Came up on a few sweet deals for a first bike. I do own a project Ninja 250 (pregen), but dealing with the carbs and just getting it to run right is a bigger pain in the butt, so I may just part it out (lots of aftermarket parts).

I'm looking for something for the daily commute and fuel economy. The 300 looks like something interesting to get started on.

The one I'm looking at is a 2013 with fresh tires, 7000 miles for ~$3000. The previous owner is pregnant and is looking for extra cash, so I may help her out.

It was dropped once from a stand still.

Bike has no mods, and I doubt she did wheelies on it. :rotflmao:

Just looking for opinions on what to look for.

Also, I have tech questions as to the suspension. Mainly, the stock spring rates front and rear. I'm about 155lbs before gear, so I'm hoping the suspension feels good for me. Could you confirm?

I definitely will be doing the fender eliminator as my first mod.

Thanks for looking!

There is not much to look for, you will probably mainly be looking at the overall appearance of the bike, especially since it was dropped. (I dropped mine too, standing still, and there is a microscopic scratch on the fairing. Probably can be polished off.)

The issue that all bikes will have or develop is a gap on the front fairing on left or right side.

There have been three recalls I think, about routing of the brake lines - to be inspected/adusted, about debris in the brake fluid (from manufacturing - brake fluid to be flushed and replaced), and about the ECU software - to be upgraded. If they have not been done you should be able to have them done free of charge by any dealer.

The good thing is that you know the seller so you can test ride the bike. Do the usual checks (as per your training, weekly safety inspection). Check for play in bearings. Check that all electrical stuff work. Check that the engine starts and runs without hesitating cold and hot. Check clutch and transmission. Check brakes. Check the engine shutdown conditions (side stand switch, neutral, clutch).

Other than that there could only be the regular maintenance stuff to do or check - which you will probably do anyway as soon as you have bought it, or wear parts that are not difficult or expensive to replace. The expensive things to worry about are the engine or possibly electronics (dash and ECU, ABS - which this bike hasn't got) but they are very unlikely to go bad in 7000 miles.

I rode my bike on stock suspension at a bit over 160 without gear, with full suit and gear... The front is a bit mushy, an the rear could use adjustment... But it's perfectly fine for the street

P.S. I've seen folks way bigger on stock 250 / 300 suspension on the street... They adjust the rear and complain about the mushy front like everyone else, but that's life, and pretty easy to fix with some shims and / or fork oil... You can put a race suspension on it if you have the money and want too... Most folks just ride it though