Is it worth it? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Xerxys · 07-16-2009, 02:32 AM

I just saw this and I was thinking a big purchase in my life was imminent. I was actually planning on getting a TV but meh? I called up the dude and he was selling it for $8300. I was about to scoff in his face then I realized I know very little about Harley Davidson's (motorcycles really) and I want this!! Simply because I saw it on sale though. I asked him if it needed any work done on it at all and he said that it only needs the head gasket put on it. He said it was recently replaced but wasn't done right.

I'm salivating at the thought. I have never even owned a bicycle. This might be an impulse buy but what the hell I really want this ....

Hektore · 07-16-2009, 04:15 AM

I would guess (guess) that if they head gasket wasn't done right, it was driven and some other catastrophe has occurred to let him know the gasket wasn't done right. Also could be something else wrong that prevented the gasket from being replaced properly, just for my own sake I would ask him what he means by 'not done right' and how he knows that.

What kind of Harley is that (I'm useless with bikes) because one of the models (the Sportster I think) doesn't cost much more than that brand new.

Xerxys · 07-16-2009, 05:14 AM

^^ True dat. I was going through the listings in my area and new sportsters cost just under $10K. I'm thinking this was a bad idea. The model has to be a sportster but I am immensely clever that I did not ask.

newtx · 07-16-2009, 06:40 AM

I would keep looking. You should be able to find a similar one with no issues for the same price or less.

DaniGirl · 07-16-2009, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtx

I would keep looking. You should be able to find a similar one with no issues for the same price or less.

I agree keep looking, you will find a better deal.

Plan9 · 07-16-2009, 07:24 AM

Or just get a used 2000+-era Honda Shadow. Same performance and half the price.

You don't get the Cool Guy Brandname, but you get a bike that's a lot cheaper and easier to work on.

Cycletrader.com'd!

/bias

Baraka_Guru · 07-16-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crompsin

You don't get the Cool Guy Brandname [...]

Who cares? Honda's engines are legendary.

Maybe I'll get one of those when I turn 50.

Glory's Sun · 07-16-2009, 10:40 AM

or you could spend $8300 on a motorcycle brand that doesn't suck.

just sayin'

Jinn · 07-16-2009, 10:50 AM

Not a good deal. Blown head gasket is a major repair.

And I agree that Harleys are terrible overpriced, ala Jeep and Range Rover.

Ilow · 07-16-2009, 08:07 PM

For what it's worth, it appears to be a HD (Heritage?) Springer Softtail, but I can't tell what year (someone correct me if I'm wrong, it's hard to see...). Those big twin bikes do hold their value fairly well, but naturally it greatly depends how old it is whether or not it is a value. The head gasket thing would make me a bit nervous, although not as nervous as if it was a car.

AquaFox · 07-16-2009, 08:26 PM

Look around at some other bikes... you will love motorcycling but buying on an impulse is a bad idea. The fact that you will have to pay more money to fix that once you buy that is also bad... you have no idea of how much money you will end up having to spend... he's selling it for a reason.

find something cheaper and not overloaded with chrome this and chrome that. bikes get dirty and you will drop it sooner or later, it's not a matter of if but a matter of when.. it just happens. every time i see a Harley owner parked, he's wiping down his bike with a cloth trying to clean it... that isn't for me :-)

Hektore · 07-17-2009, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AquaFox

every time i see a Harley owner parked, he's wiping down his bike with a cloth trying to clean it... that isn't for me :-)

Thats from the oil spray - Harleys leak oil from the day they're built. I cannot figure out why for 30,000 a piece Harley Davidson cannot produce a bike that manages to keep all the oil in the motor, or for that matter why anyone would buy something that leaks oil right out of the box.

Flinx · 07-17-2009, 06:40 AM

$8300 and a head gasket repair? Not a good deal, especially if it's your first bike.
Get something cheaper since you WILL drop it or lay it down at least once.

Baraka_Guru · 07-17-2009, 06:45 AM

Heh, what's a good "starter" bike?

I mean, has Xerxys even ridden a bicycle before?

AquaFox · 07-17-2009, 09:25 AM

a good starter bike would be one at a motorcycle safety foundation course. they usually provide bikes and the skills you will learn there will open you up to being able to ride a decent sized bike... that way you will be able to buy a bike without fear of destroying it.

Iliftrocks · 07-23-2009, 09:46 AM

I've taken the foundation rider's course, and can't say enough good about it. There were several experienced riders taking the course with me, and they had a lot of "I'll be damned, that makes sense" moments. They taught some things most people with experience just didn't think about when they were learning the wrong way to ride. I never did get my license, pretty much because I couldn't afford the bike anymore, but will take the class again if I decide to get a bike again.

Plan9 · 07-23-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flinx

Get something cheaper since you WILL drop it or lay it down at least once.

Funny, I've been riding since 2007 and haven't done either.

FuglyStick · 07-23-2009, 10:04 AM

Head gasket is not a huge deal, but he's asking too much. Like the springer front end, the pipes and the straight bar, though.

If you can get him down to 6000 you've got a sweet deal.

Plan9 · 07-23-2009, 10:17 AM

Cheaper, brand new... and it'll last for a zillion years.

Xerxys · 07-23-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crompsin

Wow!!

And yes B_G, I've ridden a motorcycle before but unfortunately it's not as often as our bike nerds here and not for very long distances. Never placed one down though.

Plan9 · 07-23-2009, 10:31 AM

That Sabre is a sweet deal with the fairing and the sissy bar. Need to get a new exhaust, though.

