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Can I handle a Bird?

Can I handle it?


  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .

Biker

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The build quality is such that quite a few have used them as a commute all year bike. I've always liked the bird because it is a grunt monster, no fancy electronics and it will poodle all day with ease but open her up and the smiles come easily. It will tour, single ride and commute.

Once on the move the weight is not an issue. Some may say (in an old top gear stylee) that the bird is too heavy to flick, I've met some of the folk in here riding round the backroads of Hunstanton to Wells next the sea and I can assure you, they rode in a way quite a few power rangers on their ninjitsu's would struggle to keep up with. I've also used one in the mountains in Italy doing the constant 90 and 180 degree bends near Mugello when we went to watch the moto gp a few years back and kept up with a naked hornet 900 all day long.

I prefer the carbies, failing that pre cat's 2002's but in all honesty any of them would be fit for purpose.

Sounding even better noobie. Going to stick with whatever I get for a while, so I guess its just a case of getting to know the bike.

..I used to pop over to Hunstanton for a fish and chip lunch on the Hornet. No Italy, but good times for me anyway. Ah, those were the days. Need to get a bike soon!
 

andyBeaker

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Sounding even better noobie. Going to stick with whatever I get for a while, so I guess its just a case of getting to know the bike.

..I used to pop over to Hunstanton for a fish and chip lunch on the Hornet. No Italy, but good times for me anyway. Ah, those were the days. Need to get a bike soon!
Well?
 

Squag1

Can't remember....
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Welcome.
I have a problem with mine.
Well, I also have a 1994 BMW K1100,
that has great manners and generally keeps to the speed limit. I don't have to talk to it at all.

The Bird gives me the deaf ear......
So be warned.......we don't do jail visits.
Maybe Derek does :D
 

Biker

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I have had a bit of other stuff going on, but have kept my eye open for a good one. I've had trouble finding one local enough to test ride which has low enough mileage. I guess I need to go out a bit further - I just keep expecting one to turn up on my doorstep. There was a local one just the other day, but noticed that it had the analogue speedo instead of digital on a 2004. On checking out the MOTs online I saw that the last certificate had recorded 22k and the one before that had 78k. Some people are just dishonest money grabbing bastards.
 

andyBeaker

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I have had a bit of other stuff going on, but have kept my eye open for a good one. I've had trouble finding one local enough to test ride which has low enough mileage. I guess I need to go out a bit further - I just keep expecting one to turn up on my doorstep. There was a local one just the other day, but noticed that it had the analogue speedo instead of digital on a 2004. On checking out the MOTs online I saw that the last certificate had recorded 22k and the one before that had 78k. Some people are just dishonest money grabbing bastards.
Don't worry too much about the mileage on a Bird - condition is more important. The oily bits are pretty bulletproof and despite the power output the motor is understressed.

I sold my first Bird with 105k on it and was still going strong at over 160k last I heard.

Second one had 64k I think and that is being used regularly a few years after I sold it.

JAWS I believe has seen a couple with over 1,000,000 miles on them, and there is certainly one in the USA that has also done this, complete with auxiliary fuel tank mounted on the pillion seat giving a 400+ mile range!

Keep an eye on the ads on here, they do pop up from time to time.
 

Biker

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Don't worry too much about the mileage on a Bird - condition is more important. The oily bits are pretty bulletproof and despite the power output the motor is understressed.

I sold my first Bird with 105k on it and was still going strong at over 160k last I heard.

Second one had 64k I think and that is being used regularly a few years after I sold it.

JAWS I believe has seen a couple with over 1,000,000 miles on them, and there is certainly one in the USA that has also done this, complete with auxiliary fuel tank mounted on the pillion seat giving a 400+ mile range!

Keep an eye on the ads on here, they do pop up from time to time.
That is crazy! Feel a bit better about going for one with a bit more mileage then ...if it has been looked after. There is a great looking bird in the classified section, but a little over what I was aiming for price wise. Upping the mileage will extend my search. Thanks!
 

andyBeaker

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That is crazy! Feel a bit better about going for one with a bit more mileage then ...if it has been looked after. There is a great looking bird in the classified section, but a little over what I was aiming for price wise. Upping the mileage will extend my search. Thanks!
Should have said - don't worry about the age either, it's all about condition

In the real world there is little to choose between the carb and FI bike. If you first name is Valentino then the carb bike is a tiny bit quicker on paper than the early FI, which is a tad quicker than the later FI. Either way, all have more than enough for road use.....
 

Biker

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Well I've found a Blackbird I'm fairly happy with. It does have a few light scratches on the right side fairing though - parallel and vertical. Can't see any other evidence of crash damage at all. Could this be a no/low speed drop? What's the general opinion? Would you stay away just based on these scratches? It's 2003, so going to have some sort of light imperfections, right?
 
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andyBeaker

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Well I've found a Blackbird I'm fairly happy with. It does have a few light scratches on the right side fairing though - parallel and vertical. Can't see any other evidence of crash damage at all. Could this be a no/low speed drop? What's the general opinion? Would you stay away just based on these scratches? It's 2003, so going to have some sort of light imperfections, right?
There won't be many 15 year old bikes that haven't got any marks or scratches.

If it has been down the road there would have been evidence elsewhere such as cans, front forks, etc. Whether that has subsequently been repaired is anyone's guess.

Sounds like it may have been gently dropped at a standstill. Not many Birds haven't....
 

Biker

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Thanks Andy,
There won't be many 15 year old bikes that haven't got any marks or scratches.

If it has been down the road there would have been evidence elsewhere such as cans, front forks, etc. Whether that has subsequently been repaired is anyone's guess.

Sounds like it may have been gently dropped at a standstill. Not many Birds haven't....

Thanks Andy, that's what I'm hoping has happened.

I think I'm gonna go for it. Otherwise I'll never get one.

Same owner for last 12 years. 1 previous to that. MOTs show all the way back to 2006, with between between 500 to 1500 miles added each time. Looks like a fair weather bike. Will still probably have to do all the work to it that you guys bang on about, but I guess that's part of the journey.
 

andyBeaker

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Thanks Andy,


Thanks Andy, that's what I'm hoping has happened.

I think I'm gonna go for it. Otherwise I'll never get one.

Same owner for last 12 years. 1 previous to that. MOTs show all the way back to 2006, with between between 500 to 1500 miles added each time. Looks like a fair weather bike. Will still probably have to do all the work to it that you guys bang on about, but I guess that's part of the journey.
Last chance....get a car.

Don't say you weren't warned.....
 

Me!

Utterly retired
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Diesel BMW with non wearing tyres is what you need.
 

Biker

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:BangHead:FFS

So going over the paperwork, the garage said the guy they bought it from has lost the service history.

The V5c has a date of 2011, even though the last keeper change was 2006.

Sounds fishy. Would anyone here buy a bike with no service history? It's old and things do get lost I guess. I bought my Hornet from this garage and that was a great bike, which is probably why I haven't ruled it out yet. Any thoughts?
 

Me!

Utterly retired
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Personally I want everything spot on. Plenty of B.B. out there dozens and dozens. Why settle for something you think maybe a wrong one. Move away from the bike ....
 

Biker

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Personally I want everything spot on. Plenty of B.B. out there dozens and dozens. Why settle for something you think maybe a wrong one. Move away from the bike ....


Thanks. That is my initial reaction, but sometimes I think I'm being a bit over the top with expectations. I've been looking online for a while now and none of them this sort of age and price have been spot on. I'm getting proper bored and pissed off now. They want £3.5k - 21k miles that looks good against all old MOTs. I guess people service themselves when a bike gets this old, don't they?
 
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