My search is over, and I found her! Here's the skinny, and I welcome any and all comments:
2005 XR650L
920 miles
FMF pipe with power bomb
4 gallon IMS tank
a few other extras
Price paid: $3600
I picked this bike up in So. Cal. I'm the third owner. Second owner had it only a few months, and says he has a back injury and can't ride it. Marketed as perfect, "never been down". It has been down. I noticed that right away from minor scrapes in the obvious places. That said, nothing looks too bad. I took the bike for a scream around the neighborhood, and it runs excellent. Valves were just adjusted as well as the carb jetting. I'll probably need to fine tune that since I'm at altitude, and this is a sea level bike.
Some other observations: bike has a few spots of rust on the frame. Probably not totally uncommon for a coastal cruiser, but I was surprised since it's only 4+ years old. The frame paint is flaking in those areas. Is this common? Some aluminum parts are oxidized, but nothing that a particular guy such as myself can't buff out. Though this bike was garage kept by the party I purchased it from, it was possibly stored outside, in the sun, by the previous owner. The reason I suspect this- some of the rubber parts feel a bit weathered, and the red on the start button mechanism seems faded.
Assessing my deal, I think I overpaid a bit considering the market. I credit that to being somewhat impatient- I've been looking for more than a month and am ready to ride- and to many sellers asking insane prices ($4k-$5k). I was looking for a low mileage bike, and I found one. I made an offer on a local bike, and the guy didn't even want to deal. I have a feeling he'll wish he had.
Here she is:
