Things to look (or listen) for when testing out a bike

[Blackshear]

Hey all, got a date with a GSF250 '90 tomorrey, so I kinda want a to-check list of sorts to run through my head whilst giving it a ride.

Here's what I can think of so far, just from my pushbike and slight MX knowledge. You are encouraged to help ol' me out. I'd ask my dad, but well he's in Nelson and doesn't exactly approve.

Wheels:
Play in the front rear wheels from side to side, disc rotor meat and/or any obvious gouges from lack of brake pads etc etc. Trueness and tread.

Chassis:
Cosmetic damages, if any, and areas around it to be checked for bent steel on the frame, and obvious stuff like that. Not obvious things I don't think i'd be good at spotting. Chain sprockets, Chain condition. Forks should work, shouldn't stick or have scratches on them. (Boy i'm gonna miss my 8 inches from my pushbike! Ha ha.) Headset/steerer tube should move lock to lock without any bearing-like clunky feelings and feel very solid. Back shock, not too sure with motorbikes, bushings shouldn't let any up/down play feelings when back end of the bike is pulled up enough to take all the load off the shock. If i'm strong enough :whistle:.
Er what else. Pegs are attached, firmly.

Engine:
Clutch, especially, should boot into gear when asked to, no noticable clutch-engaged-but-still-slightly-unengaged effects. Engine pull vs. rpm should be linear-ish, no really noticeable drops in power up the band. Around the redline, apart from the fact it's the end of the line, shouldn't suddenly be starved of fuel (Carbs float could be dirty, untuned?). No scary knocking sounds from anything.
I don't know what to feel, listen for in the gearbox, for worn gears or anything, apart from maybe a bang and loss of all power. Any tricks? Gear peg should be pretty solid, no massive bends or abnormal play.

Thats all I can think of!!!
I'd be confident enough to just do my own once-twice-thrice over and be reasonably satisfied, but i'm not going to let the 'I know everything' bug bite.

Cheers, if anyone wishes to contribute to my list.

Chris.

[PirateJafa]

Hey all, got a date with a GSF250 '90...

...Engine pull vs. rpm should be linear-ish, no really noticeable drops in power up the band.

A GSF250 will be quite low on power down low, but the VVC kicks in around 8,000RPM (depending on the year - a 1990 will be the 45HP model, so the redline should be higher than the 15k redline on mine) and the the power is all above that.

The Bandit's are great bikes, but quite revvy - which is great fun - keep the revs well up while accelerating or engine-braking and you'll be fine.

Dropping a tooth from the front sprocket will do wonders too. :)

[Blackshear]

A GSF250 will be quite low on power down low, but the VVC kicks in around 8,000RPM (depending on the year - a 1990 will be the 45HP model, so the redline should be higher than the 15k redline on mine) and the the power is all above that.

The Bandit's are great bikes, but quite revvy - which is great fun - keep the revs well up while accelerating or engine-braking and you'll be fine.

Dropping a tooth from the front sprocket will do wonders too. :)
Coming from 2-stroke mx bikes, i'll be well accustomed ;)
Perhaps not my neighbours, but we all have either stereo's, huge mouths or Harley's. One of which, has all.
I'll be trying a 1990, before the VVC. Redline at 18k, I think? Stupid revolutions per minute, really. WOOT! Max torque is at 10500 I think, and power at 14000. What the hell is the other 4k for :blink:

[Phurrball]

^^ What PJ said.

Bandits love to rev. Great bikes - big for a 250, and pretty comfortable.

They also love to drink gas (for a 250) 14-16km/L round town and about 17km/L on the open road - must be all those revs and those 4 carbys.

[Blackshear]

^^ What PJ said.

Bandits love to rev. Great bikes - big for a 250, and pretty comfortable.

They also love to drink gas (for a 250) 14-16km/L round town and about 17km/L on the open road - must be all those revs and those 4 carbys.

They're thirsty? Goddammit! Still shiteloads more mileage than a cage I guess!
Yeah, noticed they're about 20kg's more than the sport sport 250's. Not too much of a problem, really. Wouldn't mind knowing if a twin front disc setup is doable! Apart from the cash gap of a CBR etc, decided on this because it LOOKED comfy. Not a plank seat. Looking seat.
Cheers!

[PirateJafa]

Bandit's don't weigh more than any other sports two-fiddy? They are only 164kg...

[Blackshear]

Bandit's don't weigh more than any other sports two-fiddy? They are only 164kg...

