How much should I pay for this motorcycle?? (from a girl without a clue)?

Question

Im reliving my youth and picking up from where I left off as a teenager (sad, I know..)
I want to get a half decent sports 125, have seen a 1995 Tzr and a 1992 rg 125 fun both advertised locally. Both are £995 each.
What one is the better bike? They are both very clean and with low mileage. Also, the asking prices seem very steep, I remember selling my old Ar125 waaay back for a pint and a couple of hundred quid.
Any advice would be mucho appreciated, thanks xx

Answer 1

Kelley Blue Book is the best bet. You can find it here:

http://www.kbb.com/

Good to see another one returning to the fold and a girl biker
too!

Stick with it!

Answer 2

By the time bikes reach a certain age, price becomes entirely dependant on condition, and how well they run so the published price guides become rather unreliable. A few machines (and these two may just squeeze into this category) attract a premium because they are seen as icons from their time. The Yamaha RD350 is an example.

A boring, but reliable and tidy learner legal bike (Honda CG125?) might sell for over £500 despite being a bit long in the tooth. If the bikes you're looking at are in great condition, then £995 doesn't sound silly as a starting point for negotiation.

Remember that you're the buyer though, and it's your money. The recent weather will have taken quite a lot of buyers out of the market, and there aren't that many out there willing to pay this sort of money for an elderly 125 anyway. If you're the only person interested, you're in a very strong bargaining position. Don't be scared of making a low offer, and walking away to let the seller realise that £995 was too ambitious. If the bikes were up for sale at a bargain price someone would have snapped them up on day 1 (dealers are constantly scouring the classifieds for the cheap ones, so if they're still there a week later, the asking price is probably a bit high).

I shouldn't comment without seeing the bikes, but if put on the spot, I'd aim to pay about £750 unless they're in mint condition.

Finally, (as others have already said) take someone who knows bikes to look at them with you. It's easy to hide all sorts from someone inexperienced, and older bikes are unlikely to be perfect.

Which is better?? Hard to say. Similar image, both well thought of, both pretty reliable if you look after them, neither particularly easy to ride. It may come down to colour!

Good luck with your purchase, and don't listen to all the doom-merchants trying to talk you out of getting back into bikes. Get as much training and advice from experienced riders as you can, play safe, and enjoy it.

All the best.

Answer 3

You will be lucky to find much for under a grand nowadays. But there isn't much difference in price between bigger and smaller bikes so if you are feeling adventurous you should be able to find a 250, 400 or even a 600 for a pint and a couple of quid more.

link to 1995 tzr 125 £895

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/bikes_search.asp?nU=0&make=YAMAHA&model=TZR&ccappr=&min_pr=75&postcode=NN12%207NW&miles=40&max_records=200&modelexact=1&photo=1

Answer 4

Hey Sophie, I'm in the same situation as you and have been waiting for late summer when loads of people will be (hopefully) trading up from bikes they bought to take their tests on.

Phils link to autotrader is where I've been scanning (you can save your searches) and gumtree is likely to have a few cheapies too.

http://www.gumtree.com/london/motorbikes-for-sale_1029_1.html


It's hard trying to find anything thats a private sale nowadays and you know traders are gonna have30 - 60 percent mark up on stuff (I am an ex trader!)

A learner bike is a means to an end (I keep telling myself!) and how you feel riding it is more important than feeling like you got the best deal EVER! So if you see a bike you like - buy it!

Answer 5

RG is probably better, but price for a 15 year old regrdless of condition seems little high. Offer seller £850 - 900 cash and see but if it is dealer you will not get much luck!
Enjoy!

Answer 6

They are way overpriced.

A good, low mileage 1996 model RGV-250 at a dealer will fetch around £1,200 (according to Parkers). You need to be looking at much, much less for a 15-year old 125...

Answer 7

obviously these bikes are 12 and 15 years old respectively so i would say that you are getting what you pay for but if you want to relive your youth
then do it on four wheels because A.there are too many cars on the roads and B 2. years of my youth was spent recovering from an RTA in which i was almost killed due to a thoughtless motorist
who incidently was given three points and a £50 fine.
good luck. Maclaren

Answer 8

As your coming back to bikes,you will know what to look for such as hidden damage and signs of the bike having been ragged......Just take a mate along to act the straight man/women....and put a damper on those shiny bike moments.
I always take my father with me when getting a bike,he stopped riding in 1965,so he is not up to speed on modern bikes......but he can spot those instants when my eyes glaze over and i reach for my wallet without thinking.

Answer 9

try surveying around 4 2nd hand bikes n ask about their pricing. try asking out(casually) about d 2 bikes u intend(either 1) 2 get. from there, u'll no whether it's worth buying n on which bike is better.

Answer 10

i would go for the tzr nice little bike and fast for a125