Ok well here is the story that got me to here. I'm new obviously and I am looking at a 1998 f3.

I bought a black '08 Ninja 250r in March...3 weeks and 800 miles later I hit a deer with it (sucked) and the insurance company is considering it a total loss. I can't buy it back or order a new one soon enough for me (I cant stand not riding and we only have a few good months of weather to ride in Wisconsin) so I'm looking to buy an f3.

VIN if anyone wants to carfax it out of the goodness of their heart
JH2PC2500WM705688

Facts:

1998 CBR600
Red
Been layed down.
2300 miles

What the guy says:

First owner a lady rode it for ~900 miles and layed it down...was too scared to ride it so it sat for about 8 years in her garage.

Second owner bought it for his wife and fixed it with used fairings n stuff...wife got preggo so he sold it.

The guy selling it now bought it for 3800 and says he only rode it last season for about 1400 miles. Hewants 3900 obo.

What I saw:

Nearly all of the fairings have at least some little scratches on them (no cracks)

Gas tank has a quarter tennis ball dent on it along with some dings.

When he started it it sounded good smooth and there was no smoke at all from the exhaust.

Tires are original and lower on tread which will need replacing soon.

Front fairings dont match up perfectly. Guys says it is tweaked brackets.

Engine and all mechanical looked clean with no seepage.

Everything mechanical looked very clean with no defects at all.

Clutch made an undiscribeable sound when engaged. Sound stopped when the lever was depressed. Do your clutches make a sort of sound when they are engaged?

My questions:

What else should I check for?

It's pretty far away but should I get it taken to a mechanic to bechecked out or can I do all of the checks myself?

What price would you offer on a bike like this?

Thanks in advance for your help. Ican test ride it only if I have cash in hand. I would have posted pics buy my laptop crashed and took everything with it. POS Emachines.

-Tyson

 

id say maybe 2000 or around there. I bought my 97 F3 with 27,000mi for 2700. it ran perfect and looked great aside from a couple scratches. My buddy bought his mint 98 smokin joes for 2700 as well but it sat for 6 years and took some carb cleaning and tank cleaning to get running.








Hell id sell ya my 97 for 4000 and its damn perty

 

I would pass on it with that kind of history...3900 is way too much

 

I agree with the two above. The bike is worth about half of what he wants. Low miles sound nice but unless the bike is ridden regularly those carbs are going to need a thorough cleaning, especially after 8 years. Keep looking, there's plenty of nice F3's out there.

 

too much money!!

 

Yeah I know 3900 is WAY too much but that is why I am asking you to tell me what you would consider a fair price on this bike. The guy told me he will go down on price but I dont know much about these bikes so it's up to you guys to pick a fair price.

I was going to offer 3400. I'm also looking at a BMW R1100S. All I know is I NEED a bike soon.

 

2700 max. check on the milwaukee and chicago craigslists if you want a cheap bike soon

 

I would offer 2k...2,400 max. I would see if he would meet a the nearest dealer to have it looked at. You would have to come out of pocket for the mechanics time but you'll have better negotiating power.

 

I would hesitant to pay 3k for a used sport bike. That thing better be in pristine condition for me to pay more than that for any used sportbike. Things to look for are lowering links (mine was a homemade one from Lowes I think), excessive play in the throttle/clutch cables, chain slack indicator, exhaust, etc. If there are some mods on it I wouldn't pay much for it. Listen to it run at operating temp and see if there's any knocking, etc. Also check to see when you rev it up, the head light should NOT get any dimmer but just a little brighter. You're checking to see if the voltage regulator is bad or going bad. Look at the condition of the chain, tires, frnt fork seals leaking, etc. Hope this helps.

 

Yea the price is a little high.

How'd you like the 08 250? It looks so good.