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Buying First bike - Rust concerns .


Spongefinger
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Hi  all, 

 

After passing my mod 2 I'm now looking at bikes I haven't got much of a budget so looking at older bikes. Seen this 2003 Fazer it has decent length MOT the only thing concerning me is the rust on the forks. I have attached a picture. Is this an issue of something quite usual to see in a older bike? Any advice appreciated.

   

Screenshot_20210901-213219.png

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Aslong as the corrosion doesn't extend to where the seals run it would probably be ok and its just superficial.

However to me, its a sign of a previous owner that neglects his bike, just think about the rust you cant see.

Unless its cheap, I'd walk away.

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It could be that the rust is just superficial and a bit of steel wool and elbow grease will solve the problem.

Depending how mechanically able you are replacing the fork seals is a cheap task that will cost around £30 including the fork oil.

If rust is more extensive then you will be looking at replacing the tubes which it will be expensive.

I would try to bring the price down pointing as many faults as you can find.

Alternative is to find another bike in better condition.

Yamaha is well known for oil leaks so that is something you want to double check. If the engine has been washed it will contradict the rusty forks and I would think is a sign that the guy is trying to hide something.

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If your budget is limited the you really need to be fussy and patient, not much point wiping out your budget on a bike only to discover it’s got expensive issues you can’t afford to fix. The minimum is a new MOT with no advisories.

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Presenting a bike for sale looking like that suggests the owner either doesn't care or doesn't have a clue. I would look elsewhere.

 

Prices of used bikes have risen recently but you can still find better value.

 

The build quality of older bikes is often better than new ones. I chose a 2006 Honda for my daily work bike for that reason. At that age poor maintenance will show up very clearly, but so will good maintenance by a careful owner.

 

You can by cheap but then spend a small fortune putting things right. It's more cost effective to buy a good bike to begin with.

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Yeah you have to be careful. There was another bike I was looking at seemed a bit cheap. There was no mention at all of the bike getting a replacement engine but I checked out mot history and the bike mileage had gone up steadily over the years as you would expect then a 4 years ago the milages at MOT dropped by about 17,000 miles !! 

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8 minutes ago, Spongefinger said:

Yeah you have to be careful. There was another bike I was looking at seemed a bit cheap. There was no mention at all of the bike getting a replacement engine but I checked out mot history and the bike mileage had gone up steadily over the years as you would expect then a 4 years ago the milages at MOT dropped by about 17,000 miles !! 

 

Thats more likely being crashed and new clocks fitted and not a new engine ;-) 

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2 minutes ago, Spongefinger said:

Didn't think of that....still a good indication that something has happened that has not been disclosed.

 

It makes you wonder what else is being hidden 

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Fazers of that age are normally faired as I recall.

Looks to me like it's had a hard life.

Your can get forks rechromed for about £300.

 

For that money you can find better, I would say depending on condition of rest of bike. Tyres, seat, chain sprocket etc

 

however if you want a winter hack to learn maintenance on, Not cry too hard over if dropped.  Haggle hard and get it down to below 4 figures it might work for you.

 

There is possibility you could polish some value into it. 

 

However if you want a bike to go and show at bike meets and polish daily I think she is big money loser.

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Just now, Spongefinger said:

I've knocked this on the head something else in now in the pipeline.

Sensible move ! There are other ones out there and what others have said about a reflection of the owners care and concern are exactly what I thought.

Cheers

Ian

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