Buying advice

[samsfazer]

Back in the day I had a gold 600 and this site was tiny.

I really want to get a bike again and this is probably one of the few I have not scratched the itch on.

Recommendations of what to get and where for around £2.5k please

thanks

sam

[mickvp]

well £2.5 k will either buy you a good, clean, low miles gen 1 thou, or a fairly rough higher miles gen 2 thou. If you want the same sort of level of comfort as the 600, then the gen 1 thou is for you. if you want something a bit sportier then the gen 2 is the way to go.

For information the gen 1 ran upto 2005, gen 2 was post 2005.

IMHO it would be better to buy from a forum member if possible, odds are they will know about any foibles specific to the bike and will have cared for it (the EXUP valve needs fairly regular maintenance for example), plus it may have a few choice extras which add to the bike (for example the R6 shock mod, full monty carb mod, exhaust, air filter etc etc).

Alternatively buy a standard one from a dealer/private and then tweak it as you like.

[Ballpien]

I think I'm going to sell my Gen2  :\

[samsfazer]

Actually the one I like is the gen 1, the 2 for some reason doesnt do it for me. I guess I like the skinny tubes better!

[PieEater]

Gen1s are pretty bulletproof, they can suffer with corrosion so check the condition of the exhaust studs, Exup cover bolts etc to get an overall feel for how many winter miles the bike has covered and how well it's been looked after. The OEM rear shock isn't really fit for purpose so see if you can find a bike with a replacement already fitted or factor in the cost of getting it sorted.

My top tip is to plead ignorance and ask the seller to show you where the Exup valve is on the bike and ask whether it ever needs to be serviced. This a pretty important piece of regular maintenance that would not be neglected by a knowledgeable owner, and if they go to the trouble of regularly servicing the Exup then that would be a good indication that the rest of the bike has been well looked after. If they don't do their own servicing and the bike comes with good service history then ask if they would mind if you checked that you could undo the bolts holding the cover on. Unfortunately even reputable mechanics / workshops will neglect to service the Exup so it is still worth checking that the bolts are not rotted in place and if they are then walk away or be prepared to spend out on getting this sorted. If you need to brush up on the Exup valve Pat's site is invaluable for this and more - http://www.cartestsoftware.com/fz1/exupmaintenance.html.

There are some well looked after bikes out there so don't just get the first one you see if it doesn't tick all the right boxes.

[samsfazer]

Thanks Pieeater - I guess I just need to bide my time and not get consumed by summer madness!

[tex]

There's a nice one on ebay might be worth checking out, item number 22181448061,  best colour to