Hey everyone, new member here, would appreciate some advice on a first time bike purchase.

Basically, a friend of a friend and aquaintence of mine is looking to get rid of his '97 cbr 600 and i may just have the good fortune to be getting the deal of a lifetime! What i know so far, he is a second owner of the bike, he bought it in '99 and rode it for several years. He quit riding due to some personal issuses about 5 years ago and the bike has been sitting in a garage since. It hasnt been starter in that long. He says that it has about 1200 hours on it when i asked how many miles it had, not sure if that is a common or uncommon method for a bikes use, any help there would be appreciated. Supposedly all it needs is a new battery, oil change, spark plugs and i'm guessing possibly a gas tank clean up to remove any debris that may have built up in the tank. I am going to look at it in person tomorrow, and am waiting to make the purchase until later in the week. He did tell me there is some cosmetic damage, cracked plastic from dropping it, but no frame damage.

he's asking $500 for the bike. he has never listed it on craigslist, personal ad, ect, this is a friend price, and I am mostly sure of his reliability, however i would like to err on the side of caution for the simple reason that i am a 24 year old student and can't afford to get into hundreds and hundres of dollars to get this thing running.

I am prepared to spend as much as 300-400 dollars to get it going, but anything beyond that isnt going to be possible for me.

My real questions are;
1) what do i want to look for as far as potentially expensive costs to get this bike running

2) if there are some expensive costs, is it still a sound investment? i see these bikes going for anywhere from 1800-2500 in my area

3) anything else i should know before purchasing my first bike!

thanks for taking the time to read this, and i appreciate any responses!

 

Good price on that bike but it worries me! Running costs in my area is around $1800-$2600. My suggession to you is that you have someone check the mechanics of the bike, make sure it runs and if carbs need cleaning. Minor cosmetics a lot of times is expected. Bikes get dropped from time to time and cosmetic damage can happen with the smallest drop. Also don't forget about the tires. Bike has been sitting for 5+ yrs. It may be time to replace them. You may be looking at more than $300 to get it running, but overall, if you can find a friend that works on bikes, then you can save yourself some money there!

Chances are you are going to end up putting some money into it to get it to where you want it to be. Check the forum for parts for sale. You may come across some discounts. I needed a front fender for my F3 and only paid $20 and the guy dropped it off to me. Good luck with the bike man and when and if you get it post some pics up!

 

New here myself. My son just picked up a 96 , 12k on it ,$2500. Can't think of anything other than ask you friend what service/repairs he did while owning it. Definate on the tires. Understand the broke student aspect. Doesn't seem like you can get hurt at that price. Good luck!!

 

Sitting for 5+ years it is definitely going to need a carb cleaning. If you are fairly mechanically inclined you can tackle it yourself (there is a great how to on carb cleaning that Idodirt put up if I'm not mistaken) just be prepared for lots of vulgarities while trying to get them off. Being that they haven't been off in at least five years they aren't going to be happy about coming off

 

Thanks for the responses so far, hopefully ill have pics and a mechanical update tomorrow. Any insight on the miles versus hours issue?

 

The bike should have an odometer. I've never heard anyone refer to it as putting hours on their bike. Sounds like he's flying a plane lol. Nah but all jokes aside check the odm.

 

A bike that has been sitting that long is definitely going to need a thorough cleaning of the carbs. I would not attempt to start it other than just turning it over to determine that it's not seized up. Let your eyes do the looking. Naturally its going to be covered with dust. But is it heavily covered with rust and corrosion ? If you can take many clear photos of the bike and post them here, you're bound to get lots of opinions on whether to buy it or not. Talk to friends and ask about local motorcycle shops. Dealers sell new bikes and are money making machines. A local independent shop is going to want to keep your business for the long haul. Give them a call and ask about the costs of getting it running. Think all fluids, carb cleaning, brake inspection, tires, plugs and what not.

 

You might need a new chain and sprockets if they're rusty or anything.

Maybe you'd want to replace the brakes/brake lines too. On the F3 I bought the OEM lines/pads felt very squishy and weren't doing well, so I went on ebay and found cheap pads and got a group deal on HEL lines.

If you can do the work yourself, then you'll save a ton of money. I unfortunately spent a fortune on labor

 

Carbs, tank, electrical connections all need to be gone through!

Battery needs replaced along with oil and filter, fork oil.

Chain and sprockets should be ok if the chain was lubed correctly.

 

Id look for a Fuel Injected bike..

As an early twenty year old college student myself, I can tell you right now you will probably be throwing $$$ at this bike to get it running AND keep it running!

I mean $500 bucks is not bad at all.. but Im just saying I know what its like to have a non-running F3-moneypit.

Good Luck, Bro.