Less than 10 minutes after I made the post on the ADV Rider forum, I got the first phone call - he bought the bike. While I was on the phone with him, I had two more calls, with full price offers. A fourth call about a half hour later.
Leads me to believe I under-priced the bike... or maybe I "over-sold" it? I am glad the bike is going to someone who will use it. It's a great bike, just not the bike for our current situation.
Friday, April 5, 2013
The V-Strom is officially for sale...
The HitchHiker is ready to go into storage. With that work done, I had time to get the V-Strom out to take some photos and get it listed on the ADV Rider forum...
---------------------------------------------------------
IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN I DESCRIBED!!!
We are home and have the RV ready to go into storage. With that out of the way, I took the V-Strom out for photos this afternoon...
First, I have to admit: I lied! When I said "less than 5,000 miles," I knew that would be accurate. I guess I had forgotten HOW MUCH LESS than 5,000 miles this like-new V-Strom actually has...
That's right: ONLY 3,782 ADULT-DRIVEN MILES!!! Gracious, this motorcycle is barely broke in!!!
As described, matt black with glossy black trim. The right side...
The left side...
Front...
That is a Windstrom windshield - it does a great job of directing the air off your torso. I am 5' 10" and can easily see over it. The less than pretty sticker on there is required for entry by our homeowners association. We are in a gated community - you don't get by the guard shack without the sticker. (Note to bad guys: 24 hour security, bike is under lock and key, alarm, world's best "neighborhood watch": mostly retired folks
)
Gauges...
Seat and tank...
Rear...
Rear tire...
I know what you're thinking: "Oh, my goodness, Jim - it hardly has any wear on it!!" You're absolutely right - did I mention it only has 3,782 miles on it?? Seriously, if you think this is amazing, wait 'till you see the front tire...
You're right - it does look a lot like the rear tire with VERY LITTLE WEAR ON IT, because there is only 3,782 miles on the bike!!
Any skeptics out there thinking, "Maybe he put new tires on the bike?" Really? I am a straight-shooting, up-front kinda guy. But, just to prove to any non-believers out there, here is a shot of the peg...
Yep, looks like new, huh? That's because the bike only has 3,782 miles on it.
Now, a disclaimer: I rode the bike for a bit this afternoon, so it has a few more miles on it... like a grand total of 3,786 miles. I know what you're thinking again: "Wow, Jim!! You should ask EVEN MORE for this bike because it only has 3,786 miles!!"
No, I said, "$5,000" and I will NOT raise the price. Yes, even though the bike is actually a better deal than I first mentioned. That's the kinda guy I am.
Someone who is going to ride it needs to buy this bike. I have been riding a 150cc scooter for the past few weeks... I used to think this DL 650 V-Strom (some may call it a "Wee Strom", but there is nothing "wee" about it, other than the noise you will make when you are riding it!!) was a "little bike." No, after riding the scooter, this thing is a fire-breathing dragon that will almost pull your arms out of their sockets!! Really, someone needs to buy this bike before I change my mind.
This bike will be available for sale for the next 3 to 4 weeks. We are heading out again around the 1st of May, so it has to be paid for and picked up by then. Otherwise, I will take it off the market and ride it some more when I get back in the fall.
This is a VERY CLEAN, LOW MILEAGE, FINE EXAMPLE OF A V-STROM!! If you have any questions, e-mail me at eiwizATaolDOTcom (you know what to do with the "AT" and the "DOT", or you shouldn't be allowed to use a computer). An e-mail will get my phone number and you can asked me any other questions by phone.
Quite a few folks have contacted me by e-mail and PM. I have responded to all, and will send the link to this thread once again to let folks know that I have posted photos (just like I said I would, 'cause I am a man of my word). We are located in the southern tip of Texas (South Padre Island area), and several have asked about flying in and riding the bike home. I will pick you up at either the Brownsville or Harlingen airport, bring you to the bike, and give you directions for how to get out of the area (it's one road in, the same road out - pretty easy).
No warranty or guarantee given or implied. The bike is the way I originally said, as you can see from the photos. OK, it's actually BETTER than I said, but that's the way I do business.
First one who pays for it gets it. If no one realizes what a great deal this is and plunks their cash down on it, it goes off the market at the end of April.
