So, here's my situation.

I just recently bought a brand new 2010 cbr600rr from a local dealer, which should be arriving within the next week.

I am a U.S. Marine and just found out I am going to be leaving next month for a deployment work-up, and deploying to Afghanistan until June of 2012.

Essentially, this means that ontop of the bike already sitting for approximately 2 years (manufactured in '09 for a 2010) plus another year, by the time I get back this bike will have sat for just over 3 years without ever reaching double or triple digit miles. Is it bad to have a bike sit this long, despite being new?

Essentially, my two options are to either keep the bike and let it sit another year and a half (unheated garage in NH), or to sell it before I leave and just buy an '11 when I get back. In order to sell it quick I'd probably have to take a loss.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

Well first of all thank you for your service. Now onto the bike. Yes I would think it is bad to have it sit that long even if it is new. It is good to get the parts moving every once in a while and the "blood" flowing. The main thing to worry about is the gas. If you leave it in that long it is bound to clog up some things and make it a real pain for you when you get back. Do you have a friend or family member that could start it up and ride it around the block a few times? If you go through a tank of gas a year and put Stabil in it then you should be alright. Taking a loss on a bike that you haven't even ridden is a hard pill to swallow. I would probably keep the bike and try to have someone ride it a little bit or drain out all the gas and then start it up until it dies to make sure all the gas is out of it and then you should be alright.

 

Or maybe have a friend that can take care of it and ride it till you get back?

 

Tires will be shot sitting in one spot for 3 years. Any gas in the system will gum it to hell. But aside from the oil draining into the pan I really can't say. Possible the hoses may suffer from the climate changes / lack of use. But the engine should remain sound.

I wouldn't suggest just jumping on and hitting the starter when you get back tho. There won't be any lubrication on the moving parts. But shout out if you keep her when you get back and we'll walk you thru properly prepping it to start

 

Here are your options.

Tires:

Remove the rims, keep the bike on stands, keep tires/rims in a warm place.

Or just sell the tires to not have to worry about them dry rotting or getting ruined and get new ones when you return.

Fuel:

Add fuel stabilizer to the tank and run the bike for a few minutes to get it through to the injectors.

Keep the tank topped off when sitting.

Oil:

Have someone change the oil out every 6 months, ridden or not. Old oil is not good for the engine.

Coolant:

If not already mix antifreeze 50/50 with distilled water, do so, and add water wetter to decrease any sediment issues.

General:

You will need someone to start and preferably ride the bike every 3-6 months. The main thing is to keep the engine internals oiled, and to prevent the fuel from going too stale and gumming up your injectors. This person will want to ride enough to go through your tank and then fill it up with fresh fuel and add fuel stabilizer once again.

Have a battery tender handy so that whoever starts it up, yet cant ride it, can recharge the battery and keep it fresh.

OR

Sell the bike. I wouldn't want any vehicle to sit that long. You get rust in the engine (anyone know if anything in the engine is stainless steel? I assume not because its supposed to be constantly coated in oil), your calipers can oxidize and lock up and the injectors will get gummed up. You may lose more money getting it running well again vs selling now and buying another on your return.

 

Can you not get the dealer to work something out for you? They sell this bike and I dunno, keep some form of store credit on tab for you? Or you let them sell the bike for you, having never left the sales floor. They take a slight commission, and you don't have to deal with taking a huge hit on the depreciation.

 

Have you ever bought from a dealer? The only thing they'll do is tell him they'll give him $5k cash for it and sell it again at $9k. Dealers don't do returns, and they won't keep a three year long lingering tab of $9k hanging around for him.

I vote you keep it as well and have somebody check up on it/ride it while you're gone. You could sell it for a loss, or put it up on Craigslist and tell your story and see if anybody pays retail for it. It is getting close to Spring, and people are looking for bikes especially with the new gas prices coming this summer. I still vote keep it though brother.

 

+1000. Dealers don't care they just want your money. They might be nice to you but they don't know that your going to come back to them when you get done so they are not going to give you a gift card or anything. They might do a consignment sale for you but I think you would be better with selling it on Craigslist right now. People are in the market seeing how spring is on the horizon, and tax returns are coming through and maybe Q4 bonuses. My vote is to keep it. If you have someone to ride it around a bit or start it up every once in a while the most you should have to do is put a new battery in it. Maybe new tires if the bike is not up on stands.

 

^^This.

 

^^^+1000.