I found a f4 for sale locally.

its a 99 with 24k on it. Its originally from Texas and it was the their main ride. salvage title. it runs good (or at least that's what he told me on the phone). that's all i know of the bike so far.

listed at 2700. would you take it?

I found couple f3's for sale for 3000 (ones 96, and ones 97). both clean title and has only 15k on it. would that be a better deal?

 

24k is not really high, it's a honda F4...they're pretty much bulletproof as long as you change the oil, ride it with some sense for instance don't bounce it off the rev limiter day in and day out at lights, don't start it up and redline it after sitting all night in a cold garage, actually let the bike warm up, and finally keep up with the valve adjustment schedule. If it hasn't been done yet which I doubt it has then maybe you can get some money off from the guy. It should be done around 16k. See if the dude can prove it's been done and if not tell him you'll give him 2450 or walk. If it's well taken care of and not ragged out with a bunch of ****ty mods like hacked up wiring harness for lights or stuff like that. Chances are if it's clean then it was well maintained and 2700 is a pretty good deal. I paid that for mine and I've ridden over 5k miles and just changed the oil. Course when I got it I had to clean the carbs but that's pretty much a given with carbed bikes...sooner or later they gotta get cleaned and synced.

 

Thats not a bad deal as long as the bike is as described. Also the f4 is a better performing and looking bike than the f3.

 

I dunno... I paid 3k for mine, and it only had 8k miles on it. It was never dropped, and there was no body damage. Definitely not a salvage title, and all around good shape... If it wasn't a salvage title, then maybe... ultimately its up to you, and what you want

 

Higher mileage isn't necessarily a NOGO. My 2000 F4 has 26K+ & runs strong. Then again, I've put most of those miles on it. I've kept it serviced to factory recommendations & maintained it like it should be. Its a semi-daily rider, so it doesn't sit for long periods of time w/o being run (which definitely doesn't help an engine).

Definitely depends on the bike's overall condition & what kind of miles those are. Personally, I'd rather have a bike w/ a few more miles that's been properly maintained & cared for...vs one that may have low miles but pushed to the limit on a regular basis, or sat for long periods.

A note about salvage titles though... Just b/c a bike has a salvage title, doesn't mean it isn't a good bike. There are many reasons why a bike gets a salvage title. Just make sure you're clear on why this bike has the salvage title. Preferably, if the seller can provide insurance papers that show why the classification was changed...then, all the better. Ins co's are quick to reclassify after crashes. But, they'll just as easily total a bike due to simple things like tip-overs in pkg lots when upper cowls are busted & just little dings are put on frames (they're real quick on that one). Just make sure you do your homework on *why* its salvage titled.

If the seller can't provide papers as to why the classification was changed, ask if he'll accompany you to the shop to have the bike checked over by a factory mechanic. This will cost you a few bucks but what cost is your peace-of-mind? Most shops will check a bike over for a small fee. Then, they'll tell you of any issues. If the seller won't agree to this, do you still want to buy it??? I wouldn't.

Scrutinize every little thing...dings, paint chips, wiring, chain, tires, fairings/cowls/seat. You should be able to get a sense of what kind of care the bike has seen. I'd definitely ask him to take off the fairings, preferably while your're there, to see what's behind them...especially it being a salvage bike. Fairings can cover up a lot of sins. You don't want to find those sins *after* you've bought it.

Finally, as for the price... W/o seeing the bike or pics of it, I'd have to say that $2700 is top-dollar. Its not necessarily out of line, but its pushing the upper limit for "salvage" classification.

Hope this helped.

 

thanks a lot for the reply.

as for being this high mileage. its because he bought it from a guy that's from Texas and it was basically daily ridden there. I asked the guy why its salvage title and he does not know. so i thought that was kind of fishy to me.

 

well thats not high mileage on an f4. many f4 because of there age are pushing the 100k mark. you dont hear about it as much because the owner is out riding it right now instead of reading this forum. I've got over 60k on my f4 however I trashed the 1st engine at 30k stunting so technically its had 2 engines with 30k+, but still thats not high mileage. Its ultimately your choice.

 

a guy on a f4i had over 100,000 his

 

thats thirdgenxi and he's on this forum and its over 120k now lol. My F4 has over 54k on it n runs stronger than when new. I paid 3k ($2700 for it, $300 for it delieved) for it 2 years ago, savaged title, and it wasnt mint when I got it. Had 33k on it then too. But it was in good running order, good tires, etc. Had rashed fairings, busted mirror and signal. But I dont regret buying it one bit. Tho it looks nuttin like it did when I bought it now lol.

 

I have 31,000 on my 99 F4 and it runs great. Check the fork seals for leaking also check the top of the front fender under the headlight look for signs of coming down hard from wheelies and bottoming out on the upper fairing. If it does have this you will most likely be looking at rebuilding forks and the steering head bearings.