03' 2300 miles just purchased need help!

Hey all just purchased purchased a nearly flawless 03 with 2300 miles from a nice old lady whose husband hadn't ridden or started in nearly 2 years. Bike seems to be running great.

Besides oil change any recommendations on what I should do to her service wise after this long hiatus she has had?

Thanks!

Jsav

 

Hey jsavage84 , I just bought a 2002 VFR with 1800 miles in March and what I have done is of course an oil change , flushed old coolant , new brake fluid and new tires . Even tho my tires looked perfect on the side wall it had a date of 2001 so they were tossed . Oh and the VERY first thing was install a Stebel Nautilus $38.66 plus air horn plus wiring harness from Bikerhiway.com . They know I'm next to them now when the moron decides to change lanes with out looking first . Hope this helps

 

...what duccman said PLUS, check to make sure the wiring harness recall was preformed. You can have a Honda dealer check your VIN # to make sure. I'd check the chain as well; I doubt it was lubed and maintained while sitting in the garage. Check the air box for critters; they love making nests in there on stationary bike. Good luck and post pictures!!!

 

Thanks for the heads up guys, I appreciate it! Horn seems to be loud as hell so we have no trouble there, but you really think its worth tossing a pair of seemingly brand new tires (like mine are also) due to the date they were put on??

 

On a sport bike, yes it is worth it to toss seemingly "good" tires. Tires, with out the slightest doubt, are the single most important part of a bike. I can put it in perspective like this: Is your behind & possibly your life worth risking on old tires when you can get a set of Bridgestone BT-016's for $250-$300?

http://www.ridedirect.com/p/bridgestone-bt016.html

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Those seemingly good tires are going to be very dry and hard as a rock. My 99 had only 12,800 miles on it when I got it last august, and while the tires were mostly worn out, the rubber was very very dry and lacked grip completely. A new set of tires transformed the bike.

 

I'd also run some Sea Foam or Techron through the tank. You probably have some sediment in your fuel system. More steps may be required, but this is cheap and easy.

 

Congrats!!!

With the other things mentioned you might want to consider changing the fork oil also. buy or download a service manual and give everything a once over to make sure everything is torqued correctly.

 

Thats a positive YES on the tires . Ask any local shop that deal with tires and I bet they say the same thing . I have a buddy that is a test rider for Motorcyclist and and he said that he wouldn't even trust three year old tires that have not hit the tarmac in years . You go out and do a full day of twisties and high speed sweeper and heat those puppies up all you will get is very greasy tires - not to be trusted . I bet if you look on the side wall it will say 2002 , thats OLD . Just my opinion

 

Tire looks fine but often will have a small flat spot not visible from sitting. You at a min should have the tire re balanced. I don't run old tires. Though it is fun if you want to slide your bike around but you take your chances of downing the bike from running a tire that old and hard that is your choice. I feel that just buying my New 2008 that the tires are old.

Check this tire link out its for autos but think we ride and put far more of a load on our tires than cars

Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard? | Video - ABC News

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned it, but get rid of the old gas in the tank and even the lines if you can. Ditto on running seafoam or some sort of cleaner/conditioner through the tank.
You won't regret the effort of getting the VIN checked to make sure all the recalls have been performed.

Have fun,

John