Bike issues?

[Grant31781]

I took my  2018 MT07 to be evaluated for a trade in.  They offered me $3,500 for the bike with 6000 miles. They said they found some issues.

The front suspension is not working right. The guy that rode it back to the shop said he felt it  right away riding the the bike 5 mph in the parking lot. They put the bike on some sort of failing weight machine to check the forks. Apparently one side was not moving the same as the other which indicates a issue in the fork. He said it could be the fork oil or the seal. They also asked had the bike been wrecked. 

Next the clutch is about to go out. When he started the bike in gear cold, the bike lurched forward. It also clunks sort of hard when cold engaging 1st gear.  He said both of these things were not normal.  He also said Yamaha bikes have a different way of adjusting the clutch and if not properly done it could cause this.

Last they said the oem wiring behind the gauge cluster looked like it may have been hacked into and taped over with electrical tape. He said they would have to do a wiring test on it.  The OEM wiring looks like its taped over. I bought the bike new and that is how it came.

 

So I am saying they are feeding me a bunch of BS to low ball the trade value however it does have me concerned especially with the clutch.

The forks do have the original fluid in them. They have not been wrecked and are not leaking. I have no idea what this fancy machine is they used.

The clutch functions normal to me. It fully disengages and engages with no slip.  The friction zone from slip to full engage is a bit abrupt. When the bike is cold if I push it around in 1st with the clutch lever pulled,  there is a lot of resistance but not enough to move the engine.

From all things I have  read  regarding the  hard clunk into 1st and lurch starting in 1st  is normal on this bike.  

 

What do you guys think?

 

 

 

[Yakko Warner]

I'm no expert, but that sounds like 100% pure dealer BS.  My clutch and shifter do that; always did.  Did you see their fancy fork testing machine?  If not, I'm guessing they just pushed down on the handlebars and saw the forks bounce, which is what the stock forks do.  Perhaps sell the bike yourself?  But now's not a good time to buy new motorcycles; it is a good time to sell, though.

[Triple Jim]

It sure sounds like BS, but it's hard to know if any of it might be true just from reading this.  The symptoms of a worn out clutch are not the ones you described.  A disconcerting clunk when cold engaging first gear is absolutely normal, and has been posted about here.  A good solution is to put the transmission into gear and pull in the clutch lever before starting.  If it lurched forward when doing this, it most likely just needs a clutch cable adjustment, or the guy was purposely not pulling the lever all the way in.

I would never trade in a vehicle.  I always sell them by Craigslist or FB, or through a forum, as Yakko Warner posted as I was typing.    Check CL and FB in your area.  In the Raleigh area now, MTs like yours are typically listed at around $6,500.  Just be sure to accept cash only, and have it in hand before test rides (etc).

Edited January 9, 2022 by Triple Jim

[union]

Sounds like a pretty shady dealer to me.  At 6000 miles the forks should still be just fine.  There isn't a lot that can go wrong with a damper rod fork.  Oil can wear out like engine oil does but not typically in 6000 miles.

The forks could be slightly misaligned.  I've seen this from the factory.   This could cause some issue but its generally an easy fix.  Could be as simple as loosening some bolts and tightening them back down.

 

The clutch and the transmission "issues" sounds like a bunch of crap too.  Almost all bikes do that.  With the oil cold the clutch will be a bit grabby.  A clunk going form neutral to first is pretty normal too.

 

Unless you messed with the wiring then once again it's BS.

 

In the future I would stay far away from that dealer.  They either have super shady business practices or they are hiring incompetent people to evaluate bikes.

[M. Hausknecht]

Who is the dealer? I want to be sure to avoid them in the future. At $3500 they're planning to make $2000-$3000 selling your bike.

As others have already noted, the forks on these bikes are as rudimentary as can be. Fork tubes can be bent crashing but not otherwise, and bushings can wear out (you'll feel and maybe hear a "clunk") but with 6000 miles that isn't likely. If there is no loss of fluid and the forks haven't been installed crooked, there really isn't anything else that can go wrong to the point of needing repair at this point. That "falling weight" machine?!? I'd ask to see it because I've never seen nor heard of such a thing.

Cold clutches grab; that is normal. There is no "special" way to adjust a Yamaha clutch. As long as the plate stack  height is within specs (presumably it is if you've never taken it apart and replaced pieces), and the cable is adjusted (easy peasy), it'll work. In any event, when worn out, a clutch will begin to slip; not grab.

