About to buy a 750

[Shopshirt Mofo]

New guy here...I've been lurking awhile....looking at an 03 750 with a little over 2000 miles. There are a few places where it looks like the paint is scuffed on the lower fairings but it seems really clean. Anything in particular I should look for?

The other option is a 20,000 mile FZ1 still mulling it over leaning towards the Katana.


Any info would be appreciated!

[elkat]

Not many miles for an 03. Make sure the bike runs fine, and check the tires for dry rot. Could have carb/gas tank rust issues from sitting alot if not properly stored.

[KatanaSoldier]

I agree not many miles but if she runs good and there are no major cosmetic problems either, I would grab the lower mileage Kat!

Welcome to KR!

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Tires looked pretty good haven't really sean any cracking. some scratchs on the fairings looks like something bumped against it or maybe a 0 speed lay over in the garage or yard.

It cranked right up and went to an unchoked idle within a minute or so. I didn't hear any noises that indicated the bike needed work or had any mechanical problems.

Good point to check the tank for rust. Brake fluid looked clear and the rotors had no surface rust. Oil didn't look dark at all. Aside from a few nicks I couldn't find any real damage to affect the bike.

Anything else I should look for? I'm going to test ride it on Tuesday.

[#1 Moses]

Sounda good!

Hows the price on the 03? At 2,000 miles its not even broke in yet!

[The CyberPoet]

What to look for specifically on that year/model, and a pre-purchase inspection list are in this thread:

http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=75641

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Thanks guys, price is like $4200.00, but I'm going to see if he'll take around $4000.00 High retail NADA is around $4510.00

There is a DOD sticker on the left fork leg. I think someone may have bought it between deployments and let it sit.

I would have thought if a bike sat that long there would be alot of corrosion andthings but it is super clean.

Thanks for the link.

[eviilil0ne]

not a bad price .. should be a nice machine .. enjoy and welcome to KR

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Test rode it today! Keep in mind that I'm coming from a Ninja 500R. The bike cranked right up again. I know it was cold so that was good. The seat has two nicks on the bottom of the riders section like someone set it down on rough concrete. Sounded like it missed maybe once or twice then after a few minutes didn't skip a beat. Sounded fine only a slight sewing machine sound I guess from the lifters. Since I'm not familiar with the Kat I don't know if it was good or not. Sounded kind of like my 500r and I know those valves are in spec.

Was skeptical about the mileage so I checked brake pad thickness and tires. Dunlop tires, which I think are factory, no visible cracks anywhere. Plenty of Brake pad left. The Dash rattled a little near the windscreen when on a rough road fairing stays looked original not bent or broken. The engine looked super clean through the fairing vents.

Clutch lever has a slight downward bend, which goes with the small scratches that I saw. Probably dropped it in the garage. I couldn't really tell if there was any rust in the tank the tank was completely full.

Riding observations:

Wow this is a big bike!

Coming from a two cylinder 500r this bike revs super smooth.
1st Gear pretty solid clunk, my 500 does it, but I don't know if this is bad not familiar with the Kat. I got it up to 50 mph pretty quick ran through all of the gears. They all engaged fairly smooth. The different shifter arm position was weird at first. Sprocket looked factory and no hooked teeth but it could use some chain maintenance.

The bike tracked straight handlebars seemed straight. The rear brake doesn't really seem to do much with a bike this heavy you kind of have to give it a firm push to get a little skid.

Comfortable: The Katana is like a very quick Lounge chair.

Did I mention...Wow this is a big bike!

So the mileage is just over 2000 miles. Is it possible to roll back on the digital odometer? The price is $4295+TT&L, he didn't seem to want to budge. I may offer $4000+TTL tomorrow.

What do you guys think? Sorry for the long post.

[The CyberPoet]

Digital odo may be able to be rolled back with specialty software and a lot of experience, but it's more likely that someone simply switched out the dash with a wrecked low-mileage copy of the same bike. Or that it's truly original mileage (that heavy weight puts a lot of new riders off). What did the seller look like (i.e. - body weight, etc)?

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Shopshirt Mofo]

The Seller is an independent shop owner. He picks up used bikes from different places this one was from an auction. The wear on this bike is so minimal I'm thinking it sat up somewhere. I dunno, I tend to be a skeptic...if it's too good to be true...but I'm thinking this one may be legit. Do the numbers on the engine match the VIN? Or is their a separate engine number like someone mentioned in previous thread?

The weight didn't bother me too much...it was just really different from my 500. I'd really have to learn this bike before I could move it around like the Ninja.

[The CyberPoet]

The engine number can be cross-referenced to the VIN, but is not the same number as the VIN.

If the bike only has 2k miles, it should be easy to spot in a variety of ways, such as the condition of the air filter, the exhaust header bolts, chain & tire condition. Probably the easiest way is to check the manufacture date on the VIN plate and the manufacture date on the tires -- if the tires are dated slightly before the bike's manufacture date, then it's virtually guaranteed that it's original mileage. By the same token, if the date on the tires is at/slightly before the build-date on an '03 model (build date sometime in mid/late '02 typically), then they really need to be changed for your safety (bike tires become obsolete due to VOC loss at the five year mark). I highly recommend if that's the case, you seek out a set of Metzeler Z6's to replace the OEM tires... The Z6's will also greatly improve the handling prowess and your own confidence on the bike, and compared to five-year-old-tires, may well save your life one day by reduced stopping distance.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Thanks for the info CyberPoet I really appreciate all of the help I've received here.