Buying a new bike

[mikeman]

Hey guys,

I put a deposit down on a Ninja 250R (second hand) which has done 2,000 odd kms. It looks like it's in great nick and has the service book, however there is one thing that really bothers me, even though I negotiated the price well.

The right mirror has some bad scratches on it, including where the angles meet which is all scratched flat for a bit - running horizontally and about half the size of my index fingernail in area. The exhaust has some minor scratches too that run vertically and mainly more around the part where the exhaust gets thicker (sorry don't know parts yet!). Nothing major there and no dints but certainly visible.

I'm now wondering if the bike was dropped in the past. And if so, is this a major problem? There's no damage on the fairings and everything else seems ok. No damage underneath the fairings either or other parts of the body and VicRoads shows no accident history.

Could this just be a nasty scratch against a garage wall that stuffed the mirror up, or more likely was the bike was dropped. In which case, if the bike goes well and seeme mechanically excellent, is it something I need to really stress out about?

Is there also something I can do to test it out? I kind of regret putting down a deposit (not a huge amount though) and right now just need some peace of mind.

Cheers all!

[ttc]

if it's jut been dropped, it's certainly not a problem.
If it's your first bike, there's a reasonably good chance you'll do it too.

[oldman]

Ask who you are buying it from where the scratches came from. If they cannot give you a straight answer then beat the fark out of them and tell them to shove their deposit. The main concern of a dropped bike is the frame and suspension componenets and if as you say, you are a new rider a ill handling bike, (due to fucked components), may not be apparent.
You could also have a competent mechanic check out the frame alignment.
What really bothers me about this deal is that the information you are seeking was not volunteered by the seller. Sounds like something smells. Cheers.

[dilligaf]

Brett does bike inspections and is a sponsor
http://www.madbiker.com.au/en/
think its $150 or so depending on how far he has to travel. If you are worried get him to look at it.

[tim]

Alternatively have an experienced rider fang it for you. If it felt good on a ride and there's nothing other than cosmetic damage I'd be allover it like a rash, like someone else said if it's your first bike you'll quite possibly bin it anyways

[mikeman]

Sweet, thanks heaps guys.

I had a mate test ride it and he said it was responsive and rode really well. He made smart ass remarks that it feels like a baby compared to his 1,000CC beast.

I'm not too worried about the cosmetic damage. I might get my mate to test it again quickly to see if it rides straight without holding the handle bars. Apparently that's a way to check if the frame and everything is in order?

Everything looked fine and in top nick, save but those mirror/exhaust scratches. It may well have just been scratched against a garage wall. The guys didn't seem like bullshit artists but you never know. Replacing fairings is cheap I've noticed. You can get a whole kit for $500 odd from eBay.

In fact, I plan to put my airbrushing skills to the test with a cheap kit to customise it a bit if I get it.

[mikeman]

Also, I've settled on getting much of my gear from ridersdiscount.com - is there a better alternative? The prices are much cheaper than here given the Australian dollar.

The one thing I wanted to confirm is the leather jacket to get. I really like the Alpinestars Indy jacket, but that's only got 1mm thick leather. Whereas the GP Pro and 1-R have 1.3mm - I figure more protection is always better, but would the Indy jacket be sufficient for starters? I don't plan to go on roads at more than 60km/h for a little while.

[Kermit]

If you're that concerned, one of the members (if you ask nicely) may go out with you to have a second look at it in return for a favourite slab of thair choice.

[mikeman]

Oh, that would be really awesome. If there's anyone in Melbourne who's available on Wednesday, I would really appreciate a second opinion.

Also regarding jackets. Should they be fairly tight? So like a helmet, the tighter the fit (without preventing you from breathing) the better?

[tim]

Maybe let fellow Melbournites know where and what time.......

When you put the jacket on, sit down hunch forwards and stick your arms out like you're riding and move around. That's how a jacket should fit. If it all bunches up like a parachute in front of you it's too big. If it's tight across your back or on your neck it's too small. Also, the arm and shoulder padding should stay reasonably still when you try to move it, it's not much good to you if it's moved out of the way by the time you hit the pavement.

[mikeman]

Thanks Tim! I opted for the Alpinestars 1-R and based it on what you said above. It felt tight, but just right so that there's no movement that shouldn't be there.

Due to RWC not being able to be booked until Friday, it looks like I can only go there this weekend. If anyone is free and would like some beer in exchange for 20 min of their time (it's in the northern suburbs) then please let me know.

And thanks again for all your advice everyone.

[seiko1]

Replacing fairings is cheap I've noticed.

Try getting a price on originals

[mikeman]

Hey guys,

I checked out another couple of bikes and I'm disappointed by the low standard of maintenance and the totally incorrect description online. Some guy had his 250R with an 'immaculate condition' on bikepoint.com.au, yet when I checked the bike out, it had scratches everywhere including the bottom of the fenders on both sides. Immaculate my ass.

I think I'll stick to this one and take the risk. I inspected it again and I'm 100% sure it's been dropped. But I had 2 guys test ride it and both said it rode straight and was strong mechanically. The rest is a gamble. I really don't care about cosmetic damage and for the $4,700 odd it's a good enough deal... excellent in fact if it doesn't stuff up on me mechanically!

Thanks for all your help guys.

You'll be hearing more from me soon now that I've become a big Kawi fan.

[GPZ_Jim]

seems like u got a good deal then most lams bikes will have a drop or 2 over their lifetimes, could even have been a simple fall over from a standstill.. at least u don't have to worry too much if it happens to u

cos its such low kms do u get the remainder of the factory warranty?

don't forget piccies!

[mikeman]

No warranty left that I'm aware of since it's just over 2 years old now. Do they come with a 2 or 3 year warranty? Or is it just based on Kms? So many things to figure out!

Also the bike makes a funny 'whiney' noise which I've narrowed down to the fuel tank. It does it when I move the bike sometimes but only shortly and if I open the fuel tank while doing it, it stops making the noise. Most of the time it doesn't either. Is this the seal or some sort of release valve and it's happening because it's a hot day and pressure builds up?