Heres a few more questions. More so on the note of an actual purchase. I was offered 8 bikes by a friend of mines friends, who all have motorcycles and one owns a shop around the area that specializes in them, which is also where we met them. Now, I dont remember all the names, so bear with me 🙂
1st was a 05 Ninja 500 with 3000 miles for 3500.
2nd was another ninja 500, but this one an 02 or 03 with 1100 miles for 3500
3rd was a 06 6X-6R with 4100 miles for 4000
4th was a kawasaki bike, 01 or so. he told me the model, but i was stuck on the explanations of it more then anything. kept describing it as a sport touring more then a sport, said he'd gotten a high of 68mpg on it, 55-56 avg, at a 500 or 600 motor. cant remember the name for the life of me. told me it was his daily ride to work, 11000 miles for 2200. the guys the shop owner though, so wear isnt an issue as far as i could tell with the way the other guys nodded at him and seemed to look up to him as a whole.
the last 4 were on the absurd level for a new rider, and i knew it 🙂
I was offered an 07 vstrom 1000 with 1800 miles for 4500
second was a 06 or 07 if i remember right, gsx-r750 with 4k miles, for 5k
the last 2 i dont remember, but both ran 1000cc or so for motor sizes and priced around the 7k mark. out of my range by a mile.
the guys he introduced me to were all nice guys, all seemed to have a clue what they were talking about (and that they were dealing with a clueless person). they never lied about their preferences vs what they were selling (as someone else usually had a preference to what they were selling) and always knew, off the top of their heads, every little thing theyd ever done to their bikes to make them faster and better. they also told me that they werent planning to sell these bikes (for most, it was their second bike, with the exception of the shop owner, who has 5 and has owned closer to 20) but they were willing since i was a friend of this guy. they knew he'd be helping me learn the ins and outs of repairing it myself and the whole 9 yards, so they felt comfortable with parting with them in that case alone. many of them used it as their second bike if they didnt have the other in working order for daily use.
They all bluntly told me the mistakes they made when buying their first bikes and how they felt about the larger engines for a new rider. the last 4 bikes they all said were a hugely bad idea for me at this point. they all agreed that the vstrom might not be the best bike for my first time out if i plan to own a true sports bike later down the line, but that it is comfortable as a whole. most agreed that id like any of the first 4, 2 were stuck on the 6x-6r (one was the friend who brought me there and happens to own one), another 2 stuck to the kawasaki whos name i cant remember, saying the mileage would be great for the long drive to work every day and it was decent enough to enjoy driving it fast. many of the guys suggested buying one of the ninjas as they all enjoy them as a solid first time ride. a couple of the others said id be better off on different bikes (1 said 250 ninja, 2 others mentioned the sv650 suzuki, 1 mentioned something else i cant remember, but it rated at 250 i think). the 250 guys all agreed i should get a 250 for learning and sell it in a few months, then get a 500 or so, use it for a month or 2 before starting the new job, so i can get a feel for it. then from there, keep it for daily use, and buy a second bike down the line for just plain fun.
I also didnt realize how much the protective gear costs 🙂 I knew it was expensive, but some of the stuff they mentioned, price wise, was a bit more then anticipated. at the same time, i sort of knew i was lowballing the numbers for that when i told the wife 😀 unfortunately for me, she was there at the shop and could not only hear the prices from their mouthes, but see them on the wall. whoops 🙂
opinions?
