XT600 purchase
 

I've seen a 2002 XT600 with 4,000 miles and 2 owners. It looks clean and I'm tempted. However, although there is a service book with a 600 mile stamp in it, there are no more services recorded.

The dealer recons that the previous owner was sticking to the mileage intervals and the fact that 10 years may have passed with no oil change makes no difference to the life of the engine. He would say that though - I know that is nonsense and the oil should ideally have been changed every year.

Still, the bike did most of its miles in its early life (MOTs show this) so perhaps no damage has been done by not changing the oil. I'd be interested in opinions on this.

The other question is regarding tyre wear.The rear tyre, which I assume is the original, is about 80% worn. Would this tally with the mileage?

Any comments gratefully received. Cheersbier

It's just about due for its first proper service! A couple of points:

It's had its oil changed at 600 miles, which is vital.

Ideally it should have been serviced every year, regardless of mileage. But I'd rather have a bike that had been sitting around without being serviced than a bike that was used hard without being serviced. Budget for a full service (it's due anyway). Also be prepared for the carbs to be gunked up, and possibly the wheel and chassis bearings to be a bit dry. All are fairly easy fixes if you have a bit of mechanical nous. You may get away without this. They are very durable bikes.

I get around 4-5k out of a rear tyre, so the wear you describe sounds about right. At 10 years old, the tyres will need changing regardless of wear.

+1 couldn't have put it better myself. :thumbup1:

Mezo.

Thanks for the reply.

Tyre wear seems to fit with the mileage which gives me more confidence that the mileage is correct.

I'll look up what's entailed in a full service and see whether I can get this included in the price..

Useful tips - thanks for the comments.

Full service normally means an oil & filter change (if your lucky) a five second glance at the obvious stuff, plus quick pull of the levers & that`s it.

How much do they want for it?

Mezo.

Just because there's no stamps, doesn't mean the oil hasn't been changed.

I bought my XT at two years old in 2005 and don't have any service history since then because I've done it all myself.

Matt:)

You're right, it may have been serviced even though there's no record of services to prove it. I'm just working on the worst case scenario that it hasn't been serviced in 10 years.

The bike is for sale at £2200 - from a dealer. It comes with 3 moth guarantee and a full pdi. It needs a service and a new rear tyre. I'm going to begin by getting those two jobs thrown in as part of any offer I make.

I've read here of others getting better bikes for less money but I can only go on what's for sale right now.. What would be a good dealer price for this bike?

Can't help you with the value, but if its all as stated it sounds like a great bike for an adventure. With that low mileage on it, it's barely run in. It should work faultlessly where much more modern and expensive bikes could easily be less reliable.

Other indicators to look at are the wear on the sprockets. Mine did circa 20,000km before I eventually changed them, so they should look pretty good after 4000 miles.

I paid over the odds for my bike, I realised afterwards, but I've never regretted it as it was a few squashed bugs off being brand new and has been fantastically reliable and robust. At the end of the day, what is it worth to you?

If you're happy to pay £2200 for a bike and think that its all good and the mileage is right etc, then it may be worth springing a little over the odds to get the right bike.

If its not quite right and you are not in a hurry, then keep hunting!

Matt :)

I'm never ceased to be amazed at the number of people who seem to think a dealer service history is somehow vastly superior to a talented home mechanics efforts!

I often see bikes being advertised almost apologising for breaks in dealer service history! What a total load of BUNKUM! doh

I have had some really awful experiences with so called DEALER SERVICES. I won't go into detail here but suffice to say I haven't been at all impressed. In my experience a dealer simply charges a premium price for a rotten hurried job. :ban:
Dealers often cut corners in terms of time and their costs. That means giving the customer a sub-standard service while giving a premium priced invoice!

Instead I now have all my bikes serviced and kept in tip top shape by my good mate Pete who I have known since I was 14. What he doesn't know about motorcycles isn't worth knowing. He restores old 1960's,70's and 80's bikes for a hobby. He's currently working on a 1992 Honda Fireblade. All his restorations end up looking (and riding) better than new.

When you buy a bike, remember the most important thing is how it looks - if it's been looked after then it's probably a good safe buy. If it looks tired and badly treated then simply walk away. Remember it's a buyers market.

I would far rather buy a bike off a talented home mechanic than a dealer who charges a third more for precisely nothing. :confused1: The only time it can be worthwhile is when a good gaurantee is offered.

IF THE BIKE LOOKS (AND SOUNDS) WELL LOOKED AFTER IT'S PROBABLY A SAFE BUY. :thumbup1:

Don't get hung up on the dealer service thing......

If your bike looks tired and is in a pitfiful state (with suspect oil changes), perhaps the best thing to do is to walk away.... Remember it's a buyers market out there and another (good'n) is bound to come along soon....

Oil changes are'nt important if the bike is being stored and is unused however if it is then it needs regular oil changes (the more regular the better in my opinion). My mate reckons on a change after every 4,000 - 6,000 miles or every 12 months.

