- This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 2 months ago by alaaaaaaaaan.
Buying used?
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February 1, 2009 at 7:40 pm #2508alaaaaaaaaanParticipant
Alright guys noob here so some help is very welcomed. I’m looking to buy my first bike (Suzuki SV650S) and was wondering what is a reasonable number, mileage wise for an 03 or 04 bike. I have seen a couple so far and mileage ranges from 3-30k. Obviously low is better but i want to know what might just be too much.
Also any help on pricing would be greatly appreciated, you know what’s too much, too little etc…Thanks for the help and i look forward to seeing some of you out there on the road.
P.S. For those of you that are worried that i am a new rider and the 650 might be too much, i have done some pretty extensive comparisons and was going to go for the ninja 250 but realized that for my situation (a lot of 2 up riding) it would definitely not provide enough juice. I also decided the V-twin is a lot safer than the inline 4 i have also completed the MSF course already
February 1, 2009 at 7:56 pm #16207Jon D.ParticipantFirst , I would say get a good 90 days worth of good riding time before going 2-up.The dynamics change quite a bit with a passenger. Pretty much any bike with 400cc will be fine for a rider/ passenger situation,unless you are going to be doing some extensive touring. With you being new at this, a smaller bike will be much easier to navigate when you first start carrying a passenger and will also be more recoverable. Remember, upgrading to another bike is normal so get the experience first and foremost. The safety of your passenger is a big deal, so be good at what you do before bringing in another. As far as mileage, if it has been well kept, I could deal with a bike that has up to 15,000, keeping in mind that I will probably upgrade next year anyway. Take care,Ride safe and God bless. Jon D.
February 1, 2009 at 7:56 pm #16208briderdtParticipant… and it was a handful when I first started out (just 3 months ago), but I’ve got a pretty good handle on it now. My worst transgressions now seem to be not rolling off the throttle enough when shifting, so the engine revs up a bit.
Anyway… KBB is a big help: http://www.kbb.com/kbb/Motorcycles/Default.aspx
My SV had 4100 miles on it when I bought it, and I got it at blue book. Aftermarket parts/mods really don’t mean much to the price of a used bike. Yeah, the seller usually wants to recoup the cost, but if they were smart, they’d hang on to the stock parts to put back on before selling, and then sell the aftermarket parts separately.
“Low” and “high” mileage are more relative to how the bike has been maintained than any absolute number. A meticulously maintained bike with 20K miles can be in much better shape than a bike with 3K that’s on it’s original oil. You are somwhat at the mercy of the seller’s say-so as to what’s been done to the bike and when (maintenance records can help).
Hope that helps.
February 1, 2009 at 8:08 pm #16209alaaaaaaaaanParticipantJon thanks for the reply, i definitely plan on doing extensive solo riding first to get to “know the bike” before i go 2 up. The reason i opted on the bigger bike is simply because i am a college student and saving up the money for a bike and dont plan on trading up anytime after that lol…
As far as mileage/maintenance i agree a well maintained bike with 15k is better than a raced bike with say 4k i just wanted to get a feel for prices.
Thanks for the quick reply!
February 1, 2009 at 8:11 pm #16210alaaaaaaaaanParticipantfor the quick reply. I agree maintenance has a lot to do with whether or not one buys the bike i just wanted an overall fell you know. I doubt i’ll be buying from a dealer though given i’m a college student and they seem to be cheaper through prvt sellers.
Anyways, thanks for the help and enjoy the new ride.
P.S. Out of curiosity how much are you paying for Insurance? I’m 21 not sure of your age but if you are close to it let me know lol.
February 1, 2009 at 8:24 pm #16211Jon D.ParticipantGive a good look at the Kawasaki 454Ltd, The Suzuki S40(Savage), or Suzuki GS models, I am sure Honda has a few you could look at as well. After graduation,and a good job, you could move up to a Victory and enjoy some great touring/ 2-up riding. In my opinion, the aforementioned Kawie 454Ltd is one of the best bikes ever built, and would accomodate all your needs while finishing up college. Ride safe and God bless. Jon D.
February 2, 2009 at 4:17 am #16216briderdtParticipantAnd right now I’ve got 5 vehicles as well as a home-owners policy with them, so I got a lot of discounts. The SV plus a new Suzuki C50 (my wife’s) added $85 a month to the total payment. But I’ve probably got pretty high coverage compared to most.
February 2, 2009 at 2:16 pm #16220Clay DowlingParticipantEveryone gets all worried about the upgrade issue. Don’t let it stress you. If you’re pretty sure you’ll want to upgrade, a 250 is actually one of the best things you can buy. Unless you reduce it to a smoking ruin, you’ll be able to unload it quickly for nearly what you paid for it. Any other bike, you’ll probably take a depreciation hit.
Also, the 250 is going to have lower operating costs because it uses less fuel. The small size will also be nice for navigating campus traffic. At least where I went to school, roads were narrow and prone to a lot of twisting.
It doesn’t matter how cool the first bike you buy is, you’ll want another one. I have a very cool bike, a 750 Magna, and I’m still tempted by things like the 250 Ninja.
February 4, 2009 at 8:57 pm #16274BuddParticipantTwo up is harder riding. Without giving my wife’s weight, I have had a total of about 300lbs on my ninja 250. It was sluggish starting off but handled the weight well. A 250 will do it but you won’t win any races. Whatever you end up getting, get used to the bike for a while before putting a passenger on.
February 5, 2009 at 7:52 am #16299alaaaaaaaaanParticipantThanks for all the comments guys. I definitely plan on spending plenty of alone time before i put anyone on the back of the bike (I’m equipped to handle the responsibility that is another persons life just yet). I’ve been going back and forth between the Ninja and the SV650S so whenever i have all the $$$ and decide to buy i’ll let you guys know what i purchased.
Again, thanks for all the help, and if anyone is selling either bike in the Florida, specifically Orlando area for around 2k let me know .
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