Yahooo loving life about to take the plunge

[Alexx]

So hello guys!

The name is Alexx, I am 22 years old. I been working two jobs and saving my ass off. I have saved a total of $4500 cash money. I got an insurance quote from my insurance company with a very affordable rate for full coverage for a 2009 FZ6.
My plan is to go to yamaha drop $4000 as a down payment (over half their asking price) and get them to do in-house financing for the rest of the cost through HSBC. I know you guys will probably say to stay away from HSBC and give me some horror stories and tell me to go through a credit union instead. I am not going to do that though. I work with a guy who has bought 4 bikes through HSBC and he has never had a single issue and couldnt be happier, and so will I. I am gonna buy a Joe Rocket helmet to go with my new bike and get myself some payments of $300 a month or so. I am then going to pay $800 a month instead in order to pay it off long before a year is up. So by Christmas I should have this bad boy payed off. Then I will have me a nice bike and loads of spending money .

I am not new to bikes either although this will be my first bike that I actually own and pay for. I have been riding bikes my whole life, I got a motorcycle endorsement on my license, and have toured hundreds of miles with my father and brother on a honda 600.

Just thought I would introduce myself and tell you guys my little plan. I am so excited its unreal. I been working so long and so hard for this bike that it is going to be like christmas morning when I actually get it.

So I know this is an FZ6 forum so what do you guys really love about this bike? For me its the fact that the bike itself looks absolutely sexy, its got comparable performance to an R6 (my origional choice for a first bike) and from the looks of it you can ride long distances without your back killing you.
For me this bike will be a commuter to and from work, and a weekend toy to tour around a little bit. Its so great that I am going to get it soon just in time for summer too. I have a feeling that I will not be able to tear myself away from this bike!!

Also I want to get a black one.

 

[BH322893]

welcome, have you looked at pre-owned? I as well as others have found great deals on practically new bikes all over. I bought a 2006 2 months ago with 800 miles on it for 3500, just think with the money you save you can do all the fun mods that we all love. just my .02 :welcome:

 

[Norbert]

You're 22, working two jobs, and going into debt to buy a bike?
You must love the FZ6 more than any of us!
Have you thought about buying a used bike off of craiglist? It may make more sense.


Oh, and of course, :welcome:

 

[DefyInertia]

:welcome:

Congrats on saving up the money. I'd love to have a black one but mine is silver and black. I like the looks, the performance including range, the value, and the comfort.

Why not buy used? You could get essentially the same thing for quite a bit less money, not have a loan, and have cash left over. I highly recommend it.

Where in Cali?

 

[Alexx]

Well guys I definetly have considered buying a used one. Its just the way I am I want only what I want and I am not really willing to settle. There are a few used bikes but never do I find one with the look I want the color I want all for a price that seems good. My dad who has bought bikes all his life gave me some good advice. He told me to buy a new one because that way you get exactly what you want and you know where its been. His point was no matter who you buy a bike from you never know what has happened to it how hard its been riden and what kind of things have happened to it. I know you are probably safe to buy a used one especially a late model one but I want to know 100% that my bike will get me where I need to go. Plus all the FZ6's I have seen are all flawed or dont have that sparkling brand new look that I so sorely desire.
And it aint so bad as I have been in dept before. I bought a new car when I turned 18 and payed that off last year and it was far more expensive. I am responsible and I know what I am getting into. I am about to finish college as well and luckily I have no student loans to pay off. Thanks to my awesome parents .
Believe me guys I have weighed it out and I would rather pay twice the price for the peace of mind. I know all too well what happens when you settle for something less than what you want. You end up regretting it and wishing you had just gotten it right the first time.

Thanks guys for the welcome.

I am from San Diego California.

Also this is not a desicion I came to lightly this is the result of many years of procrastinating.

 

[Norbert]

Well guys I definetly have considered buying a used one. Its just the way I am I want only what I want and I am not really willing to settle. There are a few used bikes but never do I find one with the look I want the color I want all for a price that seems good. My dad who has bought bikes all his life gave me some good advice. He told me to buy a new one because that way you get exactly what you want and you know where its been. His point was no matter who you buy a bike from you never know what has happened to it how hard its been riden and what kind of things have happened to it. I know you are probably safe to buy a used one especially a late model one but I want to know 100% that my bike will get me where I need to go. Plus all the FZ6's I have seen are all flawed or dont have that sparkling brand new look that I so sorely desire.
And it aint so bad as I have been in dept before. I bought a new car when I turned 18 and payed that off last year and it was far more expensive. I am responsible and I know what I am getting into. I am about to finish college as well and luckily I have no student loans to pay off. Thanks to my awesome parents .
Believe me guys I have weighed it out and I would rather pay twice the price for the peace of mind. I know all too well what happens when you settle for something less than what you want. You end up regretting it and wishing you had just gotten it right the first time.

