2001 600 head gasket

[bdelpriore]

OK! I'm totaly new to suzuki's so i have no idea what i've gotten myself into. I bought an 01 600 with 18,000 on it. The previous owner lost the key, so the bike has been sitting for 2 years. He said that the head gasket may be blown (that's what a local bike shop told him).

there is oil in the motor, and no seeping or leaking is present on the outside of the motor.

I already know that the bike needs brake fluid flush, new chain/rear sprocket, tires, complete tune-up/15,000 mile service, and of course A KEY.

The thing was damn cheap though.

[md86]

You can have a leakdown test done or just run it to see if the head gasket is bad . If it IS blown at 18k miles ........ Might be a sign of a SERIOUSLY mistreated bike .

[steves]

I'd try to get it going first... and see where you're at.

[bdelpriore]

You can have a leakdown test done or just run it to see if the head gasket is bad . If it IS blown at 18k miles ........ Might be a sign of a SERIOUSLY mistreated bike .

It hasn't been beaten on too badly. I've known the owner for quite a while (unfortunately). The previous owner is an asshole, but very good about maintenance.

I'll do a leak down on it next week to find the problem.

also...

can anyone recomend a good chain and sprocket set/final drive ratio?

[md86]

A +3 rear seems to be the popular setup . I didn't find a set . I just went and bought the 3 pieces from 3 seperate sources , and still got off light .