Relax
Well-known member
You were lucky if you had no problems with the linked brakes on your ST. SMC failures are common, and when it fails, the rear wheel can get locked up.
What is your Budget for a Bargain Find?
- Thread starter nakkers
- Start date
You were lucky if you had no problems with the linked brakes on your ST. SMC failures are common, and when it fails, the rear wheel can get locked up.
Over Easter I pulled the trigger on a K series BMW. Mature owner downsizing his stable as he battles cancer. It’s been ridden and well cared for and comes with a bunch of farkles.
FJR, Concours, VFR and a few others were in consideration. The ADV style hasn’t appealed to me. At least not yet but, the style and comfort of sport touring machines catch my eye and heart. And being somewhat out of vogue, the price point for well cared for machines seems appealing.
Insurance is affordable. I know BMW stands for bring my wallet so I’m not naive to the cost of upkeep and weak points.
I think the airhead is going up for sale. I’ve got the Spitfire for scenic leisure drives with the squeeze. The K1200RS travels nicely at highway speed with decent wind protection and can be fun in the twisties. Doesn’t make sense to have 2 bikes and a classic roadster.
FJR, Concours, VFR and a few others were in consideration. The ADV style hasn’t appealed to me. At least not yet but, the style and comfort of sport touring machines catch my eye and heart. And being somewhat out of vogue, the price point for well cared for machines seems appealing.
Insurance is affordable. I know BMW stands for bring my wallet so I’m not naive to the cost of upkeep and weak points.
I think the airhead is going up for sale. I’ve got the Spitfire for scenic leisure drives with the squeeze. The K1200RS travels nicely at highway speed with decent wind protection and can be fun in the twisties. Doesn’t make sense to have 2 bikes and a classic roadster.
I do ALL my own work if needed, but I have never had an issue with BMW, and I still own my 1990 R100 GS that I bought new in 1991.
OK, so the mileage is low on the airhead GS but then my R1150 GS Adventure had higher mileage and when I think about how many times I shifted the transmission in the Alps in a day, I never had an issue with it either. Bulletproof!
Congrats, always liked those.
It's probably the most fun I ever had riding a bike. ~2011, at deals gap, I swapped my busa for a CB1 for about an hour. I've wanted one since.Congrats on the CB-1.
13,500 redline, even with the rare stock exhaust they sound great.
$1600 is more like a robbery than a bargain.
It's going to take a bit to get it back on on the road.
Been stored since '14.
But. We put a battery to it before I payed, and it spun like it can't wait to run.
Leaky forks, seized fr caliper, tires....etc, etc.
Hoping a couple weeks from now it'll be happy and on the road.
Priller
Well-known member
Looks beautifully stock, including signals, rear fender, and exhaust. Those horrible bar-ends gotta go, though.
Sister to the Hawk GT I once had. Most of the many 'upgrades' I did were a total waste of time, but the Race Tech cartridge emulators and replacement shock were worth every penny...
My buddies wife had a BMW, he called it the Bavarian Manure Wagon. Nice bike, those older BMW’s have a lot of character and seem to be a real bargain. The older RT’s make a great everyday rider.
Big Monthly Withdrawals.
I think it's got good potential, if it runs.....and by the way it cranked, I'm not too concerned.
Carbs need doing, as does gas tank, but there's zero signs of rust in it, hint of varnish odour, but not nearly as noticeable as I was expecting.
The fender has a crack, sadly, but the seat cowl is perfect.
Sitting 9 years.......you know the routine.
jdmsteR
Well-known member
Looks fairly stock
Has it been painted? The blue looks slightly off compared to mine but maybe it's the lighting
How many kms?
It's showing 50,400kms.
I don't think it's been painted? It's the darker blue, not the powder blue.
If it gets painted, I think it's going to be the dark gray that a few came with.
I thought the tail plastics were mint........I was wrong.....lol.
The bargain hunter's dilemma:
He has $5000 to spend but what he really wants is a vintage (or new) bike that is worth $20K. He spends his $5000 on any old thing and then sees an absolute deal on his dream at an auction but he's $5000 short and his consolation ride is hard to sell.
I had it happen with a boat. I saw the dream, but my money and space were tied up in a lesser one.
He has $5000 to spend but what he really wants is a vintage (or new) bike that is worth $20K. He spends his $5000 on any old thing and then sees an absolute deal on his dream at an auction but he's $5000 short and his consolation ride is hard to sell.
I had it happen with a boat. I saw the dream, but my money and space were tied up in a lesser one.
Priller
Well-known member
Have a feeling a full carb disassembly plus ultrasonic cleaning might be in your future...
Good thing the bike is cool enough to justify the headache...
Indeed. Hopefully this week.
This is some of the 9yr old gas/tea/varnish. Particle free though, and I can't see a spec of rust inside the tank.
Priller
Well-known member
I will say, I think Honda build quality from that era is probably the best of any manufacturer at any time. Absolutely top-notch. I think of all the ham-fisted wrenching I did on my Hawk GT, and the fasteners all looked like new.
And that gas makes me want to tell someone to drink more water...
Relax
Well-known member
The Hawk is a bad example since it was overbuilt/underpowered at 647cc and 45 HP. You can get a reliable 70 HP (at the wheels), but much more than that results in a broken (stock) crank and/or rods.
