Hey,

I'm new on here . . . cool site. I'm about ready to buy my first bike in a while. I looked high and low for an F4i in my area, but found none that weren't mega overpriced by the owner or hadn't been in a 'more than a drop' accident. An '03 RR just popped up in my area and, as luck would have it, it's black (which i love). Are there any issues with the machine I should know about or anything I should look for when I'm dealing with this guy.

I take the bike out for a rip tomorrow, so any input would be helpful. It seems like a great bike on paper and should be a blast at the track. Oh, it's got 16k (km) on the clock.

 

the 2003-04 models had bad rectifier/regulator assemblies. have it replaced before you buy the machine. otherwise you'll go through batteries like no tomorrow.

 

Thanks, I'll ask about that. Is this problem due to engine heat from bad placement or just bad component design/manufacturing?

 

what mileage on average does the rectifer go out? i have an 03 with 4500 miles...are the 05-06 rectifers better manufacture...sorry if this is confusing as im drunk as **** lmao

 

Mouche Man both
yellowblur no set milage. just doesn't perform very well under test conditions. when you start having battery/starting problems, that's a good time to replace the R/R.

 

knightslugger -

Does the rectifier/regulator issue apply to the 600F4i bikes of the same years? My wife has an 04 600F4i that we just bought and even though the battery tests well under load, there are some charging/starting issues that are intermittent.

 

I don't know.

If the battery is just dead one day when you get home, and charging it over night fixes it, and the same thing happens a few months down the road, then i'd say the R/R is suspect.

 

There was a recall on the 2003 RR's about the rear brake linkage...it was reported it could corrode and break and possible cause the rear brake to lock up.

 

Took the bike out . . . like it a lot, though it's faster than I'd anticipated. It's not as uncomfortable as it looks either and it's more stable through the turns than my friend's GSXR too. I'll buy it after I get the title checked and all that. The seller is a douchebag and wanted me to give him $150 for the stock signals and undertail pieces. I told him to shove that up his stock exhaust and give it to me with the bike or sell it to somebody else.