need help finding a bike

[warsaw1776]

This thread has been revived. see page 5 for the beginning of the newer discussion.
quick synopsis: searched for a bike, bought bike, bike stolen, looking for a bike again.


Hi all,

I am looking for a bike here in the boston area. i am not having much luck searching craigslist. my budget is 2k, which i know is low,but I'm not looking for much. i would like a naked bike that can handle a track day. preferably a sv650n but anything similar would be great. doesn't need to be a great looking bike, just road worthy and in good working order.

went and checked out a sv650 today and couldn't believe it. guy is asking 1900, but it has a huge dent that is rusted in the tank, tach is broken off, scratches everywhere, missing random bolts, doesn't run well, needs carbs done, needs tires and chain/sprockets. which would be fine for the right price. but he wouldn't budge, and that's not even mentioning rust IN the tank, the oil so low it wouldn't show up in the window, and the oil looked horrible. ran away, but stll couldn't believe he thought he had a 2k bike.

any help would be much appreciated. bikes i am interested in; sv650, sv650s, z1000(doubt i can find one in my price) tl1000s, superhawk, possibly a zr-7 but unsure how trackable they are, or anything else someone may suggest. i would even be interested in a ninja 250 but only if its was 2008 or newer and they in the 3500 range it seems. thanks in advance.

[boosten lebaron]

For your price range you better be looking into old sport bikes. I dont think there is a chance of picking up a modern-ish naked bike for that price that doesnt need work.
I know of a few mid 80's gsxr's that are below your range. Cbr f2's, occasional zx-7 and just about every fzr fit the bill too. Ive found that anything around 2k is gonna need work if you want something current.
FYI- my neighbor has a zr7 and its not the best bike to track. I wouldnt even consider it really. Almost zero aftermarket support.

You might want to look into an ex-500. Not a naked bike but it can be made into one and they can be had for a song. plenty of racing to be had on them too.

[warsaw1776]

yea, i've seen a bunch of f2's, fzr's but they all seem beat to hell and almost all of the zx-7's are chromed out and retarded. I'm just worried about throwing money at a 80's early 90s bike. the a 1999-2001 sv650 should be in my price range but no one wants to sell anything for a reasonable price. don't care how nice a 2000 sv is, its not worth 3500 bucks.

[HanktheTank]

I was going through this same thing a couple of years ago. I was looking in the same price range and all the SV's I looked at seemed way over priced. I kept scouring craiglist and eventually found a good deal on an FZ6. It's not the pure naked look but it has an upright riding position and it was fun for a season of novice track days and it still runs strong on the street. You can probably find one in the $2500-$3000 range, i know that's a little higher than what you are looking to spend but it might be worth it if you can scratch around for the extra cash, that's what I ended up doing.

[warsaw1776]

yea, i am not trying to spend very much at all. had also considered a gs500 but really want the sv650. i thought for sure i would be able to get a pre 2003 naked for 2k though.

[jasnmar]

It takes some time, but they are out there.

I looked for over 2 months, and then it took about another month "negotiating" to get to agreement on it.

I ended up with a 99F4 for significantly less than 2k. Original listing price of the bike was 3k. I was a bit "stuck" on getting a Honda, but that's my problem. I did look at a few others that just didn't do it for me.

They are out there. You can have it fast. You can have it cheap. You can have it good. Pick any 2.

[nhbubba]

I think your timing kind of sucks. I believe that springtime in New England is a seller's market, not a buyer's.

Best of luck. If I see something I'll post it up.

[warsaw1776]

I think your timing kind of sucks. I believe that springtime in New England is a seller's market, not a buyer's.

Best of luck. If I see something I'll post it up.

i've been keeping an eye open for a while now, since before i moved in january. i would love if you come across something if you would post it up or let me know. also open to 98-2002 supersports. only reason i want naked is because i got sick of taking them off my 05 cbr600rr.

[maxim_X]

Personally I always found spring was a great time to buy, as well as fall. Everyone is buying and selling now. A more flooded market keeps prices down.

[Jim]

someone's gonna say "busa"
followed by "ex250, 125, 75, or 36.5"
followed by conversations about MSF and full gear and you'll die if you dont blah blah blah

[bstnsboy]

Here you go....http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/3672109241.html http://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/3653931806.html

[Punjistick]

Wirelessly posted (HTC One X+)

Are you looking for a track only bike? If so, I'm looking to sell my ex-500. I have the title but it is not streetable as it sits. No lights, horn, etc. Let me know if want more info.

