I'm in the market for a Gen2 Vmax. I found a '10 with only 4000 miles. The seller said he bought it used in '11 with 3K, and has only put about 1000 miles on it in four years. He says the bike has been kept covered in a storage unit. I asked if he uses fuel stabilizer and he said no, but that the "fuel doesn't last long"--which would lead me to think it gets ridden periodically. But then he said that it gets ridden a couple blocks "once in a while", and started every month during the winter to keep the battery charged.
(The Vmax is about 600 miles away, so having a look at the bike before committing to buy isn't easily doable. Believe it or not, the seller has offered to deliver the bike while on a road trip, but I figure he'd want some kind of deposit at least before loading up the bike for that kind of haul, so I'll have to decide in advance to commit so I don't lose any money or waste his time.)
First, I'm concerned that the fuel may have partially gummed up the injectors. Getting ridden for short trips every couple of months isn't enough to go through a tank of gas very often, and the bike probably isn't seeing anywhere near WOT during that time so the owner probably wouldn't be able to tell if there was anything amiss. I'm worried that partially clogged injectors will result in a lean condition when I'm riding the hell out of the bike, and I'll end up with engine damage.
Second, I'm concerned that all of those short trips mean that even if the bike is idled until it's up to operating temp, the oil would never get hot enough to evaporate condensation or blowby gasses. Also, if the bike is idled up to operating temp it takes longer to get warm which means more time running rich, which means more time for excess fuel to wash past the rings and create extra wear in the cylinder bores.
I'd feel much better about it if the seller said that the bike was stored with fuel stabilizer and that he took it out for a good, hard 20-30 minute ride each time it was exercised.
What do you guys think--are these valid concerns?
(The Vmax is about 600 miles away, so having a look at the bike before committing to buy isn't easily doable. Believe it or not, the seller has offered to deliver the bike while on a road trip, but I figure he'd want some kind of deposit at least before loading up the bike for that kind of haul, so I'll have to decide in advance to commit so I don't lose any money or waste his time.)
First, I'm concerned that the fuel may have partially gummed up the injectors. Getting ridden for short trips every couple of months isn't enough to go through a tank of gas very often, and the bike probably isn't seeing anywhere near WOT during that time so the owner probably wouldn't be able to tell if there was anything amiss. I'm worried that partially clogged injectors will result in a lean condition when I'm riding the hell out of the bike, and I'll end up with engine damage.
Second, I'm concerned that all of those short trips mean that even if the bike is idled until it's up to operating temp, the oil would never get hot enough to evaporate condensation or blowby gasses. Also, if the bike is idled up to operating temp it takes longer to get warm which means more time running rich, which means more time for excess fuel to wash past the rings and create extra wear in the cylinder bores.
I'd feel much better about it if the seller said that the bike was stored with fuel stabilizer and that he took it out for a good, hard 20-30 minute ride each time it was exercised.
What do you guys think--are these valid concerns?
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