KiwiYamaha

Hello All, I wanted to say thanks again to everyone who chimed in and helped steer me towards the purchase of my Raider!! I am now a very happy and excited owner of a 2008 Raider. (Actually, technically the Credit Union owns the bike....but that aside ) I went for option 3, it felt right and i couldn't be more than happy with my new Raider! Just wow. I have wanted this bike for several years since i saw it come out, and now i have one of my very own and she is sitting in my garage as i write. I feel so lucky to be able to have this bike. I met the seller (and the bike), for the first time at the bike store here in Colorado near where the seller lived. It was a 2 hour drive away, so i had a good friend drive me. I was prepared to complete the transaction all in one visit. $38USD for a pre sales inspection and I was happy to hear the technician confirm the bike was indeed in immaculate condition. The seller was lovely, 69 years old and as his wife doesn't want to ride any more, i was able to get what i believe was a good deal on a bike that has been well cared for and looked after. I now truly believe the seller when he told me he polished it after every ride. It really is showroom condition. It was a 2 hour ride back from the store where i completed the purchase, to where i live here in Denver. How amazing it felt to be free again on a bike. It was 75F on Saturday, (that's 23C for you Brits), and how I loved feeling the air temp rise and drop as i rode up Interstate 25 towards Denver whilst looking at the snow capped Rocky Mountains on my left. I truly was grinning ear to ear. Anyhow, big thanks again to everyone who assisted here and helping me make the right decision. I couldn't be any more happy. I plan on doing a few basic mods. She is currently in my garage with the rear fender off as I plan to clean up the back end and show of the 260 Tire that she has on her - I am installing the Blaster X Integrated LED tail light and also installing a side mount license plate on the left side. She will look amazing. Cant wait to ride to work and show my friends. Here is a link to a photo I took of my new Baby on Saturday once i had her home! More to come once i complete the clean up of the rear end. External link to photo: p.s Not sure why i cant upload into the forum here? Do we have a size limit? It says i can only upload a 0.09MB file here?!?

Thanks Cynic. I do appreciate it. i think I am leaning on door 3 also. My my first bike was a Vulcan classic 1500 97' that I bought in 2011 and had only a couple of years. it was a lot of fun.....for a while but it had massive electrical issues. Pumped over $800 into it but nobody could fix it. I ended up selling it and I'm excited to get another bike, my dream raider. Something feels off about the first bike also. He did only have it a year and he did buy it from a dealer who sold it cheaper as they still had it on the showroom floor beginning of 2015, but I have had a few people question the force it took to bend that brake lever and whether or not that did something else unseen to the eye. gahhh decisions. But bike 3 it might be. Stay tuned

Thanks Kev. Question regarding exhaust valve. Is that easy fix and should it be on there?

Cynic, out of interest what do you consider cheap for bike 1?

Thank you Cynic. Very much appreciated. I am leaning towards Bike 3 for sure.

Hi Drewpy, Thanks for the reply.Much appreciated. I guess, i wasn't sure which of the 3 bikes was the best. I am leaning towards the 7K Bike. And to confirm that is $7K USD, so that would be around £4,923.98.

