2011 61 Kawasaki VN900 Custom - Matt Black, Years MOT, 4950 Miles, 1 Prev Owner

Up for auction is my absolute pride and joy. my Kawasaki VN900 Custom - all in matt black.

This is a factory paint job. it is not a custom paint job. and it is standard. so there are no insurance problems at all. It costs me under £100 a year fully comp to insure this bike!

The moment I saw one of these. I decided I had to have one. so spent a month searching up and down the country to find the best that was on offer. and found this one. I purchased it from its original owner. who lived in the Cotswolds. and rode it home with the biggest grin on my face I've ever had.

I am absolutely heartbroken to be selling. however a house move forces the sale - its tough. but I can't live on a motorbike. no matter how much I wish I could!

I purchased the bike in May 2013.

I'll try and give as comprehensive a listing as possible. but any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

If you want to modify your bike. this bike has a huge following both in Europe and the USA. and there are so many different parts you can customise. from indicator lenses to seats to mirrors. exhausts. you name it!

Brief information rundown:

12 Months MOT. until September 2015 - 2 advisories issued - these are "Exhaust noisy. and Exhaust baffles fitted" - we'll get on to this bit later!

Unmodified. with the exclusion of the exhaust - please see the 'exhaust' section below.

Taxed - you may not be aware. but as of the 1st of October vehicle tax is non-transferrable. You will need to purchase your own fresh tax disc when you purchase the bike. which is annoying as hell. Current road tax is approximately £78 per year. Should the bike sell before Wednesday you will get a full years road tax included!

Serviced - the bike will be given a service by a reputable local motorbike specialist before the bike is collected. It won't be from a Kawasaki Main Dealer. as I wanted to do. as there is only 1 in the area and they don't have any courtesy bikes available. and they are also about an hour away!

Running perfectly - never let me down. Fuel injected. Japanese quality.

Brand new rear tyre. a Continental CM2 fitted under 100 miles ago.

Brand new high capacity Battery fitted recently.

Kept under a top of the range motorcycle cover at night.

Engine/Gearbox/Clutch:

Fantastic. Electric start. belt drive. 5 speed gearbox. The bike is fitted with Forward Controls. which if you haven't ever ridden one means the footpegs and gearlever and brake lever are quite a way ahead of you - so your legs stick out forwards. It feels very odd at first. but quickly becomes second nature and looks incredibly cool! The engine purrs. it has done under 5. 00 miles and has had quite a few oil changes - I changed the oil when I purchased the bike. and also in spring of this year. and it will have a fresh service before collection. I'll be honest. I personally think this bike would have benefitted from a 6th gear for motorway cruising. but I tend not to do many miles on the motorway so its not a big issue. No mechanical problems at all. No clutch problems. working perfectly. no slippage or anything.

Exhaust:

 The bike comes with 2 exhausts. Both are factory exhausts. but the exhaust currently fitted to the bike has had the baffles removed. This makes the bike sound fantastic - if you've heard a stock VN900 you'll know that it sounds something like a sewing machine - very quiet. infact too quiet for my preferences. The bike gives a lovely roar on acceleration now. and the odd pop and burble. Being a sensible chap. I have also got an almost new full exhaust system that comes with the bike. which has the factory baffles intact. There is a healthy demand for exhausts for this bike. either with or without baffles. so you could always sell one if you so wish. The exhaust that is fitted does has a few areas of paint chipping near the rear wheel. where the leather strap of my old saddlebags kept tapping away during a long ride. This could be touched up with high temperature paint. but for honesty sake I am leaving it 'as is' so it doesn't look like I'm trying to hide anything.

Tyres:

The bike currently has a Dunlop front tyre. which is perfectly legal (and believed to be the original) and a brand new Continental CM2 rear tyre fitted. This was fitted in August. with the receipt available and included in sale. No punctures. flat spots. pressures are checked and perfect.

Brakes:

Front and rear disc - all working perfectly. bringing the bike to a stop quickly with no drama. No wobble. warping. anything.

Suspension:

Relaxed - this is not a highly sprung sports bike. it is a great relaxing cruiser. Soaks up bumps with ease. no problems at all.

