SERIOUSILY ... I have been on the hunt for a VFR for weeks now and almost every bike has either been down lowside or knocked over off the sidestand ! Come on people :pissed: ! Not kidding ... I have seen 3 bikes, talked with 1 more owner and emailed with a 5th and of the 5 bikes one was a rebuild title, 1 had been down and repaired (by the owners) without rebuild titles and 2 had "fallen" down in parking lot.
Anyways officially here is the VFR hunt standings ...
bike #1 ... owner not willing to budge on price and I dont want a rebuild.
bike #2 ... bastard sold the damn thing after I went out to see it, told him I wanted it and just had to wait a few days while I was out of town to come back, ride and strike a deal !
bike #3 ... too much homebrew repair work done, too much work needed to get it into top shape
bike #4 ... one of my least favorite colors and has scrapes on right side fairing only, requiring fill, sanding and paint. nice modded stock pipes and reasonable miles and local to me.
bike #5 ... the PERFECT color (damn I love that asphalt black), no mods, over 3,000 miles away ! good price. Its in the US so I have to import it thereby adding $600 to the price for duties and inspecions a local bike wouldnt need.
bike #6 ... 3rd choice color (silver), 200 miles away in the US so I have to import it thereby adding $600 to the price for duties and inspecions a local bike wouldnt need. LOTS of mods including exhaust (although not my favorite exhaust choice and fitment), good price for the bike, great price with all the mods. Was knocked over and had a fairing repaired but still has very small crack in the upper nose cone.
What to do, what to do ! Owner of bike 6 will trailer it toward me so I dont have to drive the whole 200 miles to pick it up and he might be willing to negotiate on price a little. Maybe I can sell the exhaust on it and fork out a couple bucks to get one I will love in the off season after my bank account has recovered from the purchase.
What a saga this is turning out to be. :wacko:
So how long do you hold out for the "perfect bike" to come along at the "perfect price" ? ? ? Or do you get a nearly perfect bike and resolve yourself that with a little work and patience you will turn it into the perfect bike ? :rolleyes:
[image: View Post]chonsey, on May 21 2009, 10:56 PM, said:
I'd negotiate for bike number 5 :fing02: and just pay the $600
I like your plan but there are a couple problems I have ...
1. The bike is stock so I would have to go out and spend close to $2000 to get the mods that bike #4 comes with for less money.
2. Due to a few situations my budget cannot be stretched over its current limit so I cant afford to throw caution to the wind and jump on a bike that will be nearly $1000 out of my price point.
I have made a moderately lowball offer via email on bike #4, and because I know he has a bike trailer I asked him to drop it off just 30 minutes away from me, lets see what the owner says.
That is a saga. I must've gotten lucky when I decided to buy a VFR, since I found one 60 miles away, exactly what I was looking for and got it for a reasonable price, too. Hope it works out for you soon, dude! :)
[image: View Post]toddulu, on May 21 2009, 11:37 PM, said:
what's the ballpark that you're willing to spend and what are your priorities w/ respect to mods & color? Maybe we can help in the hunt!
Well here is the IDEAL bike ...
Price : $5500
Location : West Coast (Pac NW preferrably so I can get out to see it before buying in person)
2002-2004 (based on price point)
ABS
Asphalt Black
And no bloody accidents !!!
Mods I would love to have :
Corbin or Seargant seat
Pipes (something not too loud that tucks nicely under the tail lights and doesnt hang WAAY out the back)
bar risers
undertail elim kit
double bubble windscreen
bags
power Commander
speedo healer
Basically this bike for $1000 or more less ... HERE
And yes I already emailed that owner to let him know I would make a lowball offer if he decided he was open to offers. By the time I get that bike into Canada it would be $1500+ over my budget so its just not an option ... unless I won the lottery last night an dont know it yet :biggrin:
PS. I am so committed to buying a VFR that I have already sent DarthBling money for what appears to be the last set of GSXR mirror mounts, my first mod and no bike in sight ... I must be crazy!
