I'm going up tomorrow to look at, and buy if it looks good, a 2004 Suzuki Z400. What exactly should I look for when I get there to make sure that I'm getting a good deal? Are there any common things that break on them that I should look at? Should I get on it and ride it around if I can to make sure it rides good and all gears, as well as reverse work? 2004 suzuki's The white one.
Buying Used- What to look at?
- Thread starter ryanbohr
- Start date
of course you should ride it
i'd check compression against what is called for on that machine, and common wear items like sprockets, a-arm bushings, swingarm bushings and bearings, front wheel bearings, carrier bearings, frame bent/cracks.
normal wear and tear items don't have to be a deal breaker, but should be used as a bargaining chip to a lower price.
i'd check compression against what is called for on that machine, and common wear items like sprockets, a-arm bushings, swingarm bushings and bearings, front wheel bearings, carrier bearings, frame bent/cracks.
normal wear and tear items don't have to be a deal breaker, but should be used as a bargaining chip to a lower price.
If a milk crate is high enough take one with you. Set it up with all four wheels off ground, makes it real easy to check suspension and bearings. General condition, color of oil, does it smell bad? Rad fluid. Rotors chewed up. Lots of paint worn off. Maybe stand it up on grab bar, frame look straight? No big dents.
What's he asking for it?
What's he asking for it?
He's asking 2000, he says he needs the cash to put a down payment on property or something like that. Do you know where the spark plug is located on a z400? I know on a Blaster, it would be too hard to take it all apart just to check the compression.
did you buy it? i recently picked one up. i found out it had a stripped drain plug on the oil tank. fixed that. now i noticed a small antifreeze leak at the pump. just ordered seals for it. one can almost always expect some hidden issues with a quad when it is priced cheap. i got this one for 1200.
Yep I got it, ended up getting the yellow one. The white one had two huge baseball size gouge marks that were very deep on the rear fenders on either side of the seat from c clamping a tree blind to it. I got him down to $1900 because of a bad battery in it and a few other things that need fixing. The tail-light was busted, easy $45 fix. The choke (cable with lever on bars) doesn't work, and the parking brake doesn't work(might remove it). The plastics are pretty bad, they're discolored and it doesn't just wash off, I got an electric sander with scotch brite, and it worked well. It's still in pieces in my garage from looking over everything, but good purchase overall.
Guess I should give everyone an update. It was a biotch to fix up the plastics. Eventually ended up sanding them down with red and gray scotch brite, then buffed them with Turtle Wax rubbing compound, then finished it up with some wax. Shiny, looks better than new. Not much else was wrong with it, a few bolts missing, the taillight was busted, it needed a new battery, and then just some basic maintenance (oil, coolant, etc.). This quad is so much more cofmortable and fun than the Blaster was, I have no clue how you big guys can stick with a Blaster. Planning to do some upgrades over the winter like better shocks, new tires, and possibly a new exhaust.
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