Yahooo loving life about to take the plunge

[Kilbane83]

Yeah.. Buy used, especially if you can find someone on this forum selling, everyone I've seen on here treats thier Fizzer right. It's a tough bike to begin with, can't say I've heard of anyones really just breaking down some guys here have 100k+ miles on theirs.

I'll give you my buying experience... ymmv and probably will.

If you really want to buy new, don't get hosed on the interest. I put $2k down and got a loan through HSBC with 23% interest rate I was 23 at the time but had a 752 credit score so it never occured to me it'd be that high. I was inexperiened and too excited that I missed it, and the stealership's are damn good at hiding it. I've bought vehicles before, but the interest rate was always less than 5% heh never thought it'd be that high, I have credit cards with lower interest rate.

All in all the tag price on my new '06 FZ6 was $4.8k+$600 in gear in July '07, I financed just under 4.8k after taxes and TT&L and I ended up paying about $8k total (which is almost interest free) cause I busted my ass to double and sometimes triple payments, stick it to the bastards that tried to screw me. Otherwise it'd have been near 10k if I paid the minimum.

Just my experience.. best of luck to ya whatever you decide. You sound like you've got your head on right so I'm sure you'll do fine whatever you choose :thumbup:

 

[Alexx]

I don't think he does.

Putting a stock front cowl/headlight on the bike means plugging 2 connectors together and tightening 4 bolts... that's about it if he kept the original connectors...
If you want, for the $4k difference between buying new and buying Oso's bike I will make the bike look exactly like you want for you for just $2k... you'll still be 2k ahead and have the look you want

Have you looked at naked FZ6s on this forum?

Like this one for example:

You could make Oso's bike look like that with basically just a swap of headlight... (+ a KOSO speedo makes it all sick...)... and you'd still be far ahead...

All I can say is.....WOW!!!! holy crap that thing is awesome! Dayamn!
I imagine the work on that is a bit more than two connectors and some bolts though lol very nice just not sure if I have confidence in myself to do that.

All good responses above!


SO guys in your honest opinion as you obviously know a lot more than I do.

Is this bike here a good deal? Not my favorite color but it looks clean and seems like a very good price. My worries are it has 18k miles. What should I be looking for to make sure I dont buy something that is going to break down or cost me money right off?

2005 Yamaha FZ-6

Not too bad of a cummute to buy it but what do you think of the price and the miles?

I am really glad I found this place. Opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Save money and you can still get a clean bike. See I dont know much about buying bikes or working on them or maintaning them, the extent of my knowlage is riding them. Now I really dont want a new bike, i mean lose all my money and have to make payments is really lame. Awesome community too I feel like I could learn a whole lot from this place.

 

[rjo3491]

Agree with all here, buy a nice used bike and save ALL the financing (your $4K will do it all)!! Most motorcycles are kept in immaculate shape - why not let someone else take the hit for driving it out of the showroom?? Of course, this applies to autos as well.

 

[Mancolt]

All I can say is.....WOW!!!! holy crap that thing is awesome! Dayamn!
I imagine the work on that is a bit more than two connectors and some bolts though lol very nice just not sure if I have confidence in myself to do that.

All good responses above!


SO guys in your honest opinion as you obviously know a lot more than I do.

Is this bike here a good deal? Not my favorite color but it looks clean and seems like a very good price. My worries are it has 18k miles. What should I be looking for to make sure I dont buy something that is going to break down or cost me money right off?

2005 Yamaha FZ-6

Not too bad of a cummute to buy it but what do you think of the price and the miles?

I am really glad I found this place. Opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Save money and you can still get a clean bike. See I dont know much about buying bikes or working on them or maintaning them, the extent of my knowlage is riding them. Now I really dont want a new bike, i mean lose all my money and have to make payments is really lame. Awesome community too I feel like I could learn a whole lot from this place.