Neil,

I agree.

I really don't mind who has serviced the bike (I service my own bikes and cars) -But I do care about seeing evidence that servicing has been done.

Service history adds value to a bike because it provides proof that the bike has been looked after. If that history is a dealer stamp or a receipt for a filter from someone that did the job themselves I don't mind. But service history does matter.

Similar bikes seem to be going on eBay for around the £1800 mark if they are in good, clean condition, so I would say the price is about right from a dealer with a bit of warranty. If you can get the new tyres (front as well - even if it's unworn it will be well past it in terms of age) and a service thrown in, go for it.

These bikes are very easy to service. You need to ask for oil and filter, valve clearance check, and a quick grease gun round the rear susp linkage. Probably an hour's work total for a competent mechanic.

I'm getting nowhere with buying this bike...

I made an offer of £2200 and asked that it have a full service, the valve clearances checked and the fok oil changed. They told me that the service is no problem but the fork oil is a 3 hour job and it takes another 3 hours to check the valve clearances.

I've changed the fork oil on other bikes and it wasn't a big deal. Can someone who knows more than me about XT600s help me out here - what sort of time would it take to do these jobs?

I know that the front suspension on these bikes will be soft but I was surprised how soft it is on this particular bike - that's why I thought the fork oil may need changing. Is this something I need to get used to or does it sound like the oil needs changing.

Thanks everyone, Jim

Fork oil take me under an hour if I just take it easy and have a good time doing it. I bet it can be done around half an hour if you hurry up.

Valveadjusting is the same, if not faster.

Both is things you can do yourself (perhaps with a little help)

Now you know where NOT to have a bike serviced in the future :thumbdown:

That's the conclusion I've come to - get it serviced elsewhere. Or better still, do it myself. That's a massive difference from what you are saying compared to the dealer.

Is it normal for the front forks to bottom out when braking hard?

Offer him $1500 cash, no warranty, no service or MOT (ask him to trade it out) hopefully he took in part exchange & will happy to get his money back.

Im guessing trade is around a grand, he may have given 1200 for its low mileage but it wont owe him much more than that if he can see a few hundred profit with no hassle he will let it go.

Then do the jobs yourself, at least you know its done right & you will have learned something at the same time.

Mezo.

£2,200 seems a high price for a late low mileage 2003 XT600E.

In my humble opinion it's worth £1,800 absolute tops with a gaurantee and £1,600 without one. This is for a low mileage bike in MINT condition.

If you take the time to have a look, it's now quite possible to find a more modern, newer XT660 for just under £2,500. That puts your £2,200 XT6 in perspective...

My advice - offer him £1,600 or walk. It's a buyers market and there are lots of bargains out there if you look.

PLAY HARD BALL. :thumbup1:

Any oil is better than no oil....

Make sure it has enough in it....

At 4000 miles , i'ts barely run in. I wouldn't be put off at all.

You do need to budget a service, a grease up and 'Maybe' some new tyres. If it's been standing a while then maybe the carb could be a bit gunked. But maybe not.

Tyres don't automatically fall apart at ten years old like some say. It depends how they're stored. I've seen 30 year old tyres that look better than three year old tyres.

Still, if you want piece of mind, get new rubbers...


£2200 is WAY too much. What's the dealer ???

I bought a mint one with 1800 miles on it in 2007 for £1800. That was private though.

Great bikes though. Proper robust and easy to work on but don't expect to see 70mph for extended periods. I rode South America on my 600E. 65mph is where you want to be.

Have fun ::)

The most important oil change is the one at 600 miles which has been done. The main reason for changing oil yearly even if it hasn't done the mileage is because water builds up in the oil due to condensation. Condensation is much worse if the engine is used for very short trips and never gets up to temperature which may be the case with this bike, however the oil is not degrading with the bike just sitting in a garage. In fact if the oil had been changed yearly and the bike still didn't get used just as much 'damage' will have been done as the oil will have drain down leaving parts in the engine 'dry' and prone to corrosion from humidity.

My old BSA doesn't get much use and the tyres have been on it for more than 20 years and they're fine.

I've got two XT600's, one with large tank, coal-scuttle bash-blate, handguards etc as an on-going adventure project..... the other one has worked it's way to the back of the garage.

Would recommend as a purchase, will take lots of abuse, pull nicely, easy to service etc. Stay on top with the grease gun to avoid the squeaking becoming too annoying ;)

Price seems a bit high, but then if you can't find anything else and it's clean and tidy.... make the offer!

That isn't just dealer caution; that's outright lying. I am an average backyard mechanic, and I can check and adjust the valves in half an hour including a beer. Forks, no experience on the XT, but from doing the same on other bikes, 2 hours tops. He's making up reasons why he doesn't want to do the work, that's all.

XT forks are pretty soft, although I have never bottomed them out so far. You do get used to it, and I quite like it. If I brake on a bike with decent suspension and the bike doesn't go into full ocean-racing yacht mode, I wonder what's wrong.