilled rotor, if the bike isn't being used for racing. If you were arguing the merits of drum vs. disk, sure, but as long as you have decent pads, sufficient brake fluid, and new (or at least non-lovely) lines, you'll have no problem with stopping. If it actually does need new rotors, then yes, it should be a trivial matter to put drilled rotors on, if you can find a set of rotors with the same bolt pattern. If not, well, just see if you can find some NOS rotors and new pads.
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Feb 21, 2009 04:42
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Glazed doesn't matter, thickness does. As long as it's in spec, you can just whip out some sandpaper and clean that poo poo off. What's better than a free repair?
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Feb 21, 2009 05:18
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Sucks to you guys, I've got the 738cc version of that engine.  Go, go gadget computer controlled carbs! 
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Feb 21, 2009 06:04
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Hughmoris posted:1996 Suzuki RF600R Random mid-90s Suzuki 600 that I've never heard of/seen before. Looks like a pretty fair price, considering the apparent mileage and condition. Nothing to lose in going to check it out, right? bluremi: That's a fair to middling price on that bike, depending on your market. As far as CPO, it probably depends on what exactly that agreement covers. I wonder what would be a wierder swap - the GS500's mill into the EX500 or vice versa.
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Feb 22, 2009 08:50
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UFS207 posted:Shiny When I eventually move on from my current bike, this is likely what I'll move up to (or the Z1000). I'm probably the only person in the world that's sad that it's not air cooled, though. 
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Mar 2, 2009 19:17
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shaitan posted:Moving up from a 250, it's only a 500 so I should be ok right? Opinions anyone? Yeah, that's probably just about enough. You should probably ask Christoff, as he's the expert on bumping up from newb bikes to something more reasonable, within a very short time span.
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Mar 6, 2009 01:25
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Nah, mods are sunk cost. Kbb on that bike is probably ~$6k at most, so maybe shoot him an offer for 4 and work from there.
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Mar 6, 2009 08:41
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Wouldn't a VFR be more ideal for sporty touring, or is it going to be primarily sporty, with an occasional longer ride?
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Mar 13, 2009 08:21
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I'll leave the other guys to discuss the rest of the trickier mechanical bits, but when it comes to things like steering, start with the simplest first. Were the tyres properly inflated? If no, then the bike will handle like a big bag of poo poo, and will often feel like it's trying to steer in a direction quite counter to what you would normally expect. This can be apparent with the tyres being as little as 5psi under recommended pressure, so...
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Mar 18, 2009 20:27
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 Geeeeeeeeee Esssssssss Five Hundreddddddd
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Mar 20, 2009 02:15
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As has been posted a few times already, hunt down one of these.
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Mar 20, 2009 06:30
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Looks like it. http://evansville.craigslist.org/mcy/1054980079.html http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en-GB&q=craigslist+w650&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 quote:In the United States and Canada the W650 was imported from 1999 until 2000. With weak US and Canadian sales and the introduction of the competing "retro" Bonneville by Triumph, Kawasaki concentrated sales in in Europe and Japan. Hahhahahaha.... Looks like the 'not a cruiser/sportbike' curse took another one from us, far too early. One year. 
Simkin fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Mar 20, 2009 |
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Mar 20, 2009 06:42
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 00:03 |
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Stoic, how about these? Sweet looking CB400 with really low miles, and the price seems quite fair, too. http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/1081281830.html Kawasaki 440LTD http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/1070726376.html Kawi 750LTD http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/1070686665.html Kawi KZ650 - No shortage of people on here to help you, if you have any questions about this one. http://annarbor.craigslist.org/mcy/1069429517.html
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Mar 20, 2009 23:40
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