Need help with first bike purchase..:)
 

Hi everybody,

my name is Laurens De Boeck, a 22 year old college student in Ghent. I'm pretty new to the world of motorcycles, pretty new to the world of motorcycles in general actually... I'm planning to make a big trip trough South-America with a bike in a couple of years, but i'm currently still at the point where i have to get my license. (Yep, a real freshy)

Since i don't know a lot about bikes i would like to seek some advice for my current situation... A friend of mine is selling me her old Suzuki GSX-400 (1988) for little money and this would greatly help me to get some road miles and some experience to help me get the license. It's got a little under 19000km but hasn't been driven for quite some time i think. Do i risk buying a bike in bad shape (either because of its age or because of the fact that it hasn't been driven for such a long time) that is only going to fail me? And will i be able to find spare parts for a model that old if something breaks down? She's asking about 300 euro.

Any advice or help is welcome, you have my thanks for it!

Greets,

Laurens De Boeck

Hi Laurens,

Firstly a warm welcome to the HU and HUBB.


If the GSXR has had regular oil changes and servicing through its life, the top end (of the engine) is not seized and its been stored INSIDE then it is probably worth a look at.

If its in good condition then its better to have (nearly) ANY bike than not have one at all!

How long its been sitting without running? first check oil and coolant levels


if it was stored correctly (some oil put into the tops of the cylinders) then the rings should be ok, but if not, you have to be careful not to break a ring the first time you start the engine if its not ran for a few years. Remove the spark plugs, squirt in some new engine oil ( only a couple of cc's per cylinder) with a syringe, leave it for a day, then turn the engine over by hand, very gently! You should feel very little resistance as the engine is turned, if you feel uneven resistance then there could be an issue with something seized or a broken piston ring. When the engine has been turned over a few times by hand for say 2 minutes with no problems you can then try the starter (still with no spark plugs in) this will start to lift oil to the valves and top of the engine, do this for 10 seconds each time and wait one minute between each time, do this 5 times over 5 minutes (this stops the starter motor from overheating and also damaging the battery) If everything sounds OK put the plugs back in (make sure they are good), some new gasoline, check the air filter is clean and see if it will start. If not then the carb may need cleaning.
Be prepared to buy a new battery as well, they do not last well in long term storage unless they have been disconnected and kept warm

If you get the engine running, everything sounds OK and you are going to buy the bike, change the oil and filter straight away.

Other issues you might have are the brake wheel cylinders might have seized so try everything out before you ride it, also rubber hoses can deteriorate and crack, so check all the hoses, fuel lines and fuel filters, the clutch can also seize up!

If you are not sure of this then try to take someone along who knows what they are doing! - if the engine and/ or gearbox is noisy then don't buy it.

Parts may be a little harder to find for an 88, but you should be able to pick them up still.


Good Luck

Hi Gipper,

thanks so much for your reply. :) I don't know anybody with sufficient knowledge about bikes to come help me out but i'll try and check all the things you've listed above. The owner is a friend and since it's her bike i assume she'll know a thing or two about it. (Still eager to sell it though, so i'll pay close attention)

Thanks for the tips anyway!

Greets

No problem,

any idea how long it has been stored ?

if its less than a year and stored inside then you can get away without doing all of this - just turn the engine over with the starter with no gas a few times to get the oil moving, then try it with gas. If gas has been sat in the carburettor it will go 'gummy' and leave a thin brown film of residue over everything, so it might need a clean out

Yea, I thought Grif's well intended advice and tech info was probably going right over the head of a non mechanic Noob rider. TMI. No surprise.

My advice would be to take the bike (in a van) to a trusted mechanic who knows this bike model. Tell him you've got limited budget. He should be able to go through all the steps Grif laid out in two hours labor or so.

IMO, it's worth paying that to get your low cost bike back on the road. I'm betting the bike is just fine ... but you can't just put in a new battery and crank it over. DON'T DO THAT!

Oil, fuel must be drained and other steps Grif mentioned must be done. Any good mechanic will understand how to bring back a machine that's been standing for so long. It's done all the time.

I just brought back a seemingly dead DR650 that had been sitting, untouched for 11 years. (stored in garage)

It only had 5500 original miles. After going through the steps and installing a new carb and different fuel tank ... it fired up and ran like NEW! (smoke poured out the exhaust at first due to rust dissolver and oil I put down spark plug holes ... but once pumped out ... ALL GOOD!) Bike runs better than my own DR650!

Grif's comments about the brakes are important too. New brake fluid and inspection will be required for safety.

A good and hopefully reasonably honest mechanic can sort all this in a few hours of shop labor. Don't leave it to an amateur ... just wasted money.

BTW, perfect bike to learn on ... and might even make a decent travel bike!!
bier

Have you checked the motorcycle laws about what bike you can ride until you pass your test?

Here in the UK it would be too big, only up to 125 on a learner license. As a motorcycle instructor, my advice would be pass on the bike and get yourself something that you can ride around on while you are learning to ride a bike.

How nervous are you about riding a bike? Don't be afraid to say yes, many people are. Another reason to get a small bike, build up your confidence and then when you are ready to do your trip you will know so much more about bikes and pick something that suits you.

If you are going to travel on your own a 400 may be too big for you, can you pick it up? I know people say its all in the technique but I have a medical reason which stops me lifting any bike over about 250

Good bikes are always around so no need to rush and if you are not mechanical may be better to save up and buy something a bit more recent

Lilian

Ive personally found the best way was buy some tools, get some advice, work on an old cheap bike, make a few mistakes, (eventually) get bike going, then ride around on it having learned something, grinning like a Cheshire cat.


IMO I prefer to invest in my own tools than pay someone else to do it, but when I was younger I never had the money to get someone else to do it or buy a newer bike.....;)

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.

Well i got the bike anyway.. :p 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!!!