Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 250 & 400 => Topic started by: mddolloff on March 20, 2005, 09:47:04 PM
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Hey guys. Anyone have a recomendation on where to sell my b400? I've decided that I am going to get rid of the bike and go with a newer SV650 (gotta stick with the naked bike) since I am 6'3" and I don't fit on the 400 all that well :-) Anyone have suggestions of free places to list it? Also, anyone have any idea on what the bikes are goign for roughly right now. It's got 10k on it and has been tipped on both sides once. It also needs some rear brake work (I don't want to do it).
Thanks guys.
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traderonline is a pretty good place, also sportbikes.net maybe.
im guessing a good condition bandit can go from 1800-2100 if in tip top shape. depending on where you live and what it would take to fix the rear break etc...
ill be selling mine in a little bit, its pretty much flawless condition never been dropped, 18k miles, just cleaned carbs / sync, new fork seals, new tires, new breaks. and its in a very high priced area (santa barbara, ca) and ill probably get 1800-1900 for it.
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Just my $.02 but I think you would have an easier time trying to sell it if it didn't have any mechanical problems. The B4 is often bought as a beginner bike. A beginner might be intimidated buying something that needed work. You'd prob be able to get your money back on the sale plus it would sell quicker. Listing it here (in the classified forum) and on any local sportbike sites would be a good idea. I know on my local site, there are often people looking for starter bikes for friends that are looking to get into riding.
Good luck to you.
Oh, when you sell it, make sure to tell the buyer about Bandit Alley!!!!! :bigok:
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You guys are making me feel bad, I just bought a 1992 Bandit that was advertised as in "mint condition", with "new tires", and "recently serviced". Here is the Ebay page:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4524221878, it is my first vehicle purchase over Ebay.
SO, I didn't mind paying $1,550 for it. We drove to Atlanta to get the bike, it didn't run the day I picked it up so he gave me a $400 check and told me that IT WAS RUNNING DAYS AGO, but won't start now because he replaced the throttle cable and messed up the installation.
It has been at the shop for a week now, the bill is about $1,500 in repairs! Both tires, while they didn't have much wear on them, were NOT new. In North Carolina, cracks in the sidewall will keep a bike from passing inspection. The brake pads needed replacement, and the master cylinders were gunked up with old brake fluid so the rear didn't even work. The shock was totally blown, no rebound what-so-ever. Carbs were all gunked up and needed new seals and needle valves (?)
When the mechanic called me after 2 days, and said that "if this bike was running a week ago, it was NOT running good!" I knew I was in trouble. I asked him to go through the bike and make sure it is in good running order and that is when he found all the stuff.
So it makes me sad when I hear you can buy a good running 400 for $2,100 or less! Mine will end up costing $2,700 (if there are no surprises when I go pick it up, and that is pretty doubtful!)
The mechanic said he'd be willing to talk to the previous owner about the condition of the bike, but what can I expect? Not like he'll give me my money back and I get to keep the bike!
Oh yeah! The $400 check bounced, but I finally got that money transferred to my paypal account. That was pretty scary, too.
Don't trust William E Dyer, Jr. from Georgia or Tennessee!!
:boohoo:
I'm still hoping it will all work out.
:motorsmile:
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God, that's an awful story!
What are they doing for a shock for you? I can't imagine that the OEM shock is cheap bought new. You can pick up a used B12 shock for $20 or less, it is a big improvement and bolts right in. For that matter, you can have my B4 shock, which was working fine when I took it out, for the cost of shipping. Hope this info isn't too late for you!
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Yes, a horrible story. I'm not sure if I'll ever buy a bike off Ebay again.
The mechanic at the shop does a lot of long swingarm swapouts, so he has a bunch of "almost new" shocks from gsxrs, ... He is selling me one for $125. $20 sounds better, but the shock is already on there (it better be!) I should get the bike back tomorrow or Wednesday. :lol:
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MTB, I'm sorry to hear about your e-bay horror story. But it does sound like you'll have a very nice, better than new suspension bike when you are done with it. Let us know how your first ride goes.
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Go for :
http://austin.craigslist.org/about/cities.html
select the nearest city to where you live then " MOTORCYCLE"
I'm pretty sure you'll get a bunch of emails or calls to buy it. It's free.
Good luck.
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hehe man dont feel too bad. a 'mint' bandit will still need some work, they are almost 15 years old after all.
even a new bike that runs great will end up costing you 500 bucks probably in the first season.
so 2700 isnt THAT bad.
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I bought mine 3 months ago a 1992, 18000 miles for $700. The engine is in perfect condition. Soo far, i spent:
1- $200; new battery, brakes, air filter and oil change.
2- $100 used CDI ignition box through ebay and then fixed the original one ( so i have two now).
3- $500 rebuilt of the carburator and replacement of some carb parts ( trouble in low rpm), had to take it to a motorcycle shop. I could not figure out what was the problem. They charged me $150 for the parts and the rest labor. 6.5 hours of labor, damn that's mucho mucho$$$$$$ anyway i wont complain i spent too much time on this byke. I'll pick it up in a couple weeks because of the parts. They said that i could have the parts delivered faster and the byke ready for next, however; i needed to pay an extra $50. No way that's already a lot of money, I'll be patient.
