Buying My Second Motorcycle
By mid April of 2004 I’d ridden a couple of hundred miles on the CB250. It was time to begin researching what motorcycle to buy after receiving my endorsement. I did some window shopping at dealers but most of my research was via the Internet. Reading motorcycle reviews, owner’s web sites and discussion forums.
I was looking for a mid size (greater than 500cc and smaller than 1000cc) bike that would:
- be suitable for a novice rider.
- be suitable for solo touring/camping (long days in the saddle) on divided and undivided highways and mountain roads.
- Have good cargo capacity for long trips.
- provide a bit of fun on mountain roads.
- be suitable for riding packed dirt/gravel logging and fire roads (not a firm requirement, but nice to have).
I winnowed the list of bikes to those shown above. All I could do was sit on them in showrooms to see if they felt comfortable. And I could not even do that for the ZR-7S and CB750 because they were no longer in production. The DL650 was a new model in 2004 (no used bikes available) and I was not keen to pay the price for a new bike but still, I was leaning towards it or a used F650GS until...
Zeroing In
The week before I got my endorsement I finally came across a 2001 Kawasaki ZR-7S with almost 12,000 miles on it at a dealer showroom for $4,000. I sat on it, duck walked it forward and back, rocked it from side to side to see how top heavy it was (it felt surprisingly light). I got off and on several times and put it up on the center stand to check the ergonomics in various riding positions. It felt like a good bike for me. Unfortunately (actually fortunately because I later found a ZR-7 in better condition for less money) I couldn’t test ride it
I posted some questions on the ZR-7 Rider Forums and received all the answers I needed within a day. On ebay I found a 2001 ZR-7S in Los Angeles with only 3,200 miles of usage for a buy it now price of $2,995 ($1,000 under Blue Book). The auction was due to end at almost the exact time I would be taking the riding test for my endorsement.
On Wed Jun 30, immediately after getting my endorsement, I went back to the dealer. Rode the ZR-7 in the large parking lot to get a feel for it. “Wow! It’s as easy to maneuver as my small Nighthawk.” Acceleration from a stop: very good but not frighteningly so. Brakes: very good, easy to do fast stops smoothly. Took it for ten minute ride on city streets. “Yeah, this is a very nice bike.” It was clear to me that the ZR-7 would suit my needs. If by some remote chance the ebay bike hadn’t sold and the owner was still willing to sell it for $2,995, it would be an excellent deal.
Eureka
I went home with my fingers crossed and checked ebay. The auction had ended and THE RESERVE HAD NOT BEEN MET! Emailed the owner immediately. He responded saying he would sell it for the reserve price, $2,995. I phoned him that evening after working hours:
I said, “Is the bike really in showroom condition?”He said, “Yes, not a mark on it.”
I said, “Honest?”
He said, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
I said, “Okay, I’m driving down from Oregon to buy it.”
He said, “When?”
I said, “I’ll be there Sunday morning to pick it up.”
He said, “Really?”
I said, “Yep.”
Friday morning I hooked an old 3 rail trailer (which I’d had the foresight to buy a couple of months before) to my car and, with a postal money order in my wallet, started driving down I-5. Arrived at my sister’s house in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
Drove down to Tustin with my sister on Sunday morning the 4th of July. Carefully checked out the bike. It was just as he said. Except for the mileage on the odometer and discoloration on the exhaust pipes it could have come right off the showroom floor. Handed him the money order and received the title in return. Hopped on and with my sister in the car behind me rode for about ten minutes on the streets. Felt comfortable with it so I headed for the I-405 on-ramp.
“Oops. I seem to be heading south, not north.” All my attention was focused so much on the traffic around me and my riding that I took the left curve on the on-ramp instead of the right curve. No problem. It gave me a chance to ride through the John Wayne airport and see how much it had changed (a lot) since I left Orange County 27 years ago.
A few minutes later I’m back on I-405 heading for the San Fernando Valley. Most of the ride was at 70 mph (which I figure is no more than 65mph given the inaccuracies of motorcycle speedometers). Arrived home with no incidents or frightening moments. The bike handled well and was easy to ride at high speed.