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 22 2009, 01:42 AM, said:
SERIOUSILY ... I have been on the hunt for a VFR for weeks now and almost every bike has either been down lowside or knocked over off the sidestand ! Come on people :pissed: ! Not kidding ... I have seen 3 bikes, talked with 1 more owner and emailed with a 5th and of the 5 bikes one was a rebuild title, 1 had been down and repaired (by the owners) without rebuild titles and 2 had "fallen" down in parking lot.
Anyways officially here is the VFR hunt standings ...
bike #1 ... owner not willing to budge on price and I dont want a rebuild.
bike #2 ... bastard sold the damn thing after I went out to see it, told him I wanted it and just had to wait a few days while I was out of town to come back, ride and strike a deal !
bike #3 ... too much homebrew repair work done, too much work needed to get it into top shape
bike #4 ... one of my least favorite colors and has scrapes on right side fairing only, requiring fill, sanding and paint. nice modded stock pipes and reasonable miles and local to me.
bike #5 ... the PERFECT color (damn I love that asphalt black), no mods, over 3,000 miles away ! good price. Its in the US so I have to import it thereby adding $600 to the price for duties and inspecions a local bike wouldnt need.
bike #6 ... 3rd choice color (silver), 200 miles away in the US so I have to import it thereby adding $600 to the price for duties and inspecions a local bike wouldnt need. LOTS of mods including exhaust (although not my favorite exhaust choice and fitment), good price for the bike, great price with all the mods. Was knocked over and had a fairing repaired but still has very small crack in the upper nose cone.
What to do, what to do ! Owner of bike 6 will trailer it toward me so I dont have to drive the whole 200 miles to pick it up and he might be willing to negotiate on price a little. Maybe I can sell the exhaust on it and fork out a couple bucks to get one I will love in the off season after my bank account has recovered from the purchase.
What a saga this is turning out to be. :wacko:
So how long do you hold out for the "perfect bike" to come along at the "perfect price" ? ? ? Or do you get a nearly perfect bike and resolve yourself that with a little work and patience you will turn it into the perfect bike ? :rolleyes:
Sounds like you're the victim of too much government. Alas.
[image: View Post]toddulu, on May 22 2009, 12:00 AM, said:
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 21 2009, 11:53 PM, said:
Price : $5500
Canadian, or American?
Also, the fender eliminator and mounting hardware for the saddle bags generally don't work together FWIW
Sorry, $5500 US which is just over $7200 Cdn after taxes, duties, inspections and RIV import fees.
And thanks for that info ... I will likely go for the fender elim kit as I wont do much touring with it and when I do soft bags will do.
It sounds to me like you are "trying too hard". :laugh:
Get the year/color/ABS you want and forget about the mods unless the bike is all ready equipped. You can do the modding yourself over time and do it yourself so you know it was done the way you wanted. Most people selling a bike tend to strip off the mods because they know they can get more for them separately as they don't increase the resale of the bike itself so holding out for the "perfect" bike may mean paying more than it's worth or never finding one. I'm not saying you can't find one with mods but most of those on your list are not cheap and easy to resell (IE seat, bar risers, PCIII, exhaust, bags, and speedo healer).
As for the "accidents" you seem to run across, I would not consider a drop an accident. I have yet to own a motorcycle that I haven't dropped and the VFR is not a light weight bike so once gravity gets a hold of her there isn't a whole lot you can do accept try to minimize the impact. You are looking at a minimum of a 5 year old bike and beauty blemishes should be expected. If the fairings are intact with no cracks or broken tabs you all ready know some sanding and painting will do the rest. I received mine with some obvious touch ups and added a few "oops" of my own until I got used to the way it handled. I just recently had it completely repainted and the bike looks like it rolled off the show room floor. I have absolutely no regrets on that score. If I had painted right after buying it I would have been pissed at myself after dropping the bike. :blink:
And I have Givi hard luggage and a fender eliminator and they work fine together for me. I guess I got lucky. :huh:
Of course this is just how I do my shopping and I usually find what I am looking for in short order and end up very happy as a result. Have fun looking around and I am sure you will find what you are looking for eventually. :fing02:
Gawd, I wish I was perfect...but my '03 has fallen over twice...both times all my fault. I guess if I just left the bike in the garage all the time it would still be perfect...
