Bikes for 999 euros and the consequences, part 7

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Bikes for 999 euros and the consequences, part 7
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Bikes for 999 euros and the consequences, part 7

Bikes for 999 euros and the consequences, part 7
The time was good

Have you expanded the editorial fleet? not just numerically. No. Also in terms of character. But now it’s time to say goodbye to the used models CX 500, GS 500, XT 600 and FJ 1100.

Holger Hertneck

11/09/2007

It all started at the end of last winter. Suddenly four aged motorcycle models mingled with the current test machines in the editorial garage. Each of them bought for less than 1000 euros on the used market. Why? Because MOTORRAD wanted to find out first-hand whether there was actually usable material to buy for so little money. There are, even if one or the other candidate initially called for a lot of screwing work. In the end they all ran and can look back on an eventful 2007 season. Minor defects were part of everyday life, and there were no capital losses. Although each of the four used bikes has found friends and supporters within the editorial team, they have now completed their “mission”. Time to release them back into “public life”. In the last part of the 999 euro series, the four godparents take stock and present the new owners. And in spring, MOTORRAD will buy something new and old.

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What happened until now

Everything there was to report about the 999 euro bikes can be found in the MOTORRAD issues 8, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21/2007.

YAMAHA XT 600

The call came surprisingly early: Wolfgang T. had already contacted the editorial office in July to show his interest in the Yamaha XT 600 to be announced. And to be on the safe side, the XT-600 fan also sent an email afterwards. One or none – for Wolfgang T. from Rottenburg am Neckar there was no alternative when it came to the motorcycle of his choice. He didn’t care that he had to wait a few more months – in July the XT, which was added to the MOTORRAD fleet at the beginning of March, had just passed the TuV hurdle after various unforeseen delays. Summer was just around the corner. For now, driving was the order of the day.
Over the course of the months, the patient Swabian closely followed every report on “his” XT. The affection grew, no matter what quirks or worries it surprised their pilots with. The worn out chassis, the rattling in the crankshaft area, which indicated a damaged bearing, or the cylinder base gasket, which was as full of holes as Swiss cheese in the end.
During another phone call at the end of August, Wolfgang T. was anything but discouraged: “The next winter will definitely come, I will disappear into the garage with the XT and bring everything back into shape.” Finally, the long-awaited day. The fact that the XT 600 may not be sold to anyone other than Wolfgang T. was taken for granted by the editorial team. A matter of honor. In September, they finally met for the first time in the Motor Presse underground car park. Wolfgang takes a seat, steps on the kick starter a few times and does a handful of laps. The enthusiasm in his shiny eyes speaks volumes – and the deal is perfect: the XT changes hands for 900 euros.
A brand new set of Bridgestone tires is also included, as the Yamaha was less moved than expected. Only around 2000 kilometers came together during journeys between work and home as well as some weekend excursions and the big round of passes through the Swiss Alps. A motorcycle without an electric starter doesn’t make it that easy for a driver in everyday life. The fact that the XT also decorated the trouser legs with unsightly oil splashes at the end is another reason for the low mileage.
Still, it’s a shame that she’s gone. At least somehow. Despite all the dents and quirks, the driving pleasure was actually unexpectedly great. The oil stains in the garage at home will be a reminder of a special encounter from the past season for some time to come

Data XT 600

Purchase price: 900 euros; Sales price: 900 euros; Total operating costs (without petrol): 310.50 euros (registration, TuV, battery, engine oil, brake pads, new tires); Kilometers driven: 1900; Fuel consumption: 4.2 to 5.9 liters / 100 km.

SUZUKI GS 500 E.

