Gentlemen, Thank You for all your comments, very helpful.
@Jim, the bike is used. Two previous owners, first was a gent of 74 who bought the bike after forty years without riding and he found it too much for him so hardly used it. It's a 2019 bike with less than 2,000 miles. Current owner is a private seller and says he has six other bikes so needs to sell something - has just bought a Honda NX750 and reluctantly selling the RE. Pricewise, saves a
lot on the new price. Found a dealership selling a very similar used bike, also under 2,000 miles, but £1300 more expensive. Plus the bike has a number of aftermarket extras, mostly ones you would want such as silencers, alloy mudguards and a comfy 'touring' seat, not shown in the photos. The original parts are all included in what looks like a good deal.
@jetmechmarty, glad you posted that video. The guy appears genuine in trying to give a helpful picture to prospective buyers and I'd say the points he makes are balanced. So I watched right through. Obviously his major points on the downside are finish and reliability. The other points about price, remaining budget and dealerships are to an extent particular to him and the self-imposed constraints of his video series. It certainly seems true that the RE dealer network in N America has been problematic for years.
Reviews in Britain have noted that the finish on RE 650s lags a bit behind Kawasaki W800 and Triumph, which therefore means you need to keep on top of cleaning. The REs are built down to price. However, not been many reliability issues have been reported - speedo cables replaced under warranty and loose head bearings on a few bikes were the main ones noted. In general, people say the new REs are reliable.
Having mentioned the better finish on Kawasakis, my W800 which I have used & abused for ten years, is starting to show its age. If I buy the RE, it will be my main summer ride and the W800 will be in effect a bad weather/Winter bike. I really should put the W800 up on the lift and give it a good seeing-to. Grease s/arm, lube hinges, try and deal with rust on the frame and so on. But that's another story.
And if I buy the RE I will need to get rid of at least one other bike. Four bikes in the garage is too many in my view, three is OK but my long term aim is two.
Think about that and the implications for Miss November don't need to be spelled out.
Even after a night, still have thinking to do. I would like to buy the Interceptor and maybe that's because I'm more a rider than a mechanic? Plus at our age, got to think,
how many more summers of riding have I got left? And on the money side, Mrs points out that you can't take it with you.
So, still thinking.
Have said I will call the seller today. Meantime, more photos for you chaps:
View attachment 263423View attachment 263424View attachment 263425
@Adamc, if I buy it, might start a thread.
. Now I want one