Hi There, I am getting really close to purchasing my first raider and am pretty excited. In my area(ish) there are 3 Raiders i am looking at. Any advice from people on these forums with regards to what you think about the 3 options below is very much appreciated. (1) The 2013 Raider: $6600 - Color of bike is Candy Red. Pros: Only 600 Miles on odometer Is a 2013 model (newest of the 3 i am looking at) Located 15 minutes from where i live. Has the cobra black pipes (even though they are scratched a little), can i clean these up? Paint over them and make look like new again? (More about this damage below in the CON section) Can buy today for only $6600 (Seller has come down from the original agreed $7000 as he moves out of state in 4 weeks time). Priced cheap as (a) Owner leaves state in 4-6 weeks and would like to sell, he has a lien on the bike still and would like to break even and get out of it (b) The bike was knocked over in a carpark whilst at a standstill, few cosmetic issues - see below (c) I think he got cash from the Insurance company already and didnt put it back into the bike. Fair enough? Bike already had its 500 mile maintenance and seller has receipts. Seller has agreed to me taking bike to shop to get the damage checked out (at my expense). Cons: It has a few scratches and marks on the pipes from when it was "dropped" (At standstill, hit by a truck apparently). The right brake lever is also heavily bent as shown in the photos. I still haven't taken it to shop. *See photos of this bike and the damage i talk about here in this other post from a few weeks back. "Buying A Raider that was dropped - Advice please" Link below. There is an exposed cable near the back right foot peg. (Can be seen in this photo here: http://postimg.org/image/7q1rjtcup/ ) - I am still not 100% sure what the cables are. The seller wrote today and advised... "The cables controlled a butterfly valve that prevented backfiriing on the stock pipes that had an opening for the valve, I havent found an aftermarket pipes that have a place for the valve" As i am not mechanically minded, and as i have never owned a raider, I am unsure if this is plausible answer. Seems a bit off. Thoughts? I feel weird buying a bike with a few scratches on it. Maybe just my OCD. But it is a 2013 with only 600 miles... Insurance quote was approx $4000 for the fixes. The shop who did the damage assessment told me this over the phone, however they dont have what actually needs to be fixed, said their computer system is out dated... or something to that effect. The seller said he doesn't have the Insurance quote the shop gave him either but is happy to go into the store with me to get it. Shop says damage report to get an estimate to fix bike up is $200 just for the estimate. It is another $115 for pre sales inspection. Maybe i can work a deal. (2) The 2009 Raider: $6000 Color of bike is Black. Pros: Bike is black, i think i like black over red? Interested on other peoples preferences. Seller will sell for only $6000. The cheapest of the 3 i am looking at. Lives in a smaller town in a remote area. (See cons below) Modifications complete are side mount license plate and turn signals integrated into rear tail light. Looks nice. Owner said "Hes been turning wrenches for 25 years", hes a mechanic so i thought this may mean bike has been well looked after New Rear tire last year 240 Size, good tread on front tire. Comes with quick detach saddle bags that can be removed in seconds and leave no trace on bike. Bike has no record of maintenance from a Yamaha Dealer. Said he did all the oil changes himself? Is that easy on this bike? Someone told me once if the seller cant provide receipts for maintenance... walk away. Would you guys agree? Is this a red flag? Cons: Bike is located 300 Miles away, So i haven't actually had a chance to see it in person. I would fly to look at it and (hopefully), ride it back. Assuming it checked out OK. Thoughts on this? No After market pipes, other 2 bikes do have the Cobras. I am not a fan how the factory stock pipes look. 5800 Miles on Clock? (Is this a lot for a bike?), compared to the 600 miles of the 2013 raider above, i placed the 5800 miles on this bike as a con. Flights to destination is $400 this weekend, or $150 if i went in a couple of weeks times. (3) The 2008 Raider: $7000 - Color of bike is Red with the Factory Flames on tank Pros: Bike is in immaculate condition Has Cobra sweep exhaust, chrome version and and they look really nice. Cruise control, Lean &Mean chin fairing, Curb dragger front fender Side bag hardware and bags Custom grips. "Show room condition". Cons: 4860 Miles on Odometer (Not really a Con as i believe this number is pretty low for a 2008 Bike), but its more than the 600 miles on the 2013 raider above. 2 Hour Drive away. Rear tire is 260 which is nice. But i am not sure about tread. I believe the tire has done about 4000 miles. Would the bigger tire effect the actual odometer reading? Is the most expensive of the 3, is also the oldest of the 3 bikes. This Bike also has no record of maintenance from a Yamaha Dealer. This seller also said he did all the oil changes himself?

