Should I buy a used 03?

jwhite518 · Jul 29, 2008

I have to decide very quickly, based only on photos and the reputation of the guy selling it. This is one SWEEEEEET bike. It has a custom paint job - think classic Yamaha yellow and black. LD dudes: It's Todd W's bike from Blister.

What's wrong with the 03s?

Is $6,000 a good price? Bike has 28K on it.

jwilly · Jul 29, 2008

Custom paint job usually means it was laid down and repainted. I'm just sayin...

Sound like a good price!

JW

Ignacio · Jul 29, 2008

It sitting so long...I'd hope it isn't gummed up or anything.

'03s had smaller brakes and weaker suspension, but they were faster, and a suspension upgrade does wonders. Peloquin has been quite content with his when he road '07 as well as Tobie that rode both '05 and '07.

'03 with low miles *could* be a ticker and it's increasingly likely Yamaha *might* not fix what is now a 5+ year old bike under good will.

Price is.....well....not necessarily stunning. You can probably find low mileage '04 and '05 for similar prices.

The paint is distinctive though.

charismaticmegafauna · Jul 29, 2008

jwhite518 said:
What's wrong with the 03s?

The (front) turn signals stick-out further than the others.

Oh, wait....maybe that's a good thing....?

luvtoride · Jul 29, 2008

I'd say with 28,000 miles it isn't likely to start ticking. Price seems high, though. What extras does it have? For that price there better be alot of extra farkles.

jwhite518 · Jul 29, 2008

luvtoride said:
I'd say with 28,000 miles it isn't likely to start ticking. Price seems high, though. What extras does it have? For that price there better be alot of extra farkles.

Well, it's not exactly 6K. He said anything over 5K, which to me seemed low. It's got HID lighting upgrades, a seat, and some misc. LD farkles.

RiderCoach Lar · Jul 29, 2008

HIDs and a seat are pricey farkles. If it's not a ticker and you can get it for close to $5k, do it. You will NOT be sorry.

I just sold an '03 to move to a '06. The brakes are smaller, yet I NEVER had any issues with the brakes...and I pushed them hard at times. Come to think of it, I never heard of anyone having issues with the smaller brakes on a '03. I do miss the acceleration of the '03. Better final drive gearing gave it CRAZY GOOD acceleration :hyper:

Warchild · Jul 29, 2008

Grab the bike, Jerry.

Seriously.

Feejer/Weejer man · Jul 29, 2008

Nothing wrong with the '03. I have had mine 6 years now and it runs stronger than the 04,05 and 06 I have ridden. Maybe because of the PCIII and the Holeshot complete system. It was a ticker but fixed. Mine is loaded with a Russell, suspension and fuel cell. Plus a lot of little diddies that are hard to remember they are on the bike. Couldn't get enough for it to replace the farkles on a new one. So I will run this one into the ground if that possible. By the time I probably get around to replacing it it will seem like the old FJ1100. LOL. It might be possible to buy up to an 05 for a few thousand though.

wfooshee · Jul 29, 2008

I bought my '03 last June with 41,000 on it, have put 13,000 miles on it since then. That's about 10000 times the annual mileage of all my previous years. (small exaggeration, but very small.)

No troubles other than falling in gravel and a weird plug fouling problem (new coil fixed it). It's comfortable, it's quick, couldn't be happier. Gave 5500 for the bike, bone stock other than horns, voltmeter, and a fuse block under the seat.

mattster31 · Jul 29, 2008

It's a great bike, and it sounds like a cool paint job!!

I bought mine with 35000 and have put on 5K this year. I also have the front panels from wfooshee's bike :glare: which gave it that "lightly used" look. Actually, 50% of the bike came from members on this forum!! It's the best bike I have owned!!

buy it.....ride it..... enjoy it

SkooterG · Jul 29, 2008

Get it. And hurry.

If you hit 250 posts on this form without actually owning an FJR, you'll blow up.

vandy · Jul 29, 2008

And if you get it. post a pic or 2.

I havn't seen another good yellow one yet.

kenporider · Jul 29, 2008

I've put 10,000 on mine since October and can't get enough of it. ABS would be nice but...just get it! :clapping:

fjrob1300 · Jul 30, 2008

There's nothing wrong with an 03!! End of story!!

meosborn · Jul 30, 2008

Sounds like a great bike. 28k sounds to me like it's used but not heavily used. More than 4k/year. I've had my '03 since Fall '02 and I love it. There have been a few upgrades over the years that I wish I had but, for the most part, they are all cosmetic. I did go for the suspension upgrade a couple years back though.

You should bring up the subject of whether or not it was put down though. Not that being layed down is absolutely a deal breaker. Bikes go down. Usually it's what happens after it hits the pavement that does the real damage (ie. guard rails, other vehicles, etc.). I've said for years that when I lay mine down I will be painting it yellow. I think it's a great color for a sportbike and it's a lot harder to miss than silver (or blue, black, darker silver, dark red... What is with the bland colors Yamaha? It's not a Camry!)

Good luck.

I want to see pictures by the way! Also, vandy, nice paintjob!

Bounce · Jul 30, 2008

jwhite518 said:
I have to decide very quickly, based only on photos and the reputation of the guy selling it. This is one SWEEEEEET bike. It has a custom paint job - think classic Yamaha yellow and black. LD dudes: It's Todd W's bike from Blister.
What's wrong with the 03s?

Is $6,000 a good price? Bike has 28K on it.

Todd's a good guy. There's nothing wrong with a sound 03. i've seen that bike in person and it's a striking paint job. Very classic.

You'll also have the bragging rights of owning a bike that's completed the 2003 Iron Butt Rally. There are less than 100 bikes total that can claim that and less than 10 FJRs.

remember that this is at the finish line of the 03 IRM. Todd's (AT A MINIMUM) taken off the fuel cell and cleaned it up since this photo was taken.

brumos · Jul 30, 2008

New member here so please bare with me. I'm new to the FJR so don't know much about them. Been riding sportbikes most of my life and just recently added a Triumph Scrambler to my stable.

I'm also thinking of picking up a used 03 FJR, but what is the ticking everyone is referring to and how can one tell if a certain bike exhibits it?

luvtoride · Jul 30, 2008

Brumos, the ticking issue has been beat w/ a large stick. Search for the info. Go to Google's search engine & type in tick site:fjrforum.com & you'll come up w/ thousands of threads on this subject. You can also try typing ticking site:fjrforum.com & come up with even more.

Jwhite, I'd be sure that the bike is not ticking b4 you buy it. If it isn't doing it presently, I seriously doubt that it will develop it after 28,000 miles.

PS... nice outfit in your avatar.

Should I buy a used 03?

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