No, it's not going on eBay, Craigslist, or anywhere else where people who don't appreciate a great adventure cruising/touring bike might lurk. I understand the premise of "inmate to inmate" offered here ad ADV. This is being offered in that spirit.
Subliminal suggestion: buy this bike!
Best wishes,
Captain Jim (aka: Jim Bathurst)
-------------
On edit, the photos are cropped a bit on here. Check out the actual thread...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21118765#post21118765
---------------------------------------------------------
IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN I DESCRIBED!!!
We are home and have the RV ready to go into storage. With that out of the way, I took the V-Strom out for photos this afternoon...
First, I have to admit: I lied! When I said "less than 5,000 miles," I knew that would be accurate. I guess I had forgotten HOW MUCH LESS than 5,000 miles this like-new V-Strom actually has...
That's right: ONLY 3,782 ADULT-DRIVEN MILES!!! Gracious, this motorcycle is barely broke in!!!
As described, matt black with glossy black trim. The right side...
The left side...
Front...
That is a Windstrom windshield - it does a great job of directing the air off your torso. I am 5' 10" and can easily see over it. The less than pretty sticker on there is required for entry by our homeowners association. We are in a gated community - you don't get by the guard shack without the sticker. (Note to bad guys: 24 hour security, bike is under lock and key, alarm, world's best "neighborhood watch": mostly retired folks
)Gauges...
Seat and tank...
Rear...
Rear tire...
I know what you're thinking: "Oh, my goodness, Jim - it hardly has any wear on it!!" You're absolutely right - did I mention it only has 3,782 miles on it?? Seriously, if you think this is amazing, wait 'till you see the front tire...
You're right - it does look a lot like the rear tire with VERY LITTLE WEAR ON IT, because there is only 3,782 miles on the bike!!
Any skeptics out there thinking, "Maybe he put new tires on the bike?" Really? I am a straight-shooting, up-front kinda guy. But, just to prove to any non-believers out there, here is a shot of the peg...
Yep, looks like new, huh? That's because the bike only has 3,782 miles on it.
Now, a disclaimer: I rode the bike for a bit this afternoon, so it has a few more miles on it... like a grand total of 3,786 miles. I know what you're thinking again: "Wow, Jim!! You should ask EVEN MORE for this bike because it only has 3,786 miles!!"
No, I said, "$5,000" and I will NOT raise the price. Yes, even though the bike is actually a better deal than I first mentioned. That's the kinda guy I am.
Someone who is going to ride it needs to buy this bike. I have been riding a 150cc scooter for the past few weeks... I used to think this DL 650 V-Strom (some may call it a "Wee Strom", but there is nothing "wee" about it, other than the noise you will make when you are riding it!!) was a "little bike." No, after riding the scooter, this thing is a fire-breathing dragon that will almost pull your arms out of their sockets!! Really, someone needs to buy this bike before I change my mind.
This bike will be available for sale for the next 3 to 4 weeks. We are heading out again around the 1st of May, so it has to be paid for and picked up by then. Otherwise, I will take it off the market and ride it some more when I get back in the fall.
This is a VERY CLEAN, LOW MILEAGE, FINE EXAMPLE OF A V-STROM!! If you have any questions, e-mail me at eiwizATaolDOTcom (you know what to do with the "AT" and the "DOT", or you shouldn't be allowed to use a computer). An e-mail will get my phone number and you can asked me any other questions by phone.
Quite a few folks have contacted me by e-mail and PM. I have responded to all, and will send the link to this thread once again to let folks know that I have posted photos (just like I said I would, 'cause I am a man of my word). We are located in the southern tip of Texas (South Padre Island area), and several have asked about flying in and riding the bike home. I will pick you up at either the Brownsville or Harlingen airport, bring you to the bike, and give you directions for how to get out of the area (it's one road in, the same road out - pretty easy).
No warranty or guarantee given or implied. The bike is the way I originally said, as you can see from the photos. OK, it's actually BETTER than I said, but that's the way I do business.
First one who pays for it gets it. If no one realizes what a great deal this is and plunks their cash down on it, it goes off the market at the end of April.
No, it's not going on eBay, Craigslist, or anywhere else where people who don't appreciate a great adventure cruising/touring bike might lurk. I understand the premise of "inmate to inmate" offered here ad ADV. This is being offered in that spirit.
Subliminal suggestion: buy this bike!
