About to Purchase 1st Bike

[Dave.TX]

I would hate to tell you which one to buy and be wrong, so I'm not going to do that. I'm telling you to buy both! Can't go wrong there! :thumbup::welcome:

Sounds feasible to me! I'd be boosting the economy... If I could afford 2 bikes I'd get the FZ6 and an FJR.

Looking around I see deals: found a 2007 in NW Houston with 8K miles for $3800. It's about a 2 hour drive from my place.

From Australia? No. Native southern Californian which, aside from Hawaii, is the nearest place in the U.S. to Australia I s'pose. And there's a bunch of Aussies in SoCal.

 

[Kazza]

From Australia? No. Native southern Californian which, aside from Hawaii, is the nearest place in the U.S. to Australia I s'pose. And there's a bunch of Aussies in SoCal.

I only asked because the Aussie members have a bit of a reputation for talking on this forum. I don't know why

 

[CoolATIGuy]

Looking around I see deals: found a 2007 in NW Houston with 8K miles for $3800. It's about a 2 hour drive from my place.

Making progress! That's average mileage, I'd say again a decent price (although not a steal). But if it's a private party you have negotiating power on your side.

Unless you're headed that way anyways, before driving several hours try to get as much info and some good pics beforehand - a bummer to drive out and find incompatibilities you can't live with.

Ask the seller why they're selling, it will give you an idea of how to approach negotating a price - they don't have time to ride, they're upgrading to a diff bike, they took a spill and are scared to get back on, spouse lost their job, new baby on the way, etc.

Make sure you check for any frame damage, plastic damage, any defects before you buy - if you don't know what to look for, try to take someone along that you trust and knows what they're looking at. If there are defects but you're willing to live with them (like cosmetics), use it as negotiating leverage.

Have you researched insurance costs? If you're getting a loan you'll likely have to carry full coverage insurance, which could be expensive depending on your driving record. On a good note, it's not a liter bike, and you're not an 18 y/o male anymore.

My recommendation is pick a walk-away price that you make a commitment (to yourself, or better yet with your spouse, if you have one) not to exceed on this deal - otherwise you're much more likely to get talked up several hundred dollars on the spot just to secure the deal, especially after driving and getting emotionally attached. That could easily make or break your "good deal".

Last but not least, $ isn't always everything in the negotiation - when I bought my fz6, the bottom price the seller would get down to was just above my "walk-away" price (like, $100-$200 above). However, I needed a helmet anyways so I mentioned it to him - he happened to have an Arai he threw in to make the deal happen. As an added bonus, on the bill of sale a chunk of the $ on the "package deal" we marked down as for the helmet, saving me on taxes when registering. <score>

 

[Pseudo-Fed]

Thanks everybody... good advice and encouragement.

I live near Austin, TX, which is close to the middle of the state. A couple hours drive will get me to Houston or DFW areas. Austin seems to have higher than average prices from the state. DFW has a TON of motorcycle shops and dealers which means there's more bikes up there too. A few of the dealerships in the Houston area are cheaper than Austin too. San Antonio isn't far behind and only about an hour away.

There's a decent deal on Craigslist for a bike in Corpus Christi but it's almost a 4 hour drive for me. I do have a full size Chevy truck (Texas Edition, whodathunkit) so can always drive down and load it in the truck, that's not a problem.

Years ago I had a real bad problem with impulse buying which got me in trouble. I'm older and wiser now (so I keep telling myself) so maybe I can wait a little longer and see if a sweet deal comes around. Unfortunately people are hurting for money nowadays and starting to sell off non-essential things like bikes, extra cars, etc. Who knows what will pop up in the next month or so.

As far as Nebraska and not much around there, I can sympathize with you. I have relatives in Bladen, NE, and have been there. If you like corn, there's plenty. Your nearest neighbor... might not see them for weeks. I guess you'd have to chunk over to Lincoln or Omaha, maybe Kansas or whatever bordering state you live by to look at bikes. I used to live near San Diego, CA, and you can get just about anything there you desire. And the weather is usually so nice. On Wednesday Austin will set a new record of 70 days at or above 100 degrees this year (it was 103 today).

Burleson is closer to me than DFW. The new one I was seeing was at Stadium Yamaha in Irving. That's the only brand new FZ6 coming up for the entire state on Cycletrader. If I were to peruse the individual dealerships websites I may find a gem in the hiding that isn't advertised. We'll see!

