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Buying one this weekend

3K views 41 replies 26 participants last post by  dshealey 
#1 ·
I have looked at several bikes and found this low mileage 2002 LT for $9k, it only has 12.5k miles, serviced within the last 6 months and new tires. I got him down to $8,500. What do you guys think?
 
#3 ·
Does it come with any extras, "farkles?" Does it have the GPS and tank bags included? If it is just the custom; to add the tank bags is a couple hundred dollars and the GPS is about 500 for a new one.

Here is an LTE on the classifieds for $9500 with a few extras.
http://www.bmwlt.com/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/1357/cat/14

If the bike has the GPS it may be a little dated. I have an 03 with the GPS, I did not know to check for the adapter to update the maps. You can buy the City Navigator III non NT to update the old GPS but you need the adapter cord.

The bag liners are nice but not necessary.

If the bike you are looking at is the LTC it is priced resonable, if it is the LTE then it is a good price.

Just my .02
 
#5 ·
This is mauve, just like Ken's 99 only much cleaner! :rolleyes:
Given that it is a buyer's market I am sure you can negotiate the price down further.
Be sure to check hat the ABS systems works. The ABS red light should be flashing when you turn on the engine, and it will continue flashing until the wheels get in motion.
If you don't see any ABS light at all I would suspect the ABS unit is shot and the seller just disconnected the warning light.
 
#6 ·
Seems like a decent deal. I was watching one real similar to that on ebay. Maybe the same one. I decided on an 05 I picked up for $11.5k. No farkles except a corbin heated seat. Did have intercom and alarm which the seller didn't know about.
 
#8 ·
Buy It !

That is a great price. Considering the few remaining new LT'S you will save 12 grand.

My 02 LT has 160K on the ODO with a long life expectancy in the future.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for all the information and advice. I am also looking a 1999 with 11k, asking $8k, haven't spoken to the owner yet.

Any pros and cons about the year differences?
 
#10 ·
I'd consider the 2002 more seriously; only (like, only is a little) $1,000 more but 3 years younger and integrated brakes. No boost in HP/TQ till you look at the 2005 and newer, which also has the hyd. center stand.

I paid $8700 2 years ago for my '99; independent ABS, which I do prefer, and had 18k on it. Now has 46k and have had zero problems.
 
#11 ·
I bought my 2002 LT-C 3 years ago for $8800. Try for a lower price. I saw a 2003 locally for $7200 a couple months ago. $9k seems a bit much for a 2002 in comparison.
Ons thing I have noticed is "most" of the stereo problems on here (one channel going dead) have on the late 2002's and up. It seems to be the ones with the CD head unit that have more of a problem. I have a cassette deck and other than a wire chaffed through and caused the left rear speaker to be intermittant, it has worked fine.
 
#12 ·
I'm an owner! Thanks for all the advice. It's Mauve, name turned me off at first, but after I saw it and the excellent condition it is in, I bought it. Paid $8,500, not bad, especially that it has only 12k miles. Needs a front tire and a service, other than that it is nearly perfect.
 

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#13 ·
You got a great deal, appears to be an LTe
Check to see if recalls have been addressed?.
Ride it like you stole it, it really likes it when you keep the rpm's 4-6K in the curves.

Things to add:
1. HID low beam (so you can see in the dark)
2. Motolights (so you can be seen durring the day)
3. Headlight protector (expensive to replace, cheap to protect)
4. Convert front and rear turn signals to dual element bulbs so they are on full time.
5. Canisterectomy
6. Cut the brown wire
7. Tether the mirrors (can not buy complete replacements any longer).

This is the must do list, lots of other things you may chose to do.
All this can be found on this site by searching "Technical".
 
#14 ·
Congratulations on your new ride. It sure looks nice and eager to take you on years of new adventures. Keep the maintenance up and she'll keep you smiling for a few hundred thousand miles.