But, yeah, way cheaper than the Harley and with no miles on it.

blahblah454 · 07-23-2009, 07:48 PM

I just bought a Honda Shadow a few weeks ago. I was going to go with a used one, but they were blowing out the 2008 models (0 km on them). So I ended up picking up a new one for just a few 1000 more than a used one. Not a bad deal I figure.

I freaking love it!! Everyone around here stares at it as they drive by, or when I get off it. It is such a sexy bike.

07-16-2009, 02:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	Is it worth it? I just saw this and I was thinking a big purchase in my life was imminent. I was actually planning on getting a TV but meh? I called up the dude and he was selling it for $8300. I was about to scoff in his face then I realized I know very little about Harley Davidson's (motorcycles really) and I want this!! Simply because I saw it on sale though. I asked him if it needed any work done on it at all and he said that it only needs the head gasket put on it. He said it was recently replaced but wasn't done right. I'm salivating at the thought. I have never even owned a bicycle. This might be an impulse buy but what the hell I really want this ....

07-16-2009, 04:15 AM	#2 (permalink)
Hektore Junkie Location: Greater Harrisburg Area	I would guess (guess) that if they head gasket wasn't done right, it was driven and some other catastrophe has occurred to let him know the gasket wasn't done right. Also could be something else wrong that prevented the gasket from being replaced properly, just for my own sake I would ask him what he means by 'not done right' and how he knows that. What kind of Harley is that (I'm useless with bikes) because one of the models (the Sportster I think) doesn't cost much more than that brand new. __________________ The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.

07-16-2009, 07:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Or just get a used 2000+-era Honda Shadow. Same performance and half the price. You don't get the Cool Guy Brandname, but you get a bike that's a lot cheaper and easier to work on. Cycletrader.com'd! /bias __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-16-2009, 10:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	Not a good deal. Blown head gasket is a major repair. And I agree that Harleys are terrible overpriced, ala Jeep and Range Rover. __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

07-16-2009, 08:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
Ilow Junkie Location: Pats country	For what it's worth, it appears to be a HD (Heritage?) Springer Softtail, but I can't tell what year (someone correct me if I'm wrong, it's hard to see...). Those big twin bikes do hold their value fairly well, but naturally it greatly depends how old it is whether or not it is a value. The head gasket thing would make me a bit nervous, although not as nervous as if it was a car. __________________ "Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about" --Sam Harris

07-16-2009, 05:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	^^ True dat. I was going through the listings in my area and new sportsters cost just under $10K. I'm thinking this was a bad idea. The model has to be a sportster but I am immensely clever that I did not ask.

07-16-2009, 06:40 AM	#4 (permalink)
newtx Addict	I would keep looking. You should be able to find a similar one with no issues for the same price or less.

07-16-2009, 10:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
Glory's Sun Registered User	or you could spend $8300 on a motorcycle brand that doesn't suck. just sayin'

07-16-2009, 08:26 PM	#11 (permalink)
AquaFox WaterDog	Look around at some other bikes... you will love motorcycling but buying on an impulse is a bad idea. The fact that you will have to pay more money to fix that once you buy that is also bad... you have no idea of how much money you will end up having to spend... he's selling it for a reason. find something cheaper and not overloaded with chrome this and chrome that. bikes get dirty and you will drop it sooner or later, it's not a matter of if but a matter of when.. it just happens. every time i see a Harley owner parked, he's wiping down his bike with a cloth trying to clean it... that isn't for me :-) __________________ ...AquaFox...

07-17-2009, 06:40 AM	#13 (permalink)
Flinx Tilted Location: Canada	$8300 and a head gasket repair? Not a good deal, especially if it's your first bike. Get something cheaper since you WILL drop it or lay it down at least once.

07-17-2009, 06:45 AM	#14 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Heh, what's a good "starter" bike? I mean, has Xerxys even ridden a bicycle before? __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

07-17-2009, 09:25 AM	#15 (permalink)
AquaFox WaterDog	a good starter bike would be one at a motorcycle safety foundation course. they usually provide bikes and the skills you will learn there will open you up to being able to ride a decent sized bike... that way you will be able to buy a bike without fear of destroying it. __________________ ...AquaFox...

07-23-2009, 09:46 AM	#16 (permalink)
Iliftrocks Junkie Location: Near Raleigh, NC	I've taken the foundation rider's course, and can't say enough good about it. There were several experienced riders taking the course with me, and they had a lot of "I'll be damned, that makes sense" moments. They taught some things most people with experience just didn't think about when they were learning the wrong way to ride. I never did get my license, pretty much because I couldn't afford the bike anymore, but will take the class again if I decide to get a bike again. __________________ bill hicks - "I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out."

07-23-2009, 10:04 AM	#18 (permalink)
FuglyStick WHEEEE! Whee! Whee! WHEEEE! Location: Southern Illinois	Head gasket is not a huge deal, but he's asking too much. Like the springer front end, the pipes and the straight bar, though. If you can get him down to 6000 you've got a sweet deal. __________________ AZIZ! LIGHT!

07-23-2009, 10:17 AM	#19 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Cheaper, brand new... and it'll last for a zillion years. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-23-2009, 10:31 AM	#21 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	That Sabre is a sweet deal with the fairing and the sissy bar. Need to get a new exhaust, though. But, yeah, way cheaper than the Harley and with no miles on it. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-23-2009, 07:48 PM	#22 (permalink)
blahblah454 Let's put a smile on that face Location: On the road...	I just bought a Honda Shadow a few weeks ago. I was going to go with a used one, but they were blowing out the 2008 models (0 km on them). So I ended up picking up a new one for just a few 1000 more than a used one. Not a bad deal I figure. I freaking love it!! Everyone around here stares at it as they drive by, or when I get off it. It is such a sexy bike.