How long are you going to keep it? I'll keep my LC4 till I can break it real good and kill it. I'll see 15 years of my ownership. That would be 266 a year - not including P&M.
An '02 w/ 12,000 miles on it for $5,000 is definatly on the high side. For reference: My '02 purchased used in '04 w/ 5000 miles, Scotts dampener, Touratech rack (no luggage), SXC can, road book holder .... was $4700. I figure it as $4,000 for the bike and $700 in spare parts. It had plently of scatches, but was mechanically a 10. I got a great deal for sure, The bike would have to be perfect to warrant $5000.
According to all you guys, I guess my 02 Adventure is overpriced at $5500. Oh well, guess I'll have to keep it, too bad for me. At least I'm stuck with a great bike, not a pile of shit.
This is kind of the bottom line ..... follow Creeps initial post + the main bearing ..... After that .... if it gets your heart beatin faster .... pay what you think is fair ... who cares about $500 if its gone make you happy when you fire it up. I always wanted an ADV R when I first saw it in 99 .. right now ... can't imagine ever parting with it.
Okie dokie... I've upgraded the first post with Rad, Drifty and Woodsrider's specific inputs (gratzee guys ). So unless we start getting really anal... or we've had a mass hypnotic suggestion to forget something important, that's about it. Thank you for playing our game... g'night and have a plesant tomorrow.
OK, lemme fix this issue. I could add one note with moderate utility: Creeper's note is more important than mine, since new forks and/or straightening the steering head would be hella expensive. But there can be damage at the rear as well. I don't mean the swingarm, which I suppose could be screwed up at the pivot; I mean the rear subframe. It is easy enough to stand behind the bike see if the rear fender aligns with the rear wheel. This will tell you if the rear subframe is out of alignment. It is my understanding that they bend quite easily, so many will be out of alignment. A little is probably a non-issue. But if it is, you should pull the seat (you were doing that anyways eh?) and check to see how pinched the fuel tank's mounting bracket is on the mounting bolt (by undoing said bolt and then trying to redo it), which is mounted to the rear subframe. If that is pinched, then you should pull the tank to see if that pressure is significantly wearing thru the tank where it rests on the frame. I suppose that could be an issue in the long term (wearing thru the tank?), but in the short term installing that bolt will be annoying because I, I mean you , have to put pressure on the tank to get the bolt installed. I hear it is possible to straighten the rear subframe, just as it is possible to buy a new one (~$250 + someone's time to install it), so this should not be a deal breaker. Just another consideration.
Thanks to all who gave input. I used all of it and got a great bike! Soon to be trading tales..... I'll try to search through the index for modifications and maintence questions before posting.... Thanks Again!!!!
I to am looking into getting something I can throw around easer then my gs 1150. A around town bike that I can take onto the dirt. I thought I wanted a 450sm but now I find myself working up in weight and engine size again. I already have a xr600 that should die any year now. (it just keeps on going) But I want light weight and a reliable bike that does not take a lot of maintenance. When I have the time I want to ride not wrench. Like most things the more I read the more confused I get. Thanks for the info though maybe someday I might figure it out.
I'd definately be checking the lower triple clamps ,I learnt this the hard way on an 05 I bought recently. It seems if they have been overtightened at some point then they will crack :eek1 , 15nm is the recommended tightening torque on the 05 - not tyring to twist them off.... a good sign is rounded heads on bolts.
May be going to look at a 2000 640E. Great thread put together and will read through it again to highlight things of interest. Bike is said to be low miles and price is a little over 3k. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Well, I just sipped the silver koolaid-diet version of the 640e-same taste, less filling! a nice looking 2001 LC4 400e , 9k miles for $1900. and I'm hoping I scored a good one as I'm riding it home from Lincoln, NE to Moab next week. Pray for this KTM noobee. Bike comes with 2 sets of tires- Pirelli Scorpions and DOT knobs- will the knobbies get me home?? Anything else to check out- oil's fresh, valve's are on, hail Mary and punt ??? steve in moab
Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but what would you guys say to an 06 with over 20k hard miles. Bike looks like it was used as intended, off road, plenty of scrapes and scratches. Probably been down a bunch. Asking price is a tad high, $5,000, seems you guys paid less than that 6 years ago while the bikes were a lot newer and had much lower mileage. Only thing this has going for it are the hard bags (don't care much for that since I have a set sitting in my kitchen) and the fact that it's close. Most are pretty far out there. One other issue is that the owner "converted" it to a single disc front end (For weight savings). Not sure removing a rotor and caliper to shave weight is the right place to start. but whatever. So, whatcha guys say? Creeper? Bill?
Ha, At those miles it could need a complete redo. You need to know what was done so far. Start by looking at the chain and sprockets since you can see them easily. Have the owner pull off the countershaft cover. Look for a leak, if it isn't leaking it will soon. Check the rotors for wear and try to see the pads, Check the tires, check the wheels for straight by spinning. Centerstand???hope so. You will have to plan on a complete 10K service including greasing the steering head and swing arm pivot bolt, plus the rear shock linkage. Maybe a new air filter, fork oil change and the rear shock should be sent to the specialist for an oil change and new seals. The carb probably needs to be redone including the slide. Of course the top of the engine has to come off and water pump and cam followers rebuilt. I'd pop the seal on the sprocket carrrier bearing and add some new grease and check the rubbers. Check all the wiring for rubs. Is it an Adventure bike or an enduro? On and on, offer less money and get your tools out. Creeper died electronically, ask Gunner or the Aussies for opinions. Buy it if you fall in love. bill
I am looking at a 2002 640E. I would prefer a 640 ADV, but this one is nice, and close. The bike looks clean, with only 3,200 miles on it. Plus it comes with racks, windscreen and Gobi hard bags. About the only things it needs are a bash plate and a larger fuel tank., maybe a seat mod. I have a few questions for you 640E/A owners. How reliable are these bikes? I don't want to be tinkering with stuff all the time, I want to ride. I have 20,000 trouble free miles on my KLR and I love the reliability, and low cost maintenance. It has never let me down, but I hate the weight, brakes and suspension (or lack thereof) Realistically, how many miles can I expect to get out of the engine before a new top end, or total rebuild? Most of my riding consists of the daily 16 mile round trip to work, the two or three evenings a week thrashes on the nearby lava beds (NOT the best place for a KLR, but it works, pretty sure the 640 would work much better) Once or twice monthly long day rides, 95% poor condition dirt and unimproved two track. The once or twice a year multi-day "adventure", mostly dirt and off road, carrying camping gear. And the rare slab run of 300 miles or so, when I need to get somewhere quickly and cheaply. I change oil and clean the air filter frequently, as well as keep the suspension linkage lubed. I do ALL of my own maintenance, including valve adjustments. What kind of fuel mileage are you getting out of yours? My beat up old KLR gets 50-55mpg and sometimes much better if conditions are just right. I don't want to take a huge hit on fuel cost, but a little more steam would be nice. How viby are these bikes a 80 mph? I have heard some say the vibes are bad, but I have also heard people say KLR's vibrate badly as well, and they don't bother me at all. Is it bad enough to make your hands go to sleep? It can't possibly vibrate as badly as my old Sportster did, that was THE deal breaker. How difficult is it to convert a 640E to a 640A? How strong is the subframe on the 640E, is it different than the subframe on the 640A? Are they interchangeable? Are there tanks of 5 gal + available for the 640E? I want to keep my 300 mile range if possible. What is the oil capacity/change interval on these engines, do they have two filters like the smaller displacement LC4's? Are they known for oil consumption? Are valve adjustments a PITA? Do they have shim over bucket valves? Are the shims expensive? What were the changes made between 2002 and 2003 model years? Was reliability/power/mileage greatly improved? Keep in mind, I will be moving from a first gen KLR, so I won't miss things like a hydraulic clutch. I basically want a bike with the versatility of my KLR, but with much better suspension and a little less weight. I love the bike, but the archaic design is a bit lacking. I am a bit leary of the high tech Euro stuff though, I don't want a high maintenance nightmare. If mechanically sound, would this bike be a good one at $3,800?, anything else I should look out for, as the bike only had 91 miles put on it in it's first eight years, the second owner put the rest on in the last 3. Any info you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Good advice from Bill, but on the plus side, my 640 was probably starting to look a little battle worn at 20K miles, but until 30K miles all I did to it apart from regular servicing was replacing a countershaft seal & re-spooging on the cam cover. Most of what you may need to do is not too expensive & easily acheivable by the home mechanic with help from the guides on here. Google this site with your questions, it's all been discussed in detail, but in brief: I needed a little engine work at 30K miles, cam bearings, water pump etc, nothing a decent home mechanic can't sort out in a weekend. My top end lasted 60K miles. Needed a few other bits then too. Fuel mileage similar to a KLR if going the same pace. Somewhat vibey at 80mph. Test one out. Put on the old Rallye 28L tank for more fuel - look it up - it polyethylene rather than paintable nylon & much cheaper, you'll need a seat to match. 640E/A subframes are the same, brace it up if you carry a lotta shit. Oil change 3K+ miles. 2L oil, 2x filters, a bit of a PITA due to oil in frame but no big deal really. They don't use much oil at all normally. Screw+locknut valve adjust, a bit fiddly but no big deal. 03 got the 'High Flow' head, & an upgraded LH gearbox mainshaft bearing (bearing is often retrofitted to pre 03's to avoid failures) hydro clutch, not much else significant. YMMV Clint
