How far are you willing to go

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 1:16 pm

Hey All,

Here’s a question that I have been thinking about in the short time I have been looking for a 900 F for my wife.

In 2004 we drove 2240 miles round trip from N.Y. to Somerville TN. To purchase a 1980 Moto Morini 500 Strada did it in 4 days with a layover at my cousin’s house.

How far are you willing to travel to purchase a motorcycle?

Spike

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:35 pm

Well of course it would depend on the deal, but I can't see doing anything I could not do in a day trip, unless it was something spectacular like a mint 1100F . Twisted Evil

Most I've done for myself was 200 miles to Maine for what turned out to be an 11F that I discovered had a 750 engine. I had traveled so far I would not go home empty handed and I bought it anyway. Embarassed

It's my parts bike now.

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:58 pm

A friend of mine flew out to Arizona (from here in upstate NY) to buy a ZX14. (Low mileage - 1500 I think, and a VERY good price) Then rode it home. Over a long weekend. IIRC, his plane left Thursday after work, and he was back for work on Monday morning. (Albeit with very little sleep Sunday night)

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:13 pm

spike wrote:

How far are you willing to travel to purchase a motorcycle?

Spike

Hell and back. Depending on what it is and the price.

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 4:24 pm

How far? About 2200km's one direction, over the course of three days it would seem,... taking the following route.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=11798795008308582088,42.967499,-82.389059%3B9393182643312724176,44.427830,-72.033910%3B6641074002998533648,44.441290,-72.025520%3B4594903097185722758,44.485920,-70.741890%3B5119510214405902897,45.093670,-67.469830%3B4487655740430237702,45.295540,-66.045360%3B15167503424712118753,44.994712,-64.032844%3B3494944641383657298,44.954768,-64.027922&saddr=Ross+Ave+%4042.967499,+-82.389059&daddr=43.628123,-73.015137+to:I-91+S+%4044.427830,+-72.033910+to:I-91+S+%4044.441290,+-72.025520+to:Main+St%2FME-5%2FUS-2+%4044.485920,+-70.741890+to:Airline+Rd%2FME-9%2FTony+Tomarro+Memorial+Hwy+%4045.093670,+-67.469830+to:HWY-1+E+%4045.295540,+-66.045360+to:HWY-14+%4044.994712,+-64.032844+to:Unknown+road+%4044.954768,+-64.027922&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=7&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&sll=44.566991,-73.125&sspn=3.256017,6.690674&ie=UTF8&ll=43.389082,-75.9375&spn=13.281715,26.762695&z=5

To ride home one of these:

Tony

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 5:10 pm

TigreST wrote:

How far? About 2200km's one direction, over the course of three days it would seem.

To ride home one of these:

Tony

Ahhh, to feel such pain...

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 5:15 pm

Don't know. I have never been put in that position. I would like to think I would goa coast to coast for the right bike.

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:13 pm

I picked up my 11F in Atlanta and trucked it home. I flew to St.Pete for the Blackbird and rode it home.

Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:26 am

depends on the weather, either coast will do if its nice out! did 3000km once! makes a great excuse for a trip!

Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:30 pm

Well, it depends on how bad you want it..

I took the wife and kids,(3,5,7) in the minivan with trailer and gear.
We left Calgary, and 3 days later we were in California.
We camped for two weeks then...
Hit Socal to pick up my new ride Very Happy

, rode for a day (ditched the wife and kids in Disney Land), got to meet Ray and Papa, Lee and Terry, then trailered the bike down to Sea World for a day.
Drove back through the Grand Canyon the due north home.
3 weeks away time...

I made a few changes, added a rack/backrest for the wife.

To be honest, I'm not sure it was worth it. Shocked

Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:54 pm

a buddy of mine purchased a bike on ebay. We drove from Cedar Rapids, IA to Toledo , OH over a weekend.

I am not saying it was a bad thing, but for a 125cc bike, I wouldn't have.

Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:58 pm

I'm hitting the road sometime around 3AM tomorrow morning to drive all the way to Weymouth, MA to pick up the POS in my signature line Rolling Eyes

.

I'm an idiot Laughing

.

Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:33 pm

pontiacstogo wrote:

I'm hitting the road sometime around 3AM tomorrow morning to drive all the way to Weymouth, MA to pick up the POS in my signature line Rolling Eyes

.

I'm an idiot Laughing

.

