well first off, hello everyone! My name is mike, i live in naples florida...blah blah blah....

ok, well im gonna be looking at a 1999 cbr600f4 with 4,9xx miles for $2500. From what i was told buy the owner he said it does have some damage from it tiping over and it broke the turn signal light. so he decided to take both of them off. Next, he said that he replaced the forks, and replaced the rear sproket to a higher tooth count. But i havent seen the bike yet, but tomorrow evening i will

(Questions)
-since the side turn signals arent there anymore, is there other lights on the bike that signal which way your going?

-would anyone know why he would replaced the forks??

-also why he would put a higher tooth count rear sproket?? ( he did tell me for more take off power but could there be another reason?)

-as of price?? good? bad??

-should I look for any signs/area on the bike for anything??

THanks, i know im a NOOBIE....lol

Ps heres the pic of the bike...

 

Welcome aboard.

To ans your questions...

* If your front & rear signals are removed, there's nothing else to indicate to other traffic which way you intend to turn. You'll have to use hand signals or nothing.

* No reason to completely replace forks unless there was a front end collision. Otherwise, a rebuild of the old forks should be the only thing needed.

* Sprocket sizes are a matter of preference for most riders. Really tho, stock sizes are fine for most riders.

* Price sounds fair to me...if in good condition. Always try to get it lower though. Just ask. Worst they can say is "no". ;-)

* Your last question is a loaded one. To answer it tho, YES. You need to do your homework on what to look for. There are various "buyer's guides" on this forum, as well as other forums. Just search this one & google for other ones. Preferably, I'd recommend you take the bike (w/ seller's permission of course) to your local factory Honda dealership & ask them to do a checkup on the bike. Tell them you're thinking about buying it & want to know how it looks. You'll pay for the checkup. This benefits the seller as well...he's getting a free checkup. Unless there's some sort of issue that the doesn't want to reveal to you, he should be ok w/ it. If he doesn't want to do this but you still are interested in the bike...well, buyer beware...just try to look at all issues from various buyer's guides you read up on. If you can have a more experienced rider to go w/ you to check it out, that would be even better.

Good luck!

 

p.s. I realize those were quick answers. If you want me to expound on them further, please drop me a PM, & I'll try to help out more. Hopefully, others will post as well.

 

price sounds okay but id try to get it lower. just give it a test ride. idk how familiar you are with bikes but check everything over or bring someone who knows what they are doing.

for reference:
i just paid 1300 for the same bike but with 15k miles but it was laid down at about 15 mph.

and welcome to the forum

 

wow $1300? Holy crap that's cheap... I wouldnt let mine go for anything less than $2900 or so.... but mine is near mint.. not dropped... but even still...

How are the tires? That could add $300-500 on top of your overall price... not sure why the forks were replaced... thats odd.. give it a good look and have it checked out.. I dont think that the price is that bad either.. maybe a tiny bit high considering the signals are gone and why knows how the plastics are.

Adam

 

woow $1300, i wish i could get th bike for that price....but im hoping for alittle less then what he is asking me. I am brings a friend along with me since i did find this in the Craigslist, and u never know who ur gonna meet there. So ya, im gonna have a guy that kinda knows what hes doing.

Im going to be checking out the bike today, and thanks for the replys!

If i had to go out and buy some blinkers, how much would they cost?? how about tires if it had bad tires??

I was also told that, if it was in a front end collisioin, could he possibly change the speedometer and all that which would be the reason why his mileage is low??

 

A 99 F4 for under 5,000 miles? Surely that's not right.

The bike has been ragged out obviously with the "extra torque" from the sprockets changed. The forks being replaced could mean multiple things including front end wreck.

The seller never tells you the whole story. You'll have to inspect it yourself very carefully.

 

You may have already looked at it by the time you read this. Anyway...

Good that you're taking a friend. You're absolutely right about CL. Its like Forrest Gump's chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get.

There are many choices for turn signals. You can get inexpensive bulb types or spend more for LEDs. There's quite a bit out there to choose from. If you have a CycleGear store nearby, check them out. They've got several types to choose from.

As for tires, right now, I'd suggest a good sport-touring type tire...one that's suited for commuting, yet has great grip for the occasional twisty. The *dual-compound* types are a good choice...such as Michelin Pilot Road 2. Search the site here for other recommendations. There are a few recent threads on tires. I will say this, don't cheap-out on tires. Get a good tire & consider them as a good investment for safety & better handling.

As for your front end/speedo question... Anything is possible. As to look at his Title to see the mileage. Ask to look at maintenance records. He could be shootin' ya straight about things. Use your common-sense meter. Ask why this forks were changed & listen intently. Really, I'd prefer you have him meet you at the Honda dealership for a thorough check. But, if that's not possible, caveat-emptor on your part. However, just b/c mileage is low, it doesn't mean anything is necessarily fishy. There are many bikes out there that have low mileage for their age.

Good luck. Hope it works out for you. Let us know how it goes!

 

Thanks for the info! I'll keep all that in mind when I go see him this evening. I hope everything will turn out for the good! Lol but can a rear sprocket effect the mileage that much?

 

sooo, the deal is done!! I got the Bike, im picking it up tomorrow once i get the cash to him!! I payed 2150, and the bike indeed has 4,9xx miles on it. he said he did use it on the track just a few times, and never really drove it around town. everythings is stock, and ill correct my self here, he replaced the front sprocket,( not the rear sprocket) but he does still have the original front sprocket. he also added a stiffer spring to the orignal front forks for track occasions he said. so he never gotten into a front end collision or anything from what he said. hes also giving me a honda jacket with a bike stand ( the thing that holds the rear wheel up in the air). with the deal. Oh, and with the signal lights that are just scuffed up a tiny bit but still work. he took them off just cuase they where scuffed up and could be replaced back onto the bike. As for the bike its self its in immaculate conditions, its crazy how clean it is...not one scratch anywhere on the bike!!! i was pretty much amazed on how old the bike was, but then again it was in show room condition. My friend did get a chance to ride it around ( with this crazy storm heading towards FL) and he said it is awesome power still. so i trusted his dicision. anyways, i cant wait till tomorrow!!! Now i just gotta get my motor cycle license which im applying to go for next week!!

PS one more thing i noticed, u know how people say..."how a man keeps there garage clean keeps there toys clean" this guys garage was pretty freaking clean lol...so that gave me another reason to get this bike too.

Heres some pics i took off my broken iphone camera lol....