As for what you "must" do? The best advice I've ever heard was to tell the new owner to ride the whiz out of it then decide for yourself what you'd like to improve on. I know in my case the seat is TERRIBLE, while the rest of the bike is perfect. Even after one seat rebuild (from a company that "specializes" in long distance comfort seats) the front seat is so uncomfortable that it would be banned by the Geneva convention if POWs were forced to ride on it. So fix what needs fixing and enjoy the rest.

One thing I do agree on is the lighting issues. The stock lighting on the LT could use some sprucing up. Also either Motolights or PIAA (my personal favorite) are a great investment to your safety by increasing your visibility to other motorists. Also, you'll notice that when you see a set of Moto's or PIAAs coming your way they're nearly always on a BMW.

Hopefully the rain will stop for a few days and you can go enjoy your new bike. You're gonna love it!
 
#15 ·
Congrats on the new ride and welcome to the forum. As you'll find, there are experts here that can pretty much help you through any mechanical/technical challenge you may have. Enjoy and yeh, ride it like you stole it!
 
#16 ·
Congratulations on the new ride. I also bought a low mileage '02 last year and I've been smiling ever since.

Now on to Doug's must do list. Doug, what are you doing??? You just don't tell someone to snip the brown wire. How's he ever going to appreciate the increased power in the turns on the hot days and the better 'coastablility' of the bike between gears if he's already snipped the wire and doesn't know the difference. Let him ride the bike for a few thousand miles and get to know it's characteristics. Then when he's not so giddy and starts to think he knows everything about his new love...that's when he should snip the brown wire. Of course, the brown wire may already have been cut by the previous owner since it has 12k on the odometer.

I cut my brown wire a few days ago after having ridden it for 7000 miles. I would notice the hesitation on occassion but it didn't bother me. Just for the fun of experimenting, I cut it and went for a ride. The difference was immediately recognized when I shifted from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. The bike coasted better between gears and there was no slow-down as I applied the gas in the next higher gear. I had just bought a whole new and better bike for free. The brown wire will never be connected again on my bike. Smiles keep getting bigger.

My advise to you. Don't park under the big 'M' at the McDonald's, or the Ferry docks or under the big lights in the parking lot at the Walmart or any other place that has a lot of overhead gull and pigeon traffic.
 
#18 ·
I think thats a great deal on an LTE especially..

how do folks only put 12k on an 02?? thats a new bike pretty much.

My 02 didn't start running super smooth until it had 40k miles on it, finally started breaking in:)

Sure does make my bike look cheep though, with 126k on it, yikes! sounds like I'd have to give it away, at least, thats what my buddy is hoping for :histerica
 
#19 ·
ldbikin said:
I think thats a great deal on an LTE especially..

how do folks only put 12k on an 02?? thats a new bike pretty much.

Hey George, with the 7000 miles I've ridden since I bought mine in October of '08, my odometer is now reading 8555. After riding throughout the winter and spring, it makes me wonder as well...."How can anyone let one of these bikes just sit around?"

I look for any excuse to get on mine. The family is starting to get annoyed, oh well. Why take the van when you can make 10 trips on the bike for the same amount of mulch? I installed cup holders just so that I wouldn't get hit with the "We can't take the bike because the meal comes with a drink and there is nowhere to put it!" excuse.

I paid $11,000 for mine. I suggest that you part out your LT when the time comes. As for me, I'll ride mine until I can't pick it up off the parking lot anymore.
 
#20 ·
cadent50 said:
BTW, does anyone know what the name of this color is?

Official answer is Mauve. I just totaled my 2002 a few weeks back.

I called it Electric Plum or Heavy Metal Mauve, just becuase...

I'm just saying...
 
#21 ·
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I got to put about 200 miles on it since I bought it on Sunday. The guy who had it before me, the second owner, bought it from a dealer. He did very little to it, and owns an airplane so he didn’t get to ride it much. It has an intercom and some fork mounted driving lights, haven’t tried either yet. In addition to this bike I have an ‘07 Harley Ultra. The Ultra is a “cool” bike and I enjoy riding it, short rides that is, but I got this bike for the longer and some short rides too. What a difference between these bikes!! The BMW is such a joy to ride, so smooth and comfortable. Before the Ultra I had a ’04 RT1150 that I bought new and sold it a few years later. I had always missed the RT, but I wanted a “cooler” looking and sounding bike. But now I am happy and lucky to have both.

