New to BMW - should i buy a 2004 r1150r

[anubis93611]

Hello all, friend is selling a 2004 BMW r1150r, here the description..
'

35,211 open road miles, new in 2006, major service at 31,507 miles, ABS, catalytic converter replaced by straight pipe, exhaust lowering kit (allows use of a full size left bag), brand new bags & mounts (warranty work), extra set of oversize bag lids for touring, low smoked windscreen, wired and switched for aux lights by dealer, mounts for aux lights, superhot headlamp, solo rider pan (replaces rear seat), heated grips, turn signal cancel module, 115 db. horn (wired by dealer), good rubber, 3 front seats: high, medium, and low. 2 rear seats, rider’s manual w service history, misc aluminum billet parts.

Scratch on right jug from high curb. Solo seat pan has light scratches. $5900.00

Ive been riding a 2003 Yamaha Roadstar cruiser since new.. but im bored.. any of you double up on this bike? im 6'2", would the lowering footpegs help me??

Most importantly.. is this a good deal??

let me know!!


thanks all..

John

[chibbert]

Sorry - don't want to spoil your milk but in my opinion, it's not a good deal. There are lots of extras there but none of them are really valuable. I think $4500 would be more doable. I sold a bike (R1150R) with half as many miles for less money (than you are quoting) and although I didn't have enough seats for the whole family, I did have quite a few extras. If you could get it for say $4750 I think you wouldn't be getting hurt.

[morrie]

I have an 04 R1150R ABS with many aftermarket extras, roughly comparable to the one you are looking at. With 14,000 miles on it, I sold it six months ago for more than the price you quoted. I just bought it back with 14,500 miles, for slightly less than your price. I don't think you can get hurt too badly at that price, especially if you can get it down a few hundred. Having said that, I see a lot of these bikes advertised at irrationally high asking prices, even non-ABS models. I think ABS models should be worth about $1000 more than non. You will generally find more affluent buyers for them. I think $6,000 and below is the price range for ABS bikes in very good shape, so I wouldn't place too much stock in those higher asking prices.

I had lowered pegs on mine and removed them because they were dragging all the time.

[BMWEW1]

I tend to side more with Morrie. I've seen much higher prices (at least asking prices) than $5900 for a comparable ABS bike. But I do agree with Chibbert that some of the "options" add little to no value. If you can get it down to $5500 ballpark then sell off some of the extra seats and anything else you don't wan't and get closer to $5100 I think you have a very fair deal. I often go to ebay to see what things have sold for to gauge price ranges since it often reflects fire sales to full retail.

[WorkinMan]

I look at this a bit differently, John. The bike is worth, for the most part, it's value to YOU. Last July, I paid $6500 for a 2004 NON ABS with just over 3400 miles on it, because it was worth that to ME. I KNEW I was paying top dollar and I didn't care. This bike had never been in the rain, garage kept, and owned by a 70 year old retired cop 90 miles from me. (So I could check it out before purchasing it) It was absolutely like a brand new BMW. Furthermore, I have ridden ABS bikes and didn't feel the need to buy one. I've been riding for 41 years and I never needed it yet, so maybe I can go another 41 without it. I wouldn't have paid any more for ABS than I did for non abs. But that's just me. I also figured that 6500 bucks for what was basically a brand new BMW was a bargain. To this day, I feel like a got a good deal, and the deal gets better every time I ride it. I do buy, fix up and sell bikes from time to time, and if I was doing that in this case, I would have looked for a better bargain. As it was, I was looking for a bike for me to keep and ride for several years, so price was not the issue. The bike was.
Just my 2 cents...
Chris

[mcdader]

I would do some research and see what the prices are like in your area. I just paid $6k for 04 rockster, but it only had 7k miles. Seemed reasonable to me for the miles.

[Keppelj]

Prices are all over the place, depending apparently on where you are. Of the valuations I've looked at Kelly is usually highest, Nada in the middle and MCN lowest. I'm in NW WA. There may be bargains around but where I was shopping recently, sellers are asking Kelly prices and getting them for outstanding bikes. I paid $5800 for an '02 with low miles which I thought was good hereabouts. I have seen two good mid to late 90s' R1100R's sell for nearly that. I guess I agree also with WorkinMan that in the long run it's worth paying a premium to get what you really want.

[All4Blakey]

I agree that the price really depends on your location.

I posted here when I was looking for an RR. I was frustrated by the difference in value between Nada and KBB. In the end I had to just keep my eyes open and pay attention to what was out there.

Here in Southern California, these bikes seem to hold their value better than other area around the country. ABS models were consistently listed for around $7K. Just remember that these bikes really have a niche market. They don't move that quickly in most areas, so patience is your ally.

My entire foray in to buying an RR took a bit over a month, and all of the bikes in my area that were for sale were still available when I finally bought my RR. I talked the guy down almost $1K from his original asking price and once I finally went there to look at the bike, we haggled back and forth at least a few times.

So, my best advice is to take your time. Go slow, and don't be afraid to negotiate over a period of time.

Good luck.

[chibbert]

Something else to try is www.craiglook.com

It isn't necessarily what the true value is but will show you quickly across the country what people are asking for the exact same bike.

Try this pre-prepared link

R1150R search http://craiglook.com/all.html?q=2004+r1150r

[Keppelj]

Hmmm. Didn't know about that Craiglist sampling tool. Cool, chibbert, thanks for posting it!

[craigleo]

I think, motorcycles are like golf clubs. Usually a person golfs better and enjoys playing if they "like" the club's look and feel. It is kind of the same with motorcycles. I am not
an expert on motorcycle values. I know that r1150r is a torquey monster sprinting motorcycle with great balance and great high speed stability. A new R will cost you triple the 5900 by the time you get boots, helmet, jacket.
Look around and go with your emotions or intuition?on this one. Most people get a motorcycle as a toy. It is for fun. Ride a few. Does the bike make you go hahahahahahaha as you are tooling down the road? Do you like the color?
R's are rocking fun respectable motorcycle. If it is a typically mechanically sound BMW, you will probably be very glad you got it.
Leo

[chibbert]

I think, motorcycles are like golf clubs. Usually a person golfs better and enjoys playing if they "like" the club's look and feel. It is kind of the same with motorcycles. I am not
an expert on motorcycle values. I know that r1150r is a torquey monster sprinting motorcycle with great balance and great high speed stability. A new R will cost you triple the 5900 by the time you get boots, helmet, jacket.
Look around and go with your emotions or intuition?on this one. Most people get a motorcycle as a toy. It is for fun. Ride a few. Does the bike make you go hahahahahahaha as you are tooling down the road? Do you like the color?
R's are rocking fun respectable motorcycle. If it is a typically mechanically sound BMW, you will probably be very glad you got it.
Leo

This I cannot argue with.

[All4Blakey]

+1

I had to be a little more practical because I commute on my R. I knew from the moment that I test road one at a dealership that I would eventually buy one because when I walked in after the test ride Tina told me I had a stupid grin on my face.

She knew it was just a matter of time.

It didn't take that long though, within a couple of months, I was riding around on an R.

I commute, but it's also loads of fun on the weekends! And I'm going on a weekend trip for the first time.

Love the versatility!

[Remow2112]

Price is very region dependent. I bought my 2004 r last year for 6500. ABS, system cases, high seat, and 13k miles with brand new tires. It seemed like a good deal. Truth is there does not seem to be a ton of these bikes out there. So if it grabs you, I would grab it.