About to buy, have questions GEN 1

[BigIke]

Hi y'all i'm about to buy an 05' anniversary edition. It has 18" wheels and a few other things, see photo.

From talking to the owner the bike was dropped at some time, it now has UFO exhaust, a scratched right scoop, and the front wheel was bent at some time.

He took off the wheel and installed a stock wheel. The 18 only had one disk brake, when installing the stock wheel he installed R1 dual front brakes... I don't have a picture of this yet.

He has told me that he has a starter clutch going out. How hard or expensive is this to replace?

Does 4500 sound like a good deal? I like the look and i know that the rear wheel is crazy expensive... I'm offshore and will probably have my buddy and wife go test ride and buy it for me. ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME!!!!

Thanks
Jay

 

[twistedmax]

Looks good , sounds like a fair price . How many miles on it and is it coming with the stock parts he took off ?

 

[twistedmax]

Oh yeah , welcome to theee Vmax forum !starter clutch isn't to hard if you have some mechanical ability , Especially with the how-to video that Sean did . I believe all the parts cost me under $200 but I could be wrong cause I have a great parts connection

 

[BigIke]

Thanks a lot!!!

20k miles, he took off the dual headlight, but it comes with the bike, he has one of those black mufflers, the 18" front wheel and brake assembly, all parts come with the bike. Have you had to do the starter?

 

[BigIke]

Awesome, o i will eventually be buying your seat

 

[twistedmax]

Yes , I have done the starter clutch on my Gen I with the help of Sean's video and a BIG hammer

 

[CaptainKyle]

Good looking bike with some nice mods. The starter clutch is not bad to do . I have done a crap load of them.

 

[dannymax]

Nice looking bike! unk:

A little curious how the front wheel got bent tho, and if there is any other associated damage. Check the top of the radiator behind the forks for dents that might indicate the forks hit there. Also check that both stops are intact on the bottom of the steering neck. Check the welds on the front downtubes and steering neck area for hairline cracks or rust, or paint touch-up. Pull the seat and look for acid spill damage.

 

[PaulVmax]

What danny said

 

[[email protected]]

Nice looking bike! unk:

A little curious how the front wheel got bent tho, and if there is any other associated damage. Check the top of the radiator behind the forks for dents that might indicate the forks hit there. Also check that both stops are intact on the bottom of the steering neck. Check the welds on the front downtubes and steering neck area for hairline cracks or rust, or paint touch-up. Pull the seat and look for acid spill damage.

+1
Be cautious. This could be a good deal or it could be a bike that was in a bad collision and pieced back together. Hopefully your friend has a keen eye.

Starter clutch isn't a terribly expensive or difficult fix. http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=16294&highlight=starter+clutch

 

[one2dmax]

The wheel can likely be straigthened too.

 

[Fastatv]

Sounds like a reasonable price. And nice looking bike from what I can see in the pictures. Wanted to say this. When I bought my Max, P/O and I both thought it needed a starter clutch. Before I replaced it, I installed a new battery and did one of the "charging mods" from this forum. I think it had something to do with "hot starting". Anyway, The battery and mod fixed what he and I thought was a bad starter clutch. Either way, the issue is something that you may be able to really bargain with, you know, drop the price $300...$400. Good luck with the bike.

 

[fmcandrew]

I'd have someone hold the bike upright and ensure it's straight...not liking the "bent wheel" comment. Also...did you test ride? Make sure it tracks straight and handling is fairly neutral. Also make sure 2nd gear is good under hard acceleration. Cosmetically it looks fantastic, but that's not where the real $$ are if something else is wrong...

Starter clutch seems to be a common fix - will be doing mine this winter...

 

[BigIke]

Thanks for the comment! Well I still haven't gotten pics of what the bike looks like now . I did get a small picture of the scratched scoop. The price was 4700 I offered 4600 and he said that he'd take off another 100 because of the starte.

I'll put a new battery and do a charging mood first see where that gets me. And the clutch should not be a problem I've been able to read a few wrote ups on it. I'll call him again today and raise these questions with him. My buddy rides a vrod and won't take it if it's not worth it.

He did say the wheel can be fixed.

Thanks again!
Jay

 

[dannymax]

Thanks for the comment! Well I still haven't gotten pics of what the bike looks like now . I did get a small picture of the scratched scoop. The price was 4700 I offered 4600 and he said that he'd take off another 100 because of the starte.

I'll put a new battery and do a charging mood first see where that gets me. And the clutch should not be a problem I've been able to read a few wrote ups on it. I'll call him again today and raise these questions with him. My buddy rides a vrod and won't take it if it's not worth it.

He did say the wheel can be fixed.

Thanks again!
Jay

Might want to caution him if he trys out the '05.....it's got a bit more power than he's used to. :rofl_200:

 

[BigIke]

He already said he wouldn't race me!

I spoke with the owner, the bike was laid down on its side, he didn't know what messed up the wheel but he was glad to have it gone. He wanted to put a stock wheel on to do the R1 brake upgrade...

Should be sending me actual pictures of the bike, later tonight.

 

[BigIke]

edit double post

 

[customizedcreationz]

Be very careful buying something that was laid down. All the little things that could make a great deal turn into an expensive parts bike.....

To bend a wheel takes some force. They just don't bend from being dropped on its side. It was probably low sided and hit a curb. The steering head could be messed up and look decent to the eye but be off enough to make it handle funny.

I ve bought TONS of bikes. Honestly I ve probably owned more bikes then most of the guys on the forums combined ( well over 150 bikes ). I ve been burned enough to know when a good deal is a bad deal, and honestly I still get snookered now and then because I get lazy and don't look things over enough.

Good luck and becareful there are plenty of good bikes out there for sale!

 

[BigIke]

Thanks for that advice! My buddy will give this thing a good look over and shake down. All of the points listed on this page will be paid particulate attention too.

 

[KJShover]

One quick and easy way to look at the steering head is make yourself a plumb bob and hold it against the bottom of the steering head and have your friend look at it from the front of the bike. You'll see if the front wheel is tweaked. If something doesn't seem right, you can take a more in depth look.