Too good to be true?
 

I've been looking to get my first bike for nearly a year now (sucky finances). I already took the MSF course last summer and have my license and MSF card. Ok, so now it's tax season again and I WILL get a bike this spring if I have to kill someone for it (not really but you get the feeling). So I was looking at a craigslist and found a bike nearby (like 20miles away or so) that I think might be just what I'm looking for. I'm just wondering if it might be too good a deal to be real and maybe there's more wrong with the bike other then being 18yrs old and having 23k miles on it and needing "a little work". Here's the listing:

http://scranton.craigslist.org/mcy/1001885337.html

If I go to look at it I'm gonna try asking one of my friends at work who has a small fleet of atv's and dirt bikes to go along since he'd have a better idea of what to look for. There's also several places I know of that I could possibly take it to get inspected at. Seems that north eastern Pennsylvania is rather biker friendly and has a large population of bikers but not a lot of used bikes on the market.

23K miles is nothing. I'd be more concerned that 18 years and 23K shows it's been very little used, and that brings its own set of potential problems. I'd want to know that it's had an annual service - at least an oil change every year, and that it's been kept free from corrosion.

All that apart, a 500 is on the big side for a first bike. You'll learn more, learn it better, and learn it faster with something like a 250. There's a good argument for a naked bike, as you're likely to do silly things that cause you to drop it at very low speed - simply not getting it properly on the stand is a common one - but all that plastic still gets broken. At least fit frame sliders, which can save you a lot of money.

With this bike, if you decide that you really want a 500, check that it starts easily from cold (don't be afraid to feel the motor to check that it hasn't been pre-warmed) and have someone with you who can ride it - hard. Expect to have to fit new tyres, shocks, pads and replace all the fluids. A bike that needs a little work is good for accelerating learning curve as long as you get it cheap enough. This is probably cheap enough.

Rob

the post was gone:( but gathering from^^^ the 500 is good starter bike imo. How much is it??

The post is still there, just got moved. It's $800 for a 1991 ninja 500. From the picture on the posting you can tell it's been slightly modded (exhaust, paint job, rear fender). I'm gonna call the guy today and ask about it. As for being too big, not really. It's right up there in competition with the 250 for a beginner bike because it's still tame enough for a newbie but has enough power for things like highway riding without being too light. Also at $800 I'm not worried about dropping it and damaging the plastic. Not to mention it's cheaper then the 250's I've been finding. Seems that with the increase of sales from the new one even the older ones are going up in price.

As for having someone that can ride it hard. I'm in north east Pennsylvania, it's January, it's less than 30 degrees out on a warm day with lots of snow and ice still on the ground. You're not riding anything on the road here for at least another 2 months. As I said, I have a friend at work that I might try to take with me to look it over, and if need be there's several motorcycle shops to take it to for a full inspection.

I was kinda figuring the usual maintenance stuff to check with the fluids and pads and tires. I'm just worried there's more wrong with it then just maintenance type stuff at that sort of price.

thats prob a decent price for what you are looking at. Def take your friend with you...even if there are minor things wrong with the bike, its a great deal for a learners/1st bike. Good Luck!

do you not want to spend more money and get a newer bike and not have to worry about the troubles of it being 18 years old and, well, everything that might be wrong with it

Really kinda hard to get a good feel when you can't ride it IMHO. 800 is not bad, but keep in mind things like rubber lines, fluids and stuff will deteriorate with age. I would say a 500 is a good bike to start on too. If it where me, I would save up somemore and try to find something in the 10 year or less range. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

+1 on that Zbike. my first bike was a 500 and i loved it, except for the body style. i feel like the 250 is a little too....gutless.

Hence why I am thinking of going with a 500 to start instead of a 250. Also helps that I'm not light at about 215 to 220 (I feel so fat sometimes lol).


Ok, I just called him about it. He says that the "little work" it needs has to do with the transmission. Apparently the neutral safety switch might be broken. What's happening he says is it sometimes will drop into neutral when shifting. So like if you're going into 5th it sometimes drops to neutral and you have to pump it twice. It also needs a windshield and a new clutch cable put on.

With all that in mind I think I'm gonna keep looking. If it where just the cable and windshield then I'd look at it. But I'd rather not deal with a transmission problem.

good choice.

Yeah. . . . neutral safety switch has NOTHING to do with the transmission popping out of gear. Either he doesn't know any better or he's deliberately misleading you. Keep looking. . . .

Oh, he doesn't claim to know what's truly wrong with the tranny. He said he bought it like that and that's what someone told him it might be. I'm gonna keep looking, there are some 250's on craigslist that seem decent buys, but I'm hoping to find a good 500 for the added juice for a more secure highway driving when summer comes around. I plan on it being my main mode of transportation when spring/summer arrive, and that includes plenty of 75mph highway stints.

Good luck with your seach. There's plenty of bikes around PA for sale. Now is a good time to buy. What part of town are you in?

I live in the Moscow area near places like Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Mount Pocono and Stroudsburg.

I agree with the continued search. Its a crap shoot when there is "something" wrong which leads to finding more problems. Be patient, soemthing will turn up and you'll be lovin it :)

Good luck on the search. But yes, unknowns are a concern with a tranny with those miles.

Sounds like either a worn tranny or he just doesn't know how to shift properly.

A 250 will easily cope with 75 mph highway rides. It's only gutless if you don't know how to ride one.

Rob

good luck on your search for the bike. I'm sure some thing will turn up

Ok, here's another shot at a bike that looks promising, especially if I get my tax return by Friday like I'm expecting to.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/mcy/1028396507.html

that ones been flagged........

"used" is a great starter bike; I've been riding for over 20 yrs........
still not sure if I would buy a new street bike, I'm always doing something dumb to knock it over (or my kids)

I just hate to put the first cracks/scratches in the plastics and chrome, plus they just don't hold any value so buy one 10+ yrs to start
--ride it for a while--
then sell it for the same as you bought, move up to something a little different and newer then repeat.
Pretty soon you'll only be a couple of small changes off the showroom floor

I buy new, but I've been at it for so long that I expect to start putting scratches and marks on the bike almost as soon as I've got it and I've long since given up worrying about it.

For a first bike, used is a much better option. If it needs a bit of work, that's no bad thing as you'll start to find your way around the bike instead of taking it back for a warranty fix every time it hiccoughs.

Rob

Where do you see it as flagged? You're not talking about the yellow warning up at the top that they put on all CL listings about avoiding scams are you? If so, that's not a flag, it's the standard warning you see on each and every CL listing. If it were flagged then the info and pics would be gone replaced by a notice from CL in huge bold letters. I've seen it a few times.

But yes I'm looking to get my first bike before spring and will 100% be getting used. Perhaps next year I can qualify to get a new bigger bike. But we'll have to wait and see, first things first. Get an inexpensive quality first small bike, ride the hell out of it over the summer (the more miles I ride the better :D ) and then see what happens over next winter.