Looking for 2nd Bike

[Brock]

Originally Posted by UltimateOG

I am waiting for you to hit up some local dealers and see what all you see. As much as I enjoy seeing you research into the bikes, online they all seem one way or another until you are on them.

Thanks. I see your point. I found a couple dealers in Houston, so I may go check them out. And there are a couple local ones here.

I checked a couple of them and they have websites and they show their inventory. Didn't find what I was looking for online, but I think I should just call them instead. Then if they have what I'm looking for I can make the trip over there.

[bluspyder]

That duke is the same bike I'm in. Highway sucks if your going over 65. Windbuffer is high like most other supermoto. But, that is such a fun bike. You have to be careful tho it has torque out the wazoo. I highly recommend the bike. I also would love to that color rather then the custom job the previous owner had installed.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by bluspyder

That duke is the same bike I'm in. Highway sucks if your going over 65. Windbuffer is high like most other supermoto. But, that is such a fun bike. You have to be careful tho it has torque out the wazoo. I highly recommend the bike. I also would love to that color rather then the custom job the previous owner had installed.

Thanks ! .... how is it reliability wise ? I read it requires frequent services. Is it pretty easy on the wallet ?

[bluspyder]

I haven't done my first service yet. Im comming close tho. Your supposed to change the oil, both oil filters, fuel filter, drain the oil in the frame, pull the head and check the valves every 3k. Prob be a good 3-4 hr job. Apparently these things are golden over on the "barf" forum and people are saying there reliable. I've done a few 100-200 mile days and never had a hick up.

Keep in mind back in the early 2000's the duke 2 was a performance supermoto so the matiance is going to be a bit high. The newer husky's and ktm's matiance schedule is ridiculous. Service every 500 miles. Hence why I went with the duke.

[Sequentialshift]

Originally Posted by Brock

Did some more reading on the KTM Duke. I don't know if its right for me or not. a couple articles say its not good for running on the highway, which I spend quite a bit of time on the freeway and highway.

Also the articles say its not very comfortable.

So I am not sure. I may be leaning back to the GSXR-600

I'm hoping to make up my mind soon.

They are the lame duck of the KTM range .Anything with the 640 engine is lacking the point of a KTM which is crazy assed nutterness . If you want a supermoto you get the 625 or 660 or 690 .. Or for the ultimate hit of stupidity the Superduke ... but it is most definatley totally and utterly not recommended without some years and many miles of riding done .. and ya still got to watch the fecker .. flip you off in an instant it will .

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Sequentialshift

They are the lame duck of the KTM range .Anything with the 640 engine is lacking the point of a KTM which is crazy assed nutterness . If you want a supermoto you get the 625 or 660 or 690 .. Or for the ultimate hit of stupidity the Superduke ... but it is most definatley totally and utterly not recommended without some years and many miles of riding done .. and ya still got to watch the fecker .. flip you off in an instant it will .

Yea I read a couple different articles about it being real easy to bring the front end off the ground.



I think I may hold off on the KTM at the moment. I still want one though. I'm thinking the gsxr-600 or f4i is my next bike. If I could find a red an white f4i that would be awesome, but so far I can't find any.

Already have the gsxr picked out.

I had the ninja 636 I wanted picked out but I think it sold.

Plus the f4i has about 90 hp, I think an 04 636 is close to 120.

[Brock]

Alright. I don't wanna sound like a broken record, but I found the bike I want. The only thing is that it's on eBay. And in another state.

So it has to be shipped. I bought my ninja 250 on eBay from a dealer and everything went smooth.

But I think this guy is a private seller. When I bought the ninja 250 they sent me paperwork and everythig and signed and mailed it back. Easy process. But since its a private deal, shouldn't there be less paperwork? I had to py taxes twice. But that was through a dealer.

Here's the bike: http://bit.ly/RmAxja

30,000 miles. Looks really nice. I know I shouldn't buy it online because I have to pay to have it shipped. But I realllyyyyyy like this one and it's not likely to show up anytime soon.

Also, I know I haven't ridden it, but I didn't ride the 250 before I bought it either.

This is kinda one of those "have to have it" things.

Has anyone bought a bike from a private seller before on eBay?

[MegaManX]

Originally Posted by Brock

Alright. I don't wanna sound like a broken record, but I found the bike I want. The only thing is that it's on eBay. And in another state.

So it has to be shipped. I bought my ninja 250 on eBay from a dealer and everything went smooth.

But I think this guy is a private seller. When I bought the ninja 250 they sent me paperwork and everythig and signed and mailed it back. Easy process. But since its a private deal, shouldn't there be less paperwork? I had to py taxes twice. But that was through a dealer.

