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Guell
| | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 08:58 am: | 
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Honestly, if you like to mess with a bike, mod it, tinker with it etc, then a tuber will keep you plenty busy for a long time. |
Bigdaddy
| | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 08:59 am: |
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2dlfyer,
I'm in the Hickory area and I will be getting rid of a '02 M2 soon. It needs some new tires and it's ready -- w/Corbin seat  |
Dave_02_1200
| | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 10:32 am: |
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Looks like a good deal to me.
I have a 2002 M2 that I bought last year with 1,900 miles and paid 4,900.
I paid more than I would have had to for other higher mile bikes but it is absolutely perfect and it has become my all-time favorite bike.
I good clean M2 is a wonderful thing. |
Brinnutz
| | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 05:52 pm: |
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I paid $43XX for my 2002 M2L Grey/Orange with 4,500 miles.
Mine also came with the PM wheels, and a couple of extras... |
Captainkirk
| | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 06:29 pm: |
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To me, the Grey/Orange combo is one of the most visually exciting color schemes I've seen on the M2. In fact, one of my dreams is to build a custom S1 in that color. If it costs a wee bit extra, pay it. Someday the collector value will reimburse you. |
2dflyer
| | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 12:45 am: |
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Unfortunately the one I was looking at sold but it served the purpose of getting the blood going. A week ago I wasn't thinking tuber, now you guys got me all jacked up on them. |
Captainkirk
| | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 12:41 pm: |
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I bought my M2 the year the Firebolt debuted, knowing full well what was coming in the XB series, but not getting the same emotional feedback from them. I don't consider that a mistake. Whatever bikes I own, I'll always keep the M2. Yes, it's that good! |
Brinnutz
| | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 12:49 pm: |
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2d...should have went with the gut.
Good luck finding another one with that scheme!
Mine will never be for sale again...unless dire circumstances need it to be done. |
Hippyjoe
| | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 10:23 pm: |
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Everybody here has a good point. But imo don't regret the used Buell you didn't buy. The trick is buying the right one for you so you don't end up regretting the one you got, lol.
Just for comparison, here's an X1W with 22k miles, asking 400 more than that M2 but taking offers and it's an X1W after all...
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/21/ 433395.html?1234148109
Then there's Firemanjim's S1W RoC for 3500, low miles and not many cooler looking bikes than this anywhere...
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/21/ 401742.html?1234029092
imo this would be possibly the coolest roadgoing Buell ever, if you could get it registered.
If you're hell bent on a Cyclone just keep your eyes peeled on ebay, you'll find a low-mileage 02 for ~3k... or an 00/01 for the same price in the classifieds here... that's what I've noticed in the past few years, consistently. It'll happen. |
2dflyer
| | Posted on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 10:22 pm: |
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No regrets. The right bike will come along at the right time. Y'all have just opened my eyes to some other possibilities. Thanks! |
Hippyjoe
| | Posted on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 10:27 pm: |
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Here's an orange/gray 02 Cyclone in FL, 7k miles, original owner is 50 years old, bike is in his possession, 4500 buy it now, got bid up to 2250 on the bay, reserve not hit. Maybe he'll make a deal, he just lost a decent chunk of change with the listing...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-BUELL-M2-CYCLO NE-LOW-MILES-1-OWNER_W0QQitemZ200302975948QQihZ010 QQcategoryZ49983QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem |
2dflyer
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 12:32 am: |
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Nice. Thank you. The only thing concerning is the home made pipe. Does the front cylinder look like it's been running hot?
How do people handle long distance transactions? The furthest I've gone to buy a bike is 250 miles, but it was at a dealer. There's no way I lay out cash sight unseen. How do people do this? |
Outdoors
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 08:23 am: |
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I have bought a couple bikes at a distance with only pictures and telephone descriptions to go by. You need to be pretty careful however things like carfax checks, bank lien checks, reverse telephone number checks, address checks, etc can assist to substantiate the seller. The biggest issue is building some trust in the seller. My most recent, distance purchase was a '79 Bonnieville. The seller stated he was the original owner and after numerous conversations I came to "believe" that he was really a Brit bike guy and was being honest with me. I bought the bike and it was exactly what he described and what I wanted at a super price. Some sellers will take it to a dealer for a check over if you pay for it. Buyer beware! |
Hippyjoe
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 10:42 am: |
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There's no way I lay out cash sight unseen. How do people do this?
The best way is to have a friend or ask a badwebber in the area who can check it out for you, also where you can stay so you can check it out at leisure and not get stuck buying it just so you have wheels to get back home.
I myself have a 4-cylinder diesel and a small bike trailer, so i get 30+ mpg towing, so i could take a mini vacation/road trip if I saw a bike i had to have. If it couldn't make the trip home, in which case I'd expect to pick it up dirt cheap, which isn't the case with this 02. the dude knows he has a rare color and he's holding out, apparently.
If it was unmolested at 7k miles and the owner sounded legit over the phone, you could probably do a fly-n-ride.
I didn't notice the "homemade header" which looks like a stock pipe with a straight-thru can. You are right, I wouldn't be too eager to jump on this one... the pipe looks blue on both cylinders... when you lose the muffler it leans out the mixture, also with the airbox changed out. You need to ask if the carb was rejetted. Looks like it ran hot, which may have made the rings tired, maybe not.
At that price, which is top dollar, and that distance, I'd stay away from it, unless you can contact him and get him to come way down... and if he sounds legit.
I'd also try to put the stock equipment back on it before riding it back home. Looks like he may have "rigged" the muffler mount and possibly the y-mount up front, both of which are critical to avoid broken studs at the head. Not to mention the jetting issue.
