Buying a bike without seeing it first?

[johnnynapalms...]

So basically I live in Dorset and I was looking to get myself a zxr400 (1998), but all of the sellers (99% private) live really far away from me. What are the chances that I will get a "lemon"? I would hire a delivery truck to deliver it to me. I know MOT doesn't mean all that much, but surely if MOT is up to date, not much can be all that wrong?

[CaNsA]

[Boxing]

MOT checks lights, tyres, suspension, wheel bearings and brakes. If the bike ticks over even with the nastiest piston slap you've ever heard, it can still pass with ease.

MOT means absolutely nothing. Plenty of people can get a dodgy MOT with ease.

[johnnynapalms...]

Any suggestions? ask someone to have a look that lives close to the bike?

[notbike]

Go see the bike, you never know what you're gonna get.

Any reason you can't travel?

[Ichy]

I've done it a few times and not had any problems but I tend to choose the type of bike well, not a 18 year old sportsbike that has likely been ridden hard by inexperienced riders.

Not looking at it beforehand is unlikely to have a happy ending.
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[RhynoCZ]

OP, if you've ever witnessed someone doing MOT then you know, it's just a stamp in the paperwork, that does not have to necessarily reflect the reality.

[Rogerborg]

Did you not like the answers you got last time, so are asking again?

I think they're bang on. You're taking on a big risk, a bike like that needs to be carefully gone over, and you never even answered the question of why you'd want to sack off a newish Ninja 300 for a restricted quarter-century-plus ragged out bike with dwindling support.

Your chances of finding a good, cheap one with nothing needing done to it are minimal. You might get a good, expensive one, but it's increasingly likely to be a bad, cheap one, or worse, a bad, expensive one.

I'd look elsewhere or just keep the Ninja until you've ridden out your 2 years of A2 purgatory then get fully licensed up and buy a 600+.
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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

[Cronik]

None in Dorset?

Where are they then?

Me and my old pop have been scouting the bay of E and the great Tree of Gum and the only bloody places they bloody appear are in bloody Dorset and London!



Fibs, fibs, fibs...
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*A Vacuous Vacancy*

[Ste]

How much is it?

[CaNsA]

Imagine if there was a zxr400 forum and that forum had a classifieds section.

Imagine if you could chat with the private seller directly and figure out if the seller sounds genuine or not.

IMAGINE!

[Silver_Fox]

Pretty indicative of society this thread
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CG125

[roboff94]

Bikes usually look tip top on photos, having just looked at a few VFR400's, id definitely advise going to look at it before you buy it. 400 sports bikes are at the age where theyve been bodged to death and ragged within an inch of their life by yobbos like me nice ones are going up in value, cheap ones are cheap for a reason usually....

[johnnynapalms...]

I always thought you can return the vehicle within first 30 days after purchase? Or is that just for dealerships?

[Rogerborg]

[johnnynapalms...]

Right then, so I guess if I do go this route of buying without seeing I will only pickup some shit that I can't lose much on (like sub 600 quid). I mean what could be the worst case scenario? The engine needs a rebuild? Or are we talking about carb cleaning, which isn't that big of a deal

[CaNsA]

Popped head gasket and a warped head.
To get a mechanic to sort it... you're looking at about 400+ quid

Unless i was sure the bike wasnt fucked, I wouldnt buy a zxr400.

[johnnynapalms...]

So even if I did go to see it for myself how would I know there aren't problems that you described? Is it just listening to the engine?

[CaNsA]

Go read some of the posts on the zxr400 forum you joined.

All the info you need is there.

[J4mes]

if you have a driving licence (but no car) you can hire a car for about £30 a day + fuel to wherever the bike is.

That would be my choice, to save the heartache and pain involved with buying long distance sheds.

[redeem ouzzer]

Are you good with spanners?

If not then a sports 400 is probably not the bike of choice for you.

I run my GSXR400 using supreme mechanical skills and buying as many cheap spares as will fit in my loft / shed. Luckily the engine in the bike seems in decent nick, but if a crank goes i have two spare engines (under 200 quid the pair). Crash it? Fit the spare body kit. Exhaust rotten? Fit mint spare. The only job i've farmed out is repairing a broken engine mounting.
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[johnnynapalms...]

They need that much maintenance? I live in a student house so we don't even have a garage, that could be a problem lol... Really want an inline 4 bike on my license though, and I don't want to wait another year for full A license

[Ste]

They need lots of maintenance because several of its previous owners were students who didn't do any servicing.

[Rogerborg]

[johnnynapalms...]

After reading all of the comments it makes me think that Kawasaki used to build engines using plastic and not metal