What to look for when buying

[Pinchers]

I have my eye on a Honda CRF 450 04 model, what sort of things should i look out for before buying?

Cheers

[meljordan]

((((((RECIEPTS))))))) Its the best way to see if a bike has been maintained. Its ok to do your own work but if there are no reciepts for spares and service parts then it probably has not been looked after.You should see bills for lots of good oil,filters piston & rings wheel bearings? chain and sprockets,valves,
If the feller says its a low use bike look at the footpegs and throttle for wear and tear (this will give you a good steer ) Then point at every part of the bike and as your pointing touch that part and you will see any obviouse things worn or broken. then spin all things on bearings and make sure they are all smooth bounce the suspensoin and look for oil below the seals and rate of return. Then start it and listen for chatter or just plain old running rough.sit on the bike hold the breaks and lean forward then rev it and off the clutch with the brakes on hard it should stall allmost straight away if not listen for clutch slip.
And take a mate with you, it will stop you beeing intimidated and finally don't listen to a word the seller tells you make up your own mind....its your money.

[russellt]

Not sure whether you are looking for an X or R model but if you want an X I would like to have all the road legal lights that is front and rear brake light, rear number plate light , high low beam and horn , having said that if you know what you are doing its not too difficult to do . The spokes on these bikes tend to come loose and eventually you wont be able to tighten further . I think the engines tend to sound noisy but they should start easily from cold , if not then it may indicate the valves are too tight which might cause valve problems . They dont carry much oil , and even though the engine and clutch oil is separate regular changes including filters is advisable . Dont think there is much else that is model specific - good luck

[Dangerous_Dave]

Make sure it doesn't have race plastics