Does anyone want to help me inspect a bike tomorrow?

spray____

spray____

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I'm planning to go look at a bike in Markham tomorrow and I'm looking for someone who would be interested in helping me check it out. This will be my first bike, so I could use someone with experience who knows what to look for in a used bike. Most of my knowledgeable friends live a few hours away, so it's too much to ask them to come down.

I'm driving so I could provide the ride. If anyone is interested sharing their knowledge and time with me it would be greatly. I'd be happy to reward you with a 6 pack of your most desired beverage.
 
What kind of bike are you checking out? I'm pretty handy with SVs and GSX-Rs
 
But really looking for anyone who knows what to look for in a used bike so if your willing to come that would be awesome.
 
It looks like the bike of one of the members on here!

edit: @OP, I'll send you a message when I get home (gotta go out now.) I can't help you look at the bike, but I can give you a small bit of advice and just mention a few things.
If it is the one in the kijiji ad, even better.
 
It is that one :) Glad to hear it looks like a good deal, I thought so. I've been reading articles and I think i know what to look for (as in with my eyes) but what I'm worried about is what it sounds like. I'm sure there are thing that an expert could hear that I would be oblivious to. All the same, I would appreciate any tips on what to do.
 
raydowe said:
It is that one :) Glad to hear it looks like a good deal, I thought so. I've been reading articles and I think i know what to look for (as in with my eyes) but what I'm worried about is what it sounds like. I'm sure there are thing that an expert could hear that I would be oblivious to. All the same, I would appreciate any tips on what to do.
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GSTwins forum may be your bible for the time being. Great bunch of guys with GS500 bikes. Ask the guy to leave bike cold, so you can see how it will start cold, but it's still really warm outside nowadays, so it should start perfectly with the choke.
 
Sorry about the late reply but---- PM sent regarding the bike.

and +1 @ViperZ for GSTwins forum.

Basically for sounds you wanna make sure there's no loud grinding sounds. No overly loud clunks, pining, scraping,screeching, high pitched whining, etc.
Considering the exhaust there might be a little bit of popping upon deceleration/backing off the throttle, this is nothing to worry about unless it's very violent/loud.

Listening to sound clips on youtube of GS500F's to get a decent idea of how it should sound.
 
Is "cleaning spark plugs" common to people? I mean, how cheap are you, if you feel the need to "clean" them, just replace them. That just makes me wonder about this guy is all.
 
Nothing wrong with cleaning and re-gapping plugs. Why replace them if you don't have to? The money spent needlessly on a pair of plugs could be better spent on a tank of gas for a 300 or so km ride.

We used to have to clean spark plugs at every tuneup back in the days of tetraethel lead, it used to leave major deposits on the electrodes. Today that isn't so much the case. However, old habits being what they are...
 
tricky said:
Aahh. Just saw this thread. I know its late...
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Yes, I started the thread with little time before I actually went to see the bike, so I was expecting not to hear anything before I went and possibly a lot after it was too late :)

Also just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted here and in PM's. There was a lot of great advice that made me feel like I knew what I was looking for to avoid big problems.

The reason I haven't replied in about a week is because I ended up taking the bike. I've spent the last week organizing payment & delivery, safety cert, and registration. Good news is everything got finished yesterday and this morning I got up pretty early (M1 daylight restriction) and finally took it for a rip! Just drove around some quiet residential streets at around 30-40km/h getting comfortable.

I'm very happy so far. It seems to be a good fit for me, it's running well, and I had a lot of fun. Hopefully weather holds out for a little while, as I'm hoping to head out early again tomorrow and find a parking lot, maybe even get some road riding in before traffic picks up. I know it's going to be cold, but being from Canada we shouldn't complain about that.
 
Congrats! The GS won't disappoint, I'm still having a blast on mine.

They are notoriously cranky in the cold though, so don't get disheartened if it has trouble starting up. Also, keep an eye on the oil level. Keep those things in mind and you'll be golden
 
Thanks :)

Yes, I witnessed it struggling a bit when turning over, and I as I'm walking up to it I always get a bad feeling it's not going to start. Seems great though, I guess it's all in my head. It struggles for the first second or two, but after that it's always fired right up. Ran it for 2 or 3 minutes with the choke and then turned it all the way down and it idles right around 1200.

I've heard they eat a lot of oil. I'll have to pick up some 10W40 tonight and remember to keep an eye on it.
 
raydowe said:
Thanks :)

Yes, I witnessed it struggling a bit when turning over, and I as I'm walking up to it I always get a bad feeling it's not going to start. Seems great though, I guess it's all in my head. It struggles for the first second or two, but after that it's always fired right up. Ran it for 2 or 3 minutes with the choke and then turned it all the way down and it idles right around 1200.

I've heard they eat a lot of oil. I'll have to pick up some 10W40 tonight and remember to keep an eye on it.
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Remember lead-acid batteries will discharge in the cold, so if your bike doesn't start up (lights will still work) then it probably doesn't have enough juice to do the job. A charger is a huge help, and so is learning to bump start :)

My bike goes through a litre of oil for every 2000 km or so, but I really beat my engine. People say keeping the GS below 6k RPM fixes the problem, but where's the fun in that?
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