One last time I put her on the side stand and stroke her across the bench. Then the father of the new owner takes on “mine” GS 500 E place, start the engine, wave one last time and drive away.
Sales went much faster than expected. Less than two days after I advertised the machine in Quoka, motoscout24 and mobile, a buyer got in touch by phone. Unfortunately, I have to put him off over the weekend because there are family obligations and I hope that he will be interested in the vehicle at all in the next week. He has. Frank H. is 18 years old and has only had his motorcycle license for a week. So he is not yet allowed to drive the open GS 500 E with its 46 hp. Which is why his father comes with us on the agreed date. He got his motorcycle driving license himself only five years ago and now has an annual mileage of around 13,000 kilometers with his BMW K 1100 LT. Amazingly, the son never rode as a pillion passenger, but was infected completely independently of the motorcycle virus. Two years of scooter experience were enough to whet the appetite for a motorcycle. The budget limited the search for a used machine to the price range around 1000 euros. The two popular and well-known reliable entry-level models Honda CB 500 and Suzuki GS 500 were shortlisted.
As we make our way to the editorial garage, I ask if the gentlemen are not surprised that they ended up in the Motor Presse. “No, we already know what kind of machine it is.” My name in the ad looked very familiar to the senior, so that as a MOTORRAD reader it quickly became clear to him which GS was being offered.
A longer sales talk is therefore unnecessary. After all, the strengths and weaknesses of our GS 500 E were mentioned several times. One look at the motorcycle is enough for both of them to conclude the tour with the words “we’ll take them”. The decision is still valid even after the short test drive through the underground car park. Price negotiations? Nothing. Father and son don’t even try. So it remains at the advertised 999 euros, despite the known, but still not localized, occasional swallowing problem on long full-throttle stages.
Incidentally, the 34 hp throttle set as well as the two reversing levers for lowering the chassis change hands. After the uncomplicated throttling to 34 hp, which the senior would like to have carried out in the workshop of a friend, the new owner and driver license holder can finally move the Suzuki.
Now, when the machine rolls out of the editorial garage, the buyer is still sitting in the car and driving well in front of his father on the GS 500 towards the new home of my 999 euro favorite. I’m sure he’ll have as much fun with her as we do. And that he could hardly have found something better and more reliable for the money

Data GS 500 E

Purchase price: 900 euros; Selling price: 999 euros; Total operating costs (without petrol): 390 euros (approval, TuV / AU, approval dethrottling, new tires, oil change with filter, spark plugs, petrol line); Kilometers driven: 7020; Fuel consumption: 3.3 to 5.6 liters / 100 km

YAMAHA FJ 1100

Just as the Yamaha started to run really reliably, it was about to be sold again. But as with everything about this FJ that wasn’t directly related to driving, this endeavor also took a little longer. It was decided that it should be on Ebay, so quickly shot a few meaningful photos and wrote a few lines in which the costs incurred up to that point for the required spare parts were also listed. And set the minimum price: 950 euros. Apparently too high an amount, because the highest bid was just 805 euros. After all, according to statistics, the ad was viewed over 1,100 times. So there was definitely interest.
The next attempt a good two weeks later. With the offer otherwise unchanged, only the minimum price was corrected to 750 euros. The commandments rose slowly, very slowly. Unrest spread. It only subsided when the 750 euros were reached two days before the end of the offer. Unfortunately it stayed that way, but at least the FJ was sold with it. A few days later, Roman P. arrives with his car and trailer. He himself has an old Suzuki GSX 1100 F from 1989 and loves the motorcycles of that time. He bought the FJ on behalf of a friend so that the two of them could roam the southern Black Forest at home. This doesn’t work more than ten times a year due to time constraints, which is another reason why the motorcycle shouldn’t be too expensive. There is no doubt that good old Yamaha has drawn a good lot with its new owner. And he with her too. I still help with loading the bike onto the trailer. Time for a resume.
We bought the FJ in a desolate condition for 900 euros, invested around 1000 euros in wear and spare parts as well as maintenance, and also spent several evenings in the workshop. Time that does not appear in any invoice, otherwise the 3781 kilometers driven would have been cheaper by taxi. We received 750 euros when we sold it. Bad business, then? Definitely financially. On the other hand, we wanted to know what can happen when you shop in the lowest price category. Two findings have remained. First: With a motorcycle that you cannot test drive, you don’t buy a pig in a poke. Rather, blindfolded at night, you buy a cat in a poke that is in a boarded-up box. Second: For the sum that the FJ ultimately cost, we could have had one to sit on and drive off

Data FJ 1100

Purchase price: 900 euros; Sales price: 750 euros; total operating costs (without petrol): 990 euros (approval, TuV, spare and wear parts, chain and tire set); Kilometers driven: 3781; Fuel consumption: 5.0 to 7.7 liters / 100 km

HONDA CX 500 C.

