help pricing a CB500s needed please.

[Suitor_Stu]

Hey, didnt know exactly where to post this one, so i just put it here. Anyway, im looking to buy a CB500s right now and have seen one in a private dealer round my area that pretty much fits my exact specs.

Its a Black CB500s, 6000ish miles, 2001 on a Y plate and clean as a whistle with FSH and 2 owners. The price in the shop is £2250, which i know is a bit high (parkers guide price for dealer is something around £2140 and from what i understand thats usually a high estimate - and theres also a red CB500s in a nearby dealer going for £1850, but it has 31k miles on it), but it will be my first 'big' bike and i dont have much spare time to do more than just basic maintainence, so i want something that should be relativly troublefree and will come ready to ride (taxed/tested/serviced) when i buy it so im willing to pay (a bit) of a premium for this security.

Basically, what im asking is if i do decide to buy this bike (which is about a 80% chance providing the deal's right), what price should i aim to get them down to? Ie, whats gona be a realistic price for that bike?

Any help would be amazing,
Cheers Stu

[phk6]

hi i also got a cb500 as my first bike, personaly id go for the new one with 6k on the clocks as it should be in realy good nick like u said. altho if u do choose to go for the cheaper one with 31k mile son the clock you should check the exhaust as its just steel and i had to replace mine 4 days after i got my bike due to it having a huge hole in it, also check that the radiator isnt leaking, if it is just put some rad weld in and it will sort it right out.
also check the clutch cable as mine snapped yesterday and my bike only has 23k on the clocks, but to be fair it was the original cable, to check it just pull the clucth in and out and see if it feels stiff, if it does that would be a fair indication that it may need changing shortly, as the nice people from RAC did for me today. apart from that just give the bike a good check over check the tyres dont have any plugs in them check the brakes, also check the foot rest hangers (mainly the right hand side one) as they do take alot of weight and are only cast aluminium, so check them for hair line cracks or u may be faced with the foot peg falling off when u stand up to rearange your privates. check the frame for rust and engine casings for pitting this will give you a good indication of how the bike has been looked after.

but to be fair which ever one you go for youll be buying a good 1st bike my cb500 defently is not the best example of one but then i bought it on a whim which has cost me a little bit of cash to fix a few small problems. but for a good 1st bike you cant go far wrong its nice and polite if you keep it under 6k rpm and turns into a right good laugh when you take it up and over the 6k into its power, the bike always feels under control and has enough power for over takes and keeps up with my friends who ride cbr and vfr 400's and its comfy. jsut keep a check on the trye pressures as if you let them get to low it will tram line one bad patchs or tarmac, also dont try to out brake sports bikes as it doesnt work with the single disc on the front, altho saying that it does offer a large amout of stoping power that will stop you from flat out (around 115mph) to zero from the 100 yard mark for round-abouts with ease.

look after it and you wont go far rong fella jsut kep on top of the little jobs and youll have a very reliable and fun bike.

EDIT: and on the price subject i dont think either bike is particually over priced as i payed 1200 for my 98 one which had 19k miles on the clock, maybe try knock them down 200 quid or so but if they dont shift i wouldnt let it put you off buying the bike.
____________________
Current .. 2008 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure ..
Before .. 2003 Yamaha Fazer 1000 .. 2004 Kawazaki Z1000 .. 2003 Suzuki Sv1000s .. 1999 zx6r Track Bike .. 1999 CB 500 Cup ..
/Phil

[bob a]

Stu what garage are you getting it for at that price, have you tried Cupar motorcycles or Perth motorcycles, they are not that far from you and are on the net.

I would have thought you could have got it cheaper than that from them, assuming you are set on a trader deal and not going private.

https://www.nxgn-ltd.com/ezweblite/public/styles/cupar/Display_Dealer_Search_Results1.asp?as_manufacturer=8&as_Enginesize=%3C+550&as_Maxprice=&as_Maxage=

[Suitor_Stu]

phk6, excellent! They dont have an option for 'extremely informative', so i had to just settle on 'Informative' for that post im afraid! Ill check out all that stuff when i go down there later on in the week. Was just there today (my shitty Piaggio Sfera 125 was in there getting serviced - its worth about £250 and needs a £250 service to get it on the road) and had a chat with them about price etc. They said that if i traded in my scoot then they would knock it down to £2200, fit engine bars, restrictor kit (unfortunately i need that for another year...), give me a disc lock and some discount off clothing all for that price, so as long as everything is fine when i do your checks, looks like im getting a new bike!

And bob, its Andrew Hart MCs, which is just round the corner from me. I was looking at cupar/perth mcs sites and they seemed to have a few good deals, but they didnt have a CB500s - just 1or2 CB500, and theyre all sold now. The prices are really good at the min, but i think thats cos theyve got an August sale on right now (£500 off used bikes!), but all they have left is a GPZ, for a couple hundred more than the CB and i dont particularly like them tbh. And to be honest, i dont fancy riding my scooter down there to trade in!!!

Anyway, cheers for your help, and no doubt ill post if i do buy it

Stu