Should I buy this XB12R?

[jeepurz]

I had a different thread going about a bike for sale that sat WAY too long in an open-air garage in Michigan. It has extremely low miles but a couple things that are nagging on me. I'm still interested in the bike and took a test ride today. Brrr... 42 degrees and windy out so I didn't get any real speed going on 7 year old tires. Plus my hands froze instantly.

Anyhow, the most troubling is just general corrosion(rust on ferrous metal, oxidation on aluminum) from not getting much use and definitely not being loved and taken care of(damn shame...). REALLY small issue in the grand scheme of things, but I've attached pics looking for feedback since I've never owned a Buell(only Harleys and Suzuki GSXRs). My question to all of you, what do your 5K, 10K, and higher mileage bikes look like? Do you have this kind of pitting, oxidation, corrosion, etc...? It's clearly from getting splashed with salt water where it was parked and I don't think it will clean up. Show me some close-up pics of your engines, so I can make a comparison and try to figure out if I should care about simple cosmetic things in lieu of good mechanicals.

Am I being completely ridiculous for even worrying about little stuff if the rest of the bike is good?

-TJ

 

[Chicknstripn]

I thought it was a great deal.
So why you pick nicking? With a little basic CC(corrosion control) all that superficial stuff should be GTG.
What did the internal fluids look like?
Did you drop a magnetic prob into the swingarm?
What did the bike ride like?

 

[jeepurz]

I thought it was a great deal.
So why you pick nicking? With a little basic CC(corrosion control) all that superficial stuff should be GTG.
What did the internal fluids look like?
Did you drop a magnetic prob into the swingarm?
What did the bike ride like?

Oh I think it's still a great deal, I'm just in a weird situation and being overly tentative. Sold my house and in an apartment temporarily, will be moving again so one more thing to deal with, finalizing a divorce(done in June), etc... It's honestly just a really bad time for such a great deal to come up. So now that I've whined about my life situation, you get the idea. Money isn't the issue, my head is just swimming.

What I'm really trying to do is determine just how good of a deal this is. i.e: If that kind of corrosion is common for ANY bike of that age, then it's a great deal. If you guys have bikes at 10K miles that are in pristine condition, then it may not be as great of a deal as I think. And I'll be able to find a better deal on a more used but more cared for bike.

Oil was WAY overfilled. Unscrewed the dipstick and oil started dripping out. I got a clear hose and did a turkey-baster deal to get it down to the 'full' mark for him(he's clueless...). Oil was essentially brand new, no magnet probe though. Rode well but I couldn't get into it due to extremely cold temps and cold/old tires. Ran pretty well considering the 42 degree temps, has the same low-speed lurching that my Harley's had and that you guys all talk about. Need to do the breather reroute as a first mod for sure. Has a Jardine RT-one exhaust with probably 20 miles on it. I'm guessing that was a $300-ish upgrade.

As I said, I think I'm just being too overly cautious. What I hear you telling me is I'm being an idiot for nit picking...

How about this, what would you pay for an '09 with extremely low miles as I've described? Ballpark figure or a general range....

-TJ

 

[shawnd]

I don't think the corrosion looks too bad. Looks simple the fix/clean up. I'm here in Michigan too. Ann Arbor and Monroe are. If you need any help let me know.

 

[arikam]

With mine I had brake issues from rust and corrosion. It was from Hawaii and not well maintained. I had to replace the battery. Changed both oils just to be sure they were good. And had to work with the rear brakes a few times to get them right. Had to disassemble the rear brake hydraulic valve and cleaned it really good. Then no brake problems. Had to pull out head light bulbs and clean up that corrosion. Replaced front brake micro switch from rust. But really it was all cheap stuff to fix if you can do it yourself. I've seen the bike sell from 5k$ to 9k$. I probably wouldn't pay over 5k$ for it. Too many other options. If it was the blue and white one and mint condition, then probably closer to 9k$

 

[arikam]

42 degrees is sucky. It's 85 deg down here in Destin FL today. Out looking at houses down here. What color scheme is the bike and how low of miles?

 

[jeepurz]

I've seen the bike sell from 5k$ to 9k$. I probably wouldn't pay over 5k$ for it. Too many other options. If it was the blue and white one and mint condition, then probably closer to 9k$

What color scheme is the bike and how low of miles?

The bike is black with red highlights/rims, so it's a quite common color scheme. Ah, so white with blue highlights is that unique, huh? Figures it's my favorite colors but I haven't found very many. Anyhow, low miles means < 500 in this case. I can fix everything myself, so that isn't a concern.
So I'm hearing if it's under $5K, go for it and stop being a whiney b!tch, huh?

-TJ

 

[arikam]

The white blue combo is great. I would spend 5k$ on it. Mine was a good bike. Little dude builds some heat in the summer. Which up there summer isn't near as brutal or long as down here. Feels like sitting on an oven at long stop lights. Yep stop being a whiny ******. Haha.

 

[Cooter]

None of these issues are deal breakers.

You can either convince yourself to buy one, or you can convince yourself not to buy one. You are on the pot, what are you gonna do????:down::up:

 

[jeepurz]

None of these issues are deal breakers.

You can either convince yourself to buy one, or you can convince yourself not to buy one. You are on the pot, what are you gonna do????:down::up:

I've been eating a lot of fiber lately, so I might sit here for a minute... I told the guy I'd call him tonight or tomorrow. Since it's too late now, I've got until tomorrow morning to decide. If I don't buy it, I'll post details here in case someone else wants to snatch it up.

-TJ

 

[arikam]

Haha. You said 'snatch'

 

[Cooter]

Hey! I resemble that remark!!























(Snicker...)

 

[vicenzajay]

I would not spend nearly 5K for it....there are too many much-loved, recent year bikes for sale around 4K. As an example, I bought my 2009 XB12R in fairly minty condition (7,200 miles) with no corrosion, really nice rubber, breather mod done and relatively new Drummer exhaust/race ECM on it, and lots of spare parts and stuff (helmet, jacket, odds and ends, etc.) for less than 4.5K. This was not a one-off deal, either - there were several bikes around that price point and in that condition available in the forum and elsewhere.

Not saying you should worry about the corrosion - just mentioning my .-2 about price given its condition (namely that of sitting around for years) and what you're going to need to do to bring it back up to snuff.

 

[HighwayHum72]

just buy the damn bike already. They don't even make those anymore. You can sell it later if you are too busy to deal with it.

 

[Hook937]

You should always buy a Buell