[zby]

Hello,

I'm considering buying a bike (Suzuki M50) from 2006 which only has about 1000 miles on it. Which means the owner rode it very occasionally and mostly stored in his garage (in Los Angeles), and I don't think he took any special care about filling the tank up etc. Can the bike be actually bad from not riding (rusted inside)...? How badly? Or am I paranoid?

Thanks!

Zbyszek

 

[DrBob]

1000 miles in two years is light usage, but not light enough to cause any damage. If the bike was 4 or 5 years old I'd be worried about dry rot on the tires, hoses, etc, but as long as he had the first service done there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[aeagles]

I bought my '06 M50 last summer with 450 on the clock. no problems. I negotiated the 600 mile service in the deal.

 

[falconfan260]

I would not worry, I just bought a 1998 V-Star with 3,500 miles on it. That's only 350 per year. As long as it is taken care of it should be fine.

 

[DaveAlvarado]

You've got 2 things going for you.

First, the M50 has fuel injection and only 2 cylinders, so if the fuel system is all gunked up it's unlikely to start or run very well. A proper M50 should start immediately and runs without anything that sounds like a Harley "lope". It should just go putt putt putt putt if the stock exhaust is on it.

Second, the way the tank is designed, the bottom of the tank is right by the fuel fill hole. Unless the tank is full, you should be able to see exposed metal easily in natural light through the fill cap. If you don't see rust, you're probably ok. Bring a flashlight if you want to check further. The metal should be silver in color, not brown or anything like that.

Edit: Basically the M50 is so reliable that if his doesn't look clean and rust-free or it has trouble starting or running, just pass on it and find another. My M50 has more than 11k miles on it and I bought her a year ago next weekend. She still starts and runs like she did new. Well actually, better than new, the engine runs stronger after about 3k-4k miles.

 

[Fishpart]

Sounds like if the price is right it's time to buy.

 

[cycloptic1dr]

i bought my '02 VZ800 with 200miles on it back in FEB '08. that is very very very low miles for that year of bike. just had dealer check it out and did oil change, coolant flush and new plugs before i started riding her.

 

[wildwolf]

6 year old bike with 200 miles on it? Did they buy it for a garage ornament or what?