So I rode sport bikes for 30 years of my life and then switched to my current 2012 Honda Goldwing. I love my Goldwing, but at times I really do miss going for a ride on a sport bike on very curvy roads in the Austin area.

I have a friend I have known since high school who I know very well and he has a lot of bikes and cars. He just recently bought a 2006 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade from a very rich guy who owns a ton of sport bikes and exotic cars. This motorcycle has been fully upgraded with new brake system, full titanium exhaust ($2,500 alone), Dyno Jet tuner, and several other upgrades. My friend was teaching another friend how to ride a motorcycle in an almost empty parking lot on the weekend and a car who drove diagonally across the lot ran into him. The only damage to the bike is the radiator and right side fairing. He had to get surgery on his shoulder and knee and is expecting a pretty good settlement since the guy cut across the parking lot and hit him.

Yesterday he bought a really nice new Aprilla. He is going to replace the radiator and is willing to sell it to me for $3,500 if I like it after a test drive. He paid $6,000 for the bike. I am really thinking of getting it as it is a good bike for a good price. The biggest issue is replacing the fairing if I want it to look stock as this was a limited edition bike. I am curious of any input you guys may have.


Here is a stock picture of the bike and not the actual bike itself.

Variety is the spice of life.
Just be careful out there.

In the last couple of years, I went from a Africa Twin to a CBR1000rr.

You could not pay me enough money to ride that one or any other "crotch rocket". Now your Goldwing is a different story. Bring it on. Rode a 2005 Honda VTX 1800 F2 for 77,000 + miles (10 years) till it went under 41 inches of flood water in August 2016 . Good cleansing therapry. ....If you see a motorcycle parked in front of a therapist office then it probably belongs to him as that is his release. ................................. drill sgt.

I just bought a used Honda 2015 Grom for my insta-fun bike! When it's tiny and slow, every road is a twisty road! These things seem to hold there value like crazy. I haven't been able to find one for under $2800-3k around me unless it was beat to heck, even though they are only around $3400 new. Got lucky and found a perfect one with 3499 miles for $2K in a little town two hours away. I already have a fast-enough crotch rocket, a good dual sport, and a good offroad. Figure I'd get something purely for around town slow-speed fun. It "is" pretty fun too. No the chicks won't want to ride on the back, but they do want to ride it by themselves !

Is the fairing cracked? If not a good shop can repair and paint it for around 500 bucks maybe a little more but not as much as it would cost for new fairing. I've had a couple bikes that tipped over resulting in scratches and gouges in the fairing that were repaired and looked brand new.

For the money I think you’re doing fine. Just price out those parts online so you don’t have a stroke walking into a dealership.

I'm with Jon price the body parts. How much is he getting from insurance? Looks like NADA retail starts at $4,100 and goes up to $5,400. It doesn't take too much body damage along with a radiator to total a bike like that. If that's the case he'd get $5,400 from insurance.
Regardless I don't think I'd want to have more than $4,500 in the bike after all repairs are factored in, less than that if it'd come with an "R title".

Price and bike seem reasonable, you could just dump the plastic and make it a naked bike unless you really want to dress it back like original.

I'd probably go a different way, sell the 2012 wing take the cash you'd put into the used bike and upgrade to a 2021 Wing without the tour pack, 1800+ CC, cruise, apple car play, it's got more power and options than the 2012 almost a decade newer, warranty and will get around the hill country quickly and comfortably.

I know that sport bikes are good fun, handle better but now prefer a hotter cruising/touring bike myself...

Had the 2004, that it was based on. 2004-2007 Fireblades are solid bikes.

These are extremely solid and dependable bikes. For a street bike upgrading the brakes, exhaust and the dyno jet are actually risks not benefits depending on the what was actually done and I would check on it. its actually easy to screw up Honda perfection. I wouldn't touch it at that price unless its fully repaired including the fairing and a check it was straight. FWIW.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
These are extremely solid and dependable bikes. For a street bike upgrading the brakes, exhaust and the dyno jet are actually risks not benefits depending on the what was actually done and I would check on it. its actually easy to screw up Honda perfection. I wouldn't touch it at that price unless its fully repaired including the fairing and a check it was straight. FWIW.

Very sound advice.

I am okay with the price if the only thing needed is a repair or replacement of one fairing.

I trust my friend, but I will not buy it until I have my own mechanic check it out and I test ride it. He has no problem with either.

He got $2,500 for the damage and the title would be clear. His money will come from the injuries he suffered.

I agree on upgrades and I hope that is decided in the test ride and with the mechanic. I have upgraded the exhaust on every bike I have owned except my 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa and my current 2012 Honda Goldwing. It is pretty nuts how just an exhaust change can make a difference in a bike.

Thanks again for the input.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
These are extremely solid and dependable bikes. For a street bike upgrading the brakes, exhaust and the dyno jet are actually risks not benefits depending on the what was actually done and I would check on it. its actually easy to screw up Honda perfection. I wouldn't touch it at that price unless its fully repaired including the fairing and a check it was straight. FWIW.

I don't agree. I've had mostly Hondas in my motorcycling career. I haven't owned a single one that I have not modified. Braking upgrades could be as simple as stainless lines, and new pads. Could extend to better rotors such Brembos, or even better calipers. OEM provided calipers are Tokicos iirc, and they certainly aren't as good as Brembo calipers. Exhaust is common upgrade as factory exhausts are heavily restrictive. And I've tuned every Honda I have ever had. My Hondas have always run better removing the restrictive exhaust and dyno tuning the bike. I had to change out many things on my one Honda in the garage. Full suspension change, rearseats, clip-ons, exhaust, tuned with auto tune/Bosch correction. An extensive list of modifications to make it better.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Prefontaine,

XerO is right about the Grom. What a hoot to ride. My neighbor has one and I am circling like a buzzard waiting until he gets tired of it. My last Honda was an XL650R. Great bike! I think it would have climbed a telephone pole if I could hold on while it went up. That is when it actually started. It was loaded with BS California emissions that made a cold start a roll of the dice. Cost me some $$ to gut that system and afterward it ran and started like a Honda should. I just checked the Honda website and it shows the 2021 model is still using the same damn carb that contributed to my problems. C'mon, Honda! Try fuel injection already.