Thanks for the replies everybody.

I've been to the owner, the bike hasn't moved for 6 years, but was stowed away in a dry and warm garage. The owner bought a new battery around the time he quit riding it, which was also stored away safely and is now charged again. The bike hasn't had any technical problems, and is in general good shape apparently. The clutch is old and a bit hard to handle sometimes. Engine performance is excellent, according to the owner, and he told me i won't have a hard time kicking it back to life (he says putting the battery back in, changing the oil and coolant will make it start and purr like a kitty in a couple of minutes).

@lmhobbs: i understand your point, i'm going to check up on that. Normally anything above 125 requires the license here as well, but you can drive your own car as well when you're getting the license so who knows... But i'm not planning on driving the bike yet anyway. The owner is a friend who simply wants to get rid of the bike, either to me for 300 or to someone else for a regular price, since it should be working just fine. The reason i'm buying it is simply to have something ready when i get the license (which in belgium schools they help you achieve with 400's anyway.) Given the fact that he's a friend and wouldn't screw me over, he told me that should the bike be serious malfunctioning i would get refund, and my limited budget, this seemed like an opportunity i couldn't leave passing... plus i love the model!

My current plan is to move it to a good storage place for the time being and either learn how to do the basic mechanics myself, or befriend a mechanic somewhere and give it to him for a quick maintenance by the time i get the license, so i can start driving by next spring.

First piece of advise is never trust a friend when it involves anything to do with money. Many of us have learned the hard way.

As to the bike. It sounds reasonable and once the basic stuff has been done, oil etc, if you can have somebody ( other than the owner ) take it for a ride and make sure all the controls work, lights etc. The hard clutch could just be a dry clutch cable. You'll likely be looking at tires, if it has sat for 6-7 years the tires are likely 10 + years old, not a good thing to ride on tires this old.

Just about any smaller displacement bike will work well for gaining the experience you will need. What you need for now is experience, if you can take a course or two in your home country, that's what I'd recommend before you bought any bike.

One thing to keep in mind. When you buy an older bike, it makes sense at the time but when it comes time to move on to something more applicable to your planned trip, then you'll find that bike can be very hard to unload. Its always better to take the training courses, figure out what type & size of bike you'd likely take on your trip and then buy accordingly. There is nothing wrong with buying a used bike that fits your trips needs and there are thousands of them out there with low miles. Don't be in a rush to buy the bike. If you are going to travel the world so to speak, then you will have to make compromises on size and displacement. I have no idea of your physical abilities but its usually a case where smaller is better for solo riders.

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1971 BMW R75 project,
2013 Suzuki DL650A

Well i got the bike anyway.. it doesn't like shabby. I'll have to put on new tires, for sure, but i'm pretty sure a standard checkup should reveal any problems. After that i can just start taking it for a couple of small rides to see how it goes. I'm definitely taking courses later this year. If the bike doesn't suit me I can always sell it for a better price than i bought it, since I will have fixed it up by that time.

I found the complete service manual from Suzuki on the internet, but I'm also thinking about getting a haynes repair manual, to learn to do the basics myself. Of course i will get the bike fixed up in a garage, but after that i'd like to do stuff myself. Does anybody recommend these books?

Hi Laurens,

The Haynes and Clymer manuals are pretty helpful, although I don't have any specific ones for motorcycles, I have a small collection of them for cars and Land Rovers that Ive owned over the years, its a good way to start, well done!!!

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
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