Best wishes,
Captain Jim (aka: Jim Bathurst)
-------------
On edit, the photos are cropped a bit on here. Check out the actual thread...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21118765#post21118765
Thursday, April 4, 2013
This horse may be ready for the glue factory...
No, the RV and the truck are just fine; I'm talking about the "old horse" that runs 'em down the road. This moving in and out of one conveyance to another is just wearing me out. We managed to get a lot near our house, and we're using a cart for things we can pile on there... but, it still is like moving a household... OK, except for the fridge and washer/dryer. ;-)
On the bright side, Mother Nature granted us a great day for all this manual labor: it is about 71º, sunny, with a relatively cool north wind.
It is mid-afternoon... about 4 1/2 more hours of light. I don't have 4 1/2 more hours of work left in me. Joan, of course, is like the EverReady Bunny.
On the bright side, Mother Nature granted us a great day for all this manual labor: it is about 71º, sunny, with a relatively cool north wind.
It is mid-afternoon... about 4 1/2 more hours of light. I don't have 4 1/2 more hours of work left in me. Joan, of course, is like the EverReady Bunny.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
This horse is headin' for the barn...
We planned to stop for the night around Corpus Christi... maybe get off the road reasonably early, have a nice meal out. Yeah, scrap that.
This morning, we awoke to rain. Thunder and lightning. Pulling in slide-outs and putting away utilities isn't much fun in the rain. The area in front of the 5th wheel was about 4 to 5 inches deep in muddy water.
We put everything away and hit the road. In the rain. And cold: 44º. The heaviest of the rain band followed us to San Antonio. On the bright side, the traffic wasn't bad. By the time we turned south out of San Antonio, the rain let up.
We committed to running on by Corpus Christi and headed for the Texas home. A tailwind was a treat on the way south. Not so much fun on the eastern run out to the coast. We juggled the bikes, the rental trailer, and the 5th wheel, and are settling in for the night.
As usual, little Izzy was an outstanding traveler - SO easy going!
Home, sweet home. For 4 weeks or so.
Not much exceptional occurred today, other than...
* We were nearly run off the road by a Wal-Mart semi! The right lane was closed without any signage... I think it scared the crap out of him as well as us. Not blaming him, since it happened around a curve - and the barrels in that lane just appeared!!
* Texas drivers really are the most aggressive of any place we've driven. The lane changing, no turn signals, cutting back close in front of you crap is wearing.
* As we turned off Expressway 77 and onto Highway 100 (the last bit of highway to the coast), a guy ran the stop sign right in front of us... and then looked pissed at me when we both hit our brakes. Fortunately, we weren't going too fast, but "use caution when you open cabinets, because the contents may have shifted while enroute!!"
------------------
If you make it back to yesterday's post of "Will it go 'round in circles?", I have added photos.
This morning, we awoke to rain. Thunder and lightning. Pulling in slide-outs and putting away utilities isn't much fun in the rain. The area in front of the 5th wheel was about 4 to 5 inches deep in muddy water.
We put everything away and hit the road. In the rain. And cold: 44º. The heaviest of the rain band followed us to San Antonio. On the bright side, the traffic wasn't bad. By the time we turned south out of San Antonio, the rain let up.
We committed to running on by Corpus Christi and headed for the Texas home. A tailwind was a treat on the way south. Not so much fun on the eastern run out to the coast. We juggled the bikes, the rental trailer, and the 5th wheel, and are settling in for the night.
As usual, little Izzy was an outstanding traveler - SO easy going!
Home, sweet home. For 4 weeks or so.
Not much exceptional occurred today, other than...
* We were nearly run off the road by a Wal-Mart semi! The right lane was closed without any signage... I think it scared the crap out of him as well as us. Not blaming him, since it happened around a curve - and the barrels in that lane just appeared!!
* Texas drivers really are the most aggressive of any place we've driven. The lane changing, no turn signals, cutting back close in front of you crap is wearing.
* As we turned off Expressway 77 and onto Highway 100 (the last bit of highway to the coast), a guy ran the stop sign right in front of us... and then looked pissed at me when we both hit our brakes. Fortunately, we weren't going too fast, but "use caution when you open cabinets, because the contents may have shifted while enroute!!"
------------------
If you make it back to yesterday's post of "Will it go 'round in circles?", I have added photos.