Wouldn't know =)
Seemed just as heavy as my KDX 200, but with a far far less lock to lock angle.
After all I read about these revvy 250's, I was expecting to have to rev it to about 10k to go from stationary. Only 5k! Ah, i'm so happy now...

[NOMIS]

Keep a ear out for police siren's and gun shots.

[NOMIS]

Wouldn't know =)
Seemed just as heavy as my KDX 200, but with a far far less lock to lock angle.
After all I read about these revvy 250's, I was expecting to have to rev it to about 10k to go from stationary. Only 5k! Ah, i'm so happy now...

I looked at a bandit before the hornet. preferred the hornet after riding them, there both very revvy bikes. y redline not untill 17K except mine seems to be better on gas than your bandit. and again they dont start to do anything untill the 9000rpm mark. really start to feel like they actually got some guts for a 250 after 12000rpm

[Blackshear]

I looked at a bandit before the hornet. preferred the hornet after riding them, there both very revvy bikes. y redline not untill 17K except mine seems to be better on gas than your bandit. and again they dont start to do anything untill the 9000rpm mark. really start to feel like they actually got some guts for a 250 after 12000rpm
Yeap, then screams and screams till you change gear =)
I'm not particularly worried about gas, but I do expect a decent eyebrow change if it's added up over the year.
Hmmm. How the hell do you check the water level on this damn thing. And what to name this 'damn thing'.
Yeah, up a hill nothing happens in any gear above 3rd till about 10000.

[PirateJafa]

So how'd it go?

If you do take a fancy to it, I have a brand spanking new rear tyre, chain and pair of sprockets you can buy off me for stupidly cheap (if you hurry and get in before insurance picks her up)!

[Blackshear]

So how'd it go?

If you do take a fancy to it, I have a brand spanking new rear tyre, chain and pair of sprockets you can buy off me for stupidly cheap (if you hurry and get in before insurance picks her up)!
I think the rear is brand new, but how much yah talkin?

[PirateJafa]

$220 new, so call it $100 + a still WOFable rear tyre that can go on mine :P

Edit: Chain and sprocket are $180 new, so call it another $100 + your old chain and sprocket?

[Blackshear]

$220 new, so call it $100 + a still WOFable rear tyre that can go on mine :P

Edit: Chain and sprocket are $180 new, so call it another $100 + your old chain and sprocket?
Hmmm. I only have about 500 in the bank to buy gear and a helmet. Might have to give it a miss aye. How long do I have to make the choice?

[PirateJafa]

Only a few days... Insurance has given me the cheque, so fair is fair - I'll have to cough up the bike soon.

[Blackshear]

Only a few days... Insurance has given me the cheque, so fair is fair - I'll have to cough up the bike soon.
Sorry dude, don't have the funds =)
Or a mum right now :innocent:

[Disco Dan]

Look for 'new' parts. Things you dont normally notice untill a week later...

Look at left and right hand sides for differences - ie l/h peg looks newer/brighter than r/h peg that sort of thing.

Look for rust inside heads of bolts - gives you an indication it was recently disturbed.

If it looks too good to be true it prob is.

Is it too clean? Sometimes people will have their bike steam cleaned to sell - this can cause oil leaks on older bikes.

Inspect the wheel rims for dents - even a small one indicates it's hit something.

If you can take the fairings off do so - inspect the inside of the fairings for repairs. look at the leads entering the coils for an indication of how old they are.

Look inside the fuse box - does any of the fuses look cleaner/newer? Does any part of it look cleaner? - could indicate a recent electrical problem.

Ask the seller not to start the bike before you get there to look at it - you want to start it from cold, it's ok if it needs choke but if it is very rough there could be a problem.

Compare the evidence - ask if seller has recently done anything to bike, ie replaced chain etc then look at chain to see. If he/she says it has been reg serviced and has no problems and you (for example) see one particular fuse is clean you know he/she is lying - I would start asking some pretty detailed questions then.

[Blackshear]

Look for 'new' parts. Things you dont normally notice untill a week later...

Look at left and right hand sides for differences - ie l/h peg looks newer/brighter than r/h peg that sort of thing.

Look for rust inside heads of bolts - gives you an indication it was recently disturbed.

If it looks too good to be true it prob is.

Is it too clean? Sometimes people will have their bike steam cleaned to sell - this can cause oil leaks on older bikes.

Inspect the wheel rims for dents - even a small one indicates it's hit something.