Alexx,

I wish I could help you out with that one, but I'm not expert like some on here. I can tell you the advice that FZ1inNH gave me when I was looking to buy a used bike...just some easy things to look at to check the condition/maintenance:

"Things to look for... Tires, the wear indicators. Does it need new tires? That can set you back almost $400 after labor fees. Chain and sprockets. Are they in good shape? Do the teeth all look uniform with a "C" shape? Is there any rust spots at all? Chain and sprockets will run another couple hundred. Bring an air pressure gauge and check the tires. If they are low, chances are the guy didn't maintain the bike. Have him start the bike and run it for a couple minutes. Give it about half throttle. Does the throttle snap right back? Pull the clutch and brakes. Do they snap back or are they very hard to pull? This means the cables were never lubed properly. Pull the oil dipstick and check it on a clean white paper towel. Is it a nice light brown or is it black?" -FZ1inNH

This isn't an all inclusive list, but it can give you some things to keep an eye out for. Also, if you have any mechanically savvy friends or friends with alot of motorcycle maintenance experience, take them along. Or you can pay a mechanic to come and look it over for you (or ask the guy to take it to a shop and get it looked at, on your dime of course).

FYI, I bought mine with 12k miles and would do it again in a heart beat!

 

[Wavex]

All I can say is.....WOW!!!! holy crap that thing is awesome! Dayamn!
I imagine the work on that is a bit more than two connectors and some bolts though lol very nice just not sure if I have confidence in myself to do that.

All good responses above!


SO guys in your honest opinion as you obviously know a lot more than I do.

Is this bike here a good deal? Not my favorite color but it looks clean and seems like a very good price. My worries are it has 18k miles. What should I be looking for to make sure I dont buy something that is going to break down or cost me money right off?

2005 Yamaha FZ-6

Not too bad of a cummute to buy it but what do you think of the price and the miles?

I am really glad I found this place. Opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Save money and you can still get a clean bike. See I dont know much about buying bikes or working on them or maintaning them, the extent of my knowlage is riding them. Now I really dont want a new bike, i mean lose all my money and have to make payments is really lame. Awesome community too I feel like I could learn a whole lot from this place.

About the bike, it did take a bit more than just 4 bolts and 2 connectors... but really not much more... the 2 connectors and 4 bolts was to put the stock front end on Oso's bike...

Check this thread, on page 2 there are 3 videos... that'll show you the process of "going naked"...
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-streetfighter/20329-conversion-thread-fz6s-fz6n.html
Many more naked FZ6s here: http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-streetfighter/3443-post-your-fz6n-pics.html

That bike in SF looks good to me, price is in the ball park too... 19k miles is not much for an FZ6... the only thing is that you'll be 6k away from having the check the valves, so that'll be an expensive maintenance to take into consideration (can use that to negotiate a better price). Other than that, FZ1inNH's advice above is good... I'd actually ask to ride the bike up and down the street to check for any weird behavior... if the seller doesn't want you to ride it, have him ride it up and down the street in front of you... bring your dad (I think you mentioned he knew motorcycles) with you to go over the bike before buying... ask if he's done the TPS recall... ask to see maintenance records... you can also do a quick check of the steering stem bearings by holding the bike straight and pushing down with the weight of your body on the handlebar to compress the front forks... if you hear a "knock" sound, the steering head bearings probably need maintenance/replacement... all these things are no real issues though... they can be used to negotiate a better price... then you can list what you found on here and we'll tell you what you need to do The only thing to really worry about is a bent frame, so look for clues of a crash and if you see anything I'd ask for lots of details of what happened and if it sounds fishy just walk away...

There are lots of deals out there, so good luck!

Keep us posted! :rockon:

 

[Sparky10]

Is this bike here a good deal? Not my favorite color but it looks clean and seems like a very good price. My worries are it has 18k miles. What should I be looking for to make sure I dont buy something that is going to break down or cost me money right off?

2005 Yamaha FZ-6

Not too bad of a cummute to buy it but what do you think of the price and the miles?

Personally, I don't think I would pay over 2800 for that bike unless you could get them to include the Top Saddlery seat (shown in the picture, which the add says it DOES NOT include). If I you could get him to throw in the seat, it wouldn't be too bad.

And it does include the Givi top box, which could make it worth a little more to you IF you want the Givi.


Also, keep in mind that I am in Alabama. I don't have a clue what the market is like in Cali. And also, keep in mind, that is what I said that I would pay for it. It is not a BAD price, just not a GOOD price. If you paid $3100, I don't feel like you would be getting ripped off.