Uhmmm.....Maybe VFR owners could only stand to sell/let go of their bikes only after they drop them. Many of us are such perfectionists and anal about our VFRs that we can't stand to see one scratch on it. :rolleyes:
I'd find the color I like at the lowest price.
If it fell over, it is really not a big deal. Almost every bike does at least once. Laws of physics.
The mods will be impossible to find. Of course there are exceptions, but you'll spend another 2 years looking for something like that.
The trick is not to obsess over the damn bike.
Just buy it as cheap as you can and then make it your own with mods.
Oh, and you WILL drop it once or twice yourself, so no need to look for perfect paint either IMHO. Just something that looks good from a few steps away.
Sicne you are buying the mods already, I'd advise to invest in a set of Radar's sliders. The sale is on now. Saved my paint a couple of times for sure.
[image: View Post]TimC, on May 21 2009, 11:52 PM, said:
That is a saga. I must've gotten lucky when I decided to buy a VFR, since I found one 60 miles away, exactly what I was looking for and got it for a reasonable price, too. Hope it works out for you soon, dude! :)
Same here less than 25 miles from my front door!
I hope you find what your looking for :beer:
The real fear I have with bikes with damage is you never really know the tru e story about what happened, many bikes in their 4th and 5th year have been through a couple owners and the stories get a little foggy. I fear that someone advertising a bike that has fallen over just has some left over damage from laying it down and doesnt want to admit the accident nor complete the work to clean it up.
Having said that I think I may worry a little less about color in my search, I would be happy on either black or silver I think and in the end if I fall in love with the bike I can always get it painted over a Fall/winter season !
So I guess the big question is to ABS or not to ABS ?
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 21 2009, 10:42 PM, said:
bike #2 ... bastard sold the damn thing after I went out to see it, told him I wanted it and just had to wait a few days while I was out of town to come back, ride and strike a deal !
Having both sold and bought several vehicles myself, I offer this opinion. As a seller you cannot always wait on the guy that seems really interested but wants to wait an does not put a deposit down. If you really wanted the bike you should have put some money down on it, with a written contract that you would return in a few days to pay the remainder and that the seller would not sell it out from under you. More often then not when selling a bike/car you get guys that come by all reved up that say they will buy it in a "Few" days, only never to hear from them again. It only takes once to hold a bike/car for someone, only to have them dissapear, and in the meatime you miss out on another buyer that was genuinely interested.
Just food for though and my own opinion. Good luck on your search for the perfect VFR, I hope you find it. :beer:
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 22 2009, 11:19 AM, said:
So I guess the big question is to ABS or not to ABS ?
ABS is better than no ABS.
Having said that, I don't have ABS and haven't had a problem yet.
Of course, there is always that one 'Oh $hit' moment, when you wish you did.
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 08:31 AM, said:
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 21 2009, 10:42 PM, said:
bike #2 ... bastard sold the damn thing after I went out to see it, told him I wanted it and just had to wait a few days while I was out of town to come back, ride and strike a deal !
Having both sold and bought several vehicles myself, I offer this opinion. As a seller you cannot always wait on the guy that seems really interested but wants to wait an does not put a deposit down. If you really wanted the bike you should have put some money down on it, with a written contract that you would return in a few days to pay the remainder and that the seller would not sell it out from under you. More often then not when selling a bike/car you get guys that come by all reved up that say they will buy it in a "Few" days, only never to hear from them again. It only takes once to hold a bike/car for someone, only to have them dissapear, and in the meatime you miss out on another buyer that was genuinely interested.
Just food for though and my own opinion. Good luck on your search for the perfect VFR, I hope you find it. :beer:
I hear ya, personally I would love to go through life based on handshakes and personal word but sadly that isnt possible. The owner indicated that he was content to wait for my return from my trip to have a test ride and I was in daily contact via text msg while away, I would have been happy to put money down to secure it pending a test ride if he had asked, but he didnt. Ultimately I am willing to admit that it was my fault but its just disappointing that people wont stand by their word sometimes.
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 22 2009, 09:19 AM, said:
The real fear I have with bikes with damage is you never really know the tru e story about what happened, many bikes in their 4th and 5th year have been through a couple owners and the stories get a little foggy. I fear that someone advertising a bike that has fallen over just has some left over damage from laying it down and doesnt want to admit the accident nor complete the work to clean it up.
