Jo,
Tires, make sure they haven't gone hard, look for little cracks in
the side. This is referred to as "checking" here. Bike tires get old
quickly. The cracks can be evident in the treads too. No problem if
they have them, just tell the seller you want 150 dollars off the
price to replace them. Almost forgot, make sure there's lots of tread
left on them, or get money off to replace them.
Look for signs of oil leaking around the front forks, as well as
under the bike.
Hopefully the seller hasn't started it before you get there. Touch
the engine to see if it's warm, if it is they started it and warmed
it up so it will start easy. Not the end of the world if it still
starts well, but if it's warm and doesn't start well I wouldn't buy
it. If you decide to buy it tell the seller you want to come back and
not to start the bike before you get there.
Make sure the seat isn't ripped.
Check for scratches on the mirrors, handle bars and under the bike.
If you see these the bike has been down. I'd stay away from it for
your first bike.
One thing that I didn't notice, but my wife did, make sure you can
pull the clutch in and let it out. Her fingers are smaller than mine
and she's right at the end of her grasp when the clutch engages.
I'd have to second the notion that you will outgrow it pretty
quickly. So you might want to buy a real cheap bike under the
assumption that you may only ride it for a few months before trading
up. I bought an older 750 as the first bike and it only lasted one
season.
Take a picture and put it on the internet somewhere where we can look
at it.
Cheers,
Dave
On 17-Nov-05, at 10:51 PM, CR wrote:
Welcome to the list Jo,
Best advise I can suggest is get one or more of your experienced
mates to go with you, ideal is if one of them has some Virago
experience.
Look it over good and, if allowed, take it for a test ride.
Check condition of chain, tires, cables, brake pads, etc.
It should start without much fuss, idle smoothly, accelerate smoothly
through the gears.
Have patience, if it's not the one for you, another will be.
Luck,
CR
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