need 01 f4i buy opinion!
 

Hey I'm new to the site and I may be getting my first CBR tomorrow, but I would like some opinions on if it is worth it or not, has too many miles for the price, or what I should watch out for when I go look at it. all opinions will be very appreciated. here is a copy of the description:


Again thank-you.

It looks like a well maintained bike. The mods are all reasonable and complimentary.
If it will pass a ride test, and physical inspection to assure it is as stated, the price is quite reasonable.

Ern

$2500 is a damn good price for an F4i. The 20k miles is nothing to worry but I would ask if the valves have been inspected/adjusted. Look to see how nice our trashed the plastics are. Even if they are messed up you can buy an aftermarket set for around $600 and then you're only $3100 into it and that its still a decent price. One thing that I would get rid of quickly its the aluminum frame sliders. You want derlin because those will slide she wear down were metel ones will most likely hook and send the bike flipping. Start it up to make sure it starts good and when it's warm up rev it to about 5k and listen to see if you hear a noise that sounds like bb's in a can. If you do the cctl need to be replaced, if not then your good. Ride it to make sure it runs good, it doesn't misfire or anything and make sure it rides straight. If it all checks out i'd get it. Good luck.

Sounds like a great deal. Personally I would replace the aluminum frame sliders with plastic and eventually go back to stock gearing but neither of those are reasons to not buy the bike.

Sounds like a good deal IF the bike is as described. If you're not knowledgeable about bikes grab a friend who is or spend the money for an eval by a good mechanic. As others have said, the present mods can be easily reversed if you decide to.

Welcome to the CBRForum.

IF all is as-stated in the ad, then yes, a reasonable deal.

If you don't have experience in looking at used bikes, have someone w/ experience to go w/ you. Even better if you can have the seller agree to a factory Honda shop do a pre-purchase inspection (about $85 - you pay for it but it benefits the seller too!).

A cleaned up pretty bike can often catch your eye & pull you away from looking more detailed underneath. I won't buy a used bike unless the lower fairings come off to see what's behind them. A seller w/ nothing to hide, shouldn't have a problem w/ this. Also, ask to see the title & go over it thoroughly...make sure the frame & engine numbers match the title, mileage as well.

Last year, I was looking for another good RC51 for a track bike. Found a seemingly good deal. Met the seller in a shopping ctr parking lot for a quick first look. At first glance, it looked very nice & garnered further consideration. I asked for a more detailed inspection at his house. He was willing...

I asked for a test ride & he approved (mainly b/c he saw that I already had an RC51 & knew how to ride it). The test-ride went well. The bike handled great & the engine sounded good. So, I was even more interested but knew I still needed to do a further more detailed visual inspection.

Also having an RC51, I knew what to look for on RC's. I asked to remove the side fairings for that more detailed look. While removing the side fairings, I discovered broken tabs. That was my first clue. Once the fairings were off, the sins were obvious. Both radiators had been impacted/damaged & there was rashing evident elsewhere. Then, I saw that one of the engine bolts (runs through engine to both sides of frame) was missing...yep, not even there. :icon_emm: Of course, that spiked my meter! I asked the seller about it & he played dumb. He had NO service records at all. Naturally, I suspected it might not have been the original engine. I asked for the title & reluctantly, he retrieved it. Sure enough, numbers didn't match - not the orig engine! :icon_eek: Again, seller played dumb. By this time, I switched modes...

Although the bike rode great & sounded good, it wasn't a factory orig bike & couldn't be sold as such...& certainly not for the seller's asking price. There was absolutely no way to determine the engine's true mileage or condition, not to mention the bike's true history. Also, the incredible dmv headache it would cause to register a bike that had different numbers than the title. Sure, it was going to be a track bike for me but I wanted a clean & legal dmv transaction to allow me to resell it when necessary.

Point is, you have to be diligent & careful when you look at/inspect a bike. There can be so much more lurking under the carefully polished & detailed eye-catching surface!

Good luck. Hope it all works out for you. :)

Excellent price, if it rides good snatch it up.

Sounds like a fair price....so check it over thoroughly.

My '02, same color, with 11k miles would go for (conservatively) about $4k in my area. But my bike is pristine, literally not once scratch on it.

:icon_ditto: I had the same experience as gotcbr when I was buying my F4. Found the one I wanted, had everything I wanted to do to it, 10k mi. I also found one that ran, had been dropped in a parking lot and the PO had replaced the side fairings and repaired the upper. It had superficial rust and corrosion throughout.

When I went to check out the first bike I brought my friend who is a mech without getting on the bike he asked if he could look at the engine and the title. ended up being a different engine and frame with no paperwork

the old rust bucket was $1k cheaper, all the serials matched, mileage was good, they let us take it to a shop and even payed for it, the shop said that it was in the best condition he had seen from bikes that old. thank god for women riders :icon_teeth:. spent $1.5k plan on investing another $1 fixing it up, and in a year or so investing some real time and money turning into a dedicated track bike.

To quote another person in the forum "she may be a 20 on apprentice, but she shure is a 1 on maintenance." Or something to that effect.