Thanks guys for the welcome.

I am from San Diego California.

Also this is not a desicion I came to lightly this is the result of many years of procrastinating.

Well ok. But also consider the gear you have to buy in your little financial forecast. I don't just mean the helmet, but jacket, pants, gloves and boots.
Also, buying a bike inevitably leads to mods, which can be expensive.

Congrats on finishing college and, yes, your parents are awesome for paying for all of it. Go give them a hug.

 

[Alexx]

Well ok. But also consider the gear you have to buy in your little financial forecast. I don't just mean the helmet, but jacket, pants, gloves and boots.
Also, buying a bike inevitably leads to mods, which can be expensive.

Congrats on finishing college and, yes, your parents are awesome for paying for all of it. Go give them a hug.

Very good point there with the gear. Thankfully I come from a family of bike riders and since I ride my brothers bike on road trips with my pops and bro I have long ago bought myself a pair of joe rocket ballistic pants and a reactor 2.0 jacket. I also got myself pads and a spine gaurd and boots. Even the helmet I dont need to buy as we got about 7 helmets laying around but I just want to get a new one for my new bike. Got gloves for both rain and sunny weather and I even got a nice tank bag. I even thought it through enough to cover taxes and registration. I believe I am going into this with no hidden suprises.

Most guys my age should shy away from a new bike with high performance as they could drop it or scuff it and still have to make payments. For me though I cant imagine doing that as I am about as comfortable on a bike as I am walking or breathing.

I will definetly hug my parents they are better to me than they should be . Thanks much for the congrats and believe me I will post a ton of pictures of my new bike once I get it, that is if I can tear myself away from the road. I might wait until June to actually do it so I can get myself saved a couple monthes of insurance as well as some extra money for whatever might come up.

 

[dean owens]

welcome aboard.

just as a side note, being that you're 22 and about to graduate from college with no debt i would highly recommend that you buy a copy of "total money makeover" and read it. i wish i would have read it when i graduated from college.

 

[Mancolt]

OP: Why a Joe Rocket helmet? I've never heard much of anything about them. Why not look at a better helmet brand? There are plenty of specials to be had all over the internet! Webbikeworld has reviews of all sorts of helmets!

welcome aboard.

just as a side note, being that you're 22 and about to graduate from college with no debt i would highly recommend that you buy a copy of "total money makeover" and read it. i wish i would have read it when i graduated from college.

Care to elaborate dean? I recently graduated from college on a full ride so I have very little debt right now. I took on a small motorcycle loan so I could build up credit score for when I need to purchase a car in a few months. What's the book about?

 

[dean owens]

the book is about using money wisely. dave ramsey is very anti debt and very pro savings and living within your means. it's really a lot of common sense stuff that is all packaged together. but the things that are amazing is he will look at what the average car payment is... followed by the fact that most people get a new car when they're finished paying off the previous one... therefore they keep a car payment their whole life. if you decided to only drive cars you could pay cash for and put that same money in a retirement fund you would retire with well over a million dollars (i think it's 5 but it's been a while since i read the book and i can't remember all the different formulas and examples).

trust me. it's an easy read, only about 20 bucks and it will cause you to look at your money and the way you spend it in a completely different light. even if you don't buy into all that he says, it's worth a read. a number of my friends and my wife and i have read it. it's impacted all of us in the use of our money.

here is a few links for you.
The Total Money Makeover Book
Dave Ramsey Homepage - daveramsey.com

 

[Lefty]

Welcome Alexx,
I have to say you seem to have your head squarely on your shoulders. Kudos for your work ethic and discipline to save up that much money with two jobs. I was on the fence on buying used vs. new and I have the same viewpoint as your dad does, even though I ended up buying used. Even though I got a great deal on my used FZ, you're never sure how the previous owner treated the bike until you've had it awhile, and paying in off by the end of the year is a commendable plan.
As far as gear, you'll get all kinds of opinions on brands, etc. but IMO as long as the helmet is DOT/Snell approved and fits you properly you're good.
Enjoy the excitement on getting your new bike and don't forget to post those pictures when you do! :thumbup:

 

[Jblk9695]

Welcome to the club, and buy what ever makes you happy as your the only one that you need to please.

