Trading Motorcycles

nakkers

nakkers

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Alright braintrust of GTAM, a fellow motorcyclist has expressed interest in trading their 2007 BMW R1200S for my Buell S3T.

Like most things, I dismissed it but like an itch needing a scratch I started thinking about it some more.

Took the Buell out for a ride today and have it sorted exactly the way I want. New rubber and front brakes have it stopping and going and turning better than ever. It sounds raunchy and always makes me smile.

Of course I sniff around some bmw forums. The R1200s is a one year only bike but, there is nothing really worrying about maintenance and parts availability as it is made of most things across the R line up.

That single rear side arm, shaft drive looks pretty good.

The model has all the factory options with ohlins suspension, 6” rear rim, complete Akropovic Exhaust, heated grips etc.

Might meet up with the owner tomorrow so both of us can eyeball our rides in the flesh.

I’ve never considered trading a bike before. I’ve let a friend ride my bike and ride theirs for an afternoon. But, trade trade? Lol.

Idk……

I think I’d get the better bike value wise but, also more maintenance.

The Buell engine wise is pretty simple to upkeep.

Guess I’ll report back in a day or two.


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Lightcycle said:
Get that final drive checked out for lateral play and pinion wear.

That model year is right in the middle of the batch that experiences failures. Cost to fix is ~$1000 parts + labour.

DAMHIK

IMG_0657-L.jpg
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A lot of info on the forums. Trying to sift through the fan boys and haters and just get to the real story.

The issue is the model itself wasn’t a big seller. R1100S sold many more over several years and then other models came out.

The R1200S comes without the drain plug and shaft oil is good for the life of the bike.

No owners of R1200S have reported any issues with the drivetrain.

But, the model itself doesn’t get ridden as much as the GS or RT and with the limit number of them out in the wild, there might not be as many owners on forums reporting there issues.

Of course I found a few posts of owners that have several different models along with the R12S with favourable comments.

So, my thought is to talk to the owner for his experience and take things from there.

I don’t get the feeling they are trying to unload it as much as wanting to have a Tube frame Buell like they had in the past. Kinda of like me.

Have the say the S3T Buell riding position is quite comfortable for long day trips.


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nakkers said:
The R1200S comes without the drain plug and shaft oil is good for the life of the bike.
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You should double-check that. A quick Google search seems to indicate that the R1200S does have the EVO Paralever swingarm with the drainhole. Also, Google image search shows the drain hole:

2007-BMW-R1200S-R-Rear.jpg
 
Lightcycle said:
You should double-check that. A quick Google search seems to indicate that the R1200S does have the EVO Paralever swingarm with the drainhole. Also, Google image search shows the drain hole:

View attachment 50912
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That's pretty. Looks more aggressive and less comfortable than the buell.

As far as evaluating the trade, I would think of it as two separate transactions to see if it made sense. "If I was selling the buell, how much would I get for it and what would I want the replacement to do better". "If I was buying an R1200S, what would I be willing to pay and what do I like/dislike about the bike". Maybe everything aligns and it happens. Maybe you realize there's a value difference that can't be resolved (your initial thought was R1200 is worth more but if it has deferred maintenance and buell is up to date that could swing things). Maybe you realize that you dont want an R1200S but would really like a xxx and wouldn't mind if the buell left as part of that quest.
 
GreyGhost said:
That's pretty. Looks more aggressive and less comfortable than the buell.
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R1200S is a nice bike, but the HP2 Sport, which is based on the R12S, is the real bike to get:

989c7229e944db250b0f657e29362b4d92ae657c.jpg


Hotted up race engine (25% more hp) and dripping with carbon fibre.

You'll have to excuse me now, I have to clean up the jizz off my keyboard...
 
Lightcycle said:
R1200S is a nice bike, but the HP2 Sport, which is based on the R12S, is the real bike to get:

989c7229e944db250b0f657e29362b4d92ae657c.jpg


Hotted up race engine (25% more hp) and dripping with carbon fibre.

You'll have to excuse me now, I have to clean up the jizz off my keyboard...
Click to expand...
If he could get that in a trade for the Buell, don't think, just sign.
 
Lightcycle said:
Srsly.

But good luck trying to find one. They were made in limited numbers and are currently a collector's item. You'll most likely have to pry one away from a dead owner's riding gloves...
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May be imagining things, but I recall drooling over one at L&L a few times. Could have been the earlier Boxercup Replica though.
 
Lightcycle said:
You should double-check that. A quick Google search seems to indicate that the R1200S does have the EVO Paralever swingarm with the drainhole. Also, Google image search shows the drain hole:

View attachment 50912
Click to expand...

Thus why I come to GTAM for answers. The forums were not so clear about it.


Thanks.


Ps, figured I would know for certain when I looked at the bike and talked to the owner tomorrow.


It also comes with stock expandable panniers which wasn’t offered until later in the model year.


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Last edited:
Just a side note on tax and trades, I got away with it a few times writing "no money is exchanging hands, it is a straight trade motorcycle for motorcycle, thus I am writing $1 as the sale amount for tax purposes."

The lady behind the counter said, you're supposed to write the value amount, I said "I'm a lawyer and want CRA to come after me." She said no problem and charged me tax on $1

Why should a trade be taxed when it is fact that no currency has exchanged hands. On bikes that have been taxed multiple times. F em. Give it a shot.

The guy formerly known as Mladin.
 
-Maverick- said:
Just a side note on tax and trades, I got away with it a few times writing "no money is exchanging hands, it is a straight trade motorcycle for motorcycle, thus I am writing $1 as the sale amount for tax purposes."

The lady behind the counter said, you're supposed to write the value amount, I said "I'm a lawyer and want CRA to come after me." She said no problem and charged me tax on $1

Why should a trade be taxed when it is fact that no currency has exchanged hands. On bikes that have been taxed multiple times. F em. Give it a shot.

The guy formerly known as Mladin.
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I would do a little more reading on tax law. You are supposed to pay tax even on a barter with no money changing hands. Govt wants their cut and doesnt want to give you a legal way to avoid it.
 
Well, I didn’t realize it but I was the one that actually suggested trade. The fella mentioned he liked my Buell and I said I wasn’t selling but would entertain an interesting trade. Why did I say that? Might have been after a nice single malt because I didn’t remember the original correspondence between each other.

So they did respond with the BMW.

And I might have shown my cards a bit too eagerly looking over the Beemer.

We didn’t get a chance to ride and I got the feeling he wasn’t willing to make a straight trade.

He joked that after hearing me take about his bike, we want sure about getting rid of it. I didn’t help matter when I asked why we wanted a Buell instead. Lol.

So not deal was struck but the door is open for down the road maybe.

My initial thought of trade was to avoid the process of selling and if they had something cool I’d like, why not consider it?

The bike itself is well maintained and no issues. New fluids and rubber and he hasn’t put it up for sale. So maybe he’s just kicking tires too?

In any event, the rush of it all has faded and will enjoy the rest of the season on my Buell.

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and input. It was entertaining and helpful as always.


Cheers!


Sean


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GreyGhost said:
I would do a little more reading on tax law. You are supposed to pay tax even on a barter with no money changing hands. Govt wants their cut and doesnt want to give you a legal way to avoid it.
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I paid zero tax on my new fjr at the dealer. Traded down. If i had traded "even", I would have paid zero tax.
 
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