Author Topic: I may buy a squid bike....  (Read 8951 times)

Offline ZenMan

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I may buy a squid bike....
« Reply #15 on: July 08, 2007, 11:04:32 AM »
I agree with Rick.

Besides, if you're gonna go to all that trouble and expense, why not start with something really cool like this:



Found on Ebay:

http://tinyurl.com/252obe

Yeah I know, it's in Texas, it's too much money, etc... but a friend of mine bough a salvage 675 and just got it on the road as a naked streetfighter last week.... he loves the little screamer, and gets a lot of compliments on it. I think he has about $5K in it.
"Hmmm... near certainty of death with little chance of success... what are we waiting for?"

Offline Red01

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« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2007, 10:48:19 PM »
The 675 has a bit taller seat height than the CBR6 (about the only nit I've read the journalists print about the Trumpet), so I don't know if one of those would be a viable alternative for her since she's considering the CBR because of its lower altitude.
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
(04/2001-03/2012)
2010 Concours 14ABS
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Offline ZenMan

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« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2007, 10:55:38 PM »
Quote from: "Red01"
The 675 has a bit taller seat height than the CBR6 (about the only nit I've read the journalists print about the Trumpet), so I don't know if one of those would be a viable alternative for her since she's considering the CBR because of its lower altitude.


Ever see that movie "Kelly's Heroes" where Oddball (Donald Sutherland) says "Why all the negative WAVES, man?!?!"  :lol:

It was just an excuse to post a pic of a 675, y'know...  :roll:
"Hmmm... near certainty of death with little chance of success... what are we waiting for?"

Offline Red01

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« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2007, 10:58:38 PM »
Understood... the 675 is a sharp looker! :thumb:
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
(04/2001-03/2012)
2010 Concours 14ABS
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Offline orionburn

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I may buy a squid bike....
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2007, 08:39:09 AM »
Quote from: "ZenMan"
Ever see that movie "Kelly's Heroes" where Oddball (Donald Sutherland) says "Why all the negative WAVES, man?!?!"  :lol:


Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation.
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Offline stormi

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« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2007, 02:44:30 PM »
Quote from: "orionburn"
Biggest screwover I got was a rim that was listed as being from an FZR (looked like it) but was a YZF rim. Threw out my plans last winter for the conversion to the 17" rear.


Not unlike what I ended up with.  I bid on and won the factory fairing for Dita.  It looked like it needed paint, but was intact in the pics.  The seller indicated it was considered a "paintable fairing"  which meant it needed a little filler and paint.   When it arrived -every- mounting hole had stress cracks or chips or was simply coming apart ( I could see light through the sides of one of the mounting holes.  It had been repaired at least once, but not well.  Major work required to put it back together.  It's still sitting in my shed.

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Best advice I can offer is only buy from people that have a fair amount of transactions, a high % rating, and accepts PayPal.


This guy had all of that.  That's what surprised me.

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I bought a set of forks for my FZR and they were top notch shape. I actually spent less buying used forks than getting the seals replaced...go figure. If you ever need help/advice on something let me know. Hell I can bid on something for you if you don't want to deal with it yourself. Hopefully, though, you'll be able to get all your parts locally.


Well,.. we did pick the bike up.  Looks like H2Rick and Zen's warnings came too late.  :wink:  But,.. the bike isn't as bad as I apparently made it out to be.  When it went down, it slid for about 4" by the looks of the gravel samples on the lower fairing.  The story we got was that the guy had lost it in a low speed corner when he hit some gravel. The marks on the bike support the story.  The mirror got broken, and the signal is present, but uuuuuuuuuuugly.

So,.. we're going to go with some EMGO mirrors if we can't find a used OEM one.  The signal cost us $10. We didn't budget for the bar end weights, but we decided to splurge on them. That was an extra $50, but we saved that on the signal light.

The seat I can fix for about $15.  Recovering it as per a couple of posts on the CBR sites.

The brake lever we're going to try to torch and bend back.  Same with the foot peg bracket.  Both are already off the bike.

Only one of the fork seals is shot, so we'll replace that one, and see how the other one does.  We have that seal too, and that should be done in the next few days.  

