Need advice on purchase!!! - Page 2

Water Warrior 2 · 04-26-2013, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppride14

Okay I will probably stay away from the Chinese bikes then and keep scouring CL. Speaking of which, I found a really nice '09 Suk S40 With 6k miles for $2200...I offered the guy $1700 and he said no less than $1950 at first, but just got back to me and said he would rather give it to me for $200 less and would do $1700 since I'm on a student budget lol. The bike looks MINT. is this worth jumping on?

GO GET IT NOW. That is a good bike and a good price.

Rookie Rider · 04-26-2013, 01:03 AM

Grab that bike !!

**jonathan180iq** · 04-26-2013, 08:30 AM

You should get that GZ.

But I will elaborate on the gray market and Chinese bikes, since everyone is hating on them

It really depends who your importer is and who the manufacturer was. There are a couple of really top-notch bike manufacturers over there, and their quality standards have increased greatly in just the last couple of years.

Zongshen is a big one. Their stuff is pretty good quality.

250

they also make a 600cc bike called the Cyclone:

Lifan is also one of the bigger companies. They even make cars:

CF Moto was a big deal but they tried to grow too fast and the market wasn't there. I actually a CfMoto v5 and loved that bike.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, for gray market bikes, these are bikes that are technically not imported into the US but they are available in Canada and are commonly back-doored into the system and are made legal through different methods. They include bikes that are very common in either Canada, Mexico, or Japan, but rare to us:

Like the Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250:

The Aprilia 250... 2-stroke.... fast as lightning...

Just name a couple... If there is a particular japanese bike that you REALLY wanted to ride, this would be the way to do it. And doing it in California is easier than anywhere else.

northsidegz · 04-26-2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppride14

Okay I will probably stay away from the Chinese bikes then and keep scouring CL. Speaking of which, I found a really nice '09 Suk S40 With 6k miles for $2200...I offered the guy $1700 and he said no less than $1950 at first, but just got back to me and said he would rather give it to me for $200 less and would do $1700 since I'm on a student budget lol. The bike looks MINT. is this worth jumping on?

That seems like a really really good deal on a current (i.e. 2009) starter bike. I'd go for it ASAP.

Water Warrior 2 · 04-26-2013, 02:36 PM

Just a couple comments. As mentioned we folks in the GWN get the Baby Ninja 250. It is quite popular and a decent bike to enter the sport bike group. There is also a Ninja 300 available now but I'm not sure the price of entry is worthwhile.

As for the S-40, they are a popular bike with quite a following of their own. The belt drive is a nice feature and mostly trouble free. Just a couple days ago there was a 2009 S-40 on the local CL for $3200 with only 2500 miles on it. It would have been worth $4000 on a trade in but the owner was not looking to upgrade. A day later the bike was listed for $4200 at the dealer who offered the trade in value on a bigger/newer bike. I guess dealers will jump on a good deal whenever possible.
The S-40 itself is only 60 pounds heavier than a GZ with a lot more power in reserve for the hills and twisties.

ppride14 · 04-29-2013, 02:15 PM

Thanks for the advice. I am about 6'1 200 lbs. Would I be too big for the s40?

blaine · 04-29-2013, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppride14

Thanks for the advice. I am about 6'1 200 lbs. Would I be too big for the s40?

No you will be fine on the S40.Another bike about the same weight with tons of power is the Vulcan 500.
:cool:

Water Warrior 2 · 04-29-2013, 09:06 PM

Just missed a stunning ride on CL. 1985 Suzuki Intruder 750 for $2,200. Looked like it just rolled out of the showroom. A bit over 4,000 km on the bike. I could have re-sold it at a profit in a heartbeat. Ya snooze ya loose.

ppride14 · 04-30-2013, 01:57 AM

The guy still has the bike... and I'm really close to jumping on it! Turns out it's an '08 with 5500 on it...but even at $1700 I am wondering if I should grab it on my college student budget.

northsidegz · 05-03-2013, 10:43 AM

I really don't know what you're waiting for. LOL.