Buy a motorcycle for 1000 euros? It’s not a difficult thing and it happens quickly. But what about getting rid of a very old model at this tariff? Patience and perseverance are required.
In the age of digital globalization, however, a summit meeting between potential buyers and willing sellers should not be a problem. So go online with the CX 500. In order to increase the hit rate, the Honda was placed in two of the most famous portals for vehicle sales: www.mobile.de and www.motoscout24.de. Initially with a retail price of 998 euros. You should still have room to negotiate. And so it was still the cheapest of all the C versions of the CX on offer. Anyone looking specifically for a custom CX came across the MOTORRAD bike first. So it just had to work.
But the first week passed without anyone answering. In the second week a prospect asked for a higher resolution photo of the CX. The request was promptly granted, but apparently the result was not convincing. In any case, the prospect had quickly disappeared into the global depths of the web. The third and fourth weeks were as calm as the first. According to statistics, around 2000 prospective customers had looked at the offer on both sales platforms. Not a single one of them, however, who expressed serious intentions to buy.
Start of the second offensive: get in touch with the real fans who exchange ideas in the forum www.cx500-online.de. A sales exchange has also been set up there. And lo and behold: the Honda was barely in the fan forum than an email came from Berlin. “I’ll be in Stuttgart at the weekend. Come on Saturday to see the CX and take it with you. ”If that doesn’t sound like“ as good as sold ”! Unfortunately, the prospect’s five-minute euphoria seemed to have clearly evaporated after five days. Because the weekend passed without the Berlin CX friend reporting again. And there was no other fan to be persuaded to take the 999 euro bike from MOTORRAD under their wing.
Should it work through an old-fashioned classified ad? The advertisement including a color photo was quickly placed in MOTORRAD (free of charge for subscribers, by the way). Lo and behold: the phone never stood still, three days after it was released the CX was sold for 700 euros, and interested buyers are still calling to this day.
Peter from Aurich, Swabia, reacted the quickest, counting the notes on the table after a test drive. Comment: “Bought!” Joel

Data CX 500 C

Purchase price: 995 euros plus 70 euros freight costs for delivery; Selling price: 700 euros; Total running costs (excluding petrol): 300 euros (registration, MOT, a set of tires, cosmetic repairs); Kilometers driven: 6200; Fuel consumption: 5.5 to 7.6 liters / 100 km

Buying a used that’s how it works

The trade in used motorcycles is booming. Around 400,000 machines change hands every year in Germany. The used market thus exceeds sales of new machines by a factor of four. Obviously, with such high numbers, problems are inevitable. Prospective buyers can fall for beautified bikes on which traces of accidents or defects are maliciously covered up. Or bona fide sellers are already paying a deposit for the motorcycle and then have to run after their money. Particular caution applies to Internet offers that make tempting offers to buyers as well as sellers: Such advertisements often turn out to be real fraud trap.joel

Buy a motorcycle

1. Do not focus your search on a specific model, color or year of manufacture. This only sets yourself unnecessary limits.
2. Stay away from poorly maintained machines. Check tire pressure, chain tension and oil level. Be careful with warm-up engines.
3. Do not allow yourself to be put under pressure by the seller’s reference to “many interested parties”. Hardly any offer on the used market is unique.
4. Make a written record of all warranted properties, such as freedom from accidents. Make sure that accessories sold with the vehicle (e.g. exhaust) are also permitted.
5. Be rational and prudent. But also listen to your gut: the bike likes the first time – or never.

Sell ​​a motorcycle

1. Provide details on the ad. Manufacturer and type designation are just as important as the year of construction, engine power, mileage and asking price.
2. Do not get involved in price negotiations on the first phone call with prospective customers. Serious buyers only do this on site at the viewing appointment.
3. Be sure to show your driver’s license before the test drive and keep a security (e.g. your ID card) for the duration of the journey.
4. Make a written sales contract. Do not make any representations that you cannot substantiate.
5. Have the handover confirmed in writing with the date and the exact time. Report the sale to the registration office and your insurance company immediately.

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