RadioHowie
I Miss Beemerdons!
Unseasonably cool and dry in Cen. Fla. today...85 degrees and 60% humidity instead of 95 / 95. 
So this afternoon, head out for a ride. Driving past the local Yam dealer, I decide to stop in and yak about the '06. Wanna see if they have ANY info. Well, they don't, except they're also wondering why Mama Yama took the '06 info off the web.
What they DID have was a gorgeous '03. Visually, this sweetie was Ivory soap...99 & 44/100ths pure. The only visual flaw I could find was what looked like wear or discoloration on the trim ring around the gas filler. Almost (maybe) like car wax had got in the pattern. No big deal. Further details upcoming.
I hung around long enough to convince the sales staff I was a serious shopper, not a Lookie Lou, and got them to finally give me a test drive.
Sweet ride. Now I see what you guys have been bragging about. But I do have a few questions to ask from my drive....
The bike is quiet as a mouse. Definitely NOT a ticker. I listened VERY carefully both cold and hot. Front tire fairly shot and the bike exhibited a definite head shake between 50 & 55 mph. Hands-off the bars would be fatal, it shakes so hard. Front was a worn-out, cupped Michelin Pilot Road. The back was a Dunlop something or other. Why do people mix brands? The rear-end of the bike felt very plush and planted over some bad interstate pavement, but the front-end felt loose and sloppy, like the head bearings or forks needed some attention. Plus there was some audible clunking/rattling from the front while traversing rough sections. May be more to the head-shake than just a worn out tire.
Also, when accelerating, after hitting 2nd gear, while still accelerating, the bike seemed to jerk/jump, like a chain slipping under hard acceleration. Only does it in 2nd, but does it every time. Almost feels like it's auto-shifting. Anyone familiar with this phenomenon? I know, it's not a chain final drive, but that's the best analogy I can come up with. The gearbox also seems a bit sloppy/clunky/noisy for a 27K bike. Figured it would have smoothed out by now.
Finally, impressions-wise, after about 20-30 minutes riding, my left ankle felt par-boiled. So THIS is the infamous heat issue I've been reading about. Not bad on the right leg, but definite on the left.
So, that's the skinny on the bike. Here are the details on the possible purchase.
'03 FJR1300 with 27,000 miles....$8,500.00
Needs tires.......................................300.00
2 year YES........................................700.00
Color-matched GIVI top bag.............350.00
Total $9,850.00
I'd buy the YES "just because" but I figure by 27K miles, the bike's chances of becoming a "ticker" are probably behind it. The tires are a "given". They need changing. And the top bag is just an "I want one", so doesn't really go against the value of the bike.
Now the problem...the bike is a consignment item. The dealer doesn't own it, they're just selling it for a customer, so they aren't going to warranty anything on it. If there IS a tranny problem or steering head problem, it's MY problem if I buy it.
Long story short (sorry, guess it already IS a long story) I left the dealer a $500 deposit on the bike to make sure someone didn't buy it out from under me, with the stipulation that after I had "slept on it" (read: "asked you guys about it") if I decided against buying the bike, I still had in effect given them a $500 deposit on the very first '06 to hit their showroom.
So in a nutshell, today I bought my Feejer. It's either an '03 with possible transmission/steering issues for $9,850, or I get the first '06 in Lakeland, Florida.
One gets the definite impression reading this forum that an '03 is the "Best of Breed" if it's not a "ticker". Is $8,500 too much for an '03? Or is the price realistic. And if there are tranny problems, let the YES take care of it or try to get the owner to back off some on the price.
Or, wait for an '06?
What y'all think?
So this afternoon, head out for a ride. Driving past the local Yam dealer, I decide to stop in and yak about the '06. Wanna see if they have ANY info. Well, they don't, except they're also wondering why Mama Yama took the '06 info off the web.
What they DID have was a gorgeous '03. Visually, this sweetie was Ivory soap...99 & 44/100ths pure. The only visual flaw I could find was what looked like wear or discoloration on the trim ring around the gas filler. Almost (maybe) like car wax had got in the pattern. No big deal. Further details upcoming.
I hung around long enough to convince the sales staff I was a serious shopper, not a Lookie Lou, and got them to finally give me a test drive.
Sweet ride. Now I see what you guys have been bragging about. But I do have a few questions to ask from my drive....
The bike is quiet as a mouse. Definitely NOT a ticker. I listened VERY carefully both cold and hot. Front tire fairly shot and the bike exhibited a definite head shake between 50 & 55 mph. Hands-off the bars would be fatal, it shakes so hard. Front was a worn-out, cupped Michelin Pilot Road. The back was a Dunlop something or other. Why do people mix brands? The rear-end of the bike felt very plush and planted over some bad interstate pavement, but the front-end felt loose and sloppy, like the head bearings or forks needed some attention. Plus there was some audible clunking/rattling from the front while traversing rough sections. May be more to the head-shake than just a worn out tire.
Also, when accelerating, after hitting 2nd gear, while still accelerating, the bike seemed to jerk/jump, like a chain slipping under hard acceleration. Only does it in 2nd, but does it every time. Almost feels like it's auto-shifting. Anyone familiar with this phenomenon? I know, it's not a chain final drive, but that's the best analogy I can come up with. The gearbox also seems a bit sloppy/clunky/noisy for a 27K bike. Figured it would have smoothed out by now.
Finally, impressions-wise, after about 20-30 minutes riding, my left ankle felt par-boiled. So THIS is the infamous heat issue I've been reading about. Not bad on the right leg, but definite on the left.
So, that's the skinny on the bike. Here are the details on the possible purchase.
'03 FJR1300 with 27,000 miles....$8,500.00
Needs tires.......................................300.00
2 year YES........................................700.00
Color-matched GIVI top bag.............350.00
Total $9,850.00
I'd buy the YES "just because" but I figure by 27K miles, the bike's chances of becoming a "ticker" are probably behind it. The tires are a "given". They need changing. And the top bag is just an "I want one", so doesn't really go against the value of the bike.
Now the problem...the bike is a consignment item. The dealer doesn't own it, they're just selling it for a customer, so they aren't going to warranty anything on it. If there IS a tranny problem or steering head problem, it's MY problem if I buy it.
Long story short (sorry, guess it already IS a long story) I left the dealer a $500 deposit on the bike to make sure someone didn't buy it out from under me, with the stipulation that after I had "slept on it" (read: "asked you guys about it") if I decided against buying the bike, I still had in effect given them a $500 deposit on the very first '06 to hit their showroom.
So in a nutshell, today I bought my Feejer. It's either an '03 with possible transmission/steering issues for $9,850, or I get the first '06 in Lakeland, Florida.
One gets the definite impression reading this forum that an '03 is the "Best of Breed" if it's not a "ticker". Is $8,500 too much for an '03? Or is the price realistic. And if there are tranny problems, let the YES take care of it or try to get the owner to back off some on the price.
Or, wait for an '06?
What y'all think?
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