Listen for a rattle on the right side of the engine when riding (cant miss it. I can be pretty loud) dont freak its most likely the cam tensioner which is no biggie to change. Also ask if he has service records for the bike. (thats always nice) check the teeth on the sprocket make sure they are not curved or sharp (come to a nice point) if they do you'll want to change those. Just make sure you listen to your gut. If something just seems off or you feel uncomfortable about the buy then walk away.

 

One last thing. I know the air filter is under the tank, so its something i couldnt do myself, is there anyway to check if it needs to be replaced, or if it has been replaced?

 

You can do the air filter yourself; the tank is two bolts to lift up (right near the ignition) and the filter is another six or eight bolts. Just lift off the cover, see if it looks dirty, clean it if so, and you're good.

 

Be careful when lifting the tank... Make sure the fuel is turned off. Prop the tank w/a piece of wood so it won't fall. Be sure that the fuel line doesn't crack/split.

 

makes it look kinda like a sleeper. my friend with a 08 600rr used to make fun of it until we raced one day. I just recently put all new fairings on my bike and thought about doing the conversion, but I've grown to love the banana seat.

 

Banana seat rocks man, super comfy, lots of seating position options, no where near as aggressive as the rr.. but still sporty feeling...
yes the split seat looks ( better/regular )
The banana is defiantly an acquired taste
but the look on peoples faces when they see your ( aesthetically perceived slow bike ) (*&^ and get is priceless

 

I learned to listen to that "little voice in my head" when checking a F4i out last spring.

Craigslist had a really nice one, great condition, two hours away. Showed up, bike looked really nice. Took it for a ride, drove perfectly, then I did the best thing i could have done. I just pulled over and sat on the bike for a few minutes, motor off, and kept looking at it. That 'little voice' started telling me something just didn't seem right. Eventually I started to see where gaps on one side were just a few millimeters off from the other side. Then I started looking at the screws, some were missing, some were scratched up. The more time I spent just staring at the thing, the more teeny weeny details came out that raised flags. I finally got off, stood in the back about 6 feet away and looked down the centerline. Again it was very slight but it just didn't look symmetrical.

When I asked the seller about this, he got really dumb really fast. "I don't know" "never had a problem with it" "I never noticed that"... I left, went to a local shop to look at a retail bike, and during the conversation, they knew about the bike I had just looked at. Owner had done a wheelie and kept right on going over on his back. Bike had a lot of work done to it.

Get a flashlight and look in ALL the nooks and crannies. Look for any scratches on headers, bolts, lines, etc...

Great bikes are out there and sometimes it's worth the extra few hundred bucks to get a really nice bike.

 

I found my 01 sitting under a cover across the street of my friends house. 13k on it, was dropped so I looked at it along with 3 other people couldn't find a flaw except missing fairings and dent in gas tank. Fuel pump wouldn't prime so I offered a grand and bought it that day. I'm finding stuff wrong from it sitting but runs like brand new. So there are good ones out there that sometimes aren't pretty but trust your gut.

 

is a split seat sub frame all you need to change to the split seat, besides the plastics n seats?

 

See my tutorial. Click on "here" in my sig-line.

Basically, you need the following;
'01-03 split-seat subframe (w/ rearsets if you want to carry passengers)
'01-03 split-seat battery tray
'01-03 split-seat tail cowl/fairing
'01-03 tail light
'01-03 seats (front & rear)
misc hardware (some reused from your banana seat model)