Buying first big bike - sanity check on dealer offer?

[Participant]

Hi all

Not sure of the best place to get motorbike second hand prices, but I went to a Honda dealer today and they had a nice CBR600F, 11 plate, 12,000 miles, up for £4,500.

They offered me £1k for my Yamaha YBR 125 (60 plate, 5,200 miles) and list price on the Honda on the basis that they had just discounted it by £500! Yeah...so anyway, I really liked the look and feel of the bike.

I'm looking at an SV650S with full fairing at the weekend, but having seen the CBR it just seems a cut above the SV.

But what are people's thoughts on the offer from the dealer? I really have no idea if it's reasonable for a dealer or if he's taking the mick.

I said I'd check around then get back to them, so here I am checking .

Cheers.

Ps all they offered above this was waiving the credit card fee and free installation if I buy heated grips!

 

[Participant]

Sorry yes, I meant CBR600F.

I paid £1,350 for the YBR back in June.

I suppose I could sell the machine myself, but waiting months for an extra two hundred quid vs. the convenience of px doesn't really float my boat. I could ride the Yamaha to the dealer and ride the new bike away.

Good point about insurance. As a relatively new rider, an SV is a more sensible choice in almost every way. However I don't want to immediately hanker after a better bike. Spose I could trade up in the summer if I felt that way.

There's a mint looking 12 plate SV650S (faired again) up for £3k fairly near me. Only 3,500 miles on the clock. If I can get £1k for the YBR and get him down to £2,700, I think I'd be happy with that. £1,700 to go from YBR to SV.

 

[Participant]

Yes to some extent.

I passed on an IL4 and that felt OK but not that smooth, obviously very fast once it got going. What appeals to me is a relaxing commute (A roads, B roads, then town), combined with a bit of fun at the weekends.

The SV seems to tick these boxes as with a V-twin, there'll be plenty of torque available at low RPM. Not having to rev it high should make for an easier commute I reckon and probably suits a small tourer too.

Not sure why I'm even doubting myself, the SV seems perfect and I shouldn't lose much if and when I decide it's not exciting enough. Need to not lose sight of the fact that anything is going to feel like a rocket ship for 6 months at least, and despite having commuted for 5 months on a 125, I'm like a newly passed car driver, i.e. I know nothing!

 

[Participant]

Thanks for all the comments.

I decided against the CBR in the end, owing to price and insurance on my first bike being higher than I really want to spend. Think I got a bit carried away!

So today I put down a deposit on this:

2012 SV650S, faired (obviously) with heated grips and crash bungs. 3,600 miles, one previous lady owner (not so careful, as it's been dropped so there's a scratch on the exhaust and a bent rear brake, which they're replacing).

The deal I ended up with was £1,300 for the YBR 125 so £1,700 to change, which was the highest I was prepared to accept before I walked in. The price also includes a 4k service and 12 months tax.

I'm content with the deal whilst not being ecstatic. He wouldn't budget any further but tbh, £3k for this bike seems fair from looking around. It's not due an MOT for 12 months and is absolutely mint apart from the above mentioned.

But anyway, I'd be quibbling over a couple of £hundred and it's just not worth my time and effort.

I'm picking it up as soon as they've serviced it, Saturday at the latest. Can't wait.

They wouldn't let me test ride it, but I started it up and it sounded fantastic, even with the stock can.

This is the best I could find for you based on what all I can get about your location. If its close by I would try and get a test ride.

Thanks but that just links to the website.

£1000 offer for your YBR is a **** take tell them to Jog on. Against a £4500 bike I'd want close to £1500 knocked off the price for the YBR. You should get more than it's worth when trading it in & spending some good dough. You'd be giving him £3000 & your YBR for a bike that's prob worth £4k.

As for what big bike to buy, Tell us what you want out of your next bike ?
Usage ?
Style ?
Desire ?
Expected Mileage ?
What bikes have your mates got ?
Tell us as much as you can about what you want out of your next bike ?

After that we can give you proper advice.

Thanks for this. I'll answer the questions anyway, then you can tell me if I've just spooged £100 up the wall .

Usage - already mentioned, commuting and weekend mini-touring.
Style - definitely a fan of faired with screen. Sports touring to try and satisfy both to some degree.
Desire - ideal bike is probably a 1L sports tourer that I can use equally for a weekend blast, as I can to run out to Shropshire for a few hours on a Sunday morning.
Expected mileage - approx 6k p.a.
Mates - I don't have any biker mates. I'm just starting out so I only know a couple of people at work with bikes, and they're senior managers so not exactly mates.
What I want - a reliable commuter that will be good to develop my skills on and able to put a grin on my face, whilst not being overly expensive and burdensome to own.

 

[Participant]

Cheers all. Some more photos:

I seriously can't wait to pick it up. Feeling that power from the DAS bikes again...it's very addictive.

its a nice machine,be a huge step up from a 125 so be carefull on it

take a look at the oil filter when you get the bike and make sure its a shiny new one,they often say they service them and don't touch a thing

Good tip, will check that, thanks.

you will lose a good 20mph with that tax disc on it tho

It's gone as soon as I have the bike in my garage.

Very nice, I contemplated an SV650 but after sitting on one for 10 minutes it felt a little small around the legs for me. I wouldn't have worried about the exhaust scratch tbh, it's the first thing you'll be swapping out

Not a bad price, although... you can pick them up brand new (pre registered) for under £3995, although without the side fairings.

Also, if you're gonna be riding through winter, get the bike ACF-50'ed - allyearbiker.co.uk will give it a proper valet/degrease and coat it in ACF-50 for £60, and being a suzuki the winter won't be too kind to it!

Enjoy the v-twin torque and sound, they're not that powerful compared to most 650-800cc v-twins (70bhp), I didn't die on my 2 hours on the monster 821 with 112bhp so you'll be fine

And yeah, get that tax disc off, and make sure by checking online that the dealer has taxed it, as you/he won't get a tax disc.

Thanks for the tips. I'm a big wimp at the moment so I think I'll be fine through sheer fear.

Will look into that ACF-50 - never heard of it before.

Didn't know that you could buy a brand new bike for £3,995 (less purchase discount), but they stopped doing them in the UK from 2012 afaik? Which means mine was one of the last produced, so for 3,600 miles I've saved a quarter of retail price for a bike with the latest Oxford heated grips, 12 months tax, and crash bungs, which works for me, even if it isn't an earth shattering deal .

 

[Participant]

Nice! God they look poop without fairing .

 

[Participant]

Yeah new exhaust is on the cards.

What's a tail tidy? Googled it but struggling to see what they are actually for!