The Alt cover and exhaust are going to be left alone.

That just leaves the body work.  The neighbor didn't have the parts we needed.   They were from a 1998 CBR900RR.  He's looked at the fairings, and says they're a cinch to fix, and is going to bring me the materials to do it.

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Keep us posted on what you decide  :bigok:


So, I rode it home on thursday.  The bars were fine in the city, but the vibration was just too much on the highway.  I found myself alternating hands on the bars.  Hence the bar end weights.  

The only real complaint I have about the bike is its built in seat warmers.  In moist 90 degree heat, having the rad fan, RR and fairings all directing their heat to my left leg and on the seat was severely unpleasant.   Reading on the net, this is a common ( i.e. not problem) thing with the F4 and F4i.   They're affectionately known as "nut roasters/cat roasters"  (not my term.)  Apparently it's something you get used to?!?!?   Personally, I think it's something you develop callouses for.   The problem occurs under about 60kph, and isn't as bad when stopped as it is when moving "slowly".

It's nice and smooth on the highway ( not including the bars) and the wind protection is -really- nice on the highway, compared to the nakeds I'm used to.  

Low speed turning is disorienting when the dash keeps going straight and the wheel is turned.  I almost dropped it in the grass because of that, but I caught it.

The other half says it's a wheelie machine, but I ride it like my 919.  That means I usually shift around 4K, and not once did it even consider lifting the front end.   Yup,.. all that torque in my daily rider has spoiled me for a high revving bike. :roll:

He LOVES the bike.  I've told him to keep his eye on the ball, that we're going to get him a newer one that's seen slightly better days.  We have 2 potential buyers already.  600s are really popular here.
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline stormi

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« Reply #21 on: July 09, 2007, 02:50:28 PM »
Quote from: "H2RICK"
My .02 here, FWIW....
Frankly, Scarlett Gerl, I smell a money pit yawning beneath your feet. :wink: :grin:


Aren't all bikes money pits?  I'll tell ya, Dita sure is.  The 919 is not so much a money pit, as urging me to put money into him to make him more comfy...


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NEVER/NEVER expect to make money/break even on ANY bike, especially a "fixer-upper". Those stories of big bux on a bike deal are mostly urban myths, IMHO.
Run away from this one....as fast as you can. :grin:
Or at least wait until the season is more advanced and the price starts to drop down a lot more.
Remember: fixer-uppers are like buses. If you miss this one, there'll be another one along in 15 minutes or so.  :wink:


I'm not expecting to get rich.  :wink: I figured that we can make about a grand or so on it.  It's mostly a way for me to make a little money and keep myself occupied in the summer.  Once you factor in my time, yes, I lost money.  But that's what hobbies are about, right?

The dealer told me, based on what I'd told him, that the bike could be expected to sell for about $5k privately, so by getting it and the parts for $3500 or less, we should be OK.    That said, with the wrecker market the way it is around here, we might just be coming up your way to find some parts.
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline stormi

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« Reply #22 on: July 09, 2007, 02:58:23 PM »
Quote from: "ZenMan"
I agree with Rick.

Besides, if you're gonna go to all that trouble and expense, why not start with something really cool like this:


First off,.. not a lot of Triumphs around here, and second,... the prices are obscene! ;)  The other half would love one, but he can't currently justify the buy in.

The nice thing about Honda is that they're plentiful, and they're easy to get parts for.   That makes them easy "flippers".
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline stormi

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« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2007, 03:00:18 PM »
Quote from: "Red01"
so I don't know if one of those would be a viable alternative for her since she's considering the CBR because of its lower altitude.


In all fairness,.. there isn't a "full sized" bike out there that fits me quite right.  Of course the selling feature of the CBRs is that I -can- get a dogbone to lower it to my height.  That said, I'm fine with the balls of my feet being on the ground.  Which is where I am with the CBR.
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline H2RICK

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« Reply #24 on: July 09, 2007, 06:18:30 PM »
Quote
we might just be coming up your way to find some parts.

