Thunderbird Lt Abs: Hop On Or Walk Away?

Hi, all-

I've been wanting a Thunderbird LT ABS since I first saw one in 2014.

Now I'm looking at buying a 2014 with low miles, but I got some disturbing information from my local dealer today: parts are hard to come by. It can take months to get certain parts (relays were mentioned) and whitewall tires aren't available.

Is this just an issue in the states? Are there plenty of parts available in the UK?

Or are these bikes just sliding into obsolescence?

Cheers,

Pretzeldog

 

It has crash bars.

I just spent an hour calling a few dealers around the US & it was about 50/50: half of them told me parts are getting hard to find. One dealer told me parts for new bikes can be difficult to find, so I imagine supply chain issues are a factor.

The other half told me that a) whitewall tires can be sourced, but it might take 6 months; b) Items like relays should be no problem as they typically use off the shelf parts when designing a bike; c) Motor parts should not be a problem (although one person told me transmission parts might be a problem); d) Accessories might be a problem, but this bike is decked out & I have no plans to change or add anything, except maybe cruise control.

I was surprised to find that some dealers won't work on a bike older than 10 years.

I was also surprised to find that the 12,000 mile service is going to cost me $2,100. That seems like a lot to replace the spark plugs and adjust the valves.

 

Yes, I think I am going to hop on this bike. This is a "once in a lifetime deal" & I feel confident I'll get my money's worth & then some.

I still have a few thousand miles left before the 12K service, so I'll start looking for a mechanic now.,

And tyres. Or tires. Those round rubber donuts that go on either end. I'll get a set & have them replaced.

The current tires are 8 years old, but don't have any cracks & haven't reached the wear marks. Is it safe to continue using them, do you think?