And of course hours hours of my time and all my cell phone minutes trying to figure out what was the problem.
So i basicaly paid $1500 after repair and that's the average price for a good condition b400.
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sorry to hear about your ebay bike. i was also bidding on that bike you won., but you out bid me. i got the next one that came up on ebay. it was a blue 1991 and i paid 1300 for it. it seams to be in great shape. As for buying on ebay i have bought a lot of things and never had any problems two kawasaki x2 jet skis and one trailer to name a few big ticket items, but i always go pick up in person and never give money till i am sure they item is as claimed to be. by the way where are you in NC.
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Hey Frankbama,
I'm in Greensboro, NC. (9 years, and lovin' it, compared to Kansas it.... well, it just doesn't compare! Being a mountain biker in Kansas is silly, like jumbo shrimp, plastic glass or government intelligence)
Sorry I outbid you (hind site is 20-20!) I'm sure I could have picked up another one in better condition if I had waited, but my brother and I are going to the National Moto Guzzi rally in WVa and I needed a ride quick!
There is a nice looking B4 on ebay right now, less miles than mine, nothing looks messed up on it at all, starting bid is $1,750, but I bet you it would end up being cheaper than my $3K bike!
It'll be way more than $3k when I'm done with it. Need a new handlebar, bar end weights, engine side covers, new valve gasket, new head set bearings. I have to have some kind of fairing, rearsets or some cool anodized foot pegs, reworked seat. After all that, I'll probably repaint the thing. Well, my brother will, he's been painting cars and bikes for 30 years. http://www.flamesbyfred.com I hope to use the COOLEST temperature controled paint http://www.trippininc.com.
Maybe it'll be done by the 2006 BOSS rally.
But, HEY, I've done 2 rides on it and it is running better and better! Not too buzzy, even without bar end weights. Jetting from 8,000 to 13,000 RPM is fun! The old Guzzi red lined at 7,200! (but it had only 2 500cc jugs!)
Glad to hear of your good fortune on Ebay, because I really want to buy a BMW Z3, and the only way I can afford one is to shop for a long time for the right one, and Ebay lets me shop the whole US.
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Just curious...why did you leave such glowing praise for the seller of this bike?
Very good Ebayer, A++++, great communication, straight talker
Buyer glavinka ( 13) Feb-21-05 09:09 4524221878
Seems he at least deserved a little slap on the wrist for claiming the bike was running.
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That is a perfectly good question. I guess that was what went wrong. I trusted him the whole time. Once I got the bike, and the $400 to "get it running" I figured he was being really straight with me.
I should have waited another week to rate him.
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You can leave follow-up feedback on ebay. Go to your My eBay page and on the left-hand side under "My Account" there is a link for "feedback." On that page click the "go to feedback forum" link next to the "leave feedback" button. On that page there is a box titled "useful links" and in the box is a link called "follow up to feeback left." Should be pretty clear from there.
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Good idea, Killer. Too bad you can't change the rating, though.
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That's true Rob, it would be nice if you could change the rating. At least voicing one's displeasure may save someone else from a bad experience. I usually browse a persons feedback before bidding on an item, even if they have 100% positive showing. Maybe eBay will change that feature some day.
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By the way I am going to sell my bike. I'm asking $750. Needs to have the carb rebuilt. Everything else works fine (well it needs a new battery). I'm asking for $750.
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You mentioned in another thread that it doesn't have a current TX title. Do you have a title for the cycle from another state, whether or not currently registered with up to date tags? I may be interested but have to some sort of title to register it in OK. A bill of sale won't work for OK.
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Thats why Im glad I got my B4 from a bike company.I was also leary about spending big bucks over Ebay,but when its from a bike dealer,with a shop and showroom,its a little more comforting than dealing with an individual.
I paid $1900 and it needed tires,forkseals and shipping was rough,$500 from New Hampshire to California.But it is a very clean little,15K mile old 1991.I was also drawn to it because the bike was nearly stock and appears to have never been dropped or riden to its potential.....900 miles a year,he probably only rode it a few months each summer,whereas I ride several times a week,year round.
If you hit the mid three thousand buck range in the end,and its running perfectly and ready to ride,your not doing tooo bad.Sure,someone else will always have got a killer deal over yours,but at least you dont owe 15,000 bucks to the bank for a new bike you wont actually own until its almost worn out!
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The BEST suggestion anyone can make is when you have someone Seriously interested in the bike (such as a friend of mine is), FVKING REPLY TO THEM. Don't be a huge flake and not reply to simple email requests for information, GIVE OUT YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION....
Based on what I've heard, your bike is one to be absolutly Avoided based on how YOU are handling the situation. Someone who can't even follow through with basic email communication obviously can not be trusted to be telling the truth about the condition of the bike.
To all people who might be interested in This bike, I'd have to say that you're better off avoiding the seller and bike. It's going to be nothing but a huge time sink, and lots of frustration (assuridly AFTER getting the bike too as it's not going to be in any kind of rideable/reliable condition).