[1001]

Price Drop!! 2009 Ninja 650 + crazy upgrades - Best 650 in VA/MD

Went to look at this 2009 Ninja 650 yesterday. Looks like it's in great condition and has been well taken care of, but the only thing that concerns me is the fact that it has 15,800 miles on it. I was thinking of offering him $4000 for it, which is what kbb and nada say its worth, only including the value of the aftermarket exhaust. I've taken the rider safety course and have done my research on 250/300 vs. 650 for a first bike and think that the ninja 650 would be a great first bike.

Thanks for your help

 

[HilbillyKat]

Not bad...seems pretty fair. Definitely wouldn't give a penny over 4. 15,800 is nothing in terms of how long those motors last.

 

[cyclesarge]

Reading the description I assume he knows little to nothing about bikes or buying and selling bikes. Many of his"crazy upgrades" are things that a lot of modified Ninja 650's have, this bike is really not that special, best Ninja 650 is Md/Va? Not even close.

That said, considering it's winter, this is a 5 year old bike with almost 16,000 miles, it's probably at least a second owner bike, and the current owner is a dork (does he even know how to take care of a bike?), I wouldn't pay anymore than $3500 IF he doesn't show off the bike by starting it, then immediately pegging the tach. Like HBK said 15,800 is nothing for the motor, I'm not sure WHAT bike only goes 25,000 before the motors expire, haha.

At 15,800 a lot of the things this seller considers "upgrades" are really just maintenance items, and if you negotiate a deal on the bike you should point that out. Would you really consider buying a bike without tires, chain and sprockets?

 

[maxxve]

I agree with what's been posted so far. It looks clean but the ad just reads like he's a salesman and not a motorcycle enthusiast. Now is not an easy time to sell a bike. Offer $3500 and don't be afraid to walk away. Come spring there will be a lot more on the market.

 

[Vic.Thing]

I can't really say on 650Rs specifically as to whehter this is a good deal or not. Ads that go over the top talking up the vehicle and modifications are usually a warning sign to me. I once saw a 10+ year old computer on ebay that was literally hundreds over priced and the ad included verbiage like "super fast 64 mb of SD-RAMM memory" and crap like that. It had like a 4x CD-ROM in it, was a 486, probably worth about $20. I think people were bidding on it for $700. Suckers are born every minute. Not saying this bike is for suckers, just saying ignore all the hype talk and look at the specifications.

For example this line:

Ultimately this bike may be more than the others you see, but this bike is set to last for a very long time. Many motorcycles die after 25,000 miles, some much sooner than that. This bike will last upwards of 100,000 miles due to the professional tuning and upgrades it has received.

This line is complete garbage and provides no uesful or factual information whatsoever.

Upgrades
The thing about "upgrades" is they typically don't really add any value to the bike. Here's why. Let's say the bike is wrecked, the Arrow exhaust is damaged. It cost X money. Stock exhaust would cost X money. As we all know, genuine OEM parts are extremely expensive, probalby in most cases more so than aftermarket products.

Try to replace the factory bars with new OEM parts for $50. Literally $50 bars might actually lower the value.

Maintenance - maintenance is required. It is not an "upgrade" or whatever. A very well maintained bike's value will be higher than one that's been poorly maintaned. But saying that the $600 spent for adjusting valve clearances adds $600 is just complete garbage. It's part of owning the vehicle, it does not add value. It's nearlly like saying I've spent $2,318 on gas while owning the bike, so it's worth $2,318 more, or insurance, etc.

Brand new tires do not add to the vehicles value. Tires with x wear would lower the value x wear percent (75% tires would lower the value new tire cost - 25%) So if the vehicles BV is $5500 with brand new tires, it's worth $5400 with 70% tires.

 

[Easy Rider]

think that the ninja 650 would be a great first bike.

Thanks for your help

Possibly but not THAT one.

A rookie rider should avoid any bike that has had a lot of changes made to the power plant.
It might be OK but can be a real expensive nightmare if it starts running badly.

Certainly all the mods do NOT make it worth more than "Blue Book", despite what he thinks.
Eventually he will probably find someone who wants exactly what he has and is willing to pay extra for it.......but YOU should not.

I personally think $4K is WAY too much to pay for a first bike, unless maybe you can afford to lose $4K without crying.

 

[HilbillyKat]

Possibly but not THAT one.

A rookie rider should avoid any bike that has had a lot of changes made to the power plant.
It might be OK but can be a real expensive nightmare if it starts running badly.

Certainly all the mods do NOT make it worth more than "Blue Book", despite what he thinks.
Eventually he will probably find someone who wants exactly what he has and is willing to pay extra for it.......but YOU should not.

I personally think $4K is WAY too much to pay for a first bike, unless maybe you can afford to lose $4K without crying.

Meh...intake, exhaust and a tuner are simple bolt on that will not affect reliability...and have proven over the years to be virtually as reliable as stock. As to the value of the mods...they have a certain value to those that appreciate them. You have to balance the extra cost against the money saved if you were going to do the same mods yourself. Then..and only then do the mods have added value.

 

[kojiiro]

I dont think its a bad deal, but not great either. I wouldn't buy from this guy though. Anyonr that has to lie or make stuff up to sell something isnt getting mu money.

 

[cyclesarge]

I don't know if he is "lying" per se, he sounds more ignorant to me, like maybe he's just trying to remember what the guy that sold it to him (for too much money) said to justify the high price.

 

[Easy Rider]

Meh...intake, exhaust and a tuner are simple bolt on that will not affect reliability..

Meh yourself. Tell that to the shops that refuse to work on bikes with mods like that.