All will be forgiven if it comes out looking something like this one.......

Tony

Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:50 pm

Depends on the bike of course. Wink

I drove down to San Diego to pick up a fairly non-functional 1100f. 510miles one way. In the rain. With bald tires. And a check engine light. In a borrowed truck.

Decent deal though.

Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:02 am

I flew to Minneapolis, Mn on a Thurs. night. Drove with my sister, Mom, and brother in law to Madison, WI(made bit of a family visit out of it) on Friday and started working on the bike. My cousin had checked it out initially and picked it up for me. I cleaned, adjusted, changed oil, plugs, and test rode it and had it ready to go by Saturday evening. Drove from there to Denver on Sunday. That is in 2004 and it cost me more to drive the bike back, about $70, than the plane ticket did. $65. I would still rather ride. I drove to Spokane, WA from Denver for a good parts bike. I drove to Telluride, CO for my first 1100F, about 800 miles round trip and easily worth it. I just drove from Denver to Vernal UT for my second 1100F and very well worth it. The awsome views here in CO are a bonus and make these kinds of trips very relaxing and fun. The garage is full now though. Very Happy

Hawk Joined: Oct 07, 2008 Posts: 463 Location: Chino, CA

LA to the SFO Bay area to pick up my two CB's.... about 900 miles round trip.

Would have been cheap at twice the distance/price... always nice to find someone who "just wants them out of his back yard".
Best thing was... he had maintained non-op on both bikes. $140 to pay taxes, title transfer, and restore current tags.
Had he just let the tags expire when he parked the bikes in '04, they would have been over $500 each.

The tins for the F are in my truck

Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:01 am

My friend and I pulled my trailer behind his truck this past spring to bring home my 02 GL1800 w/11k actual miles on it. It was a one day/all day affair from Marion, IL to Huntsville, AL and back. The very next day, the wife found the truck she wanted and had been looking for for 6 months in Gulfport, MS. We left around noon and was in Gulfport by midnight, stayed in the Holiday Inn and bought the truck the next morning. We discovered by midnight we were both getting the flu, didnt sleep more than an hour all night and drove all day(sick) and finally got home around 2am sick as dogs. We were both sick for a solid week and had no desire to peek at our new vehicles in the garage whatsoever. Three days of travel to forget! And yes, they were both bargains! And like someone else stated, not sure if it was worth it, I dont have many of those days left in me, too old and broke down!
beerchug

Kevo

Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:17 pm

580 miles to NH to pickup another ZRX 1100.

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:14 pm

Two long road trips, done solo:
St. Catharines, On. to Oviedo, Fl.-2450 miles round trip-52 hrs-GS1000S clone.
St. Catharines, On. to Oklahoma City-2550 miles round trip-56 hrs-'81 CBX.
And they were both worth it.

Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:00 pm

For the right bike as far as I can get in a weeks holiday without getting fired, Laughing

so thats about 3-4000 miles then Shocked

Tho i do recall driving 250 miles to Southport in the UK for a US CB1100F, which turned out to have been a donor bike for another CB1100F, left with NO engine, NO import docs and the frame number had been used on another bike fitted with a new frame,
so even the legitimate frame number could not be used Crying or Very sad

You can guess..... I turned around, drove for another 7 hours & chalked that one down to experience ! Embarassed

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:09 am

I went about 6 hours round trip for a zrx1200. Not far, but my plans to get a 996 Superhawk from the east coast fell through. I would go coast to coast for the right bike at the right price, as long as I got the "right" feeling from the bike and the seller because you know I'd be riding it home.

You gotta go while you're feeling it!

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:39 pm

So far I havent had to go more than a few hundred miles each way. I have shipped a few bikes and a car as well because fuel costs and tolls made it cheaper. I deliberately try to shop within a 2-500 radius just to keep me honest. The truely sad part is that I love them all. I'd love a honda minitrail, a ct90, a little bitty CL twin, a CB450, a cb750, and damn 2 stroke, vintage MX bikes, Katanas (bastards), ZRX1200 (again, Mango you bastard), CBX's of course, damn near everything including modern bikes too! I even love harleys and triumphs! My wife says I have a sickness. That goes without saying.

That only covers complete bike shopping. I spend the rest of my life shopping for parts! Razz

And now I'm all over the car stuff too. Anyone have a good running 455 oldmobile hanging around? Oldmobile speed parts? Within driving distance? Razz