Whats the scoop on 98 99 Suzuki GSXR600s

[Borislav]

Are they good bikes?

Whats good about them?

Whats bad?

Somebody is offering a 99 GSXR to me pretty cheap.

I understand its not the best beginners bike, but the offer is kinda sweet.

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by Borislav
Are they good bikes?

Whats good about them?

Whats bad?

Somebody is offering a 99 GSXR to me pretty cheap.

I understand its not the best beginners bike, but the offer is kinda sweet.

Did I ever tell you about that time I test rode a '01 Gixxer 750?

I didn't like it.

ahhh, memories....

[Borislav]

So you think the 600 would be kinda like the 750?

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by Borislav
So you think the 600 would be kinda like the 750?

If you're talking about painfully low bar rise, a seat that has you looking down through the windshield at the tach, and a peaky motor designed to squeeze every last drop of horsepower out of the engine size, then yeah, from what little I know about them that's always been the GSXR trademark. Top of the performance charts, bottom of the ergos. Stoneman races a late model 600, he could probably tell you whether they'd be at all suitable for the street, but nobody's gonna tell you it's a good bike for a new rider, because it's not.

But then, the wheelie boys over at ODFU seem to love their Gixxer's. You wanna be a squid?

[Borislav]

Guess i have to go up to NH and check it out, he said hell let me ride it and stuff.

[Honclfibr]

Well if you're going to, you might as well read this:

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

[Stoneman]

My racebike is a '99 Gixxer 600. I never got to ride it in street trim, but even with lower clip-ons and rear sets for racing, it's remarkably comfy...

Power is plentiful (although I went up quite a bit on the rear sprocket), it's light, handles well, and there is a bounty of used and aftermarket parts out there for 'em...

I guess a lot depends on your size & weight, and what you prefer in a sportbike. Me, I like being mashed into the cockpit, all crouched-like. Makes me feel more 'with the bike'...

[Borislav]

im about 6.00 188 pounds

wasnt planning to get a gsxr but im being offered a pretty sweet deal, so im gonna take a look at one.
This is the first bike im ever gonna buy. Like i said in my other thread i have about 1 year riding experience, but ive had about 1.5 year break.

[bemused]

here's a thought...

...might not be a bad idea to take someone along w/ some experience w/ bikes with you to look at it. especially if they have experience w/ gixxers...

[Stoneman]

It may end up feeling a bit too cramped for you then. But if it's THAT sweet a deal, you could buy Helibars with summa the cake you save...

If nothing else, you'd be getting a bulletproof ride for short change. Make some comfort mods with the 'leftover' money...

Where in NH are you going to look at it? And if ya don't mind, what kinda deal you looking at?

[Borislav]

Im going to Nashua NH. This is a kid i used to work with, and im looking at 4 grand for a 99 GSXR600 with 4k miles on it. He wasnt sure he wants to sell, but he called me the other day saying to come down and look at the bike.

[Stoneman]

Personally, I'd offer him $3K to start. Not for not - and not to overstep - but I wouldn't pay $4K for it, no matter what he claims he's done to it...

Case in point: I picked up a lightly crashed '99 w/ 12,000 miles on it for $2500 last summer. If I hadn't 'converted' it for racing, I coulda had the thing looking top-notch for well under a grand more...

$3500 is as high as I'd go on that, and that's even pushing the limits of what I'd pay for it...

I tend to look at things like this as if I were planning to trade it in. Not that that's what I do (or you intend to do), but that's how I gauge what I'd pay for used vehicles. I shoot for around what a dealer would gimme for a trade...

[Borislav]

I'd love to get the thing for 3.5K, ive been looking in the wanted adds though and it looks like most 99s with low miles <under 5k> are way over 4000$

[Borislav]

"Case in point: I picked up a lightly crashed '99 w/ 12,000 miles on it for $2500 last summer. If I hadn't 'converted' it for racing, I coulda had the thing looking top-notch for well under a grand more"


Also im no expert on bikes, but you bought a bike that was damaged and had 12k miles on it and it would cost you another 1k to get it ready for the street.

I'm looking at a perfect bike with less that 4k miles on it. No scratches, no dents, never been dropped kinda thing. 4k sounds fair. I'll try to get it cheaper, but 4k doesnt sound totally unreasonable.

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Stoneman
If I hadn't 'converted' it for racing, I coulda had the thing looking top-notch for well under a grand more...

It woulda cost me a total of about $3200 to get it looking like brandy new, including the cost of the bike itself. And that's a high estimate, giving myself lots o' room for overage on cost. The difference between 4K miles and 12K miles doesn't equate to a helluva lot, value-wise...

I never said it wasn't worth it, I said *I* wouldn't pay that for it. And I stand firmly by that. $4K is a lot to pay for a four year old carburated sportbike (almost five years old by model release years), no matter the condition...

Again: Look at the trade in value as a basis for evaluating what a used bike should get in the used retail market. I think you can do better, price-wise...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Stoneman
Again: Look at the trade in value as a basis for evaluating what a used bike should get in the used retail market. I think you can do better, price-wise...

I should explain this a little better: *I* would NEVER pay more than trade in value for a used bike. I KNOW prices are higher in the retail segment, but I used the trade in value to guage what I'd pay. I've found Kelley Blue Book and NADA to be a bit unrealistic in their used m/c pricing (for better and for worse)...

[VIPERSRT1]

btw
I know the bike jay picked up and he did steal it (didn't Ya) LOL
and gixxsers are crampy but theres nothing like em

I'm 6'-2" and I wouldn't trade the cramps on my 89 - 750 for nuthin... but hey to each his own

and listen to jay,, I was a dodge salesmen for 4yrs.. and start at 3k,, you should end up around 3,5k and then ya got a sweet deal..

[Borislav]

thank you