Well, Stormi, don't make the trip to CowTown for F4/F4i parts unless you have them totally lined up beforehand and under lock and key awaiting your arrival. I work at the only wrecking yard in Calgary and good stuff for those bikes is unobtainium.
The squids are constantly throwing them down the road and thus ANY plastic for them is rarer than rocking horse manure. Hopefully your buddy/neighbour will be able to repair what bits you already have. Hard parts like footpegs/hangers/shift levers/brake levers etc are just as hard to get.
We may have to odd bit of this and that lying around but it's not like we have a vast selection to choose from, that's fer shure.
Good luck with your project, regardless.
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline stormi

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« Reply #25 on: July 09, 2007, 07:02:17 PM »
Quote from: "H2RICK"
Well, Stormi, don't make the trip to CowTown for F4/F4i parts unless you have them totally lined up beforehand and under lock and key awaiting your arrival. I work at the only wrecking yard in Calgary and good stuff for those bikes is unobtainium.


Are you on Bowness Road?  My dad keeps mentioning a wrecker on bowness.

We would definitely not be coming up for the express purpose of getting the parts unless we had the parts lined up.

Quote
The squids are constantly throwing them down the road and thus ANY plastic for them is rarer than rocking horse manure. Hopefully your buddy/neighbour will be able to repair what bits you already have. Hard parts like footpegs/hangers/shift levers/brake levers etc are just as hard to get.


Hmm,.. so I should have picked up the yellow front cowl that I found at a wrecker here? The front cowl is the only one that I would replace if I found the right deal.  The rest is easy to fix.   My neighbor said that all of the bits that are here are easy to manage.

Quote
We may have to odd bit of this and that lying around but it's not like we have a vast selection to choose from, that's fer shure.
Good luck with your project, regardless.


Thanks!
I think that it appears that bike seem to hit the dirt on the right side the most too eh?  I found lots of parts for the left side at the wrecker this weekend, none for the right...
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline H2RICK

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I may buy a squid bike....
« Reply #26 on: July 10, 2007, 01:10:43 AM »
Quote
Are you on Bowness Road? My dad keeps mentioning a wrecker on bowness.
Nope, we're on the other side of town. The guy your dad is talking about, I believe, dealt in modern sportbike plastic and bits but got burned out about 4 years ago.
Rumours said that it could have been unhappy customer(s) expressing their displeasure with the business practices of the "gentleman" in question.
Other rumours had it that the fire was "self-inflicted", if you get my drift. :wink:
I don't think the facts will ever be known for sure.
Regardless, he's gone, and hopefully for good. Guys like that give the used parts business a VERY bad name.
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline stormi

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« Reply #27 on: July 10, 2007, 04:06:19 AM »
Quote from: "H2RICK"
Guys like that give the used parts business a VERY bad name.


Goodness,.. he kept telling me that he liked the place.  


Oh,.. btw, got the vinyl for the CBR seat today, it cost us a whopping $1.  Yes, that's one dollar.   A little time and less money is making this work out pretty well, so far.
stormi

Dita - 91 Bandit 400 - SOLD
Blue - 02 Hornet 919 - Perfect Gentleman
02 KTM 200 EXC - Sold
08 VFR800 - Lowered 1.2"
17 KTM RC390
17 Husky TC85 converted to 105

Electrosport Charging System Test - it really works

Offline H2RICK

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« Reply #28 on: July 10, 2007, 08:52:29 PM »
Orionburn & Zenman:
Kelly's Heroes ??? Great stuff !! One of my Top 10 All-Time Favourites. I even have it on tape. Rickles is on the top of his form in that one...."I'll give you $50 to carry the machine gun......What ???.....No, I don't have it on me.....". :lol:
I've got get around to replacing all my movies on tape with DVD's....soon.
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline PitterB4

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« Reply #29 on: July 11, 2007, 02:58:28 AM »
Stormi's a squid.... Stormi's a squid....  LOL!

Yeah, the stuff to cover a seat isn't expensive at all.  I recovered my CBR's seat... and then dumped the bike and tore it again a week later.  It wasn't hard to do at all, though.
Rob
Bikeless!
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'98 Honda F3 Track Bike - SOLD
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