[rgp332]

I'm looking at at 05 650 with 30,000 miles.
What do you guys think?
What do I need to look for on the engine?
How many miles before it needs serious maintenace? "New Rings ,etc"
Not really scared of it, just wanting to be safe, Thanks

 

[CanadianFZ6]

Rings??? If you mean piston rings, maybe if you add another zero to the mileage, then maybe... Don't worry about the engine (as long as oil & filter changes were done as required) and it's not blowing blue smoke.... If it runs well, then 30,000 is nothing....

Richard

 

[LordSmoke]

My '06 is about to roll over 40k with absolute no signs of wear or deterioration. With regular and proper maintenance, 30k is nothing for the engine.

 

[viper522]

I just bought an 06 with 33k and it still runs like a top. I wouldn't let miles scare you, unless you plan to put 100k on it yourself. I'm a less than 2000mi/yr kind of rider so it will probably never see 40k under my ownership.

 

[emsee]

Only things I would ask with that mileage are:

How often were the oil and filter changed?
Were the valves ever inspected?
Last time spark plugs changed?
Last time air filter ever changed? (if ever)
How often was the chain lubed and adjusted? (if ever)
When were the chain and sprockets last replaced?
Was the coolant ever flushed?
Was the brake fluid ever flushed?
How are the brakes?
How old are the tires? Not just miles, but how old are they?

Overall, these engines are very stout and are pretty low maintenance.

Good luck, hope you find a good bike!

 

[greywolf]

A maintenance history is more important than the mileage.

 

[Jonmo89]

I think I bought the bike you were looking at (was it in Iberia?)...

I went down yesterday from St.Louis, about a 2 1/2 hour drive, test rode, seemed decent enough so I took her home. The seller was really nice and told me that the valves were checked at 30k (it was at 30700 once I got there), and said the previous owned claimed he replaced the chain/sprockets (looked decent enough, guy lived down a dirt road though). He said he changed the oil and filter recently and had discussed what kind of oil to use with the owner before him so I assume they were both competent enough with maintenance, there was also a can of chain lube in the top case so that's always a good sign, as well has some notes made in the manual.

Test ride went well other than the highway peg rattle mimicking the sounds of engine failure, which ceased once folded up, the guy even trailered it 5 miles into town from his house because I told him I was afraid of taking an unfamiliar bike down gravel roads. Only thing that worried me was the front cylinder giving out 5 miles from home, but that probably had to do something with being stuck in a monsoon for an hour. Just let it dry and changed the front spark plug earlier today, bought a 2nd to do the rear later.

The bike came with a JC whitney topcase, a pair of textile fieldsheer saddlebags, optional handguards/barkbusters, and an engine guard/skid plate combo. Picked it up for 3k, so I think I got a pretty good deal.

 

[greywolf]

There is a drain hole from the spark plug well. You probably need to clean it out.

 

[Jonmo89]

There is a drain hole from the spark plug well. You probably need to clean it out.

Yeah, I figured as much. I used to have an SV so I've heard of the problem before, just never encountered it. I was surprised how long it went before giving up that cylinder though, I was a good hour into that storm before anything happened. We're talking 6+inches of water on a four lane highway kind of wet. I'll have to get in there and poke around to un-clog it later, but for now I think it's ok, it was hard enough getting my hand in there to change that spark plug!

Thanks for the heads up.