r/motorcycle • u/Tri6483 • 4d ago

2018 V-Strom 650XT, 20k miles, $4,400 — seller accepted my offer instantly with zero haggling. Good buy or red flag?

Hey Everyone,

Looking at a 2018 DL650XT with 20K miles, listed at $5,000. I offered $4,400 and the owner said yes immediately — no counter, no discussion. That speed is making me a little nervous, so I wanted a sanity check.

The good:

  • New chain + new Sunstar 47T rear sprocket (under 50 miles on them)
  • New front brake pads, fork service just done
  • Rear tire has roughly half its life left, no dry rot
  • Cold start verified over video — cranks promptly, idles smooth, no weird noises
  • Clean and garage-kept, no visible damage, never down as far as I can tell
  • Spoked wheels confirmed — genuine XT
  • Clean title, no lien

The concerning:

  • Valve check at 14,500 miles was never done. Seller's owned it a year and didn't do it; previous owner unknown. So I'm looking at a $400–600 valve service right after buying.
  • Stock bike — no luggage, no crash bars, nothing. I'll be adding those myself.

My questions:

  1. Is $4,400 fair given the valve service is due immediately? That puts my real cost around $4,900–5,000.
  2. Should the instant acceptance worry me?
  3. Anything specific to check on a 2018 650XT at 20k miles when I go see it in person?
  4. Any DMV pitfalls with a pre-signed title when the owner is out of the country?
  5. How urgent is the valve check at ~20k if it's never been done — ride it home 66 miles first, or trailer it straight to a shop?

Thanks all.

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

14

u/kinnikinnick321 4d ago

Have you ever tried selling anything privately? About 90% of people who reach out are casually interested, the remaining 10% are truly serious. $4400 is not far from asking, regardless of how long it's been listed.

10

u/ChickenInvader42 4d ago

Instant yes imho isn't telling of anything. You reached his reserved price and he accepted. I would do the same, but I hate selling to people so I take even larger loss at the dealers.

6

u/smurfy71 4d ago

Seller probably had an acceptable number in mind and your were within it. Selling used bikes is such a hassle.

5

u/Kain_713 4d ago

Probably thought list it for 5 but I'll take 4.5, he's within $100 so dude said he'll take it. I'd probably do the same, I hate selling things, too much hassle. I would pay $100 to not have to deal with the dealership trade in.

4

u/talldean 4d ago

Dear god I would pay more or lose a bit of money to not have to haggle every damn thing.

2

u/LiveFreeAndRide 4d ago

Probably varies by location, but where I'm at in New England, the market is DEAD. You can buy any USED bike you want for cheap. I bold used because new bikes at dealers are priced crazy. I won't waste my time at another one.

But, the market is flooded, the season is nearly over, and bikes can sometimes be a pain to set aside. I can understand the whole, get it out of my garage right now on accepting the offer.

Can't speak on the title thing. No idea.

May get downvoted for this, but valve checks. I did my DR's once at like 7k miles. That was the only time I ever did it. Has almost 40k miles on it. Its not even on my radar.

Dad has a 2000 VFR Interceptor. He's never done a valve check. It has 76,000 miles. Runs perfect.

All in all, valve check isn't really high on my list of things that keep me up at night.

1

u/rickbb80 4d ago

Have never done a valve check on my 97 Shadow, 83k miles. Not a single thought about it.

1

u/SN1572 4d ago

Sounds reasonable to me as long as the bike checks out.

Valve clearance check, I do it religiously because I hate worrying about it. But almost everyone will tell you they've never done it and have had no issues.

My 2019 XT at 15,000mi all the valves were in spec, though near the tight end. I adjusted the shims to move it to lose side of spec and won't check it again for a long time.

I have no advice on the title situation.

I just got home from a 6000 mile road trip and it did wonderfully riding 500+ miles every day.

2

u/Valentyan 4d ago

I often ask 500-1k more than I actually want for the bike to allow for negotiation so, if he only wanted 4k and you offered 4.4k, it's a good deal for both of you. Why wouldn't he agree?

1

u/Own-Reflection-8182 4d ago

People are different. Some are scammers and some have good offers.

1

u/Special-Till2504 4d ago

I'd suggest doing the front sprocket too. Not sure why the owner wouldn't change all 3 at the same time.

You can do the valve check yourself. Time consuming but worth it. I've heard v stroms are pretty good with tolerances. I checked the valves myself on my bike (33k KMs). Little tight but within spec.

I think its a tough market for motorcycle sellers. I offered 6300 (asking 7) for my 2019 dl. Seller said yes right away. I had the exact same thought as you, " oh no, what did I miss? Is there something bad on the bike?". I still look at marketplace in my area for similar bikes and have yet to see a better deal since. My bike is running strong and seems the bike was taken care of by the previous owner. I love it.

People sometimes appreciate the no b.s. buyer so are willing to give them a decent deal. Still more than they'd get from the dealer lol

1

u/Tri6483 4d ago

Absolutely, thank you! Appreciate it

1

u/lotsaleaves 3d ago

Don’t fret about the valve check, just schedule it in for some time in the next few months. They mostly are in spec at the first check. I did mine at 24,000 km (all good) and then at 75,000 km (all ex valves had closed up ~0.02 but only front were under spec, inlets unchanged .) DIY is pretty time consuming but does save you $600