Plunged into the dark ages...
Last night at the crappy RV park was interesting: no data signal. There was incredibly slow wifi available in the office of the adjoining motel. To add to the pleasure of the slow signal, there was no air conditioning in the muggy office.
Oh, muggy because of the low overcast. a 30 amp connection at our not-even-close-to-level site... we’re used to a 50 amp connection so we can run the a/c and the microwave at the same time. It was raining when I walked back from the motel office. Joan made us a late supper, then we settled in to watch some satellite TV... until a thunderstorm eliminated our satellite signal. Heavy rain.
I know we are near a river, but I don’t know which one. Thunder and lightning all around us... oh, that crack of lightning and thunder was REAL close! We’re so far out in the boonies that we can’t get TV off the antenna. Hey, just for fun, let’s add some hail to that pounding rain and lightning. This is probably my fault: I did say, “Well, if we get some rain, maybe it will settle all the dust in the air.”
Yeah, we’re living large. ;-)
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Will it go 'round in circles???
Give yourself 50 bonus points if you remember that song. Another 50 if you knew it was by Billy Preston.
We drove all day and are still in west Texas. We left El Paso with a sight tailwind... the trip computer was showing over 11 miles per gallon. Joan and I switched off after a stop to check on the rig... and about 30 seconds later, a gust front hit. The rig shuddered and was working hard to stay in 6th gear. We switched back. Nothing Joan was doing wrong, punching into a 40 mph headwind takes some gear shifting to keep the truck in its sweet spot. The mpg dropped to 7.4.
After an hour of headwind, it turned to a crosswind... which is always fun. Then died off. Then a crosswind from a different direction. Then rain with a crosswind. The temp dropped to 50º (it had been 76º a few minutes earlier). Tailwind. Headwind. Crosswind. The next tank averaged 8.9 mpg.
We had hoped to make it to the northeast edge of San Antonio... that didn't happen. We are down for the night at a Passport park connected to an Econo Lodge. One of the reviews said, "An OK stop for the night, the lady at the front desk was friendly."
She must have had the day off today. I got the crabby one. When I asked if they could accommodate our length in the RV park, she said, "We've had bigger 'n that before. Jus' go pick a spot."
This is not the crappiest park we've ever stayed in, but it is definitely in the bottom 2.
On the bright side, there is no data signal to be had... I am in the lobby of the Econo Lodge with a wifi connection that is slower than dial-up.
So, there won't be any photos today... not that there was anything scenic enough to take a photo of... but Izzy was a sweetheart all day.
More in a day or so.
-----------
On edit: the photos...
The day started out decent...
OK, not much to look at when you've seen the view time after time. We punched into the gust front and the temp dropped over 20º in just a few minutes...
And overcast...
The wind howled, but little Izzy was laid back and relaxed...
Yes, that is sweet the way she has a paw on her Daddy.
The RV park was really more of a parking spot behind the Econo Lodge...
They may have had "bigger 'n that before," but we were hanging out on both ends. At least the view was ...
Well, OK, that sucked, too. But, it was late, we were tired, and there isn't a lot of choice in this part of the country. I now call it "Sphincter-Land"... because there was a guy on a forum who took exception to me expressing my opinion of west Texas when I wrote: "If you were going to give the country an enema, you would insert it in west Texas."
This day/night didn't do much to change my opinion. ;-)
We drove all day and are still in west Texas. We left El Paso with a sight tailwind... the trip computer was showing over 11 miles per gallon. Joan and I switched off after a stop to check on the rig... and about 30 seconds later, a gust front hit. The rig shuddered and was working hard to stay in 6th gear. We switched back. Nothing Joan was doing wrong, punching into a 40 mph headwind takes some gear shifting to keep the truck in its sweet spot. The mpg dropped to 7.4.
After an hour of headwind, it turned to a crosswind... which is always fun. Then died off. Then a crosswind from a different direction. Then rain with a crosswind. The temp dropped to 50º (it had been 76º a few minutes earlier). Tailwind. Headwind. Crosswind. The next tank averaged 8.9 mpg.
We had hoped to make it to the northeast edge of San Antonio... that didn't happen. We are down for the night at a Passport park connected to an Econo Lodge. One of the reviews said, "An OK stop for the night, the lady at the front desk was friendly."