If you can take the fairings off do so - inspect the inside of the fairings for repairs. look at the leads entering the coils for an indication of how old they are.

Look inside the fuse box - does any of the fuses look cleaner/newer? Does any part of it look cleaner? - could indicate a recent electrical problem.

Ask the seller not to start the bike before you get there to look at it - you want to start it from cold, it's ok if it needs choke but if it is very rough there could be a problem.

Compare the evidence - ask if seller has recently done anything to bike, ie replaced chain etc then look at chain to see. If he/she says it has been reg serviced and has no problems and you (for example) see one particular fuse is clean you know he/she is lying - I would start asking some pretty detailed questions then.

Christ. I should have been FAR more thorough than I was :crazy:
As for starting it cold, He rode from Mt. Roskill to my house in birkdale =( But after letting it sit for 4 hours it started up fine.

Wow. I have much to inspect tomorrow! Even though it is too late <_> Will add all that to my look-for notebook. Gotta keep handy crap for next time =)
It's my first bike, so any lessons learned on it will damn surely be carved into marble for next time.

[Disco Dan]

Christ. I should have been FAR more thorough than I was :crazy:
As for starting it cold, He rode from Mt. Roskill to my house in birkdale =( But after letting it sit for 4 hours it started up fine.

Wow. I have much to inspect tomorrow! Even though it is too late <_> Will add all that to my look-for notebook. Gotta keep handy crap for next time =)
It's my first bike, so any lessons learned on it will damn surely be carved into marble for next time.

I'm a tad more 'anal' than most people I guess (yeah yeah) but have had a couple of lemons before so I tend to be VERY picky.

When I buy a new bike - first thing I do when I get it home is to pull all the fairings off, pull all electrical plugs off and cover them in vaseline to water proof them a bit and to check condition.

I also change all the fluids - brake fluid, clutch fluid, coolant, oil, change plugs, clean air filter and buy a spare headlight bulb to store in my tank bag as well as a dash bulb.

Also look for insulation tape - if it's peeling off the loom somewhere it's most likely been tampered with before as factory tape very rarely peels away without help!

I also like to take a lot of photos when the bikes apart - can really help troubleshooting, especially when you end up with a screw/bolt left over!

[Disco Dan]

As for 'sounds' - cant really help. All bikes tend to have their own different tones etc.

[Blackshear]

As for 'sounds' - cant really help. All bikes tend to have their own different tones etc.
Well my dads mechanic mate is coming around 5:30 for a brushover of the bike, does engine re-builds for his job, rode MX for the last 20 years of his life ha ha. I know the right fork seal needs tending to, and to see if the weird kinda clunk is normal :sweatdrop . So yeah! Fingers crossed! On a side note, my boss rode it yesterday, and said it was too fast.
He proceeds to goes home, look on trademe and insist an RS250 is the bike he wants.




How hard do I slap him :nono:

[nosebleed]

...He proceeds to goes home, look on trademe and insist an RS250 is the bike he wants.

yes, yes he does


...How hard do I slap him :nono:

not at all master luke

[imdying]

Only a few days... Insurance has given me the cheque, so fair is fair - I'll have to cough up the bike soon.Wait what? Stealing off insurance companies is fair now?

[PirateJafa]

Wait what? Stealing off insurance companies is fair now?
The insurance companies should read the Bible more often... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

[imdying]

The insurance companies should read the Bible more often... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".If they've not honoured their contractual obligations then you can go to the insurance ombudsman, and then the courts. If you're stealing parts off of a bike that they've already paid you for, then they can go to the police. Given we know that the insurance guys read KB, probably not the smartest place to talk about stealing their stuff :no:

[Blackshear]

Woohoo!!! The guy gave it the thumbs up, just need the fork seals checked out and it's all good!

Now for licence, wait for helmet to arrive and pick the jacket and pants I like the look of :2thumbsup

Done 70k's on her already, bit snappy when turning really slowly.
I recall someone saying adding a tooth on the front sprocket would be nice, and I agree!
Did a hundred k's + the speed limit on my nice downhill street, gawrsh.

Two weeks time, imma cruisin' :cool:

Been so long since I saved that first dollar toward a bike, to actually owning it.
Glad to be a part of (Mostly spectating) these forums.
Cheers!

[Squiggles]

Just to add to the list, another good one to look for when looking for drops is marks around the frame where the brake and gear change lever sit, quite often get little knicks/gouges in the frame from where they've bent and knocked it