Used bike inspection

[atc250r]

When buying a used H2SX, what areas of the bike should a guy inspect and/or look at for “issues”?

Should a guy check out the air box for oil and abort the bike if excessive oil is found in the air box? Or just check the bottle below the air box? How much is too much oil?

What else should one check to ensure he’s buying a bike that has no issues?

[Vex]

Because this bike aspirates oil like nobodies business. Bryan even made an oil catch can kit for it (not sure he still does).

Its not uncommon; you can search the forums for topics about it.

[Champ87]

When buying a used H2SX, what areas of the bike should a guy inspect and/or look at for “issues”?

Should a guy check out the air box for oil and abort the bike if excessive oil is found in the air box? Or just check the bottle below the air box? How much is too much oil?

What else should one check to ensure he’s buying a bike that has no issues?

As Vex said, these bikes vent quite a bit of oil into the airbox so checking for oil in the airbox won't tell you much about it's condition. I don't recall topping up oil between changes so obviously it looks worse than it is.

There aren't any specific areas to check on a used bike. Obviously, make sure the rear hub and ECU recalls have been done. We've also had two examples on this forum of the rear hub pinch bolts stripping threads in the swingarm. Two doesn't represent a common issue, but it's two more than you would expect.

[danham]

Good advice so far. I'd just add that getting the oil level "just right" is a little tricky on these bikes and so even a very slight overfill will increase the amount of oil in the airbox and filter and catch bottle. Many dealers overfill. So it's not a reliable marker for the bike's condition.

-dan

[Vex]

I'd do the standard stuff. Check for regular servicing, recalls done, obvious damage to the bike, cracks in the fairings, twisted swingarm, if it's sat unused then the tires and rubber hoses, fluid age, etc.

[wellcraft]

Might be a good idea to have a used H2SXSE inspected by a certified Kawasaki mechanic, might cost you a few bucks but could save you money if they discover an issue the average person might miss. What year is the bike you're looking at and how many miles, any mods, has required maintenance been performed on schedule? The biggest issue I'd have with buying a used high performance motorcycle is how hard did the previous owner thrash or baby the bike.