Hardly Used or Abused ? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Hardly Used or Abused ?

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Merkid

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I bought a twenty year old ZR7 unseen with the help of a buddy last week. The bike came from the Sudbury area and I just couldn't get up there with this past weather but luckily I have a friend living in that area so had him look it over. He sent me pics and specs on the bike. One thing he didn't do was take a pic of the speedo only indicating that it looked good overall with 35K on it. The battery was dead so it could not fire up. Anyway based on his info I wired up the cash to do the deal.

I had arranged for transport down to Mississauga and it was dropped off at my house over the weekend. The story on the bike was the last guy that owned it only took it out twice then stored it in an enclosed storage building amongst some classic cars that he collected. Luckily it had a concrete garage floor.

I took it to a coin wash yesterday to soak and hose it down. Cleaned up well but noticed someone had taken a hack saw to the rear fender to shorten it, the factory rims were originally black but someone had tried to strip them down to bare aluminum and didn't succeed too well at it. I replaced the plugs. oil and filter and drained the tank and carbs. With new fuel it fired up and sounded ok but only on three cylinders so I have more work to do. It was obvious the previous owner stored it without draining the carbs and the stuff that came out had considerable sediment. Also, there was lots of cob webs and tree foliage under the seat and within the crevices of the engine. I used a dental pic to reach into the tight spots. The original turn signals were replaced with cheapo Chinese aftermarket versions but the wiring was hanging loose so not working. I am thinking the bike may have sat outside exposed for a period of time.

So the weird part of all this is the mileage reads 3.5K, not 35K as my buddy had read it wrong. I was happy to see this but now I am wondering if it is the true mileage. The bike looks kinda beaten up for such low mileage. The MTO used vehicle package only referenced the last owner who had transferred it in 2021 and no one previous. I would have thought there would be more info on the previous owners dating back 20yrs. I put a call up to the guy I bought it from but haven't head back.

I have to try to verify the low usage so what areas can I start looking at to help me out?
 

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I assume it came from out of province before 2021 so no records?

Without cooperation from the previous owner who no longer has any interest you're a private detective.

Since you now own it you have to decide if it can be restored, with reasonable costs, to your expectations or should be written off in one way or another.
 
Could try a carfax, bikes are hit and miss if they will show up and likely not all the way back but might get something if it was registered in another province in the last 10years?

Or see if the guy you bought it from knows which province it came from and do a single inquiry with there MTO
 
Not sure how you would trace the ownership chain, but the ZR7S is a nice bike!
I owned one.
Some of the mods I did:
- drop a 810cc Wiseco big bore kit into it.
- fitted a mechanical ignition advance/retard. device.
- changed the final drive ratio to allow for more relaxed cruising.
- fitted braided steel brake lines.
- put a Two Bros slip on with a quiet baffle.

The bike was originally silver, then painted to a metallic charcoal and later traded in at a London (ON) dealer.
So no, your blue bike did not pass through my hands.
 
A 3500km bike will have had one service done, so it will have only OEM parts, probably even a OEM oil filter.
A 35,000km bike will have lots of aftermarket parts... usually
 
Your microscopic photo doesn't let me zoom in and see anything ... but if the footpegs have rubber covers, the condition of those, and the handgrips, will be good indications of actual usage. At 3500 km, they should be original with little wear (although obviously old). At 35,000 km, they'll either be shot, or replaced with aftermarket.
 
Some great info guys.

The guy I bought it off told me last night that the bike's original purchaser had bought it in 2003 and never used it. Not sure about that story either as it still doesn't explain why only one previous owner is on the MTO doct's. Maybe Nobbie48's idea that it was purchased out-of-province makes sense.

Unfortunately the same guy undertook some weird mods on it so will need to reverse some of them. Already seeking a full set of turn signals and a rear fender.

Brian P's and Bitzz's info was good so here's what I have done to help verify things:
- footpegs are not worn at all, handgrips likewise.
- Tires are original Bridgestone BattLax with manufacture date stamp 05/03 which I believe translates to the fifth week in 2003 . Bike's manufacture date indicates 02 of 2003 so that kinda corresponds to the tire dates. No cracks but I would think they are too hard to use so have to plan on replacing (see pic).
- I pulled out the air filter and confirmed it's OEM. It also was quite clean.
- plugs likewise.

So far it appears the mileage has not been altered. While I was doing all this yesterday I was still finding pine needles nestled in the engine's crevice's. That part is weird.
 

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This investigation is a very interesting read for me. Just matching up kms to bike components condition reminds me of some detective tv series
 
Brian P said:
Your microscopic photo doesn't let me zoom in and see anything ... but if the footpegs have rubber covers, the condition of those, and the handgrips, will be good indications of actual usage. At 3500 km, they should be original with little wear (although obviously old). At 35,000 km, they'll either be shot, or replaced with aftermarket.
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All good points to check i would also add brake and drive chain condition for clues of how much and type of use the ride has had.
Forgot to add that a quick check for play in the steering head can give some insight on the previous owners mechanical empathy if its proper the owner had some clue about maintenance.
 
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Dirty Frank said:
All good points to check i would also add brake and drive chain condition for clues of how much and type of use the ride has had.
Forgot to add that a quick check for play in the steering head can give some insight on the previous owners mechanical empathy if its proper the owner had some clue about maintenance.
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Good thing to add to the list Dirty Frank, thanks
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