R reg Kawasaki ER-5 for £400, worth it?

[Ribenapigeon]

I have been offered a Kawasaki ER 5 for £400. It needs new tires and has no current MOT or tax. It has been stored under cover for a couple of years after the owner did there DAS but then dropped out of biking. (the story is true as far as i know as its a friends daughter so legit background to sale). Is it a good buy for when I pass (hopefully) my DAS later this summer?[/url]

[FBSF]

If you can hear / see it running, and know what to look for regarding what would be required to pass the MOT, then yes.

Otherwise, it could turn out to be more expensive than buying a taxed/tested one.

Even if it "flies through", you'll still need a set of tyres (£120ish), Tax (£50ish) and an MOT (£30ish) so straight away you are looking at £200 extra.

And that's before it has a full service (Oil, filter, air filter, plugs, brake fluid) which even if you do it yourself is going to cost £50-70. If you have to take it to a dealer, you are looking at £150-200 for that.

And if it's been sitting for 2 years, it's going to need it.

Which is then an £650-800 bike.

If you are confident in doing any work on it yourself, it could well be a bargain depending on its mileage. If not, I'd leave it be.

[Frost]

After being stood for a couple of years it will need:
New battery
Tank & carbs draining and probably cleaning
Fresh fuel
Oil change (condensation can get in)

I'd also expect rust to have got in places and would want to check bearings and stuff.

[Amreet]

Consumables are expensive and most of us have learnt the hard way that a 'cheap' bike usually works out to be the most expensive one. Tyres, filters, fluids, pads, cables, battery, it all adds up into a lot of money very quickly and the likelihood is you could probably find a far better example around the £700 mark that has been looked after, used and kept maintained.

Up to you which way you do it really, in some ways I kind of prefer doing the consumables my self, for exmaple I went and looked at some bikes that were advertiseds as 'new tyres, fluids etc. freshly serviced yadda yadda' that had been put back on the road for the bare minimum and probably done badly, horrendous chinese tyres, bike was a mess really so in that case I'd rather budget slightly higher to do the work myself and do it well, then you can have confidence in whats gone on/in the bike and it can also give you a good idea of condition.

[Shinigami]

check the brakes too. if it's been stood that long they may have seized?
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Ribenapigeon]

Thanks good advice and much as I thought. The bike has 17000 miles on it. It might be a nice project bike as one of the reasons I want a bike is for a bit of tinkering. Im not going to be tinkering with my brand spanking new Yamaha125, so having my 125 for a reliable commuter and somehting like an ER-5 would be good. The only thing im not sure I want to tinker with is brakes, theyre too imprtant and probably best left to a pro, further, bleeding brakes on a car is a pain and im supposing its no different on a bike.

Thanks for the possible costs involved im new to biking so dont have much of an idea.

[Rogerborg]

Spares-or-repair = £300 tops. If the seller wants more, let them put the time and money in.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Suntan Sid]

If you do get the chance to try and start it and it doesn't fire, try pulling the clutch lever in.
My neighbors' ER5 had been left for a couple of months, over winter, and wouldn't fire, pulling the clutch in, it fired straight away, presumably there was damp in the switch.
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[Chris750]

[Bomberman]

[Chris750]

[Bomberman]

[herulach]

[Cheeseybeaner]

[Benson_JV]

[Bomberman]

Hmmm, I don't think the GS's I did my training on did?
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'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Bomberman]

[herulach]

[Bomberman]

[Cheeseybeaner]

[Pete.]

£400 isn't a bad price for a basically sound bike but as above if it needs tyres and a chain & sprocket kit you'll have doubled your spending once you've got it MOt'd and the other bits done.

At least it should be cheap to run, last a long while and sell on easily.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[_Troy_]