The used bike market is pretty hot right now. I suggest you sell it on your own. Where are you in Georgia? I have an acquaintance looking for a used 07 (he's putting a CP2 motor in an R6 chassis for WERA/N2 endurance racing).

[Grant31781]

The thing is is the automated trade in calculator said it was worth  a tad over 5K.  So I talked to them and he said based on the pictures maybe 4500 or a little more would be his guess based on inspection.  Then the inspection revealed all these issues! LOL 

Thanks guys. They actually will sell a new bike at MSRP with no dealer fees. I have quotes in writing. That's the only thing they have going. The other dealers want fees plus extra for supply and demand.

 

I was looking at the new MT09 I like all the tech on it. These are the prices I got form them whihc are good  IMO. 2021 MT 09 standard $10412.92 out the door and the SP will be 12024.54 .

 

The other dealer  said  $16,505.70 OTD for an SP however the manager will go $15,396.99. I also had one other dear quote 13,800 OTD on a SP.

 

 

[YZEtc]

Going by what you wrote in your story, it sounds like they're lying to you in order to get your bike as cheaply as possible and playing you for an ignorant newbie.

[Grant31781]

Quote

 

They actually told me they would sell this bike for $5 to 55 and suggested me sell it myself. Its Powersports plus in Albany GA

 

I am near Americus GA

[FZ not MT]

20 hours ago, Grant31781 said:

What do you guys think?

There is a member of this forum that goes by zombiphone. She put over 60,000 miles on her FZ-07 riding in 49 states as well as a trip to Panama. I was PMing with her after she had 60K, and I asked her if she was on the original clutch - She was!

Guess that says it all.

[Triple Jim]

7 minutes ago, FZ not MT said:

There is a member of this forum that goes by zombiphone.

I remember her, but she was on a different forum, possibly the Ninja 250 forum.  She had written an article for maybe Motorcycling magazine  and I told her I enjoyed reading it.

[FZ not MT]

1 hour ago, Triple Jim said:

She had written an article for maybe Motorcycling magazine  and I told her I enjoyed reading it.

She was a 250 racer when she decided to do her big ride on her FZ-07. She took off over a year for that ride. She had a ongoing video blog at Motorcyclistonline.com about that ride. She was pretty active in this forum during 2019 & 2020.

She even wrote several books about that ride with this being the first one

https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Motorcycle-Gypsy-States-Tour-ebook/dp/B07KF57NPX/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1641773383&refinements=p_27%3ATiffani+Burkett&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Tiffani+Burkett

 

[mjh937]

12 hours ago, Grant31781 said:

They actually will sell a new bike at MSRP with no dealer fees. I have quotes in writing. That's the only thing they have going.

 

After how shady they were with the trade in price I would not trust them to stand by the quote, even if it is in writing.  I suspect they will find some excuse to raise the price.  I would not do business with those guys. 

[glacierblue]

13 hours ago, mjh937 said:

After how shady they were with the trade in price I would not trust them to stand by the quote, even if it is in writing.  I suspect they will find some excuse to raise the price.  I would not do business with those guys. 

when I went to a dealer to look at an mt09sp, the salesman told me they would probably only give me 4k for my 07. obviously I said f that but they did sell the sp at msrp so I was happy with that. salesman wasn't pushy about selling me the sp either so that was good. he said it was all up to me, nice guy

Edited January 10, 2022 by glacierblue

[mjh937]

@glacierblue, I do not have a problem with dealers offering a low price for a trade in.  My problem was the bs reasons they gave the op for offering that low price.  Any dealer that would do that would lose my trust and not get my business. 

[glacierblue]

1 minute ago, mjh937 said:

@glacierblue, I do not have a problem with dealers offering a low price for a trade in.  My problem was the bs reasons they gave the op for offering that low price.  Any dealer that would do that would lose my trust and not get my business. 

you are right. I agree!

[firstyammerha]

I think Kelly Blue Book gave me $3500 trade in value on my 2016 with 3600 miles on it some months ago. Stock bike with Yamaha luggage rack and a couple of small easily reversed mods like a Denali Soundbomb horn. Trading bikes is like trading cars -both with different end goals for each side.