Here's the bike: http://bit.ly/RmAxja

30,000 miles. Looks really nice. I know I shouldn't buy it online because I have to pay to have it shipped. But I realllyyyyyy like this one and it's not likely to show up anytime soon.

Also, I know I haven't ridden it, but I didn't ride the 250 before I bought it either.

This is kinda one of those "have to have it" things.

Has anyone bought a bike from a private seller before on eBay?

First off, my previous bike was a 2002 f4i. Silver and red, beautiful bike. Great, great machine. Comfortable as hell for me (5'10", 185) and handled like nobody's business. Good choice, and the price is fantastic. Have the cam chain tensioner checked out.

I've never bought a bike on eBay before, but I have bought 4 cars on there, and sold 2. So I have a bit of eBay motors experience. There are some things you can do to get a better feel for the deal:

1) Do you know anyone that rides and lives in or near the seller's area? If so, they can check out the bike for you ahead of time, take pictures or video, and give you a thumbs up or thumbs down. This is the best scenario, and also the least likely.

2) You can contact a reputable bike shop in the area. Go on Yelp and look up bike mechanics in the area, find one with a lot of good reviews, and see if they'd be willing to go out and check the bike out for you. They might charge $100 or so to do it.

3) Fly or drive out and check out the bike yourself. More than $100, likely, and you'll have to spring for a return ticket if you don't haul or ride the bike home. Best choice. Combine with #2 if you're serious about pulling the trigger.

If you don't have the money to do any of these.. you should save up a little. It would suck to be out $750 in clutch and engine work on your new-to-you bike due to unseen problems.

If you REALLY can't check it out first, and there's nothing remotely local, contact the seller and ask for a phone number. Talk to him or her on the phone, ask a TON of questions about the condition of specific items in the Used Moto evaluation guide:

Used Motorcycle Evaluation Guide

Make sure to find out when the bike was last ridden, has it been sitting in storage, fluid condition, etc. That said, assume all fluids are old if they don't look absolutely new.

If you purchase the bike and are mechanically adept, get the service manual and do a mileage-appropriate service & check. If not, take it to a shop for a once over + fluid change.

The seller has good feedback, but nothing recent. It seems legit, but do your due diligence, ask as many questions as you can, and keep a lookout for local sales.

[Brock]

Thanks man for the advice!

Yea I'm always hesitant to purchase without looking. I like your idea about having a shop check it out though!

I need to contact the seller and try to learn more about it.

I like working on my own stuff , but I for sure I don't wanna get the bike here only for it to break. It would cost $500 alone for shipping. So it is definitely a big step.

But I am really interested in the bike, and Idk if there will be one like that showing up in my local area.

I'm checking Craigslist daily, cycle trader, and another searching tool someone posted in a topic in the new rider section.

But then again , I'm not sure if I should just settle for something I'm a little less interested to get back on the bike.

But also, its really nice to see something everyday that you really enjoy looking at

When I contact the seller I'm going to keep all of your recommendations in mind.

Thanks a lot for the help!.

[Dana]

My opinion on that F4I if you really want to buy it:

Pay a mechanic in the area to go check it out for you. If it checks out, contact the dealer to see if you can negotiate a price to end the auction now for cheaper than the BIN price. If you can agree on a price, buy a 1-way plane ticket on a Friday and spend the weekend riding the bike back to TX.

That's what I would do at least.

[Jamie01]

I would never buy a bike that I hadn't inspected and test ridden myself.

That buy it now price is fair, but not a steal, especially when you include the shipping cost and the possible cost of having a mechanic there look at it for you. And it's only a good deal if it doesn't have any problems, which you have no way of knowing.

That's a nice looking bike (see mine below) but I4 supersports are very easy to come by, and it doesn't seem like you should have to go all the way to Kentucky to find one.

[Brock]

Thanks guys. I'm still checking locally online everyday. Hopefully I'll find something. I may just settle and get a bike that isn't my ideal one.

I keep forgetting, its not my last bike. So I think I'm being a little too picky.

I'll try to make a decision.

I like the idea of the mechanic checking the bike out.

I sent the seller a message last night. I'm about to check to see if he responded yet.


jamie....love your bike ! Can't beat red and white.

There is a yellow one for sale in Houston. About 80 miles from me. So I may go visit the dealer and check it out.

[Brock]

The guy messaged back. They have the bike sold locally.

Man this is frustrating. I had this same issue with my 250. I couldn't find what I was looking for locally and had to buy it 1,000 miles away. About 1 month after the bike got here, I found a green one for sale in Houston .

I think I'm gonna just settle and find a decent cheap bike so I can get back on.

[Brock]

Update: I ordered all the parts I needed to make the bike street legal again. I didn't replace the fairings. They aren't in that bad of shape.

It cost me about $200 for everything. Not bad at all. Way less than I expected.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice.

I'll post a photo of the bike tomorrow.