Having said that I think I may worry a little less about color in my search, I would be happy on either black or silver I think and in the end if I fall in love with the bike I can always get it painted over a Fall/winter season !
So I guess the big question is to ABS or not to ABS ?
ABS for sure. Mine has it and it is the first bike I have had with ABS. HUGE factor in emergency stop situations. No back tire getting squirrelly on you, no accidental stoppies, just a firm braking action that allows you to steer clear of trouble. It's worth the cost in most places just in the insurance you save on the bike as well. Definitely go for ABS. :fing02:
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 22 2009, 08:37 AM, said:
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 08:31 AM, said:
[image: View Post]VFRCanuck, on May 21 2009, 10:42 PM, said:
bike #2 ... bastard sold the damn thing after I went out to see it, told him I wanted it and just had to wait a few days while I was out of town to come back, ride and strike a deal !
Having both sold and bought several vehicles myself, I offer this opinion. As a seller you cannot always wait on the guy that seems really interested but wants to wait an does not put a deposit down. If you really wanted the bike you should have put some money down on it, with a written contract that you would return in a few days to pay the remainder and that the seller would not sell it out from under you. More often then not when selling a bike/car you get guys that come by all reved up that say they will buy it in a "Few" days, only never to hear from them again. It only takes once to hold a bike/car for someone, only to have them dissapear, and in the meatime you miss out on another buyer that was genuinely interested.
Just food for though and my own opinion. Good luck on your search for the perfect VFR, I hope you find it. :beer:
I hear ya, personally I would love to go through life based on handshakes and personal word but sadly that isnt possible. The owner indicated that he was content to wait for my return from my trip to have a test ride and I was in daily contact via text msg while away, I would have been happy to put money down to secure it pending a test ride if he had asked, but he didnt. Ultimately I am willing to admit that it was my fault but its just disappointing that people wont stand by their word sometimes.
Oh well ... on with the hunt !
I too wish we could rely on people sticking to their word and dealing on handshakes. I have an old Bug I am trying to sell, had a buyer lined up. The guy was super excited about the car, said it was everything he wanted and agreed to buy the car. We even had a written contract to that fact. I didn't make him put down a deposit, but he was suppose to return with full payment for the car. After a couple weeks of him hemming and hawing, phone tag back and forth, he finally vanished into thin air. At least I still have the car and can sell it to someone else, he breached the contract we had and wasted a lot of my time. It truely is dissapointing the way some people conduct buisness these days.
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 12:49 PM, said:
After a couple weeks of him hemming and hawing, phone tag back and forth, he finally vanished into thin air.
That's what deposit is for.
Just enough to make them think twice before backing out of the deal. And reimburse you for your time and effort in case they do.
When I bought my bike I had to decide between two 2002 Red models. Bike A had 5500 miles on it, had Corbin seat, fender elim, Staintunes, new tires, etc.
Bike B had 14K miles on it, a couple paint chips on the tank, no mods at all, but had ABS.
I bought bike B mostly because the Bike A seller wasn't willing to work with the title transfer with bank lien stuff...but partly because of the ABS. I am glad i bought the bike I did, although I still drool over the staintunes at times. In the last 2 years I have added most of the mods I forsee wanting/needing..some I haven't put on yet but I have ready (such as pro-oiler)...and I dropped my bike 4 months after i bought it, pulling into a parking space.
My bike is for sale if the offer is high enough, who am I kidding?
I am one of those picky, anal retentive people, but I'm getting less so with age. All bikes fall over. They are easy to fix. You will drop one yourself, too!
History/Condition: I had ZERO history on the bike I bought, and I probably overpaid, but I don't care anymore. It's three years later, and I have learned myself or through others pointing things out that the bike isn't perfect. I have caused scratches just removing and installing the bodywork! Yes, it bothers me that I did it, but I'm not going to get it all replaced or repainted, because I'll damage it again, anyway.
