So I said:
I had around 2-3 other bikes in originally before looking at the choices here.
-Ducati Monster 696 ; Chap at work is getting rid of a tidy 8,000 miler
-BMW K75
-Ducati Monster 600/620ie
The MPG of the 620s put me off a little, as did the parts prices. Β£200 for a cambelt kit? Ouch? I don't think they're a long interval either on those! It seems 620s also had issues with fuel tanks swelling and hitting the handlebars. Oh, and the pegs being set low, so they'd grind the floor as well on the move in bends.
The XSR700 was in the list before those, but of course, the cost put me off. However, when I thought more and more about getting an older bike, the XSR700 made more sense for the reasons stated previously.
I then went to see a silver XSR700 in Mansfield. He described it as a clean bike over the phone, saying it was fully serviced and had a new speedo under warranty.
When I went up, it was disappointing and it didn't look like a bike that should have 10,000 miles on the clock. The frame was rusting in many areas, the front tyre was illegal, original, and cracked down the centre of the tyre. Both mirror stubs were shot, and had replacement bar end mirrors fitted. The clock had 325 miles on it. Maybe the old clock stopped recording the mileage, and this is why Yamaha when they changed the clock, and didn't put the new mileage on ; they thought the owner took advantage of putting on more miles without the clock recording. Furthermore the rad was going furry with corrosion. I know it's a 7 year old bike, but my CG125 with 8,000 more miles and 8 more years to its age is just alot cleaner! So I decided that wasn't the bike for me, at least not at that point. I'd seen a high miler go for around the same money as this tired silver bike, and the other seemed alot more expensive.
My friend, who has been a biker for years, suggested I went to the Superbike factory in Donnington. I normally avoid trade places like the plague but I went up. I think he wanted me to consider other bikes besides the XSR700, but to see if if they had one as well. For anyone who hasn't been, I'd reccomend it, but just remember to leave any means of buying anything at home! They really do seem to have almost all of the bikes you can think of!
There were some beauties in there, including
-Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe ; That looked gorgeous in Green!
-Many Triumph Street Twins
-Ducati Scramblers
-BMW Rnine T
I really really thought about getting a Scrambler, but the cambelt changes, and the build quality in some areas not looking quite as good as the Yammy or Triumph did put me off, as did the MPG. Oh, and it cost more to buy. The Rnine Ts look gorgeous and have alot of kit! But again, it was above budget, even from what I'd seen online
We then saw a green XSR700. This was head and shoulders above the other bike, but it was Β£1k more. It had a smart charger connector, rad guard, wind deflector and a new Michelin Power 5 tyre. It looked cared for and garaged, perfect. As I had been looking for a while, I thought it was a little pricey but also was aware fuel and travelling time isn't cheap either. However, given the bike was Β£300 more than the other tired silver XSR700 in the end, I went for it. Scary, as normally I mull things over for a long time and then buy once someone else has got there! But I thought "meh, live a little! If the bike is bad, I doubt they'd offer a warranty on it!" Was I hasty, smart or just getting old? Who knows?
So there is the story! I suppose having never bought a car/vehicle off a proper 'trader', it was a different way into bike ownership. Maybe I just enjoy the struggle of the old days! My friend rode it down and was happy with how it went. I can confirm that an E91 325d will struggle to keep up, even with the XSR700 making brisk progress
Nothing wrong at all with ending up with the bike you really want! I do like the colour scheme on that and the Yamaha 700 family of bikes seem to get generally great reviews so no doubt you'll be happy with it π
The Yamaha dealer in the area is local to me and pretty good if you ever need anything
Plus once the CG goes, you'll have a nice little space for a retro K75 build/project if you ever fancy it π
Cheers!
The Green was the colour that I wanted out of them. It's handy to know there is a dealer nearby.
Pending the Mod 2, I'll take you up on that. It would be good fun
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Famous last words, but I doubt I'll have a project for a while. I really need to sort out the M3
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Nice one. It's just the start you know, before you know the bike collection will grow
XSR700 is a very solid choice, and that motor with the firing order sounds pretty epic.
Lovely purchase, enjoy! Must admit the XSR900 is on the list for my next bike.
They do sound lovely, don't they? The 270 degree crank offset really does create that evocative sound. That didn't help!
I wanted a 3 pot soundtrack, but the 900 I couldn't justify spending more on. That and they're meant to be very quick! It will be interesting to see if you go for the 900
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