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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> How low should I go?
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Message started by ArkansasBrian on 01/13/18 at 12:13:55

Title: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/13/18 at 12:13:55

I’m looking to get my first bike and I’m leaning heavily towards the Savage. I was supposed to be taking the BRC with my wife right now but the instructor delayed it (for the second time, but at least he told us before we got there this time) because Arkansans are weak and scared of the cold.

Anyway, I’ve been shopping what’s available online within a reasonable distance for a while, and have seen a range from the $450 bike in pieces but “I swear it runs, you just have to put it back together.” To the $5000 “I don’t understand that new bikes depreciate significantly as soon as they leave the lot”. I’m fairly mechanically inclined (do most of my own automotive work, have torn apart and reassembled chainsaws, gas-powered jackhammers, sheet metal machinery, am a welder by trade with some fab skills, currently working in Zoo maintenance).

I’m willing to go up to 3k-ish for the right bike (and am paying attention to LANCER’s bike in the marketplace as it’s on the way to the in-law’s House, well upgraded and likely well maintained), but I’d like to keep it lower. It’ is my first bike after all, and I don’t want to cry if I drop it. At the same time, I do want to actually ride it and not be stuck in a never-ending troubleshoot. I’m wondering what I’ll be regretting if I go cheapo on a fixer-upper, what I should look for/ be concerned about vs what I can probably fix without too much expense/difficulty. I know the exact answer is a personal balance and each bike is different, but any feedback would be appreciated!

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/13/18 at 12:21:44

Get Lancers bike. DON'T drop it!

Seriously, even if you bounce it, you'll be able to fix that easy enough.
But Lancers stuff isn't
Likely to be maintained.
It Just Is.
Ask him about the mods.
Arkansas is so full of great roads.
Welcome to the board.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 01/13/18 at 14:39:10

My guess is you want to ride, not wrench. You should be able to find a low mileage bike in great shape for $2,000 to $2,500. Especially this time of year. Spend the remaining $500 of your budget on a helmet, jacket, over ankle boots and gloves.

Justin is right, Lancer's bike is a good get if you can make the drive. Bonus, you get to meet Lancer.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/13/18 at 14:47:24

An unmodified, unknown maintenance, bike
Versus a Lancer owned bike.
I'd bet he has mods done that would cost you hundreds and lots of time. The carb is jetted and it's a completely sorted out and debugged bike.
Ask him about the mods on it.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by Ruttly on 01/13/18 at 17:32:26

I would just get Lancers bike , screw the budget. His bike is a no brainier , get on it and ride. Honest guy ,great bike with the goodies,ain't much to think about.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by Bobber on 01/13/18 at 17:50:55

If you like to wrench and customize get a stock driver and go on from there. I've had nothing but fun with the mods but
still drove it everyday, (well almost)

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/14/18 at 20:40:07

Yeah, y'all are probably right. I'm just prone to hesitation with big purchases. I also kind of romanticize wrenching something back to life/fixing it up myself. In practice, one larger purchase for higher quality makes more sense. It also will only involve bickering with the wife about one purchase as opposed to every time I want to upgrade something. Now to find out if LANCER's bike is even still available...

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by IslandRoad on 01/15/18 at 00:58:31

625148424D50425061514A424D230 wrote:

... It also will only involve bickering with the wife about one purchase as opposed to every time I want to upgrade something...

I wouldn't count on that mate! I seem to be able to find endless things to mod (spend money on) when it comes to the bike ;D ;D

But, ya know what? ... it's a good honest hobby 8-)

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by Dave on 01/15/18 at 03:24:19

I don't know about the market in the Little Rock area - or how far you are willing to travel to look.

When I was shopping around, I found a lot of bikes in the $1,500 - $2.000 range in the Cincinnati area. Unfortunately a lot of these bikes sat outside, in carports, or right next to the garage door. The bikes had more corrosion than I though I could live with (spokes, chrome around footpegs, clearcoat over aluminum, rust on backside of tool cover and lower side panels).

