What Girly to choose??

[hansi]

Been hunting for a 955i on the web classifieds for a while now, thinking that is the bike that I want to replace my Buell . http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664612
 Been coming across some real great ones. What are the weak points/ things to look out for in a 955i ? What is low priced/high priced? Have a hard time with the KBB, since it does not express mileage and farkles. Love to hear your opinion.

[jwray76]

I just  picked up a 2002 a few months ago for $3,200 off of Ebay with full set of factory hardbags, center stand, cee bailey screen, corbin seat, TOR exhaust, and heated grips. Overall in good shape with 15k miles. Needed new chain/sprocket and rear tire was pretty much shot.

I looked around quite a bit and this was the best deal for me. Had the upgrades that I wanted and price was right. If you take a look around you should get a good feel for what is reasonable. I would say that you will have no problem getting a very nice Tiger for what you are asking for the Buell. It is a buyers market for sure so don't get too attached to any one bike.

As far as things to look for it seems to be the standard stuff. Powertrain seems to be solid from everything I have read/seen.

[jwray76]

oh and be sure to check out the girlies faults and weaknesses sticky for other common problems to be aware of.

[jphish]

Hansi - Greetings fellow hooligan. I got an 08' (fast black) Uly. Still love the bike - only 30K mi - pretty trouble free... at least after the first 5,000 mi. anyway. After catastropy free, 14K mi trip last year (4 corners + Canada) it got relegated to my regional ride - NW states only. Standard Buell reasons. I picked up a 2006 Girly last year as my replacement, long distance / camping / fishing / adventure machine. Great bike - no regrets. It only had 3,500 mi on the clock, for $5,500. I didnt get as good a deal as Jwray76 - but I was only interested in a silver 06'. I wanted tubeless tires & the minor improvements made over the earlier models. At 5'8" and 30" inseam - I'm probably the weakest link for the Tiger. Only came with side cases & centerstand. I added: TOR exhaust, heated grips, Mustang pegs, Palmer brackets & windscreen, Tourtech 'crash bars', oil / radiator protection & new Anakee 2s. (The tires still had 50% tread - but were 5 years old!) Down side of Girly: More maint than Uly (valve adjust) and stuff (air filter, plugs etc) harder to get to, Marginal wind protection with stock screen, right side case is minimally usefull, its a TALL beast, front suspension not adjustable (but @ 165# - not a problem for me), ECM is ok - not great. That said - I'd buy another with NO hesitation. It's a VERY capable adventure machine, once you set it up for your riding style / interest. That triple is a sweet motor & while handling is not quite Uly quality, its pretty darn good. I take it on dirt / gravel roads - but NOT off road - Thats what my KLR is for. Doing the Dempster this summer on Tiger. Got my Uly as far as Yellowknife 3 years ago & blew rear shock - suspect tiger will do better. Good luck in your search, TTFN, j

[hansi]

Have not heard from you in a while over at BadWeb. The Girly must be the reason.  I love riding my Uly, an absolute hoot in the twisties and comfy long distance, a absolute dream to ride as long as you stay on the black stuff.  Explained my reason for selling/trading the Uly pretty well here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/m ... 1299130291
 :D
Not worried about doing maintenance, valves are pretty straight forward and I can't wait to have repairable chain and sprockets again instead of a usually backordered drive-belt.
Will hopefully complete a deal shortly, trading my Uly for a 955i.
 

[jphish]

Hey Hansi - Im fortunate - have 4 motorcycles. (but selling ST1300 - great touring machine, but just doesnt fit my riding interests anymore) However... If i could only have 1 beast - it would be the Girly. I dont think you'll have any regrets. The Roadies obviously share more Buell characteristics ergonomically - and a pretty well sorted machine. I test rode an 08' & liked it - but same tire limitations as the Uly. Though saw an 07' at Kelly creek ID last year (50 mi up a dirt road) with better foot pegs, Palmer brackets / bigger wind screen & Distanzias - He said it handled dirt roads fine - he got it for $6K. The new 800 tiger is tempting - but alot of $, and only about 50# lighter than the Girly. I've thought of selling Uly - but just cant bring myself to do it yet. If it was my ONLY ride - I would. My wife thinks I have "motorcycle attachment issues". Perhaps true. You should be able to get a pretty fine, lower mileage, Tiger - (seen 05 & 06's for around $5K) - for Uly sale proceeds. Love the Bengal colored ones!  If you get up this way on Uly or Tiger - give a shout. Chow', j

[jphish]

Oh yeah PS: you probably already know this but - plastic fuel fittings (ok on 06 - not sure about 05) on earlier Girlies were prone to cracking & causing leaks. Make sure you know if your future Tiger has had upgrade to metal fittings.

[Danny955i]

+1 for metal fuel fittings.

Also, the TPS (throttle position sensor) has been a big factor in poor running lately on a lot of member's bikes. I suggest spending the 50 bucks and getting it replaced regardless of year.

01-04 w/spoke rims are a delight. Not a lot of issues with mine.

If your bike comes with a stock bike-alarm from the factory... dismantle and destroy it. If the clicker dies, or the battery inside the alarm dies, you will NOT be able to start your bike... big oh-no.

Other than that, anything over 5 years old will need the normal wear-and-tear fixes... filters, fluids, chain, sprockets, bearings, fork-oil, suspension tune... yadda-yadda.

Best bet... look for something <5 years old and with under 20k miles.

[jphish]

More good council Danny. Thanks for reminder. The TPS on My Uly can be reset by simple ECM "switch on" proceedure - whats involved in 955 reset ?

[hansi]

Thanks guys, good advice .
 Kinda narrowed  it down to a low mile 03 Girly.
Will be meeting for possible  trade next week in CA. Owner of the Girly seems to be  great guy, looking forward meeting him and his ride. Even if it does not work out, I would not pass up the chance test riding  a 955i (or doing a 1200 mile+ ride on my Uly :mrgreen:)
jphish: thanks, I'll take you up on the offer. If you ever come down here with your Girly I can show you some awesome roads and unbelievable views.
We have some of the best riding in the Country here!

[jphish]

Hansi - a 1200 mile ride on a Uly, to test ride a Girly...doesnt get any better than that! To visit my brother in Sonoma, I usually take 199 & coast route - you do have some fine roads / riding down there. Fishing not bad either. Good luck on your journey & trade. Let us know the outcome. TTFN, j

[jphish]

Are you looking at 'Billy Bees' silver 03 ? Pretty clean looking Tiger. I saw where he's willing to trade for Uly. Hope it works out for both of you. j

[hansi]

You're quite the Sherlock Holmes, J. Yes, it's Billy Bees' Girly. Looking forward to meeting him and the Tiger next week.

[jphish]

Naa - no Sherlock - just dumb luck - I troll the "bikes for sale" section every so often.  Just remember when you first meet the new Tiger - pet it WITH the lie of hair - not against it. They can get surly... but usually just results in HP increase.  j