Like I tried to say earlier, don't sacrifice basic common sense mechanicals for a pretty color scheme. look around on the old school board, there are a lot of examples of people having major mechanical problems. You need to know what to look for and what questions to ask a potential seller. You can always bolt on shiny colors down the road, but if the bike is knackered internally... chrome don't get ya home, neither will a spiffy color scheme.
along those lines, tube frame buells really are hot rod harleys, or "hot xl's" as the saying goes, where it matters most, which is the drivetrain. You need basic harley wrenching skills to keep one of these puppies going over the long haul, or else it will be a never-ending drama with clueless dealers and know-it-all service "technicians."
Buell goodwilled some basic fackups of his own for a few years, but the harley internals also need attention, and if you can't do things like change cams or clutch plates, you should maybe look into an xb-platform, which in many cases are currently going cheaper than the tubers. Especially an '04-up, where you won't need to tear into the gearcase to change the opd gear.
I was riding harleys for 20 years before i came over to buell, it took me along time to get used to the idea. So I know how to keep a harley going. It's sad to see a lot of guys jump on a buell from a jap bike, then scratch their heads when the oil pump takes a dump or a cam lobe disintegrates... or they buy a bike from a kid who overreved it and then a valve drops out of the head. At 3k+ entry fee, it can become an expensive learning curve real quick. Knowledge and preventative maintenance are key, that is why it's called the knowledge vault, lol.
Then there's the "lemon factor," which can also rear its ugly head in any vehicle purchase, harley/buell is no exception. You really need to know what you're looking at... or just trust to dumb luck, lol.
just my .01... good luck. |
Hippyjoe
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 02:14 pm: |
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Here's one you could ride home from Florida.
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/21/ 435017.html?1234370285 |
Hippyjoe
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 02:44 pm: |
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This one kind of makes my point about getting one for cheap...
12k miles, original owner, $2k, yellow/purple X1
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/21/ 435070.html?1234380721
It's in Ohio and needs a rear shock. If you buy this one I will donate my updated shock that I replaced with a Penske. I'll even kick in the bracket if you need it. Don't even know why I'm saying this, lol.
Keep looking, you'll find the right bike. |
2dflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 12:26 am: |
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Man. Buying one of these things will really put the excitement back into a vehicle purchase won't it? This is certainly unlike any other bike I've ever considered, and for reasons I never would have thought of.
I get that tuber ownership comes with an understanding that developing an intimacy with your ride is the price of admission. Maybe it's part of the attraction. Others get to farkle up their rides but most will never know torque specs on head bolts or open it up on a Sunday to swap cams. I'll never make a living turning wrenches but it doesn't scare me off either.
My thing is with 5 kids, two dogs, a cat - why I'll never understand - and everything that comes along with it, we're just balls to the wall all the time. Ashamed to say I haven't even changed my own oil in over 3 years.
I also wouldn't call myself cheap, but I'm... Well, maybe cheap is right. No. Value oriented with nothing but credit to my name is more like it. You know how it is. You just want to be sure what little money there is isn't being pissed away. I really should heed my wife's and make sure I'll still have a job 3 months from now before going off on something.
So maybe a tuber isn't the best fit right now but I also see these things as something you can buy and never part with. Kinda like the ongoing hobby/project that becomes not so unlike an old dog. This is really starting to sound like a KLR650 thread.
Okay that was all a bit much but I can see where other bikes may come and go but the tuber keeps its spot under the cover. So maybe the elusive quality I've been looking for in a bike isn't in the bike itself, but in the relationship that develops. So maybe this is the perfect time for a tuber. Or maybe it's just time to check my meds.
Hippyjoe - thanks much for the shock offer and advice. |
Fuzzy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 02:13 am: |
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feels like an "amen" belongs here... |
Littlebuggles
| | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 02:41 am: |
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"with 5 kids, two dogs, a cat... haven't even changed my own oil in over 3 years."
Start changing your own oil and you'll have the extra $ to pay down the credit then have the money to take a nice weekend trip to Ohio and buy a sweet bike for a screaming deal. (That X1 looks awesome, too bad he's got to sell it).
Bought my bike in 01 from a fellow who's tax shelter didn't work out so well, it was six months old and had 1100 miles on it. I paid his asking price and had a nice weekend trip (1400 miles or so round trip) with the wife to get it and bring back in a borrowed truck. Found it on the yahoo classifieds, after a few calls vin check and some emailed pics I went out with a bank check. Test rode the thing and it was just as described. I've been a skeptical person for a long time but also believe in trusting my gut. Worked out great.
If you buy from a badwebber who's been here a while you can read their posts to get a taste of what sort of person they are... prolly a bit safer than a sight unseen ebay buy (though their scoring system and feed-back can be a useful aid as well).
-Mike |
2dflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 09:59 pm: |
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I've been a skeptical person for a long time but also believe in trusting my gut. Worked out great.
Words to live by. One thing I am finding is a lot of the bikes I looked at are offered up by people new to the forum but none of them are more than 10-12 hours from here.
I don't have debt to pay down but cash flow is more like a trickle. So if cash is short why pay someone to change the oil? Time. I'm really paying them to rotate the tires. It's an afternoon for me. Maybe I should take that money and buy a real floor jack, stands, impact, compressor, etc, etc. |
Littlebuggles
| | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2009 - 02:25 am: |
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I hear you - tire rotation at home can be a pain.
Well, you won't have to rotate the tires on your bike  |
Hedcase
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 08:05 pm: |
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Perhaps after considering all that goes into a relationship with a tuber, you might think about an XB? It's the natural progression of (Buell) things.
When I've finally become tired/fulfilled with my rewarding/frustrating Cyclone experience then I'll definitely consider the XB platform for my future motorcycling grins. |
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