Modifications: I thought it was equipped the way I wanted it, so I paid that premium, and guess what? Only half of those mods are still on the bike, and I have done some others I didn't think I would do before I bought the bike. So, don't get that hung up on them, either. How do you really know what mods you want until you have lived without them, and then with them?
[image: View Post]Rice, on May 22 2009, 10:46 AM, said:
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 12:49 PM, said:
After a couple weeks of him hemming and hawing, phone tag back and forth, he finally vanished into thin air.
That's what deposit is for.
Just enough to make them think twice before backing out of the deal. And reimburse you for your time and effort in case they do.
Yup, and I will never wait on another buyer without one again.
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 01:32 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Rice, on May 22 2009, 10:46 AM, said:
[image: View Post]SwiftTech, on May 22 2009, 12:49 PM, said:
After a couple weeks of him hemming and hawing, phone tag back and forth, he finally vanished into thin air.
That's what deposit is for.
Just enough to make them think twice before backing out of the deal. And reimburse you for your time and effort in case they do.
Yup, and I will never wait on another buyer without one again.
Rule number one when I sell something........first person with money in hand or deposited gets it. No holding, no dibs, no 'here's a check while I get the rest of the money'.........sorry guys, I'm not making friends with you, I'm trying to sell something, whether on ebay, a forum, CL, or on the side of the road.
To the OP, it sounds like you're rather picky. Thats fine........but if you are, expect that it may be a long search to find just the right one. Its part luck and part hard work. Personally, I'm not near that anal, I'd look for a bike in good mechanical shape, knowledgable owner, maintenance records, color I like and then the best value. Small cosmetic issues don't bother me......helps me lead a stress free life. Modifications can be done at any time and are a personal decision at best. Most of your list adds no value to the bike and you could ride for years and never miss any of them. Also remember, working a good deal in the middle/end of spring is much harder than late summer/fall/winter. Its riding weather, not selling weather.
I bought my '98 from my younger brother. Great shape, all original, couple of minor farkles, low mileage, and he gave me a great price. It was either that, or I'd beat the cr*p out of him (J/K). Just lucky to have a brother who knows an iconic bike when he sees one. Wish my other three brothers were into motorcycles also, but they could care less.
[image: View Post]Knife, on May 22 2009, 03:52 PM, said:
I bought my '98 from my younger brother. Great shape, all original, couple of minor farkles, low mileage, and he gave me a great price. It was either that, or I'd beat the cr*p out of him (J/K). Just lucky to have a brother who knows an iconic bike when he sees one. Wish my other three brothers were into motorcycles also, but they could couldn't care less.
Sorry, minor pet peeve of mine....
I too wish my 2 older brothers were into bikes...but then I wouldn't be the "different" one that my mom worries about.
I paid top of the used market to find a "perfect" bike. The thing had 14K miles and was spotless. So the shop cracked my center cowl for me doing routine maintenance. They didn't even drop it they were just trying to get away with bending the side fairing open to get at something instead of taking it off.
Of course I noticed the crack when I was picking my bike up (they didn't tell me about it) and of course they bought me another cowl for $500 (which I installed).
The moral? Even if you do get the most perfect bike in the world and even if you take care for it... Someone else will eff it up for you.
That said, if you wait you'll find a perfect bike but probably not with all the mods you want. You'll pay handsomely for it too unless the buyer just wants to move it.
You have to balance picky with what's available.
Pick a clean low miles bike, and ride it. If you want mods do them yourself later.
Don't worry about perfect, nothing stays perfect for long. :cool:
The PO of my VFR low sided at low speed. Never bothered me in my purchase if its repaired properly its fine. especially if its a low speed event.
I've dropped mine twice....
1. short legs at a gas station after about a month of owning it.. Pulled in a parking spot that had ohhh so slight depression in it for rain. Of course I parked perfectly in the middle of it and went to put my foot down in air... I laid it down gently. no damage...
2. backed it out of the garage not straddling the bike and moved the bar to steer it straight and it fell over..
I'm a cyclist so my upper bod is ahh not super strong..
I KNOW the frame sliders on mine have saved the fairings TWICE since I bought it :goofy:
I also concure the ABS brakes are a super addition for the saftey aspect...
Silver is also faster.... :cool:
End of thread · 33 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010