[1 Thump]

As far a I understand the guy selling the bike can register it in California without the 7500 miles cause he moved here. Id give him a down payment and have him register it here in his name before buying it.

Absolutely correct

[olhogrider]

There is a woman on the AVL forum with 10,000 miles on her bike. She is frustrated by the crappy electric starter. You might make her an offer.

[Ducati Scotty]

DMV folks do not know or care about emissions thingies. Just have to have 7500 miles on the odo. I had it on my title as well.

A few years back with cars you had to either install the Cali emissions equipment (practically impossible to retrofit any modern car) OR meet the tailpipe standard and pay extra when you registered.  A petition was made that if you were meeting the tailpipe emissions without the Cali equipment you shouldn't have to pay extra so that part was dropped, just meet the emissions.

The don't measure emissions on bikes.  I'm not sure if the 7500 miles was added then but it may have been.  Basically, they don't want you buying a brand new vehicle in a neighbouring state and taking it back to California.

Scott

[greggers]

3. He dropped the bike once and ended up replacing handlebars and headlight. There is apparently a very small ding in the tank and minor scratches. Photos are awaited.

I had a similar fall on mine right after I got it, with similar results. If you go look at the bike be sure and check the fork stop on the side he fell, mine ended up being bent, so that even with a new handlebar, it would hit the tank on that side if you turned the bars all the way. The dealer fixed it for now by just drilling a hole in the stop and putting a bolt in to mimic the previous stop point.

[olhogrider]

I brought in an out of state bike with 8000 miles on the odo  The DMV inspector only wanted to see the VIN and the "Emissions Sticker" I was lucky it was a 50 state model and had the sticker. This bike sounds like $$ savings but a very high probability of not being able to register in CA.

Seriously, check with Al on the out the door price of a B5.

[jartist]

Seriously, check with Al on the out the door price of a B5.

+1

[GSS]

Sri and Jess,
New B5 California bike is the most sensible way to go. You will waste a lot more in time, money and effort on a used bike that you may not be able to register......best of luck with your decision!
GSS

[GreenRE]

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/mcy/2487062586.html

Can not go wrong with this one.

[Ducati Scotty]

That looks like a nice buy but did they make UCE bikes in 2008?  I thought they started in 2009.  Not that you should hold the owner's lack of knowledge against them, that looks like a nice bike.

Scott

[barenekd]

It is a UCE bike. Couldn't swear about the year though, I thought they were started in 2009, too.
Bare

[Ducati Scotty]

Maybe a super early release one that got a 2008 VIN plate?  or a typo in the ad, I dunno.

Check that for sure if you consider buying it.

Scott

[Arizoni]

It only has two problems.

1.  With 290 miles on the clock it can't be registered in California.

2.  It's a Looooooong way from Iowa to California and riding at the recommended speeds during break in on the superslabs can be life threatening.

There's gotta be a used UCE somewhere in California.

[Ducati Scotty]

With an electric drill and a little time I could sort out the odometer issue

[celarose]

All,
a quick update on what has transpired in the past 3 weeks for us:

My wife Jess and I went to Nor Cal to look up the RE and to take it for a spin. The RE was in better shape than we anticipated with only a minor scratch here and there. I then took it for a ride and was delighted with the seating position and general positive vibes. Getting to 45 mph was effortless, but the bike seemed happiest at 55 and generally did not feel too peppy after that. But that was what i expected anyway.

However, the big red flag for us was right on the dash - the CEL was on all the time. I asked the owner about this and he generally dismissed it as "oh it was always on like that". Apparently his mechanic buddy had assured him that its just fine that way.
On that topic, the bike was not broken in properly. He changed the oil only once at 1000 miles (it has 2100 miles or so to date) and nothing else was required. The bike had had a fall which required changing the handlebar and fender. He says the CEL has been on since around that time, a year ago.

For me, it was a genuine cause of concern. I asked if he could have the CEL sorted out at an RE dealership at his expense. The owner declined because of the expenses involved in trucking it to an RE dealership. He lived literally in the boonies of NorCal, was getting married soon and generally just wanted it gone, without costing him anything more.

We had to walk away from it, but not without heavy hearts coz we both really liked it, but we also did not want to deal with the potential expenses of a bike that had a CEL and also was not properly broken in.

Just yesterday, we tried on an 2002 883R sportster. It would cost us only a few hundred $ more than the used RE. We are dazzled at the beauty of that bike, but the really low seating position, and the paint shaker vibes put us off. We are still thinking of an Enfield, but waiting it out.

Anyway, wanted to just let you all know what is happening. Will keep you posted as to the final decision.

Sridhar

[Ducati Scotty]

First oil change at 1000 miles isn't the worst sin though most of us do it earlier.  The engine warning light, you could just ground the indicator lead, read the blinks, and see what the code is if you're still interested.  It may be something minor.

Scott