Part 2
Now, this is what I learned from my "honeymoon trips" to Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and the Netherlands:
- Motorbikes are an emotional thing. So, me as a buyer, I'm not able to judge the condition of a foreign bike correctly as long as I'm "hot and in foolish love with the new bike".
- I can not identify all the weak points of a 40 year old bike only by looking at some bright and shiny internet photos. And even a visit at site and a test ride won't be able to tell me all the important topics that these old two-wheeled ladies keep in stock for us (well hidden...), even if we regard ourselves as true motorbike aficionados.
- Instead of "showing me everything at the first date", the old lady will "show me everything later": Step by step, the bike will teach me everything about all the mistakes, sins, neglected services and other foolish operations that all the previous owners have left in it. And if those old mistakes are big enough, I might even be able to tell which of the former bandits had left it in the bike. (To me, discovering those issues seems similar to the work of a graphology expert or a police detective. Fortunately, that is big fun to me. Otherwise I might already have burnt those damned old bikes down...)
- I have made this "archaeological surprise experience" with all the bikes in my collection. Therefore, when estimating the total budget of a future project in advance, I just double the asking price of an offered bike to get an idea of how much the bike will cost me in total.
A TR1 will be about 1.500...2.500 € in fair condition and about 2.500...3.500 € if it's a really fine one. Let's assume you find a good 2nd gen bike for 3.500 € cash. This means you will need at least 12 months (as Greg mentioned) to fix all the hidden surprizes. And after all that, it will have cost you about 7.000 € in total to have the „fine, well running and totally reliable bike“ that you wanted in the beginning. (Which means: After going through the bike completely, installing e. g. new tires, changing all fluids and so on. And replacing all the "usual culprit TR1 parts" that are broken after 40 years in most cases: exhaust, starter mechanism, cracked plastic parts, corroded cable harnesses, …) And as soon as you have got your first riding impressions on the bike, you might also want to implement some personal modifications: Seat, handlebars, grips, mirrors, luggage rack, suspension, exhaust...
Again: I appreciate your passion for the TR1. Therefore I don't want to demoralize you. I just want to suggest:
„Give your relationship to your upcoming TR1 bike a little while to develop properly.“ Because no 40 year old classic bike will be so kind to become a reliable commuter vehicle in the twinkling of an eye.
Puh - a lot of text so far. So, how to go on? Two proposals:
1) At the moment, a fine 2nd generation TR1 is offered here in northern Germany (about 80 km from my home):
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/yamaha-tr1-1000/2102195076-305-16679Good condition (paint and so on). Mostly original. Only minor modifications (foot rests, handlebars) that could easily be rebuild. Asking price 4.000 € (not fixed). My offer to you, Evros: I could visit the seller and try to find out for you whether that bike (or another one according to your demands) could be a good and reliable deal for you. We could clarify further details via personal message. (This would of course be without any guarantee. As we all know: The 40 year old material can break down in an instant – even when having worked fine until yesterday.)
2) Maybe the next TR1 rally (in Waddeweitz/Germany in August 2023) could be a good opportunity to get your future bike prepared and fixed - by the knowledge and help of the rally visitors. My home is 70 km from Waddeweitz (where Tom/Popeye is located). So, maybe we could get your future bike to me or to Waddeweitz, give it a „full service“ there and preparing it either for shipping it to Cyprus. Or (even better of course) having it ready for
your first TR1 journey (riding it from the rally in Germany to your home
).
Evros, I would be happy if I/we could help you to get exactly the bike that you can "fall in love with". So, let's see what we can organize until summer
.
See you,
Triwinger