Looking at a 1992 GSXF 600

[house]

I am going to look at a 1992 GSXF 600 tomorrow. The guy is asking $800 for it, lowered from $1400 since apparently he is moving asap. Here is his description:
"Runs good. good motor. Needs a back tire. and a windshield it has a few cracks in plastic, but i have title. and it has 4-1 head pipe with vance hines supersport system exhaust thats screams ready for road once u get a back tire on it"
I have been talking to him through email and he told me this:
"the carbs have to be cleaned it wont crank till it is"

Im going to go look at the bike tomorrow and see what kind of condition it is really in. What should I be looking for? Any usual problem areas in a kat this old that may have been sitting around for a while? If the only problem is the carbs, how much would it cost to have them cleaned at a shop? And are there any indications I should be looking out for if it's problems are more than just a carb cleaning problem.

Thanks in advance and I am looking forward to hopefully getting my first kat

[eviilil0ne]

well if it cant start .. there is no way to tell anything about it really 800 aint bad but i would be prepared for alot of work to go into it .. sure others will chime in about more

[Sundowner]

Pre's from what i have gathered from here are prone to 2nd gear problems (I bet arsenic will chime in here) But still are good solid Bikes if taken care of (the term is "if") most problems will be finding some parts for it. the Centerstand comes to mind. Pray it has one. I would one of these days still love to add a pre to my stable (since i have two 98+'s) search thru all of KR's Tech Pages (carbs, Suspension etc etc). and I would Recommend grabbing a service manual if you plan on digging into the Bike on your own.

[house]

If I would get this bike and find it has the 2nd gear issue and pops back to neutral, how expensive is the fix for this? Also, cleaning the carbs, is that something that should be done by a professional and if so how much? Im pretty mechanical, but I have never dealt with carbs.

[SweetLou]

You can always skip second gear and go into third till you get a new engine. Just a idea.

Carbs are pretty simple, lots of write-ups here on them. If you have questions, and a digi cam, you can always post questions, and get them answered. For $800 bucks, I would definately do it.

As for rear tire, www.americanmototire.com and I would prolly do the front too.

Expect to have to repalce and do more maintenance than what he has listed tho, specially if it has been sitting. Most likely also needs new brake lines (front and rear, they are rubber, and need to be replaced like every 5 years I beleive it is), proly needs a brake fluid flush (easy to do), may need new pads/rotors.

Plan on new sprockets and chain, and the cushdrive since you would have the rear off (cushdrive is rubber also). Crack in windscreen, no big deal, just get a new one.

With the carbs, full teardown, new O-rings, and I would suggest a actual carb dip rather than just a quick clean. If your gona do it, may as well do it right the first time, that way you don't have to do it again later cuz you did a halfarse job the first time.

Full oil change, valve adjustment. Possibly (and only possibly here) may need new clutch and or throttle cable. At least lube them.

And lastly maybe a valve adjustment. If your doing the carbs tho, that is something you can do while the carbs soak.

Other than that, maybe minor and little things here and there.

The bike is fairly straightforward and easy to work on. One tool I would highly suggest having tho is a set of metric T-Handle Allens. Makes it a WHOLE LOT easier to work on.