As far as the intercom, I really don’t want to have two separate headsets, so is there a way to get an adapter so I can use them on both?

What is involved and how expensive is it to replace or update the headlight?

Motolights, I think it has this on the fork tubes.

Where can I get a headlight protector?

How difficult is it to convert the turn signals?

What is; “Canisterectomy”?

What is this “brown wire” you mentioned? I don’t think the previous owner disconnected and modified anything, but I will.

The tethered mirrors I heard about from one owners of the bikes I looked at. That will get done sooner than later.

Any other tips or advice is really appreciated.
 
#22 ·
GlennM86 said:
Official answer is Mauve. I just totaled my 2002 a few weeks back.

I called it Electric Plum or Heavy Metal Mauve, just becuase...

I'm just saying...
I agree, currently I prefer Purple with some Gray in it. Although "Electric Plum" sounds good. :bmw:
 
#23 ·
cadent50 said:
What is this “brown wire” you mentioned? I don’t think the previous owner disconnected and modified anything, but I will.

The brown wire is the 5 second fix for a slight hesitation that you may notice when coming out of a corner on a hot day. It also cured my issue with accelerating when switching gears...it always seemed like the bike would slow down and then speed up as I was re-engaging the clutch after a shift. My bike seems to coast much better now, without so much engine braking.

I never really thought it was a problem. I thought that I needed to practice working the clutch and throttle to get smoother operation, but that little brown wire sure made a difference. The wire lets the Motronic computer chose a second fuel map. More information can be found by searching for 'hesitation' or 'brown wire'. The wire is easy to find under the driver's seat near the battery.
 
#24 ·
You do have Moto Lights already on the Bike, and they are great for helping those cage drivers to see you as much as providing additional lighting for your driving at night.

For the Canisterectomy see this thread, with a word doc attached by David Taylor:
http://www.bmwlt.net/ubbthreads/sho...er=159072&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&vc=1
It is from the Hall Of Wisdom (HOW). It is definitely worth the little time that it takes!

Welcome to our fold and enjoy the ride!

HTH,

John
cadent50 said:
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I got to put about 200 miles on it since I bought it on Sunday. The guy who had it before me, the second owner, bought it from a dealer. He did very little to it, and owns an airplane so he didn’t get to ride it much. It has an intercom and some fork mounted driving lights, haven’t tried either yet. In addition to this bike I have an ‘07 Harley Ultra. The Ultra is a “cool” bike and I enjoy riding it, short rides that is, but I got this bike for the longer and some short rides too. What a difference between these bikes!! The BMW is such a joy to ride, so smooth and comfortable. Before the Ultra I had a ’04 RT1150 that I bought new and sold it a few years later. I had always missed the RT, but I wanted a “cooler” looking and sounding bike. But now I am happy and lucky to have both.

As far as the intercom, I really don’t want to have two separate headsets, so is there a way to get an adapter so I can use them on both?

What is involved and how expensive is it to replace or update the headlight?

Motolights, I think it has this on the fork tubes.

Where can I get a headlight protector?

How difficult is it to convert the turn signals?

What is; “Canisterectomy”?

What is this “brown wire” you mentioned? I don’t think the previous owner disconnected and modified anything, but I will.

The tethered mirrors I heard about from one owners of the bikes I looked at. That will get done sooner than later.

Any other tips or advice is really appreciated.
 
#25 ·
AlaskaFish said:
You do have Moto Lights already on the Bike, and they are great for helping those cage drivers to see you as much as providing additional lighting for your driving at night.

For the Canisterectomy see this thread, with a word doc attached by David Taylor:
http://www.bmwlt.net/ubbthreads/sho...er=159072&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&vc=1
It is from the Hall Of Wisdom (HOW). It is definitely worth the little time that it takes!

Welcome to our fold and enjoy the ride!

HTH,

John
Thanks John! So what is the benefit to the "Canisterectomy"?
 
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