Possible Purchase

[welky]

Hi,

Having looked at many different bikes including bmws and hondas and owning a dr 650 and a vfr 800 I have decided that the bike for me is a tiger!

Unfortunatly cash is a little limited at the moment so I am looking a a fairly high mileage steamer. The one I have in mind has done 59000miles and is on ebay uk at the moment. It seems to be well sorted but has stood for two years in a shed.

Question is this, would you go for it (after viewing)???


Thanks

James

[ArcticTiger]

Depends on price and condition. At that mileage it could be run down if neglected, or have many miles left if well maintained.
I would have waited until a bike with lower mileage shows up. Often there is little difference in price on a low versus a high mileage bike in the same model year. You get "more for the money" when buying a low-miler is my opinion.

[Mustang]

The Steamers seem to all suffer the same ailments over time :

1 The starter sprag clutch is either good or bad depending on how much prior owner abused it by not keeping a fresh battery in bike when starting .
This is a big issue if bad cuz the motor needs to be split to repair big job for home mechanic , big money for dealer .

2. Check the chain condition and condition of rub blocks and or swing arm wear if rub blocks are bad .

3. Coils , they go bad over time as the gill coils were shoddily manufactured

4. Ignition p/u sensor , early steamers really suffer from this one but all steamers get the problem eventually

5.  The alternator bolts for the drive vanes shear off causing a horrendous rattling sound at idle . again most steamers get this at some point in their life

6. valves receding into head until there is no adjustment left .
some steamers go forever some don't  depends on previous owners riding habits and or maint .

7. The body plastics and fuel tank shrink with age making them a real bugger to reinstall correctly

8. The embedded nuts in the fuel tank that the fairing panels attach to come loose and spin , not all do it depends on who worked on bike in past , but most steamers get a nut or two that spin eventually .

9 the air filter is a real pain to replace and the plastic box usually shows it's age and has cracks in it .

10 if the suspension is stock it is most certainly junk . and will need a new shock for the rear at the minimum .

11 steering stem bearings and usually a wheel bearing or two have gone bad at this kind of mileage  also .

that's pretty much the really ugly bad stuff , if the bike has been well maintained none of it is an issue as it will have been corrected already or if not that's the stuff thats going to need repairing .

again it all depends how the owner or previous owners treated the old girl .
The rest of the bike is a pretty tuff critter and they leave you with a stupid grin every time you ride one .
Well maintained they go for a long while .

I have 3 of em and my favorite is at 65,000 miles and I would'nt hesitate to take it anywhere .  It's like an eveready bunny , it just keeps going and going ....
but it is well maintained and I am the original owner from new .

[welky]

Yep that probably makes a little more sense! I could wait a month or two and have about enough for mint steamer. However waiting has never been a strong point of mine. I like working on bikes and am hoping that working on a tiger would be fairly straight forward for someone with experince of stripping and rebuilding a DR650 and working on a VFR.

Here is a link to the ebay bike

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/triumph-tiger-900 ... 2304db0bcb



James

[rf9rider]

That one was for sale when i bought mine.
The only reason i didn`t buy that one was that my bike was nearer.
I wouldn`t pay more than the starting price though.  :)

[Mustang]

If you can't go look at it before purchase I would pass , the price is right up there for a bike with that mileage
obviously the fuel tank has been changed for some reason and it is a 95 with mikunis which could well be in need of a rebuild with that mileage , I spy rust on the rear caliper and spoke nipples and knowing the bike has sat for two years I would be concerned that it has been stored in a damp environment , I see other dents and dings and a tear in the saddle , as well as having the stock saddle which is not very comfy for long distances .
But overall she don't look bad for the mileage .
Check it out in person though if seriously considering it .