Steering/Forks:

Perfect. Despite being a laid back cruiser is has quite good steering geometry meaning you can steer in to corners without having to drop to 2 miles an hour. like some cruisers. Forks are in great shape. no leaking. excellent damping.

Paperwork / Alarm:

Comes with V5. owners manual. all the paperwork I have from services. and the extras I have purchased for it. MOT certificate is present. as are 2 full key and alarm fobs. The bike is fitted with a Datatag alarm. from the factory. Simple really - press the button on the keyfob and you have around 30 seconds to get the key in and fire it up. Once you have finished your ride. take the key out and it will automatically arm within 30 seconds with an ever increasing beeping. Simple!

Electrical:

All in perfect working order. I have fitted a replacement battery a few months ago. for a replacement model that offered a much increased power capacity. As you may know motorbike batteries are quite small. so the more ampage you can squeeze in to your bikes battery. the more power you'll have for starting. lights. etc.

Anything else:

Bike still contains the factory tool kit under the seat. Main dealer numberplate still fitted.

So you are thinking. 'that all sounds amazing. what is the catch?'. There isn't one. If I could afford to purchase my next house without selling this. I wouldn't sell it. I planned on keeping it for several years. and I was going to buy more bikes to go along with it.  I currently also own a 1964 Francis Barnett Falcon. which I can just about justify in keeping because it has a snapped clutch cable and I can keep it under the pretence of 'it wouldn't fetch its true value whilst un-repaired!'

The bike has a full tank of petrol. as I'm a nice bloke. and is ready to go.

I've added around a dozen pictures on here. if you want any more of any specific areas just drop me a message and I'll pop outside and take them.

The bike is listed on a 10 day no reserve auction - I'm not 100% sure what it is worth. but I would hope that the winning bid starts with a 4.

This is the long-winded bit. so bear with me.

Test rides.

 Now this is a tricky one - I obviously want to make sure that people who view the bike can be fully satisfied there is nothing wrong with it. but test rides are a bit of a worry. If you haven't ridden a bike with forward controls before. there is a chance you could miss getting your feet on to the pegs and drop it. I'd personally be happiest if we go for a test ride with me riding the bike - you can follow on your own bike if you want. or follow in a car. We can do a 5-10-15 mile trip if you want. but I'd really be worried about someone dropping it. If you do want to test-ride it. make sure you have insurance that allows you to do this. and that you have brought along 4500 in cash to put in my hand before you go for a spin. You crash it. you've bought it. You drop it. you've bought it. You scratch it. you get the idea.

Collection/Delivery/Payment:

This should be pretty simple - payment in cash only. please. I will not accept swaps. part exchanges. anything like that. It is a simple. straightforwards sale.  If you are worried about having a large amount of cash on you. we can pop to my local bank where you can withdraw it and we can pay it straight in to my account or something. No paypal. for obvious reasons.

The bike should be collected within 7 days of the auction end. You are welcome to ride it away. but with the tax changes you may need to go and get road tax beforehand. Should by some miracle occur the bike sell before the 1st of October. you will get a full years road-tax included in the sale.

Should you live under 30 minutes from me. and you'd prefer that I delivered the bike. that can be arranged. However full payment would need to be made before this happened. and you would also be responsible for getting me home - either a lift in a car. or a train and taxi. I don't mind. Please note that I would have to fit this around my working hours. I would also require a cup of tea to be made for me at the delivery address. milky with 2 sugars please!

Viewing:

Welcome - I personally would always try and view a bike before bidding. and I understand you most likely will want to as well! Viewing is best from 3pm til 9pm Mon-Saturday. and most of Sundays are good too. Just drop me a message and we can get things sorted. Please do read the bit above about test-rides.

Location:

I am in Sandhurst. Berkshire. Postcode GU47 0UH. We are easy to get to from the M3. Junction 4. or the M4. Junction 10. Should you wish to come by train. the nearest stations are Sandhurst. Camberley. and Farnborough Main (This is the best one if you are coming from afar!) I am happy to collect you from any of those train stations. or any nearby bus stations.

The bike will come with a signed receipt. and I want to make sure you are happy with it before you leave. I'm pretty confident that I'm able to accurately describe my bike. as I have owned it a while!

Good luck bidding. I will almost certainly have a tear in my eye when you ride away on it. so please forgive me for that.

Also published at eBay.com