[Swodi]

So I got a message from my cousin today. My uncle took my bike in for service (he's watching it while I'm deployed), and the dealership wants to buy the bike. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow to see what they're offering, which I imagine won't be a whole lot. The bike is a 2005 with 1200 (twelve hundred, not thousand) miles on it.

Anyway, the prospect of selling it got me thinking about what I would get to replace it, and I realized there were very few bikes that would do what I want a bike to do (including the RC). I need a bike to make 400 mile (one way) jaunts on the weekends, be capable in the twisties, and do occasional track duty. That 400 mile trip has really got me thinking about replacing the RC, and let's be honest, it's expensive to make the RC less heavy. I won't say "light" because I simply don't have the funds to make that possible.

So here I am...do I keep the RC51 or just sell it and pick up a Tuono?

 

[biltforspeed]

I bet your crafty uncle wants your bike and he's blowin' smoke with the dealership wanting to buy it :woot:

DON'T SELL IT! YOU'LL REGRET IT!

 

[bensexcessbikes]

Eff the dealer. Do NOT sell it. Tell 'em your price is $25K and they'll get the picture.

 

[RAZR51]

Just about EVERYBODY that sells their RC regrets it...don't do it.

 

[RIRC51]

Just about EVERYBODY that sells their RC regrets it...don't do it.

+1

Nothing compares to the RC, nothing. Do everything you can to afford a 2nd bike if you can't do the 400+ mile days on the RC.

 

[TLRSKUNK]

the RC is very capable of doing 400 mile days. get a set of adjustable clip-ons and play with the Angle it makes a HUGE difference.
I sold my 2002 RC and i hated not having it. I was riding a 99TLR and while it had more power it just was not what i wanted. I sold it before my deployment bought a supermoto. Then while on Leave i decided I needed a better street bike so i got back from Iraq and Bought my 2000 RC51. don't sell it get a second bike that way when one is broke you aren't bikeless.

 

[Jami6989]

Just sell it! How else can u regret ever selling your RC unless you actually let it go.:woot:

 

[selfinfliction]

why would we talk you out of selling it?

better yet, why do you care what anyone else thinks what you do with it?

i was thinking of selling mine and replacing it with a 1995 huydai accent

 

[BRod]

If you do sell be sure to get back to us whether you get sellers remorse or not. I've thought about selling for a few years now but just can't bring myself to do it.

And you can make a 400 mile trip comforable on an RC if you pick the right roads .

 

[Swodi]

Believe me, I'd love to get a 2nd bike, but my wife would kill me. She's really against me getting a new phone, let alone another bike. Something about putting money away for retirement and having an emergency fund. I think it's just nonsense myself. :wacky

And yes, I know I'd regret selling the RC...I did the last time I sold one. I longed for that bike for 5 years before I picked up my current bike. In that time, however, I forgot how heavy it was and how difficult it is to find parts for it.

That being said, I'm really leaning towards keeping it now and at least seeing how I handle the long trip on it before I make any decisions. Maybe in the spring or early summer I'll pick up a 2nd bike after the new baby shows up and my wife is off maternity leave. Of course she'll probably want a new car by then so there will have to be a little quid pro quo.

 

[RxRC]

but my wife would kill me.

Does she work at least three jobs? Then she should shut her yapper.

 

[Swodi]

Does she work at least three jobs? Then she should shut her yapper.

Nah. She only has two jobs and whines a lot about going to the ER on somewhat regular basis for dehydration brought on by being sick due to her pregnancy.

 

[RvtJJ]

I sold my 03 RC in 2004 and kicked my self in the ass for a long time till I got my 04 couple years ago!

don't do it man....you will regret it

 

[Swodi]

I sold my 03 RC in 2004 and kicked my self in the ass for a long time till I got my 04 couple years ago!

don't do it man....you will regret it

I felt the same way when I sold my '02 in 2004. I snatched up my '05 last summer and was shocked at how heavy it was...time made me forget that little detail. I've got a turnone airbox waiting for install. Hopefully between that, a set of slip-ons, and a 180/55 rear tire she'll turn in a little quicker for me. Perhaps the greatest performance mod I've made is the rider...shaved about 50 lbs of non-rotating mass high up while I've been away on deployment.

Thanks, everyone, for telling me to stick with the RC. Unless I get some shockingly high offer for the bike it will stay in my garage.

 

[misfittoy]

Wow your asking for a versatile bike! 400miles track duty!?
Ever think their could be a reason the dealer wants to buy a 5 year old bike when they can't even get 2009's and 10's off the floor? It because the bike can do all you ask put a sergeant seat and ride. Don't do anything with desert goggles on

 

[b.miller123]

Haha, desert goggles, that's a good one. When I was in the navy, we would call them boat goggles. A couple months out, all reason and sanity is out the window, people buy shit they dont need, sell shit they do need, and the ugly fat chicks start looking pretty good :woot:

Don't sell the bike. Or at least don't sell it while you are gone. Come home and take it for a few rides, then take whatever bike you think you want for a test ride. Then decide. Just remember that once you have your kid, you will have much much less riding time. So if you don't pick up another bike before the baby gets there, it will be 1,000,000 times harder to justify it (to yourself, and the wife). Since I had my first child last year, the RC has been almost strictly a commuter. Somehow I did find time to do one track day this summer while working part time and taking four classes. Now, I pretty much have zero free time between work/school and most of that is spent with the little one on the weekends as I am only home two nights a week before she is asleep.

So either keep it forever or get another (or second ) bike right away. Once that baby gets here, good luck trying to convince the wife you need a second bike (or one at all). I had a hard time convincing my wife that I will be getting a second bike after I graduate next year, even though I'll be getting it for free. She is pretty smart though, and has learned from my last two bikes that the purchase price is just the beginning of what I'll spend on them.

 

[RC51PilotDC]

The dealer will probably only offer you NADA value or below. If you really need the cash, sell the bike here for the same price that the dealer offers.

I think RC51's are worth much more than what is reflected on NADA, KBB and Edmunds.

 

[hawkti]

Not paid in full.

All I can say............don't sell it!:twocents Regret sucks.

 

[rccarver]

Every time I think about selling my '04, I ride it. nuff said. I want a sumo so I guess I'll have 2 bikes. Besides I told my grandson it's really his bike.

 

[Swodi]

Well, I'm back to thinking of selling it again. And it was an employee at the dealership who wanted to buy it, not the dealership itself. I was talking with my wife yesterday and she actually encouraged me to look for another bike...I hadn't even told her I was considering it. She said she knew it was heavy and that I would probably want something better for the track, and that I should ride her brother's bike (GSX-r 750) and see how I like it. That would be an AWESOME track bike, but I want to see how comfortable it is for street use.

I'm back in the states now and I'll probably ride that bike and demo a Tuono and see how they feel. And yeah, I definitely have desert goggles. The fact that I've been back in the states for nearly 36 hours and haven't bought a new bike yet has got to be a record for me. If I can hold off for a couple weeks before I make a decision I'll be pretty happy with myself.

As far as reduced riding time with the new baby, this will be our 2nd kid so I'm well aware of it. My wife is really push me to do track days, even going so far as looking at signing up for shifts to work when I have local track days. She's a flight medic. Kinda weird, huh?