[etcallhome]

First post in a few years. Been looking for a 650 at a fair price but few and hard to find. Yesterday found a 03 400 with 12000 photos on Craiglist looked nice . After talking with man he sent more photos and a lot more damage and scrapes. He wouldn't come down on price so walking a way .
This morning found a 05 400 with 2200 miles been ridden 3-400 miles in last 3 yrs since man bought it. He was asking 2700 and offered him 2500. Looks brand new, should be leaving here in about 30 min to go look and maybe ride it home.
Time will tell , will be safe and careful .
Hoping I'm not making a big mistake !!!

 

[NormanB]

You will be OK any mistake you do make will be fairly cheap at the price point you are pitching at.

 

[Mel46]

If that is indeed the mileage then I don't think you can go wrong IF he didn't wreak it, which doesn't sound like he did. My 06 only has 3200 on it now because i am one of those 'older' individuals who only ride in fair weather. You will love the 400. It isn't as powerful as the 650 but it does quite well on the road. My wife and I ride 100 - 120 miles at a time with little effort.

 

[etcallhome]

Rode it home , put about 50-55 miles , rode in some rain coming home but missed the very hard rain by maybe 1/4 mile or less. Came up the interstate anywhere from 60- to o80 mph. Didn't think I was going 70 looked down and doing just shy of 80. Came off throttle because MD State Trooper doesn't like the speeding.
Pulled in front lawn and put down the side stand ,engine shut off ,right now. Then could not figure how to get the thing started , after about 10 min remembered what the guy told me about putting down the side stand.
Seems to have good power, yes the 650 would have been, but the way it came up the interstate I was very happy.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[Scootereno]

Congrats! You got the same year as mine and I love mine very much. You will find out that you were actually doing about 10% less mph than indicated. They all do that by design. They are a good machine and with a little tlc should last you a while. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Duster]

Speedo off by about 8 to 10%....
if it indicated 60...subtract the 6=54 MPH
if indicated 70...subtract the 7=63 MPH
& so on.....most motorcycles are like this.
The mileage recorded on the odometer
is usually pretty close.

 

[etcallhome]

Thanks ,after you mentioned about the speedo ,my old 1980 CM400 Honda speedo is off.
I do have a few questions , how hard is it to change rear tire. Not needing to do so till this fall . Also missing the toolkit for my bike , checked a few sites but so far no luck. So just wondering what are some good web sites for parts ?

 

[Buffalo]

Getting the wheel off the bike is as easy as removing the wheel on a car. You just remove the lug nuts and take the wheel off. However before you get to that point you have to remove the muffler and the muffler bracket to get enough clearance to pull the wheel off. It's a good idea to have a new exhaust gasket on hand before you start just in case the old one is not in shape to reinstall.

 

[Buffalo]

As for online places to get parts, click on the Knowledgebase link at the top on the page and when it opens click on the OEM fiche and you will find links to a bunch of online sites.

 

[etcallhome]

Thanks for that info. I know I will be asking questions from time to time . Filled it up today had gone 186 according to trip gauge and not sure if owner had reset at his last fillup or not ,because I only put in 1.8 gal of gas. I do know I had ridden 74 miles because trip gauge had 112 miles when I rode it for the first time. The gauge was on the low side of 3/4 when I left his place. From what he told me he was only riding around town and some times to the 2 other towns 8-15 miles away and maybe no interstate riding. Either way I'm happy !!

 

[303 whodat]

Congratulations I have 30k miles on my 05, and it's running great. The add ons I love the most are my BeadRider seat covers and Dr. Pulley sliders. Ride safe, ride Often!

 

[Mel46]

Can you get any more stuff on that scooter!? Have a Givi hard tailbox on mine and thought that would be enough. You must do some real traveling on that little scooter. I love mine but if I was considering a lot of long distance riding I would have gotten a 650. Well, just be safe, and congrats on reaching the 30K mark. Mine is a 2006 and only has 3300 miles on it. I guess I should be doing more riding.

 

[303 whodat]

The bag hanging off the back is accidental, it usually goes inside
The bags hanging off the side are good quality, but very small. Amazon lists them as 12 liters each.

Amazon.com: Tour Master Select Motorcycle Saddlebag - Black / 15" L x 5.5" W x 11" H: Automotive,

I had bought them thinking they were bigger. When I met the seller from craigslist I felt bad, so I bought them from him.

The bag behind the Bearcat backrest (thanks Brad!) Is actually a great addition... it's a Fox Shuttle tank bag. I turned it sideways, gives me a lot more room. Expands to hold a full face plus all of my go pro mounts and some tools.

I don't tour really.. I live 40 miles from Denver, so when I ride with my local scooter group there I end up doing 90 miles round trip plus the travel route.

This weekend we're heading to Deckers, CO. Looks like a great ride, will be almost 200 miles for me including travel time to the coffee shop we start from.

http://goo.gl/maps/si8DX

Meet at 9, kickstands up at 9:30am. Come on down!

 

[etcallhome]

300 whodat, I've got a bag about the same as yours on the seat. Love mine can put rain gear ,boots ,extra shirt , a towel put a small lunch bucket just in main area not counting the side pockets. Seen you have the raised back rest on drivers seat. I'm thing about either buying one or making one to raise mine.
Mine is now some where around 2550 or about 200 miles for me .Coming home this evening (first ride to Morgantown ) with a wind I was able to pick up speed in one location where the 80 Honda cm400t might hold its speed. Happy so far guess time will tell. Tomorrow I'll put about 75 miles on before the day is over