Which is a better choice of bike?

[GrayWolf]

A 1997 Blackbird with 100,000KM or a 2003 SV1000 with 40000KM? Both in good condition with some touring accessories.

... I ask mainly from the point of view of shifting it on, later. I've whittled my choice of bike down to these two. I've had a 98 Blackbird before and they're pure class. I have 2 Suzukis at the moment so neither choice would be a big departure from what I'm used to.

I've booked flights to Auckland for 01st of October and I'll be bike hunting immediately in that area. I really can't say how long I'll stay but I'll be there on a 1 year working visa. The question really is, if I get a mad notion to go home- which one will be easier to sell?

Quattro,
on Km's alone, I would question the price for a 'bird. I grabbed My ZZR with 30k for 5.25k..... and to be honest, there is bugger all real difference in performance between it and a 'bird. The Zed was nigh on showroom when I purchased it. So I think the 'bird to be highly overpriced with 100,000 on the clock.
Reality also is at 100k? its about halfway through service life approx..... I'd go the SV out of your stated options

[imdying]

Having had some experience with both, I can tell you that the SV1000 is a piece of boiled cabbage like crap, and the XX eats it for breakfast. The only thing against it is the 100,000km on the clock. If you can beat the price down enough, I'd forget about resale and get that.

[Dodgy_Matt]

IMO I wouldn’t buy a bike with more than 30k on the clock...
100,000 on the clock is just mental and I am sure there is no resale value.

If you are here to tour a bike with 30-50 is fine and there is some resale value and wouldn’t be much less than you paid for it.
The only real issue is that bikes aint selling. When I was looking for a 600cc bike I spent a few months on the hunt and found one that was a good price and low Km's. I had a look at tradme the other day and 90% of the bikes on there have been there for sale for months! And people are not dropping their prices.... so they just sit...

[T.W.R]

IMO I wouldn’t buy a bike with more than 30k on the clock...
100,000 on the clock is just mental and I am sure there is no resale value.

reality is that the amount of kms on a bike is little indication of what the bike is really like, having worked on plenty of different bikes of all makes over the years I've seen bikes with well in excess of 100000km on the clock that still go like new and the internals looking just like the day they left the factory and at the other end of the scale have seen bikes with sweet FA kms look like they've been to hell and back.
The arse falls out of a bikes value more in the 1st few years of it's life than once they get to what some chumps call old.
Worked on GSX1100ET once that had over 120k on the clock and it still ran sweet as a nut, no wear on the cams, mint comp, & smooth.
The Ex has 93 CBR600 with in excess of 140k and the only indicator of age inside the motor was oil tarnishing on the cases and it still runs like silk
Had a 89 ZXR750 which was nudging 120k when sold and apart from cosmetic wear it went better than new & well enough to embarrass bikes that made it look like a dinosaur.
People get too caught up in the capitalist mind fuck of keeping up with the jones' and forget it isn't the number on the odometer that counts it's how the machine is treated in getting those numbers there in the 1st place; and half the ones that make it the be all & end all couldn't ride a hot knife into butter

[Dodgy_Matt]

reality is .... FRAT......

All I am saying dude is there are alot of people who think the same. Its really hard to sell a bike with 100000 on the clock.

[T.W.R]

All I am saying dude is there are alot of people who think the same. Its really hard to sell a bike with 100000 on the clock.

You're missing the point though, numbers on the odometer aren't an indicator of the condition of a bike
Most who adhere to your point of view usually fall into two camps...those who have money to burn & have to feed their egos with the glitz & glamour of the flashiest toy on the block. And those who aren't mechanically aware and really don't know one end of a bike from the other
There are quite a few here on KB and plenty of old school motorcyclists around the world with bikes that have clocked up well in excess 100k on their bikes and continue to do so and would laugh at the narrow minded view that low Kms means good buying

[imdying]

You're missing the point though

He's not the only one.

narrow minded view that low Kms means good buying

Go read the last sentence of the OPs post, and the first sentence of the second paragraph.


Whilst I agree with what you're saying, I think you might have it all backwards... it's not the buying that troubles him, but the selling of said bike later. Given that, lower kms are better.

[T.W.R]

He's not the only one.

Go read the last sentence of the OPs post, and the first sentence of the second paragraph.


Whilst I agree with what you're saying, I think you might have it all backwards... it's not the buying that troubles him, but the selling of said bike later. Given that, lower kms are better.

And the 1st part of my last sentence in post #20 says what?

[Dodgy_Matt]

You're missing the point though, numbers on the odometer aren't an indicator of the condition of a bike
Most who adhere to your point of view usually fall into two camps...those who have money to burn & have to feed their egos with the glitz & glamour of the flashiest toy on the block. And those who aren't mechanically aware and really don't know one end of a bike from the other
There are quite a few here on KB and plenty of old school motorcyclists around the world with bikes that have clocked up well in excess 100k on their bikes and continue to do so and would laugh at the narrow minded view that low Kms means good buying

Yep I get your point....(I have no money) but those with the knowledge already have their bikes and wont go and out and buy another one...
You have to sell to a market and the market will dictate the price....
And those in the marke for bike at the moment are new to the market and look at things the way I stated.

Let me ask you this... if you have $4000 to buy a bike what would you buy?

[T.W.R]

Let me ask you this... if you have $4000 to buy a bike what would you buy?

$4k to buy a bike....... easy..... a early model Bandit1200 simple, reliable, robust and one of the easiest engines to work with and tap into more HP for bugger all coin

[Dodgy_Matt]

$4k to buy a bike....... easy..... a early model Bandit1200 simple, reliable, robust and one of the easiest engines to work with and tap into more HP for bugger all coin

So buying sight unseen Bandit 1200 with 30k or one with 100000k on the clock.

[blackdog]

if you have $4000 to buy a bike to tour nz on and then resell what would you buy?

1200 bandit. There is no bike better for the purpose, for the money (that I can think of).

[T.W.R]

So buying sight unseen Bandit 1200 with 30k or one with 100000k on the clock.

If the 30k bike was being sold by a pimply arse 20 something year old & the 100k bike was being sold by a middle aged experienced motorcyclist I'd take the 100k bike. Variables have to taken into account of course but it's a rare event to buy a bike unseen of the 30+ bikes I've owned over the years only one was brought sight unseen and I wasn't disappointed and on the other side of the coin I've known people who've brought bikes that they thought they'd inspected thoroughly only to have the bike dump it's guts with weeks of purchase brought privately & through dealerships.

Though after a wee memory fart make that two bikes brought sight unseen... one being my old GS1200ss which I referring to above and the second a non running GSX750es that I went over & spruced up and sold on to a mate who still has it and it's still going strong

[GrayWolf]

...Let me ask you this... if you have $4000 to buy a bike what would you buy?

$4k to buy a bike....... easy..... a early model Bandit1200 simple, reliable, robust and one of the easiest engines to work with and tap into more HP for bugger all coin

Would also put the venerable FJ1200 in that bracket as well, almost bulletproof motoer, simple and highly reliable, and high milage.

[quattro]

...I had a look at tradme the other day and 90% of the bikes on there have been there for sale for months! And people are not dropping their prices...

...bikes aint selling...

Is that the concensus? Could it not be the way that the reasonably priced bikes are toing and froing and the over-priced ones are sitting?

I there a strong 'local trade' or can I take it everything is Trademe?