[warsaw1776]

someone's gonna say "busa"
followed by "ex250, 125, 75, or 36.5"
followed by conversations about MSF and full gear and you'll die if you dont blah blah blah

Not sure what you are implying. This would be my fourth bike. In the past two years I've put over 40,000 miles on a buell firebolt and 2005 cbr600rr and used them everyday of the year. Road the most challenging roads in SoCal and done trackdays. I'm looking for a bike to beat on for the year I am in Boston. Where did I say this is my first bike?

[warsaw1776]

Here you go....http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/3672109241.html http://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/3653931806.html

The 2000 is the one I checked out today. Pile of crap not worth 1k. Thanks for the link to the other one. Missed it somehow.

[warsaw1776]

Wirelessly posted (HTC One X+)

Are you looking for a track only bike? If so, I'm looking to sell my ex-500. I have the title but it is not streetable as it sits. No lights, horn, etc. Let me know if want more info.

Not looking for track only unfortunately. Just want something I can still have a good time on the track with.

[warsaw1776]

Personally I always found spring was a great time to buy, as well as fall. Everyone is buying and selling now. A more flooded market keeps prices down.

that is encouraging. thanks

[Jim]

Not sure what you are implying. This would be my fourth bike. In the past two years I've put over 40,000 miles on a buell firebolt and 2005 cbr600rr and used them everyday of the year. Road the most challenging roads in SoCal and done trackdays. I'm looking for a bike to beat on for the year I am in Boston. Where did I say this is my first bike?

Has nothing to do with you & I never said it was for a first bike

[warsaw1776]

Has nothing to do with you & I never said it was for a first bike

Alright, i just wanted to nip anything regarding turbo busa, MSF, and ATGATT talk right away. i'll i am hoping for is if someone sees something that may fall into the category of bike i am looking for, to post it up if its not too of a problem. i would love suggestions if i missed something to look for as well.

[OreoGaborio]

Personally I always found spring was a great time to buy, as well as fall. Everyone is buying and selling now. A more flooded market keeps prices down.

Agreed.

I really don't see prices fluctuate all that much between spring & fall. I mean, yeah, it does a little, but prices generally stay flat enough that it doesn't make a huge difference.

[OreoGaborio]

Has nothing to do with you & I never said it was for a first bike

It's a NESR thing.
You need to get a turbo busa, do MSF and wear All The Squid Gear All The Time. None of this girly SV crap.



.... oh wait.

[v1p3r420]

@punjistick how much are you trying to get for the bike? i may be interested ..... also do have any of the lights you took off and are all the wires and swiches still there?

[curiouser]

I've been watching the SV market here for months and it's not uncommon to see a 99-02 SV fo $2k pop up on craigslist. I'm not sure how much better they will be than the one in Peabody, but you just have to be patient and consistent with searching.

Personally, I've been looking for a 04+ SV650s with less than 15k miles for $3500 and under. Every few months something fitting that description pops up, but they go quickly, so you have to be on the ball searching every day (or using a search agent on your phone). Back in January, someone even cross-posted a great candidate on NESR from another forum (FS: Not mine: 2007 SV650S - Hobrook, MA - $3,300) and I had missed when it was posted, searched NESR, and found it couple weeks later. Not sure if that bike is still for sale because the seller has not returned any of my emails or phone calls over the past month.

Check the SVRider Forum Classifieds too. They have posts from all over the country, but there are some New England ones every now and then. Using a tool to comb craigslist like Search Tempest might help too.

[warsaw1776]

I've been watching the SV market here for months and it's not uncommon to see a 99-02 SV fo $2k pop up on craigslist. I'm not sure how much better they will be than the one in Peabody, but you just have to be patient and consistent with searching.

Personally, I've been looking for a 04+ SV650s with less than 15k miles for $3500 and under. Every few months something fitting that description pops up, but they go quickly, so you have to be on the ball searching every day (or using a search agent on your phone). Back in January, someone even cross-posted a great candidate on NESR from another forum (FS: Not mine: 2007 SV650S - Hobrook, MA - $3,300) and I had missed when it was posted, searched NESR, and found it couple weeks later. Not sure if that bike is still for sale because the seller has not returned any of my emails or phone calls over the past month.

Check the SVRider Forum Classifieds too. They have posts from all over the country, but there are some New England ones every now and then. Using a tool to comb craigslist like Search Tempest might help too.

Thanks for the tips. I've been looking on svrider for a while but haven't had too much luck recently, but i don't check it as often as craigslist and other forums. i also keep a pretty close on on Craigslist and search tempest but its hard because searching is a pain because some people use so many variations of the names of bikes. then there are the assholes who write every bike known to man in the text no matter how unrelated they are to the bike they are actually selling.

if you see something though please post it. thanks

[Doc]

CHEAP! http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/3613609352.html

Might try this one but something tells me the guy is dreaming... http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/3656569746.html

[nhbubba]

CHEAP! http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/3613609352.html

This sells it: