BEFORE YOU BUY A 650DAKAR/GS LOOK OUT FOR THIS.

[michnus]

 

Please add information for prospective new owners of second hand bikes, that you feel they ought to know and things they need to look out for, before spending the money.

please keep the threads clean of spam.

[growweblaar]

Ask when last the steering head bearing was replaced.

[michnus]

*Get bike onto centre stand if it got one, and move steering from side to side slowly feel for a notch when wheel is straight. can be expensive when done by bmw
*look for green watermarks under the left side of motor about exhaust pipe for possible waterpump leaking. expensive repair

[JourneyMan]

Front fork seals.

Take the bike for a test ride. (Always)

Make sure you do some speed bumps. Make those front shocks work.

Bust fork seals will show oil seepage immediately. This can be disguised by just a casual observation with bike in stationary position and leak cleaned just beforehand.

Bust seals = About R 1 -1.5K of done through the BMW dealers. Cheaper through forum vendors and very much cheaper still if you do it yourself. (If you are inclined to it. As far as I am concerned, I'll let others do it )

[Archangel]

Sprag clutch (aka starter motor clutch)... Cost my R7k from BMW

http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/SpragClutchFAQ.htm

[michnus]

Sprag clutch (aka starter motor clutch)... Cost my R7k from BMW

http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/SpragClutchFAQ.htm

How would you tell if it is broken or going to break?

[Archangel]

Sprag clutch (aka starter motor clutch)... Cost my R7k from BMW

http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/SpragClutchFAQ.htm

How would you tell if it is broken or going to break?

As seen on the website:

SYMPTOMS

I bought a 1997 classic last summer. It seems that the sprag clutch engaging the starter has some serious problem. If for some reason the engine doesn't fire up on the first or second turn the starter just slips away. I can hear the electric motor running but the engine stands still. The other indication of trouble is that when I stop the engine and the crankshaft turns probably just a couple of degrees backward it sounds like something just breaking in the engine. I checked the three gears between the starter and alternator rotor and they are OK.

[Adventurer]

Check the little tell-tail hole under the water pump housing for seepage, could mean the seals are shot, can be an expensive repair if done by the dealers.

[Adventurer]

Also check clutch switch, try starting the bike in gear with the clutch lever pulled in, if it does not start the switch is stuffed, they cost around R260.00 and are kark to fit, lots of labour.
Also check oil pressure light for operation, it is quite common for them to fail.

[mannemerak]

I'll try say something meaningful for a change...

1) Don't twist her ear while you press the start button, she is fuel injected and should start just by pressing the starter button.

2) Check that the clutch cable is adjusted properly at the handlebar, they have a mechanism there under the rubber that allows you to adjust the cable there, sometimes the fastener ring works itself loose and there is too much play on the cable.

PS: I call mine a she, because she rides so lekker!! 

[ChrisL - DUSTRIDERS]

After buying the bike take off the righthandside cover. Make sure the overflowpipe of the battery is in place. It is too short. Use ziptie to keep in place. Ive seen nice bikes with low mileage and then they have this nastylooking white stain on their engines on the righthandside.

[Rotax650]

Check rear suspension linkages between swingarm and shock.  If up/down movement is stiff, the needle bearings might need replacement or just new grease.  Also feel sprocket for sideways movement - if so, you need 2 new sprocket carrier bearings (about R100 incl oil seal excl labour)  Most issues on the Dakar can be fixed realitively cheaply if you can swing your own spanners.  No reason not to get that Dak.

[PeterO]

It's all been said except ...

If you're going to get work done on the front forks, get them to fit an emulator kit while they're about it.  Won't cost much more than the fix.
If you're going to get work done on the water pump, take it to Link Engineering (in Cape Town, dunno for the rest of the country) and get them to press a new bush into the housing or you're going to end up doing the pump again in a few thousand Km.

[michnus]

waterpump gears must be replaced every 50000km
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=62773.0

[Daizy]

It's all been said except ...

If you're going to get work done on the front forks, get them to fit an emulator kit while they're about it.  Won't cost much more than the fix.
If you're going to get work done on the water pump, take it to Link Engineering (in Cape Town, dunno for the rest of the country) and get them to press a new bush into the housing or you're going to end up doing the pump again in a few thousand Km.

Swingarm bearings and bushes on the links are hard to come by and are expensive +_ R3600- to replace the lot if you can lay your hand on the parts. BMW struggle to get them.

[michnus]

It's not that the bearings are expensive, you can buy them at any bearingshop, the bushes BMW do not carry as they have never heard them wearing out.

On bikes with more than 50000km feel the sprocket carrier, the bearing housing wears out and there will be sideways play on the sprocket. The sprocket will be easy to move from side to side ( from swing arm to wheel)

[Carrol]

Look at the following:
Has the engine been sprayed over?
Does the battery have a overflow pipe?
Is the wiring decent?
Do all indicator boxes on handlebars have all their screws?
Are all brackets at the back in tact? Open the little back box and look.
Is the back light mounted properly with no broken mounts.
Does the indicator switch work properly?
Does the light switch work properly?
Does it have a toolkit?
Lift up the seat and check if all connectors there are proper?
Are the front forks sealed?
Are there any other oil leaks on the engine?
Check the brake pads.
Ask how old the battery is and when was it last replaced or filled up.
Ask how new the oil and coolant is?
Test the back brake sufficiently for a leak.
(I bought a f650gs and these are the things I would look out for now )

[lecap]

More stuff:

Aftermarket fork springs are a good idea esp. on the Dakar where I'd call them essential. Once you have them you don't want to be without them any more. On the F650GS aftermarket fork springs are more an added comfort issue but are still very worthwhile.

If the fork oil seals leak check very carefully for rust pits in the inner fork tubes. If the tubes are pitted your repair cost easily doubles to R3,000 for grinding & rechroming the tubes and all disassembly and assembly work. Protective fork boots are essential even if you only do dirt occasionally. Opinions are divided as for the benefits of neoprene seal savers and rubber concertinas. Decide for yourself which ones to fit but do fit either the one or the other.

The OEM brake lines aren't very nice quality. The nylon / rubber hoses of the early models are best replaced preventively with stainless steel braided aftermarket stuff which lasts longer, looks better and costs less than OEM (Note that the OEM brake lines are scheduled for replacement every 4 years)
The nylon liners eventually tear and the brake hose blows up with your brake basically not working any more. Occurs from one moment to the next and without warning.

Remove the radiator louvres and check for repairs on the radiator behind the frame downtube. Stones end up in there and vibrate holes into the radiator. If the radiator was fixed with epoxi this is a good reason for a few thousand Rands discount as there is no guarantee for how long these epoxi repairs last.
Once the bike is yours take the louvers off and check for stones after every day on the dirt.

A maintenance free battery is a huge plus. Forget all that was said about leaking battery acid. Yes they cost more than a flooded cell battery but they last longer and- require no maintenance. And their self discharge is lower too means you can save the money for a maintenance charger.

Worn or rusted swingarm pivot bearings and suspension link bearings give themselves away by making creaking / squeaking noises when you bounce the bikes tail.

Check if there is rotational play between the rear sprocket and the wheel. The cush drive dampers wear out more or less readily dependng on the riding style. This results in sticky and noisy gear changes, increased wear of the chain and sprockets and various other parts of the drive train.
Replacements are over R 800 for OEM, slightly less for more wear resistant  generic polyurethane dampers.
(edited on 03-02-2013:) IMHO the wear of the OEM cush drive dampers is more due to riding style than to batch quality of the parts (?)

Check if the rear shock hydraulic preload adjuster works. Stripped adjuster knobs are common, blown hydraulics can be seen too.

[growweblaar]

Aftermarket fork springs are a good idea esp. on the Dakar where I'd call them essential. Once you have them you don't want to be without them any more.

+100

Protective fork boots are essential even if you only do dirt occasionally. Opinions are divided as for the benefits of neoprene seal savers and rubber concertinas. Decide for yourself.

Check/clean regularly under seal savers. You'd be surprised how much grit works its way in there.

Check if there is rotational play between the rear sprocket and the wheel. The cush drive dampers wear out more or less readily dependng on the riding style. This results in sticky and noisy gear changes, increased wear of the chain and sprockets and various other parts of the drive train.

+1

Mine were shod at 25000 km. Rumours of bad cush rubber batches circulated at some stage... Wreaks havoc with your gearshift. Easy to replace yourself.

[Ben-57]

Excellent thread & really helpful. I studied all of this before buying my secondhand Dakar. Keep it up lads.