Buying a new older bike

I'm going to visit a dealer near me that has a new 2006 VFR for sale. I'm concerned that the bike has pretty much sat around for five years. Is there anything I should be concerned about?

Any suggestions/ideas as to what I can reasonable pay for this "new" bike?

 

I would think the tires and battery would need replacing, and the 2006 needs the wiring harness mod for the additional ground wire (on the instrument/headlight connector, if I remember correctly). I have no idea what the price should be; about 6K or so???

 

A seat cowl should also be included so don't let them forget that. My guess is that the dealer price will likely be somewhere in $6500 to $7000 range so if you can get the bike for $6000 or less you've done good IMO. If the bike has ABS it will probably add another $500 or so to the cost. The easily way to tell if the bike has ABS is to look for the rear suspension preload adjustment knob which is located just above the right passenger footpeg. (The non ABS do not remote adjustment so there is no knob) Is the bike Pearl White or Pearl Black?

Rollin

 

^ Good point about the seat cowl. There should also be passenger grab handles with the fasteners and plastic cover plugs. And an Owner's Manual, along with the strange wrench for adjusting the rear wheel eccentric (unless the '06 had a "regular" tool kit).

 

Thanks for the feedback. It's a pearl white, non-abs. Do you think I need to worry about any of the fluids?

 

Norml:

First of all congratulations and welcome to The World. If you're anything like the rest of the inmates, er participants, on this site you won't regret it.

When I bought my 07 new in 09 I got the dealter to change the brake and clutch fluids. The fluid is hydrophilc, it absorbs water out of the atmoshere. Engine coolant isn't an issue; it degrades due to usage. No usage = no contamination/degradation.

I was concerned about the battery; they put it on a tester and it checked fine. It's still going strong two years later so no complaints there.

Tires are a close call. The rubber hardens due to age and heat cycles. Yours won't have any heat cycles but they're getting near being old enough to buy a drink. I've kept the originals; they've got lots of tread left but I'm replacing them at the end of this season to be on the safe side.

Best of luck with it!

 

I'd want to replace a bunch of items. specifically, in order of importance for safety/reliability:
tires. over time, they harden dryrot, crack, and lose their stickyness, which makes the difference between making the corner, and sliding on your back watching pretty sparks. treadwear/mileage is unimportant here.

BATTERY. If the bike sat for several years, the battery is likely toast, not worth chancing it, bad batteries do lots of weird things, and damage charging systems.

ALL fluids. age breaks down motor oil, which also retains acidic byproducts of combustion and loses its lubricating qualities over time,
Brake fluid absorbs water, which you DO NOT want in the brake system, so a full flush is in order.
Coolant, becase you simply dont know how the previous owner treated it, and its cheap to do.
any lubrication points though, LUBE THEM. some good quality lube never hurts. ever.

Beyond that, you shouldnt have any major issues.

 

Well, I went to the shop today to take a look and she had a sold sign on her!!!

I had sent them an email last week and they were asking for $8,500. I was thinking they were :crazy: since i saw a new 2008 online for $8k. Anyways, I asked the salesperson how much they sold it for and she told me $9,100. She said that would have included any accessories the new owner may have bought.

Oh well, wasn't meant to be. But I'll be keeping my eye out for others! :thumbsup:

 

$9,100? Damn... How they managed to sell it for more than the asking price is beyond me. Oh well, not my money. Fear not Norml, you'll find the right bike.

 

will depend to on when and how it was prepped
I have no idea, but surely someone here will, what fluids are in the bike when shipped. If it was kept dry all this time, then you should be OK. But anything that was in from the factory should be flushed out and replaced. Likely, and again I am not sure, I have seen some bikes crated, but not the VFR, and I am not sure if all are shipped the same, you are going to want the coolant and brake fluid flushed. Tires, at least for me, I would have replaced.

 

This shop has to be a Harley botique in East Timor..

 

The $9,100 was the total invoice which would have included anything else the customer would have bought. But I'm guessing it's not too far off since they were asking $8,500 when I emailed them. Like Pliskin said, not my money! Should have done better research before paying that much! Took the shop five years but they finally found someone to bite.

 

Pliskin is right - you can find a better deal than that on a new leftover. Take your time and look around. In my opinion you could find something in another State and get a better deal after paying for shipping. Good Luck and stay in touch.

 

Here's another option if you're willing to drive.

Can't give it away

 

Always believe a car or bike sales manwomanperson. They are known tellers of the gospel according to Gordon Gecko.