 

[Alexx]

Thank you all for the good responses. I am going to print out the above advice so I dont forget to check anything. I am going to e-mail this guy and check it out in person. I am also going to offer him $2900 and see what he says. Maybe if I get balsy ill even low ball him lower at $2800 and if I see any red flags I will go even lower. I will try and get him to include the seat as well. I will definetly demand a test drive. If I have any concernes I will simply walk away and see what you guys think. Also I am not going to bring the cash with me. I will decide first then go to the bank so I am not tempted in the heat of the moment.

So about the paint. Someone said earlier that I could paint it myself. Do you mean I physically paint it myself in the garage? Can I get a professional look that way? Or do you mean paint it at a shop or something like that? And how much about will cost either way?
Also will I need to buy new logos for it? I really want to keep the stock logo look.

Also I saw somewhere somebody had a really cool black windshield. Is that an easy thing to pull off as well?

 

[Wavex]

Painting it yourself will more than likely NOT look great... call the paint shops in your area and ask them for ROM (rough order of magnitude) quotes... What exactly would you want to paint? Tank + all plastics in black with the frame/engine staying grey?

For the tank + plastics it should run you around $500 imo...

Black windshield is a Puig aftermarket... google it... or you can paint that yourself pretty easily... search the forum.

 

[DefyInertia]

I will give a test ride to anyone that seems normal so long as they have the proper license and cash. We do all of our negotiating, agree on a price, I hand them the title and they hand me the cash. Then they ride it. If there are no problems when they ride it, I sign the title and we're done. I have them follow me on another bike as well....

Good luck!

 

[Alexx]

Painting it yourself will more than likely NOT look great... call the paint shops in your area and ask them for ROM (rough order of magnitude) quotes... What exactly would you want to paint? Tank + all plastics in black with the frame/engine staying grey?

For the tank + plastics it should run you around $500 imo...

Black windshield is a Puig aftermarket... google it... or you can paint that yourself pretty easily... search the forum.

oh shoot you are right. I didnt even think about the fact that the engine is black on the black FZ6's. You know what, I can live with silver I suppose. I am getting really excited. Not only am I getting a bike but I am going to have a ton of spending money as well! Very nice!

Gonna rent a U-haul trailer to bring it back as I am gonna bring my family so I dont want to ride it all the way home. Got a nice little plan here. I want to do it this weekend but I think ill have to wait a few weeks as my Dads working on the next two weekends, and I definetly want him there. Give me some time to shop for a good deal on insurance now that I dont have to get full coverage on a new bike. Man I am saving money left and right!

Edit: @defyinertia oh I see guess I will have to bring the cash with me to get a test drive. Thats very smart of you that way if they dump your bike you dont get screwed over.

 

[Wavex]

Use the extra cash/time to go buy a nice set of gear... you will need:
- helmet
- gloves
- leather jacket
- leather pants
- boots

Insurance:
- Full coverage
- Get the uninsured and under-insured options
- Get MEDPAY (costs almost nothing and is very useful in case of an accident)

AAA had the best rates for me around here... but I do have cars + house with them too, so that might be why...

 

[Sparky10]

oh shoot you are right. I didnt even think about the fact that the engine is black on the black FZ6's. You know what, I can live with silver I suppose. I am getting really excited. Not only am I getting a bike but I am going to have a ton of spending money as well! Very nice!

The picture that you linked was of a black motorcycle with silver engine and frame. So open that picture and see if you will like the look. A pre-2006 bike is going to have the silver engine and frame, while a 2006+ is going to have the black engine and frame. The black bike was not imported until 2008. So the pic you have of a black bike with silver frame and engine is a pre 2006 from another country. The colors that we got went as follows:

Silver engine and frame
2004: blue or silver
2005: blue or silver

Black engine and frame
2006: blue or red
2007: blue or red
2008: deep metalic blue or black
2009: deep metalic blue or black

There is one guy on here with the silver bike who painted his engine (and frame, I think) black. That looked AWESOME!!!!!

Don't be afraid to experiment in photoshop to see what different ideas would look like. If you are going to paint your bike, you can have pretty much anything you want.