Strike two... im out

Tonight i went to check out another bike. A Kawasaki 550 LTD. Ill save you the long painful story of mild deceit and misinformation but in the end it was a train-wreck-horror-show-run-away kinda bike.

Yesterday i got a Goldwing sold from under me and bummed about that. Which brings me to the point of my thread:

I feel like almost throwing in the towel. I have gone to look at countless bikes in the last few years and only found a few ones worth it and even less worth keeping. I feel like giving up. All over i hear people buying cheap bikes that are nice-nice-ish and all i get it empty promises and turds.

I cant afford to high buy in. Sub $500 is my game. Maybe thats prime pricing for total rat bikes?

I just wanna try my hand at a bike i can ride but customize to suit my tastes and build/ fine tune my fab know-how.

Losing the faith haha. Feel like giving in.

Thoughts?
Where do i find bikes? (been all over craigslist)

Ask your mailman if he's seen any that just sit forever.

I bought a KTM LC4 400 for $400 that way.

Craigslist isn't a goldmine anymore unless you're quick on the draw. I don't like to buy like that.

I dig Taiden's suggestion. Any and all local service workers are ripe for interrogation.

I'd also suggest doubling your budget. Reasonable deals on something that's a carb clean and oil change away from beng a daily flog are few and far between, there's heaps more pickin's in the $500-$1k range.

... Says the guy that doesn't ride because he can't afford the price range.

Just stop hunting and save the money, then something awesome will pop up for really cheap and you will be able to buy it.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/2794642252.html

SWEET: http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/2788396121.html

street fighter project: http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/2780157730.html

I really want to do a oil boiler 7/11 swap but I would die just looking at it.

Oh also bikes with no titles are out. Unless they are dirt cheap parts bikes. I am not dealing with title hassles.

What are you really expecting for sub $500?

Stick that $500 in your sock drawer, add to it every week even if it's only $10 and be patient. When you least expect it a friend of a friend's father in law's second cousin will tell you about an abandoned Harley Peashooter for $148 that really needs to get out of the barn.

Be patient.

Dan

BTW, that's how I got my BMW R-90. Coworker's son died unexpectedly and he was lamenting the costs of a funeral, son had no insurance. He said he had a standing offer from a local BMW Stealership for his pretty nice, upgraded R-90 for $1700. Jokingly I said, "Hell, I'd give you $1800".

Really?

Well, I was kidding, but yeah, lemme see what's in the sock drawer.....

Don't be afraid to buy the right rat-bike.

Personally, I'd avoid overly beat, cheap, and ratty 4 cylinder bikes.

Twins and Singles though, are much cheaper and easier to fix.

A sub $500 will rarely be advertised on craigslist and the like. Usually it's shoved to the side of the road with a for sale sign stuck on it. That or it's spotted laying in the back of the shed and obtained by knocking on a door and asking about it.

Don't let it throw you. No item is yours until you've paid for it and have it at your home. Every seller is delusional about the condition their item is in. Be it a bike, a car or a home.

Post up here where you're from and that you're looking for a bike and you may well get surprised by some offers. Personally, I'm hoping your nearby so I can get rid of my ratty Virago 535 easily.

Sadly, a running bike holds a value of $1,000 (at least around here) regardless of model, age, or original value. There seems to be a plateau that sellers won't drop much below if a bike is running.

For $500, you should be looking at not-quite-running options. If it were me, I would look for a $500 CX500 that has been in storage for a while with an owner who just wants it gone. With a fresh battery from WalMart and some WD-40, it will run. I am sure the same can be said for other UJMs but I have experience with the CX) From my local CL:

82 honda cx500 deluxe - $400 (new bethlehem)

engine is solid, runs great , very fast and powerful for the size could use some new paint and the chrome is a little rough. what do you expect though its 30 years old battery most likely needs charged / replaced plugs will need changed, its been sitting for a few months plastic insert on the rpm gauge is loose so it spins with the vibrations of the engine. all gauges work. this just needs glued down missing right mirror missing rubber grip on right foot peg clean pa title text for pic. i dont really check my email much 8143192640 asking 400 negotiable

To me, that's $500 to be on the road and enjoying it for years.

carkid,

Don't you ride a big Yazzer FZ1?

I can't stop thinking about a 7/11 gixxer. Someone convince me that I will die

No. You can also die on a MoPed.

I could sell you a Yugo for less then $500.

In reply to Taiden:

7/11 GSXR fun to talk about, not so much to own. Pulling the valve covers sucks due to clearance problems, from reliable sources who have previously owned one.

In reply to CarKid1989:

A titled, running bike for $500 isn't going to be easy to find. If one shows up, somebody else is going to snap it up instantly. You're going to have to network to find one. You might try running a WTB locally, especially in the winter as the prices are depressed.

914Driver wrote: Be patient.

True, one will always come along.

pinchvalve wrote: Sadly, a running bike holds a value of $1,000 (at least around here) regardless of model, age, or original value. There seems to be a plateau that sellers won't drop much below if a bike is running. For $500, you should be looking at not-quite-running options. If it were me, I would look for a $500 CX500 that has been in storage for a while with an owner who just wants it gone. With a fresh battery from WalMart and some WD-40, it will run. I am sure the same can be said for other UJMs but I have experience with the CX) From my local CL: 82 honda cx500 deluxe - $400 (new bethlehem) engine is solid, runs great , very fast and powerful for the size could use some new paint and the chrome is a little rough. what do you expect though its 30 years old battery most likely needs charged / replaced plugs will need changed, its been sitting for a few months plastic insert on the rpm gauge is loose so it spins with the vibrations of the engine. all gauges work. this just needs glued down missing right mirror missing rubber grip on right foot peg clean pa title text for pic. i dont really check my email much 8143192640 asking 400 negotiable To me, that's $500 to be on the road and enjoying it for years.

I agree. Be on the lookout for a CX500. For some reason these things go for real cheap and they typically are that cheap due to sitting for a long time. I'm keeping an eye out for one, but in my area they keep popping up and promptly vanishing.

stroker wrote: In reply to CarKid1989: A titled, running bike for $500 isn't going to be easy to find. If one shows up, somebody else is going to snap it up instantly. You're going to have to network to find one. You might try running a WTB locally, especially in the winter as the prices are depressed.

they're quite plentiful around us. i'm looking and he is looking so we should be able to find something.

i think i won't be serious until next fall/winter as priorities changed last week but i still keep my eyes open for the deals.

Just gotta be patient. You can always get exactly what you want right now if you have enough money; if you don't you've gotta wait wait wait with cash in hand and constantly be out there looking. Everyone likes to talk about the deals they get, nobody likes to talk about the weeks or months they spend looking for it.

"Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

I used to buy and sell a lot of bikes. One of the keys to it is to learn how to ask the right questions. Also, I would tell them up front that I was buying to resell it and tell them that I had to make $XXX.XX on it so I could probably only give them, and I'd name a low ball figure. Sometimes they said "well come on over and look at it", sometimes they told me to get berkeleyed but it sure saved me a bunch of time. The most I did to most of them is just clean them up and polish them a little. I averaged at least $500.00 on them. Just be firm about your questions without being obnoxious of course. You'll find your bike.

I paid $500 for one of the late 80s Kawasaki 550s that ran great, just had a few scratches on it. That was in 99 I think.

From what i hear i just gotta keep at it and be..gulp...patient

Ill keep my eyes peeled