Jerry

 

[Dennis in NH]

I'm in the camp of the folks saying save your money -- you're only 22 and just getting out of college. Get a kick butt job so you can make more money faster and be able to buy what you want. Spend some of that $4500 on training on how to manage, handle, make more money, etc. Just something to ponder before jumping in and dumping your $4500 for a great toy.

Enough said from me on that.

Anyway, if you go for it, FZ6 is a great choice. I thought Yamaha was doing 1.99% for 36 months -- might want to consider that too unless your bank can do better.

Welcome and enjoy. Don't forget to budget for riding classes or trackdays, etc. to make you a better/safer rider. Also, hopefully, you have a car. It's hard to pick up girls on a bike -- unless she's really into bikes.

Dennis

 

[Wavex]

You could buy Oso's FZ6 and come out with almost $2k in your pocket and no loan... his FZ6 is sick and has tons of expensive mods... with the $2k extra you could buy a nice set of full gear and get the bike painted if you don't like how it looks...

Buying a first bike new and getting into debt at 22yo is not even conceivable to me... and you're going to drop it the first year (with your experience in the world of motorcycles I am sure you know that), and it's much much cheaper to drop a used bike...

Just my $.02...

Whatever you do, good luck with it!

 

[Sparky10]

That $4000 should be right at 2/3 of your overall otd price. A 2009 model is now a leftover from last year. I just got my 2008 for around 5300 otd brand new a couple months ago. They had a black 2009 that they were asking (I think) 5900, otd. I am aware that you are on the other side of the country, but still. Make sure you shop around rather than just going to the dealer and buying the first one you see that you like at the first place that you see it.

 

[Hoshiko]

:welcome:
I agree with your dad 100% New is new only when has cero miles on it and as you said, peace of mind which is priceless.
Getting yourself in debt at 22 especially with not that much money is great, no book will teach you how to do that expensive mortgage few years from now and you'll be more ready than most of us.
About having no debt from college, your parents really rock big big time. I am 30, my wife is 29 and we have still close to 100k student debt well worth and no regrets but wish my dad could paid for it.
Enjoy your bike, you will love it.

 

[Wavex]

Hoshiko: so to sum up your post:

- first bike should always be brand new for the piece of mind.
and
- every 22yo should get in debt ASAP to be ahead of everyone else.

Did I understand your post right?

If I did, all I have to say is: wth???

 

[Mancolt]

I also vote buy used. If I can find something used, I'll almost never buy it new. Let someone else take that huge depreciation hit. The moment that odometer hits 1 mile, you've just lost hundreds, maybe thousand(s) in resale value. Why not let someone else eat that? You've heard in this thread how solid these bikes are. If you can find a used one with relatively few miles, I'm sure the bike will be fine. Even if it has a couple thousand miles, you'll still probably be fine. Pay a mechanic $50-$100 to tag along with you and inspect the bike if you're not sure what kind of condition it's in.

As for why I love this bike: I think it's very sexy. It's different, I don't like to mindlessly follow the crowd and get supersports like everyone else. It has quite a bit of power, definitely enough for a first bike. It's way more comfortable than a supersport to ride for any period of time.

Having said that, an R6 or R1 are probably in my future in a few years. But I'll most likely keep the FZ6 for longer rides.

 

[CHEMIKER]

:welcome: to the forum! I hope whatever you get, you're happy with it.

 

[DefyInertia]

not arguing or debating, just speaking my mind.....

peace of mind? I think that's a BS way of justifying buying new.

I bought my FZ6 w/ 1,300 miles on it and had peace of mind that I paid bottom dollar for a lot of bike and that the bike was in good shape (the bike had never been dropped and was just barely broken in!).

I wouldn't feel any safer on a bike with 25 miles on it than on a "used" bike with 2,000 miles on so long as it had not been dropped. what peace of mind are we talking about here? It's a bike, not a space shuttle.

On the other hand, great deals on new bikes come along every now and then too.

I agree with your dad 100% New is new only when has cero miles on it and as you said, peace of mind which is priceless.

Getting yourself in debt at 22 especially with not that much money is great, no book will teach you how to do that expensive mortgage few years from now and you'll be more ready than most of us.

WTF?