I ended up traveling to NJ to buy a 5 year old model (2007 bought in 2012) for $2,400. The bike was stored in a heated basement and only had 262 miles on it - the owner was dating a biker and stopped riding after they broke up. It was a 3 day/2 night adventure to go pick it up, and obviously that added somewhat to the overall cost - but I got a great bike that was like new.

If you like clean......you should shop around until you find one that is in good shape, as it is very difficult and expensive to correct corrosion. If you are going to store the bike outside and not worry too much about how clean and shiny it is - then find one that is mechanically sound.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 06:58:49

I should mention that my wife is truly wonderful and generally supportive. She's even taking the BRC with me whenever the instructor decides it's warm enough to have the class. She just has safety concerns and would rather spend the money on plane tickets or new flooring. Also, light bickering qualifies as recreation when you run out of other things to talk about.

I'm honestly not that concerned about looks. As it will be my first bike, a bit of a beater would ease concerns about learning scratches. The Little Rock market has bikes in the $1500-2k range, mostly either 250's or bikes that are larger than I want right now. As for Savages, there's a $400 abandoned project bike and a $1,200 little old lady selling a bike that "Needs a little love n care. Runs, needs handle bars tightened, blinkers,front foot pegs, " I've asked for more details.

Right now I'm leaning towards LANCER's if it available or an '09 with 5kish miles at a dealership in Stillwater, OK for $1800. I'll be asking them for details as well. I can see from the pics that the pipes have been replaced, but their website only provides the stock info from Suzuki so I don't know about any other mods.

I'm willing to travel a bit, but direction matters. The wife's family is in Norman, OK (just south of OKC) so bikes in that direction can be rolled into a visit with them.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by LANCER on 01/15/18 at 07:27:20

I'm located in Henryetta Oklahoma, so if you are heading to Norman you go right through Henryetta when traveling I-40. We are just 8 miles SE of town.
Yes, I still have the bike.
Send me a PM and we can talk about it.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 07:33:31

I'm new here. The system won't let me send PM's until I make three more posts :(

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by LANCER on 01/15/18 at 07:39:05

5C6F767C736E7C6E5F6F747C731D0 wrote:

I'm new here. The system won't let me send PM's until I make three more posts :(

I sent you a PM

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 07:56:34

Yeah, I got the PM and it still won't let me respond. On the plus side, I now only need two more posts!

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 07:57:41

I'm not sure if be it's an automatic trigger or if the moderators actually review things to prevent posting for the sake of pm access.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 07:58:06

I guess we'll find out!

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ohiomoto on 01/15/18 at 08:26:37

5B444245585F6E5E6E56444803310 wrote:

---------------------------------------

I generally prefer a complete, stock, low mileage bike in over something that needs work or is highly modified. I don't want to be fixing other peoples problems and I would rather start with a bike in stock form because I know what I'm working with. I'd lean towards the sub $2k unit at the dealership and use this site to take care of the "known issues".

Lancer's bike would be an exception only because you can pretty much see it's history and what the owner brings to the forum.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by Dave on 01/15/18 at 11:04:28

7E4D545E514C5E4C7D4D565E513F0 wrote:

I'm not sure if be it's an automatic trigger or if the moderators actually review things to prevent posting for the sake of pm access.

The Moderators have no control over the "10 post" requirement, and we don't monitor it. Just post 2 more nonsense posts.....it is your thread nobody is likely to get irritated by it!

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 16:08:53

Thanks for the info Dave! I hit the requirement while posting about the requirement. Shooting for stealth nonsense. That’s how I roll! Although, I do (and will) try to be useful when I can.

Title: Re: How low should I go?
Post by ArkansasBrian on 01/15/18 at 19:05:11

OhioMoto - Yeah, that's about what I've been thinking. The dealership bike is A) priced right B) likely at least looked over by a mechanic and C) has a seller who should be concerned about their reputation. All points up on Craigslist Joe or Facebook Marketplace Janet (actual first name of a lady who seems to know literally nothing about the bike she's selling). Lancer, on the other hand, seems more solid and reputable than a dealer who, even if well intentioned, doesn't know their bike like Lancer knows his.