A choice i need to make, advice highly appreciated

[Conker92]

I have a story too tell,
I have recently bought an SFM ZZ125. Its known as an OK bike but ever since buying it i have had some minor problems i.e. Fuel starvation, minor light problems and the exhaust cylinder actually falling away from the engine. It is a wonderful bike to ride when its running perferctly.

I traded in my Honda CG125 2004 for it after having multiple problems with that due to probably poor ownership from previous owner.
All i want to ask is, i can trade the SFM back for the Honda. THe SFM still has 18 month warranty on it but the Honda will only have 3 month warranty.
Any advice? Thanks
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C Burton

[NJD]

This thing?

Ow bloody much.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Conker92]

SFM ZZ125 was £1800 with 300 miles on the clock, i part-ex my Honda CG for £700, i have now done 2500 miles on the SFM
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C Burton

[NJD]

I'd bet a sensible amount of money that the dealers not going to give you the CG + £1100 on top, in truth I'd be suprised if he'd take it back just like the shop that sold me my Arrow told me I'd be better of going on the private as opposed to p/x. Well, different story but kind of the same. A shop that sells imports is only going to offer you dirt cheap money for it because needs to make profit on top of an already dirt cheap model from new.

All in all, you're not winning this one I sense. Tough it out on what you've got or cut your losses and go back to square one. Live and learn.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Conker92]

I have discussed it with the dealer and he is more than happy to give me my honda cg back in perfect working order with money back too. This is all about am i making the right decision in getting my old honda back or shall i stick with the SFM?
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C Burton

[Teflon-Mike]

Only YOU can say if it's the 'right' thing to do....

Why the heck are you having problems like the exhaust falling off, on what is presented as an 'amost' brand new, bike, with less than first service miles on the oddo?!?!

Buying 2nd hand old hacks, I expect to get my hands mucky dragging them out of previous owners maintenance over-draft, sorting their ideas of 'fixes' and other jobs...

Buying 'New' (ore neaerly new) I would be loath to be paying for the privilidge of being a factory development rider, finding out what doesn't really work or breaks in service... (remind me again why I bought a succession of Land-Rovers?!?!?! Lol) let a fucking-lone doing jobs the bludy factory should have done at the factory floor like bolt a chuffing exhaust on properly!!!

So fact that you are having more apparent problems with a nearly brand new Chinky-Bike than a decade+ old hack-Honda, speaks volumes into the idea though!

It's a question, now though of damage limitation, costs and lessons learned.

First up, lessons learned with the CG... bikes need regular maintenance and older they get more they require it. Next lesson learned with chinki-not so-super-Moto thingie.... ALL bikes need maintenence.... and all can suffer niggles and problems... even ones supposedly not previousely used and abused so much.... & low-purchase-cost Chinks, designed for low-labour cost asian markets where they can bear that level of 'used' bike maintenence.. from new, is not a particularly great way to minimise the maintenence requirements.

Next lesson, you may be about to learn... 'new' bike, wheel it out the show-room depreciation, and the inordinate amount of that chinky bikes with short service lives suffer....

How much you might claw back in the deal, is all that remains. and likely to provide another lesson, in how much 'Dealer-Mark-Up' is on a 2nd hand bike....

You can be assured, that whatever teh salesman says, and the assurances your old CG is now in 'Perfect working Order' they will have done as little as possible to make it saleable; they will NOt have thoroughly overhauled the damn thing; BUT they are likely to ask the sort of money that suggests it for it....

Real world; CG's command a cult-premium on thier price. Little with an MOT that can wear an L-Plate commands less than £500, and genuine CG's will tend to command at least that, often without even an MOT, or with one they obviousely dont deserve. tidy examples can command £750 up from folk sold on the legend of thier dependability...

Value for money; a newer used Yamaha YBR is almost certain to represent better all-round value for money.... But still.

Dealer is likely to have offered you bare minimum as trade in on your CG... might have flattered its value in the bargaining when you bought the chinky thing, instead of discounting its sticker price any more... (300Km on the clock, I suspect that was a discounted 'new' bike pre-reg'd as a 'demonstrator' rather than a genuine 2nd hand bike, and the £1800 you paid probably still more than teh dealer paid the importer for the thing in a crate)

Now, working back-wards, your desirable 'classic' CG in his show-room is probably wearing a sticker advertising it for best part of £1000, and he's telling you that the chinky thing he sold you only however many weeks ago, is now a well used 2nd hand bike, worth barely £1000.... and he'll still be flattering it in the deal, and any cash going your direction on the swap, being offered with suggestion its a token of good-will...

Which it is... I know and he knows that a CG will flog pretty much for whatever he asks for it, with little or no effort on his part.... flogging a brand new Chink takes a little more effort, and a 2nd hand one, more still, and it doesn't have the 'profit' in it for it to be worth the while!

So even a straight swap, no cash your way, is probably still not such a bad deal... expensive lesson... but not as bad as it could be.

BUT, dont expect the CG to come back to you much if any better than it was before it left you.... bare minimum to make it road worthy and satisfy a customer long enogh to ride down the street and around teh corner, after enough polish has been aplied to get them to sign the paperweork on it WILL be all that it is likely to have seen make it any 'better' than before.

IF you got it back, and you got cash back with it; then plan to spend that getting the thing properly fettled... and lessons learned, be prepared for niggles and maintenence to keep on top of them.

BUT.. cutting your losses... that Chinky bike, will be lucky to command a £500 private sale price come its first MOT.... if it passes..... how much more than that you might get for it before that first MOT is debateable; and any-one who is prepared to take a chance on a chink, with more than £500 to punt on it, is like as not going to stump up that bit extra and put thier money on a new one; with some suggestion of a warranty and notion its not so pre-abused.

Chopping it in, and getting ANYTHING back could be best of a bad situation, rather than trying to live with it and putting up with the niggles & ongoing maintenance until it really isn't worth bugga all to any-one else.

But IS your old CG the 'best' or wisest thing to chop it in for?

It's only going to get older, and it's still going to need ongoing maintenance, you didn't much get on with before....

Could you flog on the Chinky thing, or would dealer buy it back, cash, for enough to get anything else, or towards anything else, likely to prove easier to live with, like a younger YBR?

PERSONALLY.. I wouldn't be where you are now, 'cos I would never have bought a chink from a dealer.... BUT were you No.4 son, who is want to do such silly things, or little bother whose equally niave... I'd probably be taking the dealers deal, wrangling as much cash with teh CG out of it, and getting the boy in teh back garden with a Haynes manual and some spanners learning a bit about maintenence, having brought him back via the bike shop or Halfords after spending the cash he got out the dealers till (& probably more than a little of mine!) on oil, spark plugs, chain & sprokets, brake cables and brake shoes/[pads, and other service spares!

But back to top... only YOU can say if it's the 'right' thing to do.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Conker92]

You have made an excellent point, thank you very much for your advice. I think the trustworthy Honda is gonna do it for me. 18 month warranty sounds great with the sfm but that 18 months will probably be full of problems. I know my way round a Honda cg too as having one a while back.
I have kinda sealed a deal it was either keep the sfm or get my Honda back with some cash back too. I'm gonna go for the Honda. Thanks again
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C Burton

[Val]