Purchase Advice for first bike

[ejunk81]

So i'm looking through craigslist and I found what seems to be an exceptionally good deal. It's an 09 with 2800 miles and owned by a kid in HS. It's obviously been dropped as there's some fairing scratches and scratches/dent in the muffler, but other than that he claims it's mechanically sound. He's 3 hours away from me but for the price it would be worth the drive.

So I'm wondering what things I should look for when I go take a look at it. He emailed me pictures if anyone wants to see them. They're obviously not the best but they gave me an idea of the damage. From the pics, it looks entirely cosmetic but I also noticed that it's really dirty (which tells me he may not have taken the best care of it). With it having only 2800 miles...is that enough time to really mess up the engine?

My buddy (who builds bikes) made a good point and said that 250's are typically starter/training bikes so it's expected to see them layed down. I'm thinking for the price it would be worthwhile, but i'm also considering passing on it and spending a few hundred more on something that looks better maintained. Any advice from someone who knows a bit more about bikes would really be appreciated.

[tjkamper]

Ask him if he did the 600 miles service. Ask for reciepts. Ask him if the oil has been changed? Check the Oil, brakefluid and coolant levels. Make sure all the lights and electrical work. Check that the suspension travel is smooth and make sure the forks are straight.

If you know how to ride, insist on a test ride. It has already been dropped, so there is no excuse for him not to allow a test ride.

If you don't know how to ride, at least warm it up and make sure it isn't leaking any fluids.

Before you drive out ask him to clean it so you can see the damage better. Remember that plastics are expensive, so if you are thinking of repairing it leave a big budget. you can get that same bike in top shape for around $3500 and your looking at about $1000 in repairs.

[Soujyu]

Incidentally, for starters, read this set of webpages throughly:

http://www.clarity.net/adam/buying-bike.html

Your friend is right that the bike will probably be dropped.

For our bikes, if I were buying used, I would ask the following additional questions:

1. Was the 600 mile maintenance done?
2. Were the carburetors messed around in any way? (yes, that includes rejetting/shimming)

The webpage I referred you to above should take care of any other questions that you should ask the guy.

Also, I probably omitted or forgotten things that the more experienced members will know to ask.

[Flashmonkey]

Are you mechanically inclined at all? If you have a lot of previous experience fiddling around with cars or other large, complicated mechanical vehicles, then a dropped bike may present you with some mild challenges (provided the frame isn't completely fubar'd). However, if you're not, then avoid a dropped bike altogether.

Also, and this may be somewhat picky, but try and get a bike with the least amount of previous owners. This especially rings true for the Ninja 250...as a lot of people tend to turn these bikes around pretty quickly. Don't ignore the previous generation models either. If you have a case where you have a 2001 Ninja 250 with one previous owner (and a reasonable amount of mileage) vs an 08 new gen with 2 previous owners...you can bet your lucky stars that the '01 is probably going to have a better maintenance history.

[Cab305]

I looked at 1 used bike, and ran (I repeat RAN) to the nearest dealership.
It's a different situation for everyone, but the bike I saw scared the poop out of me.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Cab305

[B]I looked at 1 used bike, and ran [/B](I repeat RAN) to the nearest dealership.
It's a different situation for everyone, but the bike I saw scared the poop out of me.

I would have RAN to the bathroom instead of the dealership.

[BlueRaven]

I would suggest bringing your buddy when going to look at used bike

[ejunk81]

That website was a great resource! I enjoy wrenching on things and I've got a pretty decent shop in my garage should anything go south. I found another bike for a couple hundred more, but the only damage was the tip of the clutch lever's been knocked off. (So it looks more like it was dropped at a standstill rather than lowsided while riding). I can't stand the thought of going to the dealership to purchase something new...maybe down the road but not for my first bike anyway. The more I pay for a bike, the more it's gonna hurt if/when I drop it. My buddy said he'd come along w/ me to look at em, so long as I let him ride it lol

So if all pans out well, I should have one next week

[tjkamper]

Good luck. I hope it all works out and you can get a good bike.

[Cedilla]

Make sure the fork seals are not leaking.(yut ugh, lol) Teenagers are rough on vehicles.

[ejunk81]

I had decided against that kid's bike. I figure the peace of mind alone would be worth paying a couple hundred more. So I decided to be patient and keep an eye out (craiglook's become my best friend for finding craigslist ads) & I found a nice lady selling hers about 200 miles away that's willing to part with hers for a very reasonable price. 09, Red, about 2400 miles, never downed, recently inspected, and she takes it to the dealer for all the maintenance work. If all is as well as she says, she's going to make my week!