03-31-2020, 09:32 AM
A year ago today, it was a Saturday, and I was concocting a cohesive argument to convince my wife that I needed the 2013 CB1100 that is currently sitting in my garage. My '07 BMW had developed an intermittent ABS glitch that was going to be a $2700 repair if it became a permanent glitch. I loved the bike, but realized that if I sold it while the problem was still intermittent, I could get much more for it.
I had been perusing listings for FZ-09s, and had decided that I wanted one to replace the BMW. But, I couldn't find one that hadn't been customized to the point that I would still want it, and the low-mile original units I could find were still above what I thought I could sell my BMW for while throwing in a bit more money. On a whim, I looked at CB1100s on the local Craig's List, and there she was. I remembered how much I admired them when they were new, but they were always too expensive for my budget.
By Friday night, my wife and I were having dinner with friends, but the thought of the CB was swirling around in my head. Saturday afternoon, while taking a walk with my wife, I explained to her that the BMW was basically a ticking money bomb, and that if I sold it soon, it would be worth more and be much more attractive to a potential buyer. I also explained that I had found a potential replacement bike that, if all went well, should cost about what I could get for the BMW in its fully functioning condition. Not getting my hopes up for a bike that I had only seen on a computer screen, but hey, should be a win-win, right?
I'm sure that she could tell that I had given this quite a bit of thought, or at least worked hard to try to convince her. I showed her a picture of the bike in the listing, and she replied, "well, it is pretty. Why not call the guy?"
The stars couldn't have lined up better. The CB was pristine, a deal was struck, and I quickly found a buyer for the BMW who wasn't concerned about the ABS, since he wanted to make a custom out of it. Even money to move from the BMW to the CB.
And, I found an online community of guys who are, let's just say, a little less snobbish than some BMW owners.
Still a win-win!
I had been perusing listings for FZ-09s, and had decided that I wanted one to replace the BMW. But, I couldn't find one that hadn't been customized to the point that I would still want it, and the low-mile original units I could find were still above what I thought I could sell my BMW for while throwing in a bit more money. On a whim, I looked at CB1100s on the local Craig's List, and there she was. I remembered how much I admired them when they were new, but they were always too expensive for my budget.
By Friday night, my wife and I were having dinner with friends, but the thought of the CB was swirling around in my head. Saturday afternoon, while taking a walk with my wife, I explained to her that the BMW was basically a ticking money bomb, and that if I sold it soon, it would be worth more and be much more attractive to a potential buyer. I also explained that I had found a potential replacement bike that, if all went well, should cost about what I could get for the BMW in its fully functioning condition. Not getting my hopes up for a bike that I had only seen on a computer screen, but hey, should be a win-win, right?
I'm sure that she could tell that I had given this quite a bit of thought, or at least worked hard to try to convince her. I showed her a picture of the bike in the listing, and she replied, "well, it is pretty. Why not call the guy?"
The stars couldn't have lined up better. The CB was pristine, a deal was struck, and I quickly found a buyer for the BMW who wasn't concerned about the ABS, since he wanted to make a custom out of it. Even money to move from the BMW to the CB.
And, I found an online community of guys who are, let's just say, a little less snobbish than some BMW owners.
Still a win-win!
