Crazy_Schizo

Ok, so NH Mark has graciously offered to go take a look at the bike for me. Any pointers on what are things to look for when looking at a bike?

Conedodger

The biggies that I can think of:

1) Any obvious damage.
2) Pull seat off and look at as much of the frame as possible for cracks in the paint that would indicate frame damage.
3) Check the inside of the tank for rust. If it has been stored with a partial tank of gas, it may be rusty. Flashlight would help. Rusty tanks can be cleaned and sealed, but I would use it as a bargaining chip.
4) Tire condition. Should be new with that few miles. Are they OEM? Or have they been replaced? If they look worn, mileage might not be accurate, or bike has been abused.
5) Does it smoke on start up, or while running?
6) Step back and look straight on at the front. Do the same from the back. Make sure everything looks symmetrical. (Best done on the center stand if it has one.)
7) Look for leaking forks. A bike that has sat this long may have dried up seals.

Conedodger

New tires on.

Now bike sits for a week due to the weather.

NH_s2k_Guy

Mine is going on week 3 of sitting after getting it ready for the season both mechanically and
aesthetically...it's clean and mean and ready to roll!!! Now if we can get at least some
Spring-like weather!!!!!!

Gilly_S2KFreak

sadly, i will not be joining this part of Upstate for a long time... I won't be able to afford the bike I was going to get this summer as repairs on the S and my Saturn will take precedence. maybe next year

jsenclosure

just spent the last 5 hours riding in the rain. i have to say my girlfriend is a real trooper, she didn't complain once

Triple-H

Well that answers the question of when you are putting them back on...

Triple-H

- first and foremost, before doing anything, find out if the seller has the title and if their is a lien on the bike
- ask if there is any paperwork of service, repair, purchase history
- ask what service and repair has been done to date if no paperwork
- ask what mods have been done to the bike
- ask when the bike was last registered and insured
- ask how you are going to be able to test ride it, as in is it insured and registered now
- ask why the bike is being sold
- ask the seller, if you were not selling the bike, and were preparing to ride it this year, what are the top service things he would get done
Although all the mechanical stuff is important, I think understanding the seller is key, it gives an insight into how the bike was cared for
Super low mileage bikes are not a guarantee, higher mileage bikes are sometimes better, it really often enough goes back to the seller and how they treated the bike.

Crazy_Schizo

Thanks Mark & Doug. I forwarded all that info off to Mark (who, using info from Mark, is looking at a bike for Marc - anyone confused yet? )

If it gets sold before Mark can take a look at it, so be it. I'm in no rush. I'm probably going to beat the seller up on price if everything checks out anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone else comes along with a better offer. I think the absolute max I can/want to spend is $3700, but I'd rather be much lower. If he is asking $4250, then that is quite the gap.

Conedodger

$3700 is a reasonable target. I typically shoot to get 10% off the asking price, assuming that it was realistic to begin with.