I didn't say it was some big bugaboo that is guaranteed to cause you trouble but it IS an unnecessary complication that a new rider does not need to have.
And if the pipes are really LOUD, it is illegal too. (actually if it is any louder than stock it is technically illegal. So is the controller that changes the emissions.)

 

[Lean It]

I agree, aftermarket stuff doesn't add value, most of us know that when we put it on there. If those features appeal to you then it might draw you in a bit, but not at much if any extra value.
Agree with Sarge, go $3,500, tell him it's winter and it doesn't appeal to you for any more.

Also, ask if he has snow tires that come with! JK

 

[HilbillyKat]

Meh yourself. Tell that to the shops that refuse to work on bikes with mods like that.

I didn't say it was some big bugaboo that is guaranteed to cause you trouble but it IS an unnecessary complication that a new rider does not need to have.
And if the pipes are really LOUD, it is illegal too. (actually if it is any louder than stock it is technically illegal. So is the controller that changes the emissions.)

Get off your high horse...there isn't a shop around that won't work on that bike. (I guess you're gonna say it was a black market shop that adjusted the valves for him.)

Mods are where they make money! My dad's Kawasaki shop has a guy that degrees cams and does porting for ZX14s and they post about it on Facebook.

If you don't know what you're talking about...then just sit there and be quiet! It beats declaring to the forum and the world how blissfully ignorant you are about such things.

 

[cyclesarge]

If you don't know what you're talking about...then just sit there and be quiet! It beats declaring to the forum and the world how blissfully ignorant you are about such things.

My mama used to always say, "It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt" I think this really applies to the seller who wrote this ad.

 

[HilbillyKat]

My mama used to always say, "It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt" I think this really applies to the seller who wrote this ad.

Absolutely. Horrible ad!

 

[kojiiro]

Meh yourself. Tell that to the shops that refuse to work on bikes with mods like that.

I didn't say it was some big bugaboo that is guaranteed to cause you trouble but it IS an unnecessary complication that a new rider does not need to have.
And if the pipes are really LOUD, it is illegal too. (actually if it is any louder than stock it is technically illegal. So is the controller that changes the emissions.)

Any real and specific examples of this? I've never seen a shop thatwont work on a bike becauseof aftermarket exhausts or othet "mods likr that" that they all carry in the shop anyway.

 

[djrussell]

The only things that add any value here (in my opinion) are the PCV and gold valves. And they certainly don't add $450 + $200. All his values are far overstated by the way. Everything else is replacing a stock part.

Ultimately this bike may be more than the others you see, but this bike is set to last for a very long time. Many motorcycles die after 25,000 miles, some much sooner than that. This bike will last upwards of 100,000 miles due to the professional tuning and upgrades it has received.

The fact that a ninja 650 will last so long has nothing to do with any of the mods made. This guy has drunk the koolaid.

If I bought this, I'd be looking to put an airbox back in and getting the autotune module for the PCV.

All that said, I don't think the asking price is too far out of bed. I'd offer $3500 and be happy to meet him in the middle.

 

[Easy Rider]

If you don't know what you're talking about...then just sit there and be quiet! It beats declaring to the forum and the world how blissfully ignorant you are about such things.

We are talking about two different things AND I don't appreciate your constant claims that I am ignorant of almost everything and thus implying that I am just stupid.
It is a blatant insult and is indeed not true.

IF a shop installs stuff like that they pretty much have to support it.
If OTOH, an owner does it himself, no shop is obligated to work on it later.

 

[HilbillyKat]

We are talking about two different things AND I don't appreciate your constant claims that I am ignorant of almost everything and thus implying that I am just stupid.
It is a blatant insult and is indeed not true.

IF a shop installs stuff like that they pretty much have to support it.
If OTOH, an owner does it himself, no shop is obligated to work on it later.

Then don't discount my comments. There are plenty of things I am ignorant about. When those things come up...I limit my comments to the little bit I know...and I don't speculate about any of the other stuff. The only time I comment is if I know for sure what I am saying is the truth. You...on the other hand..blurt things out like "shops that won't work on it" simply to further your own viewpoint...with no logical basis for it.

Simple bolt ons are a plus for anyone that wants them...regardless of their experience level. Do you seriously think a shop is going to ask who installed a header or a programmer? No...they won't. If you find something otherwise...in your own real life experience...please post it. Otherwise don't. This guy deserves honest objective responses to his questions. That's what he came here for.

 

[Easy Rider]

.blurt things out like "shops that won't work on it" simply to further your own viewpoint...with no logical basis for it.

It is not "blurting out" anything but simply reporting what others have said in this forum and others like it.
It is true that some shops don't engage in illegal activities......like un-muffled pipes and engine modifications.

And as I've said before, you sir seem to suffer from the "If I have not personally seen it, it certainly does not exist" disease.
The world is MUCH larger than what you can see.

 

[HilbillyKat]

It is not "blurting out" anything but simply reporting what others have said in this forum and others like it.
It is true that some shops don't engage in illegal activities......like un-muffled pipes and engine modifications.

And as I've said before, you sir seem to suffer from the "If I have not personally seen it, it certainly does not exist" disease.
The world is MUCH larger than what you can see.

I have dealt with hundreds of dealers all over the country...doing dealer trades..deliveries etc. I know what I'm talking about.

You still haven't provided a single example to support your statement. Call your local dealer and ask them to refuse business depending on a customer's performance and customizing taste....get ready to listen to them roll on the floor with laughter!

BTW...I had one of the most by-the-book dealers I have ever met on the planet here in Okc...and he would not refuse service for that. (We failed plenty of bikes with illegal exhausts back when we did inspections.)

There might be one out there...your mission now is to FIND THAT DEALER!

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