Dave

The Irving one at Stadium Yamaha has been gone for some time. I've told them, but they're blaming Cycle Trader. And Burleson's was not on Cycle Trader--learned about it from a friend who just bought the same bike used (flew to GA and rode it back), so I went and bought it. You'll need to call the dealerships as not all use Cycle trader.

 

[cap'n]

Quick thought: When you're looking at a used 08 with about 6k miles and hard bags already on it for $4800 or so, picture my bike. It's an 07 I bought new, that now has 41,500 on it with nothing but routine maintenance I did myself. I paid $6,600 for it new, and then I paid $800 for bags and put them on myself. The 6k miles on a bike like that is nothing. The fact that it already has bags, and is broken in, is only a good thing. Find you a good 07-or-later, ideally with bags already installed, and pull the trigger when you can. And WELCOME!

 

[Dave.TX]

Thanks Pseudo and Cap'n. I'll be looking for used anywhere between Dallas to Waco to Houston to San Antonio for the best deal and the right setup. I prefer mostly stock if possible (I'm not much into modding and prefer quieter bikes so I can hear what's going on around me, that's why I don't like V twins).

Trying to determine what the Nada wholesale value is for an '08. That will give me a good ballpark for 07's and up. My credit union loans for wholesale value only. Granted I have $ for a down payment to lower the total price. I printed out a loan app and will talk to them Wed or Thur this week. The actual purchase, should I be approved and find a bike right away, won't happen for another few weeks at least.

I do like the '08 that is at lonestarcycles.com in Austin. Black, Givi bags and Leo Vince exhaust, 6400 miles for asking price of $4700. I'm sure I can talk them down a bit and if the loan is for $3500/4yrs then payments are about $82/mo. I'm old (41) so insurance won't be too bad as I already have home and truck insurance through the same company.

I just can't wait to finally be able to get out and ride! 95% of everyone I know that has motorcycles has a Harley or metric cruiser but I don't care, I'll ride with anyone (would prefer to hook up with some sport bike types once in a while though).

 

[Dave.TX]

@CoolATIguy... the craigslist ad says he has to sell to pay for school. I emailed him and the bike is already sold; he doesn't know how to remove the ad.

I'm not the most savvy negotiator but I do my research and usually know what I'm talking about. Having been around motorcycles and atv's a lot over the years I've still retained some knowledge, even at my age.

There will be more. With school starting and fall approaching (right, it's 107 degrees at my house at 4:45pm right now in Texas) the riding season is waning.

It's not like the deals I see today will be gone forever. I'm still about 3 weeks away from even being able to buy. Thanks again for everyone's input!

 

[CoolATIGuy]

I'm old (41) so insurance won't be too bad as I already have home and truck insurance through the same company.

I just can't wait to finally be able to get out and ride! 95% of everyone I know that has motorcycles has a Harley or metric cruiser but I don't care, I'll ride with anyone (would prefer to hook up with some sport bike types once in a while though).

1. You might still call them and just have them run a couple quotes. My insurance agent is cool about letting me give some models/years/coverage preferences to get a bit of a ballpark. The home and truck might help a bit, but the age (and driving history) are the kickers.

2. For sure find some good guys to ride with. Be careful and choose your riding pals wisely though, especially at first while you're getting comfortable - I found a group on meetup.com, a bit of a story, but let's say I was proud of myself for being able to step out right after we started the ride when I realized it was beyond my capabilities and limits to safely keep up.

 

[Dave.TX]

Spotted a 2005 Ducati ST3 with 5800 miles for $6550 locally, it's black and purty!

I keep telling myself that I settled on the FZ6 because it's inexpensive, gets good mileage, is sporty enough and pretty much bullet proof. I'll get a sport cruiser later.

But the Ducati sure is purty and at a nice price...

 

[rjo3491]

Congrats! Exciting times!

I would not go for the new bike, for multiple reasons...Let someone else take the hit for driving it off the dealer lot - in about 50 feet of riding you've lost a ton of your investment right off the bat.

Yep, what he said (that applies double for new cars). Besides it sounds like the used one has some nice aftermarket additions.

 

[Dave.TX]

Pseudo-Fed said the new one in Arlington has been gone for a long time so it seems I don't have to worry about buying new, seems they're all but gone.

There are some nice used ones around. Will keep shopping. Heck, I've even checked as far as Sucklahoma and Lousyanna.

:BLAA: