Post by simon0867 on Oct 19, 2014 7:36:00 GMT -5
I've had the TGB up on Gumtree (a kind of UK Craigslist) as a non runner for two weeks now, and boy has it been an experience !
I seem to have had every idiot in the western world get in touch with me. The bike was clearly listed as a non-runner, and I advised that any buyer would need transport to take it away. I put it up for £250 ono which I thought was reasonable (I'd have taken £200), I also highlighted it's history and the attempts I had made with my limited technical knowledge to get it back on the road, which should have narrowed down the potential issues to anyone with half a brain. Finally I made it clear I was not interested in swaps/exchanges.
Despite this I have...
Been offered a PS3 and a Motorola phone
Been asked to deliver to Glasgow and Aberdeen
Been asked if it was a good runner (that really pi**ed me off, I mean how stupid was this guy)
Been asked to spray more starter fluid in it (basically to show I'm not a liar !)
Been promised collection by three buyers who then backed out at the last moment with various dumb excuses (including "sorry I bought a games console !!)
Been bumped by one guy who drove all the way down from northern Scotland, in a van, and then decided he didn't want it !
So in light of this experience I have come to a decision. I have one more potential buyer who might come along this evening, (although to say my hopes are not high would be putting it mildly). If this is another no-show or some cretin expecting a fully working superbike then I'm giving up and going back to getting it fixed. There is a motorcycle garage near me who have a great reputation, can collect the bike, quote for the work required, and have lots of experience with TGB's (Edinburgh traffic wardens used them before switching to Honda's). I'm guessing the bike needs a new cylinder, gaskets, possible piston rings as the issue seems to be compression. My thoughts are any repair quote of £200 or under is acceptable and anything much above this really isn't worth it.
So the question is, am I being realistic here, or is this repair likely to cost far more than that? Parts for the bike are readily available and pretty cheap (piston, cylinder, gasket and rings kit on eBay costs £43 inc P&P). I appreciate that labour is the big unknown and scooters do need a lot of plastics removed before you even get to the source of the problem.
Never dealt with repairs like this before as the previous scoots I've had have been under warranty (or been Honda's which just never seem to go wrong) so any thoughts would be welcome.
Thanks guys
Simon
I seem to have had every idiot in the western world get in touch with me. The bike was clearly listed as a non-runner, and I advised that any buyer would need transport to take it away. I put it up for £250 ono which I thought was reasonable (I'd have taken £200), I also highlighted it's history and the attempts I had made with my limited technical knowledge to get it back on the road, which should have narrowed down the potential issues to anyone with half a brain. Finally I made it clear I was not interested in swaps/exchanges.
Despite this I have...
Been offered a PS3 and a Motorola phone
Been asked to deliver to Glasgow and Aberdeen
Been asked if it was a good runner (that really pi**ed me off, I mean how stupid was this guy)
Been asked to spray more starter fluid in it (basically to show I'm not a liar !)
Been promised collection by three buyers who then backed out at the last moment with various dumb excuses (including "sorry I bought a games console !!)
Been bumped by one guy who drove all the way down from northern Scotland, in a van, and then decided he didn't want it !
So in light of this experience I have come to a decision. I have one more potential buyer who might come along this evening, (although to say my hopes are not high would be putting it mildly). If this is another no-show or some cretin expecting a fully working superbike then I'm giving up and going back to getting it fixed. There is a motorcycle garage near me who have a great reputation, can collect the bike, quote for the work required, and have lots of experience with TGB's (Edinburgh traffic wardens used them before switching to Honda's). I'm guessing the bike needs a new cylinder, gaskets, possible piston rings as the issue seems to be compression. My thoughts are any repair quote of £200 or under is acceptable and anything much above this really isn't worth it.
So the question is, am I being realistic here, or is this repair likely to cost far more than that? Parts for the bike are readily available and pretty cheap (piston, cylinder, gasket and rings kit on eBay costs £43 inc P&P). I appreciate that labour is the big unknown and scooters do need a lot of plastics removed before you even get to the source of the problem.
Never dealt with repairs like this before as the previous scoots I've had have been under warranty (or been Honda's which just never seem to go wrong) so any thoughts would be welcome.
Thanks guys
Simon
