Hi all, I'm new to the forum and new to Buells also. I'm after some advice about buying a demo bike. A local dealer to me has the bike I want XB9SX for sale but it is their demo bike. It only has 100 miles on the clock but is there anything I should be aware of?

Also, what sort of price do you think I should be paying for a bike like this? I know this is quite out of the blue but I'm test riding on Saturday and want to go there prepared so any info would be great. Cheers

ps - apologies if I posted this in the wrong place.

Caveat Emptor was never as appropriate as it is when buying an ex-demo.

100 miles, maybe, but just possibly the most important 100 miles in the bike's life.

Don't rush the purchase, speak to other dealers, Newmarket isn't as far away as it might seem....

Blimey, I had to actually look that up. If it rides ok, and sounds ok then surely there can't be that much wrong with it?

What do you do when you test ride a bike?
Now imagine that bike has had all it miles ridden like that. Still want it?

Yep, i take your point. So I'm guessing no-one would ever buy an ex-demo bike then no matter how good the deal was on it? You've got me thinking maybe I should just walk away now before I enjoy myself too much and put a deposit down

its only 100 miles tho, surely first 20 or so were done by a saleperson / mechanic

also its new under warranty, so buy it at a good price, if owt goes wrong its covered anyhow

unless you are planning keeping it till after warranty runs out I cant see a prob if its good deal

bench9 you have pm.

All the bikes at the Buell Experience days are demos. The 1125Rs I was ragging around the circuit had less than 200 miles on the clock.

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08 Specialized Langster

OK Mr Bench, I have a bit more time now, I was just going into a meeting when I first responded to you.

I've bought two Buells, one was an ex-demo, the other was brand spanking out of the crate new.

To be fair to the 1999 M2, it did reasonably well. It shat oil everywhere, dropped bits off at every corner, and generally behaved badly, but I loved it, I miss it, and it has kept my enthusiasm for Buell since the day I grabbed it. But, I did grab it. I didn't buy sensibly, I didn't take advice. UKBEG was in newsletter form then, with organised rides arranged months in advance, and no forum for instant advice.

When I bought the XB12XT, I was a somewhat wiser monkey. I ran it in meticulously, and knew everything about the machine before I threw a leg over it. I knew what modifications to make, what not to do, and what to expect.

As the wise Mr Spook says, demo bikes can be, and often are, thrashed.

Nowt wrong with wringing the neck of a bike, but only after it has been carefully bedded in by the owner, oil changed & looked over by Maz.

Now off you go and get to know a few folks. I'd recommend starting with Ursus & Maz.

The first few miles of a motors life are the most important to its longevity. Stay well away from demos unless it's discounted by well over £1k and even then I'd think twice. It may well have been test ridden by someone like me

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Ash, there's something wrong with my computer!

My XB12Ss was a demo, just under a year old, 2500 miles on the clock, All thrashed at a guess. I know I gave it some on the test ride.
To be honest the only problem I had was a puncture lol but the tyre insurance sorted that out for me.
If the price is right then I'd do the same again.

If you are considering it, make sure you know how much you would have to pay for a new one at another dealer before you go for the ride. £1k off the list price is not the same as a £1k off.

I've been asked by dealers in the past to put a few miles on a new bike before they put it on the demo fleet. I would have thought that any good dealer would make sure that a demo bike gets at least this kind of mileage before letting unknown "test riders" wring the crap out of it. If you know and trust the dealer then fine........ otherwise give someone like Black Bear a shout.

this firebolt looks pretty good to me.......

http://www.ridersmotorcycles.com/buell/used2.htm

I bought my XB9SX as an ex-demo from Oxford HD. It had done 2200 when I got and now has 8000 on the clock, all of which were trouble free, except for a new belt which doesnt really count. It was what I was looking for at a price I could afford.
My experience had been good but the choice is yours really.
The 9 is a great bike, hope it brings you as much fun as it does me.
Andrew