[Undray3k]

Hello guys!

I’m a new rider, and I’m thinking of buying a Kawa GPZ 500 from Ebay. How many miles are too much? for say 1985-1990? or 1990-1995? models?

Thanks alot for your help.

-UN

[briderdt]

I’d be leery of buying a bike that old regardless of the mileage.

[Undray3k]

So why do you say that? I don’t want to spend $4000 on a brand new bike…and lay it down the 2nd day. I want to start off old…and then..see where it goees. It will only be a “summer bike”

But I’m interested to seeing your reasons why I shouldn’t bike a bike from the 1990’s?

[briderdt]

I know there’s an article on here somewhere that talks about buying bikes that are 10 years old or more, but I’m not finding it right away.

THings to consider, though:
* How handy are you in working on that motorcycle? Things wear out with use, and the father along that road you are, the closer you are to replacing things. Maybe many things at once. If it’s a high-mileage bike, you have no idea HOW those miles were put on, even if the owner says it was babied (maybe the owner before that stunted the thing).
* An old bike with very few miles? You’re dealing with the problems of something that hasn’t been ridden or cared-for. Things like tires, seals, etc dry out and rot just sitting there. Gas in the tank (and in the carbs) can cause problems over time when they sit there. Tank wasn’t full? Most likely there’s rust in there as well.

I’m not saying that an older bike is automatically a white elephant, but the chances go up with age.

[SantaCruzRider]

First off, I’m not a mechanic — just a guy with a bike and opinion. And in my opinion, I think you’re going to have to do some research to see what high mileage is for a particular bike or group of bikes. There are some great bikes out there that are lucky to go 40K and then there are others that go 100-200k before a major rebuild.

Case in point, I ride a 15-year-old Kawasaki sport tourer with 44k on it, never had any major work, and from what I hear, it’s just starting to get broken in. I currently putting about 360 miles a week on it. But that’s not the case with all bikes.

I’ve never owned one, but I think the GPZ is a pretty solid liquid cooled bike that could probably put in some serious miles. I wouldn’t bat an eye at 10K, but around 20K I’d want to know if certain parts were typically failing and whether the previous owner had fixed them.

As for age, parts get harder to find and mechanics may not even work on some older models. I’m guessing that the GPZ would be OK as it had a long run. In fact, I think the 94 is pretty much the same as the current Ninja 500.

But depending one how it was stored and used, a bike that’s 10 years old can start to have lots of stuff going wrong. Gaskets dry out and leak, hoses crack, springs and wires fatigue and snap. It’s usually fixable, but it can nickel and dime you to death, and having an unreliable bike takes the fun out of it.

If you can find a decent 94-95 with less than 20K, it might be a great deal. Something older would have to be in really condition (mechanically) and substantially discounted in order to catch my eye. And I’d never buy something that old sight unseen and unridden — my 2 cents.
Good luck.

[SantaCruzRider]

Brider makes a good point about old bike, low mileage. I’d bet that as many bikes are destroyed by sitting in a garage for 2 years than are broken by being ridden that same amount of time.

[Undray3k]

Thanks alot for your advice guys! Yeah, I hate doing it online…but I want a decent beginner bike…without breaking the bank…espeically in this recession.

I just hope and pray, I end up with a good bike…that will get me through the summer.

I have two more questions…

1) What are some decent brands…when it comes to helms, jackets and gloves?

2) What are some things…that beginners tend to forget when taking the bike on the road…for the 1st time?

Again many thanks

[Clay Dowling]

For all the horror stories, not all older bikes are bad. I have a low mileage 1996 Honda Magna. Bought it with 6500 miles on it. That means that in it’s lifetime, it never reached Honda’s recommended service interval. Fortunately, the previous owners were fuss-budgets who pampered the bike, and routine maintenance was done.

The best thing you can do it listen to the bike running, both at idle and under load. If you hear rough or irregular running, there are problems that will probably be expensive to fix. If it runs smooth and has good power, chances are good that it will be okay. Do keep in mind what “smooth” means for a motorcycle though. Vtwin engines have a certain sound that in a four cylinder engine would mean bad things.

[briderdt]

“2) What are some things…that beginners tend to forget when taking the bike on the road…for the 1st time?”

I’m gonna have to defer to the MSF class on that one.

[Jay T]

I would rather ask them to show me that 20 years of receipts and a maintenance schedule for the time that they were riding the motorcycle. Why are you looking on Ebay? I only look there if I am looking for a specific motorcycle (eg…1978 Honda CB750K). If you are looking for just any motorcycle 600cc or under, look at your local Craigslist and newspaper. Ebay sellers generally make their motorcycles look WAY better than they are. If you want to purchase an older motorcycle to restore (2-5 year project), that is a good place to start. Have a top price you will pay for a motorcycle on Ebay and DO NOT get stuck in the outbid trap. If you are planning to ride a motorcycle this season and you don’t have $3-5k extra to get it rebuilt this season or you are not a master mechanic/machinist, buy local. If you are looking at Ebay for reference (what things are selling for), look at the sold motorcycles not the open auctions. If you buy local and there is an absence of receipts or maintenance records, up to 5k miles a year is average in colder environments (like Colorado).

Jay T.
http://www.ridesafe.today.com

[smokeizfire]

Honda’s are bullet proof whether it’s 4 wheels or 2.

[wbsprudels]

Another problem with older bikes is finding parts. A mechanic told me that motorcycle manufacturers are only required to produce parts for 10 years. After that you will need to look elsewhere for parts. Another mechanic told me last fall that he would not look at buying a bike pre-2000.

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