NBT: I've bought a Honda!

[Taipan]

Listing by Taipans Emporium. Love it.

When are you holding a loft sale?

I found a load of bike gear in the loft-of-plenty earlier in the week and that's made its way onto there. Hopefully it'll pay for my new tyres!

[weeksy]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this elsewhere but do you generally break even when you’re trading bikes this quickly or is it mostly losses in the current market?

Well he's buying em from dealers and selling privately, he's not winning thats for sure. But i suspect it's a bit of a quest trying to find the Goldilocks bike that doesn't trouble his knee, as well as enjoying the chase.

[weeksy]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this elsewhere but do you generally break even when you’re trading bikes this quickly or is it mostly losses in the current market?

Well he's buying em from dealers and selling privately, he's not winning thats for sure. But i suspect it's a bit of a quest trying to find the Goldilocks bike that doesn't trouble his knee, as well as enjoying the chase.

I just wondered as it seems like he’s enjoying himself and if you can get through that many bikes in a year without losing much then I might have found a new hobby

Nah, you've got to either buy basket cases and improve them or buy really cheaply and get a decent clean on them. I went through a stage where i did pretty well, but i then stopped dealing with arsehole buyers/advertising and it makes it really tricky to even break even. Id say with some work, effort and buying the right bikes, you MIGHT get it right sometimes, but it'd be fairly rare nowdays i think.

[weeksy]

Arsehole buyers is the big thing for me, I’ve rarely sold anything that didn’t cause me stress. I’ve thrown bike bits in the skip rather than try and sell them.

I got to the stage where i just wanted a fair price from a dealer, then walk in, have coffee, walk out and get on new bike... I reached the point where all the advertising, fielding calls, etc just made me tired and bored of it. So i ended up just taking the hit and buying from a dealer and PXing... which of course is why they exist. Also though the comeback to them for potential issues... bikers are notoriously crap at looking after bikes, so i wanted a bit of "nah, not having that mate"

The ZX6R is still worth more than we paid for it. LOL... but i don't know how or when it'll ever get sold.

[Taipan]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this elsewhere but do you generally break even when you’re trading bikes this quickly or is it mostly losses in the current market?

I wished, but no, I've lost a lot of money on my recent mistakes.

[weeksy]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this elsewhere but do you generally break even when you’re trading bikes this quickly or is it mostly losses in the current market?

I wished, but no, I've lost a lot of money on my recent mistakes.

Nah, you've spent it... not lost it... It was a choice... that's all good

You never made mistakes, you tried things, they didn't work.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't see it as wasted money, you've had experiences with that money and found out what you want, I've never made money on a bike, the closest I came was a TZR250 that I sold for £50 more than I paid for it, but that doesn't include the money and time I spent on making it rideable (from memory, tyres, fork seals, exhaust gaskets and a lot of time spent cleaning parts)

[Taipan]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this elsewhere but do you generally break even when you’re trading bikes this quickly or is it mostly losses in the current market?

I wished, but no, I've lost a lot of money on my recent mistakes.

Nah, you've spent it... not lost it... It was a choice... that's all good

You never made mistakes, you tried things, they didn't work.

Had a lot of fun too!

Bikes do save me money over public transport, so my "man maths" justifies it. I ride all year round and whilst there are other bikes at work, they cherry pick which days they ride in the winter, I dont, I ride every day provided I can get grip and there's been many a day when i'm the only bike in the bike bay. TBH I had to back in the day. £4 a day on the sh300 as opposed to a £16 a day train ticket left me with more money for the bills and family and i've always put my wife and kids in front of me. So I kind of think i've earnt the right to have a little bit of a play about on buying bikes. Fortunately, its over now as I've found a keeper...

[MrLongbeard]

I' can't remember when I last sold sold a bike!.

2006 was the first and last time I sold a bike.

Pug SpeedFight, traded in
CM125, gave away to family
Shadow 600, gave away to family
CCM R30, written off after supermanning over a Mercedes
CCM R30, sold privately
Striple, written off after broadsiding a Toyota

[Skub]

You only need to read the comments on the likes of Bikebay to understand what's waiting out there if you're selling.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Motocross bikes are the worst, I have some quality campfire stories.

Do they ever, I told one buyer to fuck off when he offered me £150 for a 3 year old KTM 250

[Taipan]

I was a motor trader in a former life so used to dealing with retail Billy Bunters! Even then, I still get frustrated with them, especially bikers when they turn up mob handed.

When i start to get schpiel, i normally interject with a, I'll stop you there mate. If it's not for you, let's both walk away and get on with our day.

But , but, it needs this, th...

Like I said I know what the bike is, and you know what I want for it. if its not for you, we walk away or make an offer.

Nomrally nips it in the bud.

[Yorick]

Easy selling a bike here. You add 10% to the expected value.
Buyer comes and knocks you down 10%.
The savings for the buyer will pay the transfer tax.

Sold 2 this way last year

[Taipan]

The poor bike has been sat unloved, under its cover for too long. So, I thought i'd best charge the battery and see if it starts. It did turn over a bit slow so I didn't pursue it. Removed the rear seat and found an optimate lead, so that made things easier than expected. Connected the Optimate up and it was taking 3 yellow bars of charge, so definitely needed a charge. 2 hours later and I couldn't resist trying it. I disconnected the charger and hit the start button and it fired straight up.

It's a bit naughty loud really, but as I normally ride with earplugs I dont recall noticing that. A DB killer from Scorpion is only about £40 delivered so i'd probably buy one of those if I kept it, which I think I probably will! I really like the look of the bike and I've made a lot of progress with my knee, so assuming I can ride it, I think it'd be a nice stable mate for the AT! I probably won't keep it but I feel a bit cheated of time with it? Who knows...

[Skub]

Flog it to Cheesy for parts.

[Taipan]

Flog it to Cheesy for parts.

He's got the newer, more refined, but slower model...

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Flog it to Cheesy for parts.

I'll swap it for a completeish 350 YPVS in bits that I'm bored of

[Taipan]

Thought I'd see if it starts as I expected I'd have to buy the old girl a new battery, but it span over and fired up! Think i'll have to quit whinging and pay the £13 delivery fee to Skorpion for a db killer to sell it though, as its surprisingly loud for 4 little 250cc pistons jumping up and down!

[Taipan]

Got an MOT reminder through. no wonder there wasn’t much interest with under 2 months MOT when I puts it up for sale! To get a mot it’ll need quietening downs, so I stopped being a tight git and bought the db killed for the scorpion exhaust. I’ll not bother MOTing it until March though as I don’t think it’s worth selling it before then. I’ll also put the standard foot pegs back on it.

I did get one low ball offer from a local guy which I ignored. He upped it to £4k just now but I’ve blown him out. I think my plan of waiting till the season starts will pay dividends tbh?

[Taipan]

Thought i;d take the cover off and fit the db killer and see if it starts so i can take it for an mot next week. Battery had a fair bit of charge and it span over but didnt start! A Honda that doesn't start! I've flattened the battery now so its on the optimate and i'll put some fresh petrol in it and hopefully it'll start then. Can a bike breakdown when its not been used?