Possibly buying a bike from a dealer, thoughts?

[Derivative]

I've been searching for a 500 for a fair while.
As my luck has it, just as my Mod 2 date rolls around and I get some free time, all of the reasonably cheap ones disappear (other than stuff that's 200+ miles from me and I have no chance of viewing).

Anyway, this is up on AutoTrader. 2000 GPZ, 12k miles, £1700.
A tad on the high side for me, but I'm hoping to knock a bit off that.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201213460020092/

I'm thinking of going down to view it tomorrow morning.
Are there any specifics I should be looking out for?
The bike looks reasonably clean in the photos but obviously they'll have tried to paint it in the best light.

Any hints and tips would be welcome. I'm getting a bit fed up of seeing '200 miles from your location' now.

[P.addy]

For £1000 you can get a Thundercat.

For £1500 you can get a really tidy Thundercat.

for £1700 you can get one with everything added.

I know which one I'd have for that type of money.

You can probably change the word "Thundercat" for Bandit, SV, Fazer, CBF600, Hornet etc.

Any reason for a parallel twin with not a lot more fun should you be off 33hp after 2 years?

[Derivative]

[bikertomm]

Hmm, does seem pretty steep for a GPZ, but in b 4 ' I got an R1 for £250 on eBay ' Comments, if you find a bike that is in good condition mechanically and to the eye and its at a fair price then go for it


Have you tried the bike insurer? I'm only 19 and got a few quotes, insurance isn't really an issue. Suprisingly good quotes for 600 Sports bikes

Good luck
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Rogerborg]

I'm liking my GPZ, but there's no way on God's green earth that I'd pay that much for one.

Also, that looks like the stock exhausts on it, you'd want to have a good poke at them, especially around the link pipe. The shock and linkage need some care and attention as well, and look out for cracks on the fairing around the mirror mounts.

A newer CB500 from a private seller would be a better bet, they're very similar bikes (awaits stinkwheel's freaky composite image) but with Honda engineering. I was looking out for both, it was just luck that I bagged a GPZ first.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Derivative]

[MarJay]

There are loads of GPZ500S's around for about the £800 quid mark. Why you'd pay that much for one is a mystery.

The dealer won't take anything off the price either. They don't tend to, they'll just wait for a moron to come through the door who'll pay it.

Avoid. Look on ebay at GPZ500S's if you want one, otherwise listen to what Paddy says. If you buy a shiney SV650 for that money you'll have a bike that is much closer to its true value and undoubtedly you'll have an all round better bike.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[P.addy]

[Derivative]

I would appreciate if you can link me to a 500 commuter anywhere near Hull for £800, I've turned up blanks really.

Cheapest GPZ I can find on eBay is £1300 and that's 120 miles away. Would mean me chucking £60+ on a train ticket just to view it, then another £60 or more to go and collect or arrange a courier.
If it looks a bit naff that's £60 and the best part of a day out of the window.

Gumtree just has bikes in the arse end of nowhere to me, Scotland or Southern England.

The cheapest 500cc+ bike on BikeTrader in a 40 mile radius that's not going to cost me £500+ to insure is the GPZ in the first post.

The CB I'm going to look at has a list price of £1795, I'm going to shoot for £1500, because I agree paying that much for an old commuter is a bit daft.

[P.addy]

GPZ 28,000 miles, needs an indicator or 2, £595.

True its miles away... But I've traveled a fair few miles to pick up something I want, its always worked out for me.

Someone may also be willing to ride it from where it is for the price of fuel and a meal

[Derivative]

I don't mind transport or riding it back, it's that I either basically choose to buy the bike without seeing it, or spend big money to get there on the off chance it's alright.

Doing 50 miles or so is alright, going across half the country to see what might be a massive rust bucket is off the cards. Have you seen the price of National Rail tickets nowadays?

[Slacker24seve...]

[Derivative]

[Noxious89123]

If you go for a 99 or 2000 carbed CBR600F I have a set of restrictors I'd sell for a reasonable price.

I went straight to one from a 125, was mental for the first week but you get used to it quickly.
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Derivative]

[Ingah]

£1,700!


Knock a grand off, and it *might* be worth it.

Don't go and buy something without viewing it properly first, i tried that once. Cost me so so much more than i could ever have believed possible.

Might be worth opening up to the GS500 and ER-5 too. Yes, i know what you're thinking, but they're the sort of bikes where you can usually pick up a tidy and sorted example for £500 or so. Far less likely to happen with a GPZ, and not a chance with a CB500
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-- Ingah

[Vincent]

[paulas]

I passed my test and I will buy Ninja 1400 because I want safe and power. Power and speed is the most important when riding the bike for the feeling HA HA. Girls prefer more power and thrusting force from the big engine to orgasmic level.

[Ravo]

I got an 2001 GS500 ealier this month for $1600. That's about £1024. Same miles as that that GPZ, too. What does the extra £676 in the cost go towards? The little rack on the back? The fact that it's not green?

[Pie-Roe]

You turned down my SV with FSH for 1k with tax and test because you found something more suitable? Even after I said I'd deliver/hold it for you?

To buy a GPZ for 1700?

Your money mate, but you keep spouting about these forums how good you are with it. I'm not sure you can keep saying that
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[Derivative]

[Rogerborg]

Delivery? Coach ticket, ride it home.

From a brief dalliance with some of the local dealers last year, I'd suggest that you're wasting your time and money even looking at dealer bikes. <Rant redacted to avoid redundancy>

If you want to buy any vehicle, turn up with cash in hand and (if the bike's honest) offer it. I mean, literally wave your wodge and say "I'll be giving this to somebody today - is it going to be you?"
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Redoko]

I'd sell you my Hornet for 1900.
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"Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."
Sudika Sportsman SK50QT > Gilera DNA50 > Honda CBR125 RW7 > Kawasaki Zephyr750 > Suzuki GSXR600 > Honda Hornet CB600F '51

[MightyZoltar]

That's a pretty high price for the bike, and I can imagine that you'd only be able to negotiate around £150 off the bike at best, which still puts the price high.

If you really want to pay that kind of money, I've got the same year bike, with 21k miles on the clock. Same colour, and in good shape. Has a Nexus stainless exhaust on it and a higher screen. Also has smaller indicators. I'd deliver the damn bike to you for that kind of money.