I would be trading a 1996 yz 125 dirt bike (worth about $900) and $500 cash.
There's a few odd things about the bike though. The odometer says 170k but that can't be right, right?
She says in the AD that it is incorrect. Any reason for this?
Also, I'm not super familiar with bikes. The way I remember starting them is pulling in the clutch, turning the ignition on and pressing the start button. She said there's some kind of safety button for the clutch or some thing that's broken. Didn't make any sense to me. She says its a $40 part. Any idea what part that could be?
If you know nothing about bikes, then stay away from one that has this many question marks.
The guy seems to want to unload it for pretty much anything, which is never a good sign. If it only needs a $40 part to make it run, it makes no sense whatsoever that he's trying to unload it as-is, unless he's completely full of shit, which is what the ad suggests.
I'm sure you can find a better deal on a ninja 250, CBR 250 etc.. that will be intact, clean and original.
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: North Jersey
Motorcycle: 2004 GSXR 600
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Re: Suzuki gsx500 good buy?
I don't like the odometer issue. Says it needs a clutch cable so you can't ride it and check it out. Personally I wouldn't do it but if you like to work on bikes, don't ride the dirt bike and are looking for a first street bike then it's something to consider but I think you can do better.
I have a dirt bike that i've done a lot of work to. Rebuilt the bottom and top end, replaced almost every part that could be replaced.
I understand your concern. It is owned by a female so maybe she doesn't know much about them.
I told her I would buy the parts and put them on the bike when I got there. If it ran great I'd buy it, if not I wouldn't.
She said that's fine. She just had the carbs rebuilt and it runs great once you get the part. She said it isn't the clutch cable but a part of the clutch cable. She didn't make a whole lot of sense at all, she said it has to do with the clutch like a button. But she said if you replaced the cable it would fix it. Not really sure what she's talking about so I sent her a message asking her to give me a link to the part that needs to be fixed.
I'm not afraid to work on the bike. I've repaired my dirt bike many times. I would take a different bike but I've been trying to sell / trade mine for about 2 months now and haven't gotten any good offers.
That's a GS500F, not a GSX500. 170000 sounds like a lot for an '05, I'm thinking 17000 would be more realistic - looks more like that also, you'd have a lot of paint flaking off the fork, rims, etc. if it really was 170000.
In either case I'd look into that, ask for a photo of the odometer. The story about the mileage not being accurate does sound weird. On bikes that read speed off the front drive sprocket (like the GSX-Rs), it will be inaccurate if you change gearing. However, THAT model reads speed off the front wheel so that' not an issue. If the odometer does indeed show 170K, the bike will have done about that much...
Anyway, I'd want the clutch cable changed so you can test ride it or - if she isn't willing to let you - have her ride it up and down the street so you can hear how it runs. That engine and gearbox are pretty solid but just in case...
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I know she doesn't mention it in the ad. I called her and she told me it was a switch and it was just easier to word it that way on craigslist for whatever reason.
Is this an easy part I can do myself when I go to look at it in a few days?
It's called a "Clutch Safety Switch".
Most motorcycles have them after 1979, due to safety concerns.
Because too many idiots were Flipping the choke On, and starting the bike in 1st gear.
You can imagine the good times, as your bike rockets out of the garage, threw your neighbors fence and takes a quick detour into their pool.
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