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
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.
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 .
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 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/triumph-tiger-900-1995_W0QQitemZ150405319627QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycles?hash=item2304db0bcb)
James
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. :)
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 .