SacramentoMike
Not Safe For Work
I'm facing what might be approaching an ethical dilemma. I have this '05 on my hands that I just replaced with a new to me '14. What do you do with an 11-year old, high-mileage FJR with quite a few problems? I have to get rid of it, and I'd like to get a few bucks out of it, but I don't want to sell somebody a big set of problems.
I'd never try to pass if off as other than what it is, but the problems aren't really what anybody would want to lead off with. If the very first thing you tell that lovely young lady you just met about your herpes issue, chances are you won't see much of her again. It's a little like that.
There's a lot of good to be said about this 99,082-mile bike. The engine runs great. In fact, it was completely rebuilt about 50,000 miles ago after suffering some burned valves. The brakes, suspension and tires are all brand new (kind of sorry I did all that now). I was planning to ride it for as long as I could, despite the problems I'm going to mention, but, well, no, not any more.
The worst problem with the bike, the main reason I decided to switch, really, is I'm afraid the transmission has started to slip. It's only done it twice under hard acceleration, but I'm pretty sure it won't start getting better miraculously. It's a big job, and pretty expensive, unless you have the skill and will to do your own, like Grumpypoo just detailed. I have neither of those. And I don't know how fast it will decline, even with extreme care in riding. I was hoping to take it to NAFO and most likely Red Lodge this summer, too, along with my normal riding. Would it have been ok? Don't know, but I was worried.
There are other things that worried me too. The starter seems weak (it's not the battery--that's new too), and has failed to crank enough to start the bike when it's hot a few times in the last couple of years. It always did start, though, after a few minutes rest. The ABS does not work. I can't find the thread I posted on, but the brakes somehow locked over a year ago while I was riding on the freeway. They didn't really lock up, but they were stuck on. I got off as quickly as I could (I was actually on a bridge at the time) and when I stopped, they were actually on fire! Luckily I had a bottle of water, but I got it to the shop (towed) and they told me they could just disconnect the ABS and have standard brakes, or do a very major restoration for another thousand or so. I went with the non-ABS option. Heck, my first '05 didn't have ABS. Nor any bike I'd ever had before. Still, it's a pretty big selling point, and NOT having it on an ABS-equipped bike is a pretty big anti-selling point.
So that's the big stuff. The dealer didn't want it much at ALL as a trade. Not worth considering. I'd rather donate it to the Children's Receiving Home than take what he offered me. For that matter, I suppose I could get a tax write off. But if I SELL it . . . well, what do you think? How would you present it? And what would seem like a reasonable asking price.
I'm still stripping away as many of my farkles as I can, either to re-install or put up for sale, but it's about ready to turn over to somebody else. Just want to do it openly and fairly. Thanks.
I'd never try to pass if off as other than what it is, but the problems aren't really what anybody would want to lead off with. If the very first thing you tell that lovely young lady you just met about your herpes issue, chances are you won't see much of her again. It's a little like that.
There's a lot of good to be said about this 99,082-mile bike. The engine runs great. In fact, it was completely rebuilt about 50,000 miles ago after suffering some burned valves. The brakes, suspension and tires are all brand new (kind of sorry I did all that now). I was planning to ride it for as long as I could, despite the problems I'm going to mention, but, well, no, not any more.
The worst problem with the bike, the main reason I decided to switch, really, is I'm afraid the transmission has started to slip. It's only done it twice under hard acceleration, but I'm pretty sure it won't start getting better miraculously. It's a big job, and pretty expensive, unless you have the skill and will to do your own, like Grumpypoo just detailed. I have neither of those. And I don't know how fast it will decline, even with extreme care in riding. I was hoping to take it to NAFO and most likely Red Lodge this summer, too, along with my normal riding. Would it have been ok? Don't know, but I was worried.
There are other things that worried me too. The starter seems weak (it's not the battery--that's new too), and has failed to crank enough to start the bike when it's hot a few times in the last couple of years. It always did start, though, after a few minutes rest. The ABS does not work. I can't find the thread I posted on, but the brakes somehow locked over a year ago while I was riding on the freeway. They didn't really lock up, but they were stuck on. I got off as quickly as I could (I was actually on a bridge at the time) and when I stopped, they were actually on fire! Luckily I had a bottle of water, but I got it to the shop (towed) and they told me they could just disconnect the ABS and have standard brakes, or do a very major restoration for another thousand or so. I went with the non-ABS option. Heck, my first '05 didn't have ABS. Nor any bike I'd ever had before. Still, it's a pretty big selling point, and NOT having it on an ABS-equipped bike is a pretty big anti-selling point.
So that's the big stuff. The dealer didn't want it much at ALL as a trade. Not worth considering. I'd rather donate it to the Children's Receiving Home than take what he offered me. For that matter, I suppose I could get a tax write off. But if I SELL it . . . well, what do you think? How would you present it? And what would seem like a reasonable asking price.
I'm still stripping away as many of my farkles as I can, either to re-install or put up for sale, but it's about ready to turn over to somebody else. Just want to do it openly and fairly. Thanks.
