Fresh or not so fresh 99 - Purchase advice

Throwing this out to the brave men and women that make up VFRWorld.com

I found a 99 VFR, that is within fly and ride distance, that I have a gentleman's purchase agreement on and a very small deposit, based on the bike getting back on it's feet at a Honda dealership. This is a low milage bike that has been sitting in somebody's barn for a long time. We settled on a price, and agreed that I would come down and get it, after it gets a clean bill of health from Honda. The bike does not start.

So in it goes to the dealership and 3 days later is today. I called the dealership myself, and the following items are being replaced.

1. Side stand switch
2. Air filter
3. Battery
4. Fuel pump
5. Starter
6. Throttle body

On top of all of that, a rat has chewed through the sub-harness and a bunch of other wiring, that is being replaced.

The honda tech said he has gone through the bike top to bottom, and ordered whatever is required to get the bike moving again......at this stage, they still don't have it started. I asked him as a potential buyer if I should be worried if I purchase this bike, and he said, no. Nothing to worry about once he is done with it.

The bike is still on the original tires (which I will replace), and chain and sprocket.

I want to throw this out to the peeps of this forum to get opinions. Is this a fly and buy, or pass? The appeal of the bike for me, is the low milages and clean condition of the plastics.

Here are the pics.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3c68...rc=Share&Bpub=SDX.SkyDrive&sc=Photos&authkey=!

 

Was the bike properly prepared for long term storage or was it ridden and then put into the barn as is? Also do you consider the purchase price to be good? I personally would pass on it unless you were getting a great deal on it since there could be alot of unforeseen issues in the future. Any signs of rust in the tank? Are the fork seals dried out / cracking or showing any signs of leaking? Is the chain in good shape? Any tears in the seat? The list of potential issues goes on and on with a bike that was stored long term without proper preparation especially if stored with ethanol based fuel in the system.


Rollin

 

I am with mello dude
I will pass as well, I hate electrical problem. I would not lay down the $$$$ until I see all the repair and run. JMO

 

Quick update.

Talked to the Honda mechanic a little more tonight. The reason is it not running yet, is because they are waiting on the wiring harness.

I asked him about his experience as a tech, and he said he has been wrenching for 20 years, as well as building motorcycles from scratch. He is currently building a replica 72 Cafe Racer style bike.

He assured me again, that he understands my position, and that he will be going over the bike from A-Z.

Besides the issues that he has ran into, he told me the bike is in immaculate condition.

The bike does not even have 4000 miles on it yet.

It is going to be a tough call.

 

Had a long post written but realised I was just repeating what Mello Dude and Rollin had said. Personally I wouldn't do anything till they get it running and take it from there (could even be stuck rings/valves or something similar that is the reason for it not starting). Yes, there may be potential future issues but you take the same chance with any bike you buy used. If everything that the above posters mentioned checks out and the price is right it may be a worthwhile buy.

 

Thanks all.

Appreciate the feedback. Yes...going to wait until it is out of the shop early next week and take it from there. Completely agree that there could be a long list of problems with it, after they get it started.

 

Fuck it,
Yolo

Go get it.

 

Update on this bike.

I talked to the service tech, and I believe last week I got my information a little mixed up.

The throttle body and starter was not replaced. They were just removed to get to other parts of the bike. Currently the list of items that have been replaced are

1. Air Filter
2. Part of the sub-harness
3. Fuel Pump
4. Side stand switch.
5. Battery

They plan to fire it up for the first time this afternoon.

 

I was wondering about the throttle body and the starter, on a fairly new bike. Where is the bike located?

Typically a stealership will replace everything they can... to make money. it's what they do. So if the mechanic knows you're going to ride it home and was told to go through it thoroughly, I'm pretty sure he's paying a lot of attention to it with that in mind. I'd wait to see where this goes, particularly if it's a really good deal. I've picked up a few bikes that I probably should have passed on, but it's the potential that makes it worthwhile.

 

The bike is in Northern California, near San Francisco.

From what I can tell, the bike was put in the garage, and left there for the past 4-5 years. Tags on the bike are from 2007, which says something. After talking to this guy, I am estimating he picked up the bike in 2005 or 2006 and paid good coin for it....rode it a few times, and now with his wrist/back issues, can't ride anymore, and put it in the garage in 2007, and forgot about it. He has not changed the oil since owning the bike, which is a joke.

It was actually his daughter who listed it, as he always talked about selling it, and never did. So she listed it, and here we are.

The owner said in the past 4-5 years the bike has been ridden a handful of times, however only to get the engine running, and parts moving. The past 18 months, it has had a dead battery and has not been moved. At this point, the tires are probably toast, as they are the originals. Looking at the shine of the paint in some of the pictures, I can tell it has been garaged, which is a good thing.

I am not getting the bike for a steal, and actually looked at this as potentially over paying, for a bike with 3800 miles, mint paint and plastics. No issues on the deposit, as the original agreement was the bike only needing an oil change and battery to get in running order.

I could potentially use this as a negotiation point, to bring the price down, however the owner is probably about to drop $1000 on all this stuff, and probably won't budge.