KevtheRev, i am still in the process. Finally got my loan properly approved. But I am now in a dilemma. 3 Raiders are for sale, and like all good things, there are pros and cons to each. But i have the money now and i would like to buy. Any advice from yourself or anyone else on these forums much appreciated. The 3 options are below. I might post this in a new thread also to get input from others. (1) The 2013 Raider: $6600 - Color of bike is Candy Red. Pros: Only 600 Miles on odometer Is a 2013 model 15 minutes from where i live. Has the cobra black pipes (even though they are scratched a little), can i clean these up? Paint over them and make look like new again? Can buy today for only $6600 (Seller has come down from the original agreed $7000 as he moves out of state in 4 weeks time). Cons: It has a few scratches and marks on the pipes from when it was dropped (At standstill, hit by a truck apparently). The right brake lever is also heavily bent as shown in the photos. I still haven't taken it to shop. I am still not 100% sure what the exposed cables near the back right passenger foot peg. The seller wrote today and said, "The cables controlled a butterfly valve that prevented backfiriing on the stock pipes that had an opening for the valve, I havent found an aftermarket pipes that have a place for the valve" As i am not mechanically minded, and as i have never owned a raider, I am unsure if this is plausible answer. Seems a bit off. Thoughts? I feel weird buying a bike with a few scratches on it. Maybe just my OCD. But it is a 2013 with only 600 miles... (2) The 2009 Raider: $6000 Color of bike is Black. Pros: Bike is black, i think i like black over red? Seller will sell for only $6000. The cheapest of the 3 i am looking at. Modifications complete are side mount license plate and turn signals integrated into rear tail light. Looks nice. Owner said "Hes been turning wrenches for 25 years", hes a mechanic so i thought this may mean bike has been well looked after New Rear tire last year 240 Size, good tread on front tire. Comes with quick detach saddle bags that can be removed in seconds and leave no trace on bike Cons: Bike is located 300 Miles away, So i havent actually had a chance to see it in person. I would fly to look at it and (hopefully), ride it back. Assuming it checked out OK. No After market pipes, other 2 bikes do have the Cobras. I am not a fan how the factory stock pipes look. 5800 Miles on Clock? (Is this a lot for a bike?), compared to the 600 miles of the 2013 raider, i placed the 5800 miles on this bike as a con. Flights to destination is $400 this weekend, or $150 if i went in a couple of weeks times. (2) The 2008 Raider: $7000 - Color of bike is Red with the Factory Flames on tank Pros: Bike is in immaculate condition Has Cobra sweep exhaust, chrome version and and they look really nice. Cruise control, Lean &Mean chin fairing, Curb dragger front fender Side bag hardware and bags Custom grips. "Show room condition". Cons: 4860 Miles on Odometer (Not really a Con as i believe this number is pretty low for a 2008 Bike), but its more than the 600 miles on the 2013 raider above. 2 Hour Drive away. Rear tire is 260 which is nice. But i am not sure about tread. I believe the tire has done about 4000 miles. Would the bigger tire effect the actual odometer reading?

Hi Guy's, thanks for the assistance. I am still in the process of purchasing. I have finally been approved from the lender and down to a couple of bikes. Regarding this particular raider and these cables i had questions on. I asked the current owner who is selling them. He just replied, "The cables controlled a butterfly valve that prevented backfiriing on the stock pipes that had an opening for the valve, I have found an aftermarket pipes that have a place for the valve" Does this sound plausible? I am not very mechanically minded and as i have never owned a raider to date, i wouldn't know if this is true or not and was hoping you guys might lend advise on his reply. The raider is a 2013 model. James

Awesome, who is meatloaf?! Yeah as he said it was something to do with the exhaust as these are after market. I have the bike booked into the shop 1pm Saturday for pre sales inspection so I'll confirm then also. I'll have them check out all the concerns.

Hi Guys, im looking at purchasing this 2013 raider. I notice the cable pulleys are exposed behind the passengers right foot peg. Why would this be and should this be like this?! What do they do exactly. link below to see image. The cable is behind the peg and in front to rear tyre. http://postimg.org/image/7q1rjtcup/

Hi All, Wanted to say hello as i just joined. I am looking at purchasing a 2013 Yamaha Raider S soon and wanted to ask a couple of questions to the Yamaha Community. My post can be seen here: My introduction to motorbikes was Yama Zuma - > Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1500 --> Now to Yamaha Raider. Great to join the Yamaha community again

Hey Guys, Wow! Thank you all so much for the replies. Really appreciated. Great idea. Just text the guy now and he said hes more than happy for me to take it in. I would really love to grab it. It feels like a steal at $7000 with only 620 miles for a 2013 model. Keep your fingers crossed for me

Hi there. i am looking at a 2013 raider S. The owner is leaving the state and it only has 620 miles on it. The owner said it was knocked over by a truck in a car park. The right break handle is bent and some scratches on the exhaust. I can purchase for $7000 USD which I feel is a good price. Can anyone advise if I should stay away. Or assuming bike was only knocked over whilst stationary, is this a good deal? Pictures attached. Any help much appreciated, this is only the second bike I have purchased. Pretty new to biking world. I took it for a ride and it seemed ok.