Advice for someone new to the TRX

[uglybassplayer]

Hoping for some advice on a specific bike, have done the search thing in the forum but not quite found the advice i need

Currently looking at this bike:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI. ... 281wt_1185
Have seen it in the flesh and it looks clean straight and a very honest bike. By the age of the advert and the tax disc looks like its been sat for a while.

My questions is, what is the bike worth? No service history but the bike will come with an MOT and will be serviced.
What should i allow for when i make an offer, some posts have suggested things like emulsion tubes (similar problem in the Super Tenere which i already own), but also more significant items that may need work at this kind of milage... rear shock? fork springs?

Quick details are:-
1997 Bike
44000 Miles
Black
2 owners
Blue spot caliper on front (i think)

Things i noticed while poking around in the show room...
Exhaust can has been patched with instant metal
Some cosmetic rust on exhaust mounts

Thanks for any advice you can offer, on this or other TRX's

[cal]

If you look around this forum there have been several for sale, mostly a bit cheaper than the one you are looking at, dont want to knock the bike without seeing it in the flesh, but if it needs cans and emultion tubes, plus you suspect suspension work, the I would be valueing it closer to the £1000 to £1200 mark.
have a look for Redrich whose last posts on this forum were about selling his bike, it went for just over 1300.

[uglybassplayer]

Thanks for the advice Cal

Not heard the bike running yet (will be going back later in the week for test ride), so at the moment i don't have any reason to suspect the suspension or carbs (salesman says it runs sweet as a nut and gearbox is smooth), just basing it on the advice in a few other topics on the forum. Also i suspect the instant metal is to cure a leaking pipe to can joint rather but will explore further when the bike is out the show room.

The bike is up for £1600 at the moment, i was thinking around £1200 but wondered if there was anything else i should pay special attention to during the test ride or take account for in my offer.

Looking at some of the bikes to sell recently i think i'll probably offer less than £1200 but its difficult when talking to a dealer to get close to a private sale price.

[ekoja]

Carn't know about price, but a few observations.
It does indeed have bluespots, and it looks like braided lines, but I could be wrong, hard to see from the piccys.
It has a front fender extender, and has non standard mirrors by the looks. (Standard mirrors give you a great view of elbows,
(yours) or if someone else is riding it, (theirs)) they seem to have longer shafts. and different mirror heads.
Does it really have a scottsoiler,(sticker on the swingarm.) check that, also a bonus.
The cans look standard, but sometimes hooligans who like to make a lot of noise take the baffles out, which is easy to pick, (huge outlet hole.)
Needles and jets as you are aware, are something that will only appear after you have ridden and owned the bike for a while, not all that expensive to fix, and there are even people on this forum who have done the fix themselves
Blue rim stickers? meh

[handsomejackuk]

tell him you take it off him as a trade sale.... flash £800 and tell him you not bothered about warranty..m.o.t. servicing...or else...

thats prob all he paid for it, and he probably be glad to get shot of it.....!!!

you can spend the rest of the well earned then on sorting it out....

you could also be cheeky and say to him you not bothered about blue spots exhausts, and wot nots...you want it all standard... thats what dealers normally say to sellers when they take their bikes in.... tell him its very high mileage too... going phew sound through yer teeth... and the possibility of needing new shims, bargain that in too...and then tell him ""theres no not much call for trx's see they not that popular and no-one wants them""... and say that you will send your mechanic around for a full investigation..

gotta be cheeky i hate bike dealers...

[Gix]

Bike has been for sale since at least January this year. Was on ebay when I was looking.
I discounted it based purely on mileage versus price.
As a guage, I gave £1350 for my 2000, immaculate 18k bike which had blue spots, rentec, scotoiler, new tyres, tax and test

[handsomejackuk]

gotta be worth more like £700 then especially with that high mileage 44,000 !!!!!!! on it... Phew..... sucking through my teeth....

[uglybassplayer]

Thanks everyone, sounds like I've definitely got some room for negotiation!

I've noticed since visiting the shop the eBay ad has ended and the shop website has been updated with the eBay price... Also checking the ebay details its been up since January (like Gix said), saleman said he'd only had it a month... well two can play the sales banter game, will go armed with all your valuable advice next time but reserve judgement till after a test ride.

Thanks again, will update you all following the test.

[anrealt]

Uglybassplayer - I think you'll find the bike is gone when you visit the shop. I bought it around the time you were starting this thread. As you said it has been on Ebay for months and hasn't sold. With the bank holiday weekend I decided it was - carpe diem - he who hesitates is lost - etc. The 'I want a black one' and Yami's bike thread (and the pics others posted - ykwya) were the penultimate pushes I needed. Drove to Pinhoe and the rest is history. I agree with your positive comments about the bike's condition but not the other 'speculation'.

I don't agree with the mileage comments from HJ. I'm in Mince's camp - 44000 over fifteen years (look at some of the Aussie comments re mileage as well) - first owner for 6 years - second for eight - last owner for a year.
I wouldn't buy HJ's bike (colour) nor ritchiritch's no matter how shiny and his comments about dealers is outrageous imo. The dealer has the overheads of his shop and liability for faults for six months ! I hope his comments were just tongue-in-cheek.

So thanks TR- Practical Sportsbikes (August 2011) you know you want one - Essential sportsbikes TRX review and mainly 9 months lurking here.This site is a fantastic resource and I know I'll get any help I need. Ekoja didn't like the rim tapes and they'll be the first thing to go. I also don't like the crash bungs; the blue border on the screen which has a long scratch (so double bubble replacement ?) or the other blue wrappings on the bars and I think I want a grabrail.

[fung]

looking at the far away bike shop friendly photo, i think i see a lot of fork spring preload.
might be worthwhile doing a suspension re-oil/reset of damping and preload settings.
tyre pressures as always
cheers
fung

[trixynut]

Anrealt, why does a dealer having overheads mean they can pass those on and charge more than a private seller?

If they've been arsed to check the bike over properly, replace any worn consumables (chain, pads, tyres, discs, filters) and given it a service then fair enough, but a lot of them just pass bikes straight on to customers the same as when they took them in.

Looks like this dealer lied about how long he'd had it too! ....... one month ......... five months.... ??? And did you say three owners? The listing on ebay says 2....

A bike of this age and mileage will rarely get a warranty either.

Thing is, with TRX's they are generally owned by enthusiasts so a private seller is just as good and is usually knowledgeable and has looked after the bike.

This particular bike has no service history, high mileage, exhaust patched and a scratched screen and is worth £1000 to £1200 maximum.

If it needs any of the consumables mentioned above, then its worth less.

Dave

[uglybassplayer]

Well done Anreal, good to hear she was all the salesman said (as I said before I didn't have the chance to hear it running). Sounds like I missed out on a decent bike, my speculation was just planning for the worst.

Enjoy the bike, glad you found the bike you wanted. Are you local? Ill give a wave if I see the bike

Thanks everyone who offered advice, has given me a good benchmark from which to judge the TRX, now just have to wait for a reasonably local one to turn up.

Cheers

Pete

[anrealt]

Pete - Thanks for the kind words and good wishes. You won't see the bike around Exeter as its a 400 mile round trip for me. You might take a look at the red/black one at Wimbourne on Ebay now. I note the comments about the cost/value of some of the bikes on Ebay but I was surprised to see that the purple rattle can sprayed one went for £1000+. Maybe people need to be recalibrating their value ranges in the UK.