She must have had the day off today. I got the crabby one. When I asked if they could accommodate our length in the RV park, she said, "We've had bigger 'n that before. Jus' go pick a spot."
This is not the crappiest park we've ever stayed in, but it is definitely in the bottom 2.
On the bright side, there is no data signal to be had... I am in the lobby of the Econo Lodge with a wifi connection that is slower than dial-up.
So, there won't be any photos today... not that there was anything scenic enough to take a photo of... but Izzy was a sweetheart all day.
More in a day or so.
-----------
On edit: the photos...
The day started out decent...
OK, not much to look at when you've seen the view time after time. We punched into the gust front and the temp dropped over 20º in just a few minutes...
And overcast...
The wind howled, but little Izzy was laid back and relaxed...
Yes, that is sweet the way she has a paw on her Daddy.
The RV park was really more of a parking spot behind the Econo Lodge...
They may have had "bigger 'n that before," but we were hanging out on both ends. At least the view was ...
Well, OK, that sucked, too. But, it was late, we were tired, and there isn't a lot of choice in this part of the country. I now call it "Sphincter-Land"... because there was a guy on a forum who took exception to me expressing my opinion of west Texas when I wrote: "If you were going to give the country an enema, you would insert it in west Texas."
This day/night didn't do much to change my opinion. ;-)
Monday, April 1, 2013
Rollin', rollin', rollin'...
Though my ass is swollen. Keep those wheels a rollin'. I-10.
We pointed the rig east, with the plan to make as many miles as we could take. There were several accidents on I-10 in Phoenix, so we didn't pull out until 9:00. Heading east, we are going to lose two hours with the time zones.
We blew past our occasional stop of Benson. By the time we passed Willcox, I had my sights set on Demming, NM. You may have heard me say there isn't much across eastern Arizona, all of southern New Mexico, and the vast west Texas. Well, today, we were entertained by dust devils...
I stopped counting after a dozen. On the bright side, the wind was mostly a tailwind!
We stopped frequently, since we can't see the U-Haul trailer behind the 5th wheel. Yep, we look for the shadow. And stop at almost every rest area.
This rig went by us several times...
It was a rickety-looking trailer piled high with stuff. I expected to see that stuff spread all across the desert, but as far as we know, it held together.
With the tailwind, we averaged better than 10 miles per gallon. We came upon Demming, and set the GPS for El Paso. An accident combined with construction putting 3 lanes into 1 slowed us through Las Cruces. Well, it stopped us for a while... it made the long driving day seem even longer.
By the time we pulled into the campground just inside the Texas border, it was this time...
We hurried to get setup while there was still light...
Little Izzy was a superb traveler today - never made a fuss. She settled in quick when we got down...
We did over 400 miles today; not bad considering the frequent stops. Less than 1/3 of the way home, and the rest of it is all in Texas... 550 miles of it in west Texas.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'...
We pointed the rig east, with the plan to make as many miles as we could take. There were several accidents on I-10 in Phoenix, so we didn't pull out until 9:00. Heading east, we are going to lose two hours with the time zones.
We blew past our occasional stop of Benson. By the time we passed Willcox, I had my sights set on Demming, NM. You may have heard me say there isn't much across eastern Arizona, all of southern New Mexico, and the vast west Texas. Well, today, we were entertained by dust devils...
I stopped counting after a dozen. On the bright side, the wind was mostly a tailwind!
We stopped frequently, since we can't see the U-Haul trailer behind the 5th wheel. Yep, we look for the shadow. And stop at almost every rest area.
This rig went by us several times...
It was a rickety-looking trailer piled high with stuff. I expected to see that stuff spread all across the desert, but as far as we know, it held together.
With the tailwind, we averaged better than 10 miles per gallon. We came upon Demming, and set the GPS for El Paso. An accident combined with construction putting 3 lanes into 1 slowed us through Las Cruces. Well, it stopped us for a while... it made the long driving day seem even longer.
By the time we pulled into the campground just inside the Texas border, it was this time...
We hurried to get setup while there was still light...
Little Izzy was a superb traveler today - never made a fuss. She settled in quick when we got down...
We did over 400 miles today; not bad considering the frequent stops. Less than 1/3 of the way home, and the rest of it is all in Texas... 550 miles of it in west Texas.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'...
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