Buying

astrro

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Am going to look at a 2002 gs which is for sale locally
Anything I should look out for.
It’s a non abs.
 
35000 miles
corrosion in the usual places
 
You can’t polish a turd:augie

Actually...

Cant+polish+a+turd+they+even+proved+it+on+mythbusters+_0040b7d4d316abb5566755ae02a16d04.jpg


:D

Definitely use corrosion as a sign of being looked after. Look for a good service history and any other work that's been done. On your test ride get a good feel for the clutch and gearbox and try giving it the beans in top gear to see if there's any clutch slip. Other than that give the rear wheel a wiggle on the centre stand to get a feel for the bearings back there but even that's not a deal-breaker if caught early.
 
Since most everybody with an 1150 wanted to switch to the newly-designed 1200 with the shaft on the LEFT back in 2013, because basically it was a different bike, there's been loadsa 1150 and also 1200 dry-clutch bikes with the shaft on the RIGHT of all models since then, splashed all over the Bay, AutoTrader Bikes, Gumtree, etc., etc.

Many of the advertised private-sale bikes have been well-looked-after and many of them are at good prices, so there are indeed many bargains to be had. As has been mentioned, the pesky, fault-prone dry clutch is the deal-breaker. Provided the machine looks like it's been cared-for by the private-sale owner, always check for slip / noise under hard acceleration in each gear during a test-ride.
Trade sale bikes have often been tarted up to look as if they've been well-maintained, when maybe they haven't.
Otherwise, in general, a private-sale good-looking bike with no detectable clutch problems is bulletproof - and for not-a-lot of money.
viz:-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R1150GS-2003/263613392840?hash=item3d609527c8:g:yGoAAOSwgeBacHeq
 
Bet you can with a aqua blaster thingy....
Hmmm,recycled shit slurry:barf
I Took a look at the link you pm,d,
Corrosion on the front cover,barrels,heads and valve covers,plus wheel hubs and rusty fasteners,
It all depends if you can live with a bit of a scruffy bike really,
To do the remedial work is time consuming,and expensive,cos once you start pulling things apart,one thing can lead to another and before you know it you find yourself spending an arm and a leg.
If you are ocd spend more and buy a really nice one,if you aren’t bothered buy cheap:thumb
 


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