I don't mind overpaying for the right bike, and yes, this is a gamble....however the thought of rescuing a bike that needs to be ridden appeals to me, and I don't mind a few bumps in the road to get it perfect.

What makes this worse, is I am looking at a very close to mint 1998 VFR in Denver, that really is the bike I should buy. 18k miles, tasteful aftermarket exhaust, waxed and washed every month, garaged and well looked after. I have been talking to this guy for a few months, and this bike is $1000 less than the California bike.

There would be no surprises with the Denver bike. It's very clean.

Denver Bike
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3c68...X.SkyDrive&sc=Photos&authkey=!ApGaLkJc6B9n67k


However the urge to buy the 3800 mile bike in California, that does not even have a scratch, keeps tugging at me.

California Bike
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3c68...rc=Share&Bpub=SDX.SkyDrive&sc=Photos&authkey=!

 

Mileage means nothing unless you plan to sell because it gives the impression that all will be good. But we know differently don't we. The parked bike has been neglected and the only thing on it that hasn't deteriorated is the odometer. As you have said, it needs tires, so there is another quick $500 out of pocket and more than likely the fork seals will start to weep as they have dried out from just sitting out in the elements (covered elements but still subject to temp and humidity). Obviously the rodents had access to the bike so it wasn't a really secure place to store a bike. Oh and then there are the options you will want immediately such as the pipe, filter, heli bars, luggage, saddle etc etc.

Honestly, it's a noble gesture to save a classic machine cause all machines ned love but in this case it will be you who suffers and pays the price for the resurrection.

Myself, I would go for Denver because I never have the money for the goodies I want after I get the bike so when they are included, it's a gift!

Just to offer some perspective;
In 2005 I purchased a used VFR 800 which was a 98 model with 6k on the clock. It had a Micron pipe, it was geared and it had a PC III. The bike was spotless and I paid $3600 for it. That was 8 years ago!

 

Appreciate the comments, and they certainly hold value. The fork seals could certainly turn out to be a big one. I am going to wait until they get the bike running, which is next week now and make a decision based on the mechanic taking it for a ride.

The Denver bike is nice, and ready to ride. It needs a chain and sprocket and tires in the next 1000 miles, however besides that golden.

Talk to the mechanic again tonight. He said they are getting good spark on the bike now, however no fuel. They believe the fuel filter is gunked, and ordered that, which should arrive in the next couple of days. They originally told me they replaced the fuel filter, however another mis-communication.

Including the fuel filter install, the bill is $1500 so far. The owner has approved all of the work.

The tech who was working on the bike said the chewed sub harness was really not that bad. It was a mouse that was living in there, and he sees it all the time with bikes that have been sitting. He verified the condition cosmetically of the bike as immaculate.

The good thing about all of this is i got to have a Honda mechanic completely go over the bike A-Z, at the expense of the owner, which mitigates my risk. At this stage I should compile a list of all the things that could potentially be wrong with the bike, from it sitting, bring that forward to the owner, and negotiate the price further down.

If the fork seals are dried out, that is something that needs to be fixed. Just like if the R/R is bad, or if the chain is not safe. The only negotiated issue with the bike that was made clear up front, is that it needed a new battery, and oil changes and tires. I was fully expecting to take care of the tires, and besides that, I expected a well running bike that needed no other maintenance.

Is there anything else besides fork seals that could potentially be dangerous or a maintenance item that requires attention from the bike sitting?

The saga continues.....

 

At first glance I would obviously recommend the Denver bike because it's literally turn-key, even though it has 18k miles that's really nothing for a VFR.

However, seeing as how the owner is willing to fix up the barn find at his own expense it would be worth it IF you are willing to make gradual fixes here and there like the fork seals, wheel bearings, tires, etc... If you're not a speed demon you can get by with a half-assed setup since it's basically mint.

If it was up to me, I'd just get the Denver bike since I'd rather be spending time on the road than in the garage.

 

One thing I liked about my 4th gen, which was also a mint bike, is it needed absolutely nothing besides oil, plugs and chain/sprockets in 40,000 miles of riding and was a turn-key bike. Purchased it in 2007 for $3800, 13k miles, immaculate plastics, and it came with a high mount Staintune and braided brake lines. It was a turn-key bike.

I don't want to deal with issues down the road. I want a reliable bike, that I can take on road-trips (with a spare R/R), without wondering in the back of my mind what could break next.

The more I think about this, the more i start to lean for the Denver bike. It's ready to ride, and the owner was immaculate in the way he cared for it, and is a really nice guy.

 

Has the tank been checked for rust on the Cali bike? The Denver guy will probably be even more negotiable now that those Rocky Mountain winters are right around the corner. I bet you can pick it up for at least $300-400 cheaper than what he is advertising now.


Rollin

 

This should be an easy choice. Scratches and mileage are your only concern? I would rather have a bike that was used and maintained than one that sat for years. You are just asking to be nickel and dimed to death on it. Plus, it's a Cali model. Unless you want a parking lot princess, get the Denver one. That owner obviously loved the bike and took care of it. Plus he actually rode the darn thing!

Those imperfections / chips in the paint are nothing. You'll get those just going down the highway.

 

How are Cali bikes different?