Some advice please!

[pete-blen]

there yer go.... right on the LAMS cc limit...
tall enough for a 6'.4" rider...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-588705362.htm

[Ulsterkiwi]

Back to pick the collective brain again.
Ok so I tried a BMW F650. To my untrained eye it seems in good order, no obvious leaks, rust, damage, broken bits etc.
I took it for a ride and after being on small bikes this was just soooo comfortable.
My only gripe was it was really awkward to get it into neutral, perhaps its just a case of getting used to the gearbox but it was a veeeery delicate movement from 1st to get the light on.
What I liked was riding position and comfort. Size and weight felt good.
What I didnt do was take it on the highway but I did spend 20 minutes stopping and starting at intersections and lots of turns and manoevres on the street which is what I will be doing a fair bit of.
My plan is to take it to a bike mechanic and have him (or her!) check it over. The owner is agreeable. (Really nice guy by the way, are all bikers good guys?)
Its a '99 with 82k on the clock. $4.5k with new WOF and 3 months rego. Some movement on price but wondered what you all thought and any tips or pointers on what to watch out for with this bike?

Cheers

[Drew]

(Really nice guy by the way, are all bikers good guys?)

Fuck no!

Its a '99 with 82k on the clock. $4.5k with new WOF and 3 months rego. Some movement on price but wondered what you all thought and any tips or pointers on what to watch out for with this bike?

Cheers

Other than them being generally accepted as horrible to look at, they're good enough bikes from all accounts I've had.

No Gixxer thou though.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Other than them being generally accepted as horrible to look at, they're good enough bikes from all accounts I've had.

No Gixxer thou though.

and unfortunately wont be for at least 18 months until I get my full :-)

[Drew]

and unfortunately wont be for at least 18 months until I get my full :-)

Dude, did you get out on the gay side of bed this morning, and put a dress on?

[10bikekid]

Back to pick the collective brain again.
Ok so I tried a BMW F650. To my untrained eye it seems in good order, no obvious leaks, rust, damage, broken bits etc.
I took it for a ride and after being on small bikes this was just soooo comfortable.
My only gripe was it was really awkward to get it into neutral, perhaps its just a case of getting used to the gearbox but it was a veeeery delicate movement from 1st to get the light on.
What I liked was riding position and comfort. Size and weight felt good.
What I didnt do was take it on the highway but I did spend 20 minutes stopping and starting at intersections and lots of turns and manoevres on the street which is what I will be doing a fair bit of.
My plan is to take it to a bike mechanic and have him (or her!) check it over. The owner is agreeable. (Really nice guy by the way, are all bikers good guys?)
Its a '99 with 82k on the clock. $4.5k with new WOF and 3 months rego. Some movement on price but wondered what you all thought and any tips or pointers on what to watch out for with this bike?

Cheers

You get the Idea, but for me I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a 99 with 82k on the clock, though it is possible they are super reliable and that's not an issue. Would be considering paying 6k for a Honda 650 Transalp which would be nicer to ride and go forever, recommend you find one and take it for spin to compare.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Dude, did you get out on the gay side of bed this morning, and put a dress on?

yup, a nice little black number.

perhaps I missed something? I got my learners a few days ago, I need to do 6 months on that before I can take my restricted and then a minimum of 12 months before I can take my full licence test (assuming I complete the necessary training to reduce it from 18 months). 6+12=18 months which then means any bike I choose/can afford which presumably would include your beloved Suzuki?

[Ulsterkiwi]

You get the Idea, but for me I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a 99 with 82k on the clock, though it is possible they are super reliable and that's not an issue. Would be considering paying 6k for a Honda 650 Transalp which would be nicer to ride and go forever, recommend you find one and take it for spin to compare.

okie dokie, pretty sure I can get the BMW for a fair bit less mind you but I understand its only informed choice if I am actually informed :-) so need something to compare to.

cheers!

[Drew]

yup, a nice little black number.

perhaps I missed something? I got my learners a few days ago, I need to do 6 months on that before I can take my restricted and then a minimum of 12 months before I can take my full licence test (assuming I complete the necessary training to reduce it from 18 months). 6+12=18 months which then means any bike I choose/can afford which presumably would include your beloved Suzuki?

It's just a pissed take. Don't sweat it.

[Ulsterkiwi]

It's just a pissed take. Don't sweat it.

not possible in my little black dress, too much exposed flesh. Its ok, I get it, was simply chucking some back your way.......or is that not allowed on my learners?

[unstuck]

or is that not allowed on my learners?

Not only is it allowed, I strongly recommend it.

[sels1]

Back to pick the collective brain again.
Ok so I tried a BMW F650.

I had one of those once and had a good run out of it. The motors are built to last.
It would make a good commuter. Is it in Kapiti?

[Ulsterkiwi]

I had one of those once and had a good run out of it. The motors are built to last.
It would make a good commuter. Is it in Kapiti?

sure is! the kms on the clock is the one thing making me wince a bit. Am guessing though by your comments thats not necessarily a huge concern. So thank you for that.
By comparison I have seen a '97 F650 with 20k on the clock going for $6995 and hopefully going to look at a '06 Dakar with 50k on the clock, this is from a dealer and he is talking $9kish
Getting the '99 bike checked in the morning by mechanic, will see what that throws up.

I went to 4 bike shops in Wellington this morning. By far and away Wgtn Motorcycles made the best impression. They were actually interested in doing business! There appears to be a real dearth of LAMS approved bikes bigger than 250cc. Between 4 places I was shown a KLR650 demonstrator (so pretty much brand new) and a very rough looking KLX400 which was clearly set up for off-road. Not much choice!

Looks like its a sellers market out there. There is a limit to what is available in my region and to go further afield means spending time and money travelling to try bikes out which I dont have and would rather spend on a bike, so to speak! I dont have enough experience to buy unseen and transport to me. I am completely new to this scene so may well be talking rubbish but it does look like the law changes have meant there is a shortfall in available stock. Either the bikes in question are doing their jobs so no one is selling or the few that do become available are commanding high prices and are snapped up by those in the know very quickly. This is fun!

[Milts]

When buying second hand, especially for your first bike, buying local so you can see it is definitely the best move. I think most on here agree there is not much better than bike shopping with cash in pocket... other than, you know, riding it.

Having been to a few motorcycle shops around wellington of the past years I think they're all pretty good to deal with - we're spoilt in this city.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Cheers Milts, I am sure that in time I will be more confident of buying out of town.

So far as the bike shops are concerned in Wellington I visited two more today (in the Hutt on the way home). The first was because I was passing it. When I explained what I was after the sales lady was very apologetic they didnt have anything in stock other than brand new bikes but did take some time to show me what was on offer and indicated what might be coming in, took my details and offered to get in touch when something of the type and budget appeared.

The second place I called to was one I had phoned earlier in the day to check out what they had. The guy said to call out, he had a couple of bikes that would interest me. I did so and when I indicated what I wanted in a second hand bike and what my budget was, I was promptly taken to be shown a series of brand new bikes starting at $12k, twice the budget I specified. Geez! and car dealers have a bad rep sometimes! I said I didnt want a 250 and was offered a test ride on 3. I know I talk funny but this was getting beyond a joke!

Anyway back to TM for me :-) Are there any other online places to look for 2nd hand bikes that folk here would recommend?

Cheers