In all seriousness, in MN anyway, you'd almost never find that kind of deal. That year and model (engine size). In MN you could find a 2008 250cc bike (like a CFMoto, or Cruze and maybe on occasion a GZ or a Rebel) for under $2,000. But not an S40.

Seems to me your choice is either this or an older bike (if you want this type of engine size). Which you can find older bikes in great condition under $2K. You can find great older bikes for around $1K to $1,200 in MN. Just gotta search around and be patient and eventually one pops up.

....but I have no experience with buying a bike in California.

04-26-2013, 01:03 AM	#12
Rookie Rider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Queens, NYC Posts: 1,263	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! Grab that bike !!
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04-26-2013, 08:30 AM	#13
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! You should get that GZ. But I will elaborate on the gray market and Chinese bikes, since everyone is hating on them It really depends who your importer is and who the manufacturer was. There are a couple of really top-notch bike manufacturers over there, and their quality standards have increased greatly in just the last couple of years. Zongshen is a big one. Their stuff is pretty good quality. 250 they also make a 600cc bike called the Cyclone: Lifan is also one of the bigger companies. They even make cars: CF Moto was a big deal but they tried to grow too fast and the market wasn't there. I actually a CfMoto v5 and loved that bike. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, for gray market bikes, these are bikes that are technically not imported into the US but they are available in Canada and are commonly back-doored into the system and are made legal through different methods. They include bikes that are very common in either Canada, Mexico, or Japan, but rare to us: Like the Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250: The Aprilia 250... 2-stroke.... fast as lightning... Just name a couple... If there is a particular japanese bike that you REALLY wanted to ride, this would be the way to do it. And doing it in California is easier than anywhere else. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

04-26-2013, 02:36 PM	#15
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! Just a couple comments. As mentioned we folks in the GWN get the Baby Ninja 250. It is quite popular and a decent bike to enter the sport bike group. There is also a Ninja 300 available now but I'm not sure the price of entry is worthwhile. As for the S-40, they are a popular bike with quite a following of their own. The belt drive is a nice feature and mostly trouble free. Just a couple days ago there was a 2009 S-40 on the local CL for $3200 with only 2500 miles on it. It would have been worth $4000 on a trade in but the owner was not looking to upgrade. A day later the bike was listed for $4200 at the dealer who offered the trade in value on a bigger/newer bike. I guess dealers will jump on a good deal whenever possible. The S-40 itself is only 60 pounds heavier than a GZ with a lot more power in reserve for the hills and twisties. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

04-29-2013, 02:15 PM	#16
ppride14 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: United States Posts: 10	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! Thanks for the advice. I am about 6'1 200 lbs. Would I be too big for the s40?
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04-29-2013, 09:06 PM	#18
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! Just missed a stunning ride on CL. 1985 Suzuki Intruder 750 for $2,200. Looked like it just rolled out of the showroom. A bit over 4,000 km on the bike. I could have re-sold it at a profit in a heartbeat. Ya snooze ya loose.
	0

04-30-2013, 01:57 AM	#19
ppride14 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: United States Posts: 10	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! The guy still has the bike... and I'm really close to jumping on it! Turns out it's an '08 with 5500 on it...but even at $1700 I am wondering if I should grab it on my college student budget.
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05-03-2013, 10:43 AM	#20
northsidegz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 305	Re: Need advice on purchase!!! I really don't know what you're waiting for. LOL. In all seriousness, in MN anyway, you'd almost never find that kind of deal. That year and model (engine size). In MN you could find a 2008 250cc bike (like a CFMoto, or Cruze and maybe on occasion a GZ or a Rebel) for under $2,000. But not an S40. Seems to me your choice is either this or an older bike (if you want this type of engine size). Which you can find older bikes in great condition under $2K. You can find great older bikes for around $1K to $1,200 in MN. Just gotta search around and be patient and eventually one pops up. ....but I have no experience with buying a bike in California. __________________ 1982 Suzuki GS450 Bobber (SOLD) 2000 Suzuki GZ250 (SOLD) 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan 800A (Present Ride)
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