Hey

I just picked up an 01 f4i during thanksgiving. It only has 4500 miles.

I'm gettin it registered on tuesday and bringing it in for inspection and a look over.

The guy at the dealership said it would 280 USD for the full look over of the bike which is kinda a lot for me at least and he said it would take over a day to finish. I'm not even sure what consists of a full look over, but if its gonna take a day and a half..they prob look over EVERYTHING.

This is leads to my question....Do you think getting a FULL look over is completely necessary for a bike with this few miles? I was thinkin of just getting my chained cleaned+adjusted, fluids and oiled replaced and callin it a day.

Or is there anything at this mileage to look for? Or do u think I should just shove out the cash and get everything looked over.

A little history on the bike...previous owner bought it froom a dealership with ~2000 miles. It still has the original tires on it..and there in pretty good condition with plenty of life on it. Previous owner wasn't a stunter and was just a weekend commuter. Not a single scratch on it or signs of a fall.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

my advice, dont ever pay someone to adjust your chain or change your oil. both things they like to charge a ridiculous amount for and they are too easy to do. a bike with that low of miles... if it wasnt just absolutely thrashed on, will be fine. look at your forks make sure your not leaking there, make sure oil is up where it should be. make sure you have sufficient fluid in brake reservoirs, check coolant level. though your brake pads should be fine, check them anyways. remember, the F4i is a tank.

Edit: sometime between now and when you get to 15K, more than likely youll develop a noise at certain rpms. people here say it sounds like a can full of BB's. i guess thats accurate enough lol. neways, its the CCTL. do not pay the stealership to replace this! they will overcharge you on the part itself as well as labor.

 

I wouldnt shell out the money to have them look it over. Unless they imply some sort of warranty for doing so, which I'm sure they don't.

One thing concerning your tires. There is no way I wouldnt replace those tires right away. 4500 miles on an 8 year old set of tires? 4500 miles is the upper limit of most sportbike tires. not to mention 8 years excededs the recommended life of the tire. Being that the bike is an 01, the date on the tires is probably more like 99. So your probably looking at 10 year old tires. Sure, you may be ok, but the rubber has probably lost most of its compounds and has dried out. Your more than likely riding on tires that have no where near the grip they did when they were new. A lot of people will say they get so many miles and years from tires. But if it were me, and I didnt know the history of how the tires were maintaned, I'd replace them first off.

Take the 280 and buy a set of tires.. My choice would be Michelin Pilot Powers. They are very sticky and are suprisenly high mileage for how sticky they are.

 

yea I was kinda hazzy of driving on old tires

yea i've decided to not make them look it over..I'm prob just gonna bring it in to get inspected and go riding..this is my first season..so I'm kinda antsy to get going.

I'm gonna look into these pilot tires...I"ve been hearing this tires are really good and everyone recommends them.

I''ve heard of this cct problem..if this problem does arise should I go OEm or APE

 

Just a heads up since your a new rider. When you replace your tires, the bike will feel very tippy at first. Your old tires will have a flat spot in the center of the tire them making the bike feel more stable while driving slow. the new tires will not have this and the bike will lean either way extremely easy. So take it easy and get use to it. Also, make sure you scrub your new tires in. take it very easy for at least your first heat cycle into the tires. Most people will suggest at least 150 miles on the tires before you start riding normal again. But for the most part, a good heat cycle into the tires should do the trick. I would ride at least 30 miles conservatively, and continueously. that should ensure a good heat cylce into the tires.

Also, make sure your tires are good and warmed up everytime you ride before you start getting aggressive with the bike. The grip of a cold tire is severly less than that of a warmed up one. At least a few miles before you "get on" the bike at all.

 

Good advice on changing the tires! But there are a lot of articles stating that newer tires don't need to be "scrubbed". But I haven't seen any articles saying that scurubbing is bad, so do what ever you feel is best.

I did a lot of research and got read a lot of reviews and finally decided to make the switch from Pilot Powers (GREAT tires!) to Dunlop Roadsmarts. Why? I rarely drag a knee, but they still stick enough for me to do that. The real reason, They feel just as good to me and they will last twice a long as my old Pilot Powers (not to mention that they are cheaper).

I wouldn't pay all of the money to someone else to look at your bike. Check the chain and sprockets. Change the oil and coolant (maybe the sparkplugs), replace the rubber and then just see how she runs. Then I would mention any questions or concerns on this forum. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum and most everyone is willing to do what they can to help you out. That is what makes this forum so wonderful!

 

thats true about not having to scrub in tires.. but only certain brands. Some off brands still use a release agent to get the tire out of the mold. Most of the major brands nowadays no longer use release agents, as the molds are so accurate and smooth, they dont require the release agent. therefore do not need to be scrubbed in to get rid of the agent. But, all tires will need at least one good heat cycle into them before they are ready to run wide out. I figured at 30 miles, even a slow pace is going to net a good heat cycle into the tires and therefore should be ready to ride. A brand new set of tires without a heat cycle are extremely slippery.

 

thanks for all the advise guys

I might as well drop the money for new tires....better be safe than sorry..after getting these tires, I will be completely broke lol....this hobby is breaking the bank

I'm def gonna take an easy on new tires..i've seen so many vids on youtube of people lowsiding it right out of the dealership parking lot

 

i ride on 15 year old dunlops lol.
It is indeed, an expensive sport.
Wanna give me a deal on your old set if you get new ones?

EDIT: I am just saying that not all of us can afford the best of the best. In those cases, when it is not necessary to replace a part, some of us have to get as many hours out of our parts as we can. I would say that if you still have 3/16 tread or more still on the tire you could get many more hours out of em while saving your cash for more vital needs.

Listen to squid though if you want your ride at peak performance.