[subafreak]

The KLR I'm looking at seems like a kickass deal. Here is as detailed description as I can muster considering I'm kinda new to this game.
2000 KLR
35k miles
no doo fix
some of the farkles are:
happy trail boxes and rack
GIVI tail box w/ flashing LED tail light and extra helmet straps
heated grips
grip protectors (bark busters?)
corbin seat w/ small tear in it
progressive springs up front w/ fork reinforcement bar
center stand w/out a foot peg though?
the bottom bash guard
heavy duty XL pegs

The guy says he has taken really care of it and that he is the second owner after a Yosemite NP officer.
The plastic is really faded pocked, the front fender is broken in a spot and the rear sprocket is so worn that the teeth look like dorsal fins on sharks. this doesn't inspire confidence in the maintenance record, but it is not something that is hard to replace... The tires are okay, but they are street and probably don't have much life left in them.

I'm not too sure what shape the back shock spring is in, but it sags a bunch and kinda acts weird according to my BMW GS friend... the same friend also says I shouldn't pay more than 1,500 for it but the guy who owns it wants 2,000 minimum...

My thoughts are that if there are a few problems I can fix them pretty cheap and since I'm not embarking for another year, I can give the engine a good going over and get real familiar with it so that when I'm on the road and something goes wrong, it's not a big new challenge. I'm also only 23, I don't think I need a super nice bike (my BMW buddy swears I should buy his GS650) and it doesn't have to be in the greatest condition.

Anyway, any advice on this sort of thing would be great and if you have any further questions I could definitely try to answer them. Also, if I remember anything that I forgot to mention above I'll post it too.


Thanks!

 

[Crashoverride]

KLR are pretty easy to find, I would keep looking or stick with a lower asking price. You have a good eye, there are a lot of things you can check for to see how well they took care of it.


Crash

 

[pdwestman]

subafreak,
Current average Market Values, with-out Farkles.
NADA $1795.00
American Motorcyclist Association $1495.00

Aug. 2014, Clymer $1690.00

The only question is, How Much are His Farkles Worth To YOU?
And Overly Worn Items should be a 'Deduction'.

Over-all, his price sounds 'with-in reason' to me .

 

[subafreak]

I guess my attraction to the bike is that it's practically adventure ready and I don't have to spend an extra grand or two getting a fresher bike to that point. Having said that, I haven't looked into the availability of used boxes, skid plates etc etc... Is it easy to come by used gear like that? I've scanned the marketplace and it seemed like most of it was riding gear such as jackets and helmets.

 

[tnj4uga]

Buy it and start enjoying!

The used bike gear isn't so easy to find. My $.02 - if you trust the guy, buy it.

It doesn't sound like you want to spend the time, money and effort to outfit a bike and this one has what you're looking for. If, in your mind, you overpay by a couple of hundred bucks, so be it. The bike is ready to go and the search is over. The exact bike at the exact price isn't worth the wait to me (not for a couple of hundred bucks at least).

 

[chuckjr]

I would keep looking. I got my 08 for 2k bucks with 12k miles

 

[Damocles]

Price seems within reason, to me.

Only question: Do you want the bike?

Or, do you want to become No. 1 on the podium of the Great International Olympic Hagglers Games?

An opportunity exists; seize it unless a couple of hundred dollars one way or the other is more important to you than the instant enjoyment of KLR ridership.

Your call.

But . . . please let us know your decision!

 

[subafreak]

whelp, the way I look at it is that for the KLR, parts are a dime a dozen, and the adv gear isn't quite as cheap/widely available. This bike has some killer aftermarket farkles going on so I think I might go with it and rely on the easy to work on aspect if anything goes wrong with it. I have about a year before I embark on my nationwide journey so I'm hoping to have encountered any major problems by then and have em fixed.
Also from an experience standpoint, I would rather fix the mechanical issues of the bike than do a load of research into what farkles I would want, although I do love doing that.
speaking of that, I've been looking at the 685 and 70(5?) rebuild kits for the klr in case something is the matter with an engine w/ 35k miles on it.
Anyway,
I don't want to be number one haggler, I want to be as practical as possible, and not having to deal with buying farkles and instead learning the workings of my bikes seems just down that alley.
I'll definitely let you guys know what I decide, and I'll probably start a thread with highlights of my ownership of the bike!
Thanks for the great advice guys!