What's it worth? 2004 kx500 with some pics...

[1980mcneil]

first question.  How much did you buy your kx500 for and when did you buy it...

My boss said he had a 04-k500 for sale.  He has a bunch of bike and is an avid rider.  So I thought he took pretty good care of them.  He said he recently had a Accu-products cylinder decomp, installed and had the top end redone then as well.  I thought I was gonna get a pretty clean bike for about what it is worth.  KBB said $2600 "excellent condition".

He had a Snow track on it last so the bike was in some pieces.  He put some of it together and told me to come by and take a look and this is what I saw.





Whats wrong with it.
slight rusting here and there on the frame. Cosmetic only. The Pro-circuit pipe has a big dent in it and was a little rusty.  The hand grips are trashed.  Most all the plastic is cracked, or scratched to hell. bent/broke clutch lever. One missing radiator guard...  We put a couple pieces of plastic on and we used mismatched bolts and screws (old rusty as well).   (Messy garage BTW)
I know nice kx500 can go for $3000 plus.  And he is an honest guy, So I believe the head was gone through.

I know plastic is pretty cheap, So are grips and what not. I don't mind cleaning it up either.  But I don't wanna get ripped off either.  Some old-timers love there bikes and think they get back all the money they put into them.  Is the bike worth $2400??
Anybody feel free to chime in.  I was thinking of pointing out all it's flaws and offering him $2000.  But maybe he knows its real value and it's worth $2400 or more.  I just don't know.  I don't mind spending the cash if it's an okay deal.
Thanks guys.

[68Fastback]

Pipe, plastics, radiator brace, graphics, hardware kit, ect will easily be $500.00

Offer $2,000 and see what he says.

[1980mcneil]

Thank you for the response.  In your opinion is the bike not worth $2400 or are those just good talking points to lower the price.  Should I get as much off as possible but still buy? 

I would appreciate more opinions on this.

[Danger4u2]

Location comes into play when pricing vehicles. Most consider the KX500 an open desert bike.
They seem to bring more money in the south west, Cali, AZ, NV...

[1980mcneil]

I'm in the ñothwest.  Washington.  Have a lot of trails in the West and desert in the east. I'll probably see equal amounts of both

[sandblaster]

To be honest, it is very hard for anyone to determine the value of your bike.
I live down in Oregon.
Condition and location is everything...
Putting a new top end together is a good start but that does not give you a full rebuild... That is considered normal maintenance.
A solid full rebuild is going to run you 2000 and up.
Sure, the bike is a 2004 but all that means is it is 13 years old.
There could be a lot of life left depending on how it was maintained and how much it was ridden, or it could be a grenade.
To me, it depends on how much you trust your boss and how much he really knows about his bike and how it was rode..
Snow track usually means a lot of high winding riding.
A paddle tire generally means the same thing.
If the bike really is in good shape then yes, it's worth 2400 on the west coast.
If you do buy it, I would recommend that you disassemble the swing arm, shock linkage, wheels, and steering parts to clean, grease, or replace all the bearings.
I would also pop the pistons out of the brakes, clean the seals, polish the pistons, and bleed the brakes.
These are items that I see commonly ignored even by seasoned bike riders.
One thing for sure, you'll either love your boss or hate him 

[1980mcneil]

The other bike I'm looking at is a used 2007 crfx from a dealer.  I would guess all of those rules still apply to that bike as well?  Dealer says they "inspect" it but all that has to mean is they made sure it runs and change the fluids right?  It could look great and had the piss ran out of it every weekend?
Or do reputable big dealerships usually really go through the bike and inspect the bottom end and all that?  It could be that the dealership bike looks good but the owner never changed oil and maintained it as well?

[sandblaster]

It varies from dealer to dealer.
Before you buy from anyone, ask them to remove the seat so you can look into the air box.
If the whole thing is a mess... pass...
If the air cleaner is new or clean but the air box is a mess... pass
If the air box is clean as a whistle you still don't know how the bike was rode but at least the seller took the time to do a good job.
Look closely at the drain plug... Is it leaking?
Inspect the engine cases carefully and look for repairs or worse... JB Weld... It's easy to hide repairs under the cases.
Inspect the cables by pulling the levers and look to see the exposed cable...
Look at the inspection window (If it has one) and see if it is dirty or clean around the outside edges.
Look at the bike from behind and see if the rear fender and seat sit straight on the bike.
Put the bike on a stand and spin the wheels... Are they straight or wobbly?
While it is on a stand, turn the forks left to right, is the movement smooth?
If the brake master cylinders have windows, is the fluid clean and clear or yellowed?
Is the chain or sprockets worn or rusty?
Look in the tank with a flashlight, is it clean or dirty?
Look closely at how much paint is worn from the engine cases, frame, pegs, ect.
Actuate the rear brake lever to see if it is wobbly.
Actuate the pegs to see if they are loose or wobbly.
That will at least give you an idea of the relative hours.
How does the bike start, easy or hard?
Is there any paperwork on past repairs?
Try to meet where you can ride it to see how well it runs, shifts, stops, ect.
Never be afraid to make an offer...
There is a ton of other things to look for but that is a brief excerpt of what I look at before I buy.

[Danger4u2]

Look closely at how much paint is worn from the engine cases, frame, pegs, ect.

Sandblaster you nailed all the important check points. That's a very thorough list!
Your point about paint at the foot peg.  Most the bikes I've bought were from
Craigslist. If the paint was worn really bad, frame, cases...It was a good sign
that they were a hard rider and I would pass on that bike.  I was up to 17 bikes
in the stable, if you count the minibike.  I learned fast you can only ride one at a time.
It's hard to keep up the maintenance on that many bikes, even if you don't ride them all.
Now I'm down to a manageable 7, counting the minibike.

1980 McNeil keep us posted.

[1980mcneil]

Thanks a lot guys. That's great information. I guess I really can't take somebody's word for and have to go through all those inspections. It's kind of weird when it's your boss but it's almost like you're supposed to just take his word for it and shouldn't go over the bike with a fine-tooth comb. But I'm definitely going to and from what I've seen I'm going to low ball him a little. I appreciate the information pass.

[1980mcneil]

Well.  We settled on $2100.  Assuming all goes well when he gets it together.  I'm bringing a compression tester I picked up and I'll definitely go over the pointer brought up when I'm over there in person.  Gonna meet up and check it on Monday.  I'll keep you posted and post pictures if/when I get the bike.

[Green Goblin]

Man I paid $4k but she's real clean. Sure wish I could post pics but for some reason I can't.

[Danger4u2]

In order to keep this site free to everyone I don't host pictures.
I don't accept any paid advertisement, so there's no bias or favoritism.
If you have an exceptional/rare bike or picture you can P.M. me and I'll post it.
Use photobucket or another free hosting site.

[umberto]

Here is a handy guide for posting using Photobucket.  You can also directly link to a photo if you find one online.

[1980mcneil]

I picked up the bike the other day. I'll take some before pictures and I'm making it street legal but still keeping it a dirt bike.  I got a Baja design and arrow kit at the local shop here on clearance for 200. Just for getting between Trails here in Washington. And then I'll take some after pictures