I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle with a cracked ferring?

Question

Its a good deal but I'm don't know what else to be looking for. Are there other problems to watch our for? it has 7000 miles on it and is a 2003. Its not noticable in pictures. I would be learning on this bike. I wouldn't be doing any serious touring. But I want want to be safe and don't want any unessasary crashes

Answer 1

Don't worry about the cracked ferring.  minor cracks come from minor drops.  If the bike hit something hard, chance are it would have more noticeable damage to the ferring.   In the crash the bike would have to hit something pretty hard and solid to cause frame damage.  They (cycles) slide pretty well on their sides.

Answer 2

Find out how the fairing got cracked & check for any damage to the frame.

Answer 3

Agree with Mags - you can get new ferrings cheap online depending on the bike.  What Make, Model, Year is it?  Do you know how the ferring got cracked?  (left out in the sun, dropped, crashed, owner abused?)

Answer 4

A fairing can repaired in many cases but what would worry me is how did the fairing get damaged in the first place.  That plastic may be hiding some more serious damage that you can't see.

Answer 5

I would never buy a ninja 250. but its a motorcycle, what can you expect? you can get a full fairing kit on ebay for like 300. get it

Answer 6

best thing I always suggest is to find a local motorcycle repair shop and pay the mechanic $50 to come give the bike a once over. He can start it, ride it, and tell you if it's worth the money they are asking.

Answer 7

Cracked fairings happen, it was a low-speed drop. A crash fast enough to bend the frame would have destroyed the fairing. Look for bent handlebars and forks tho. If you have a friend who rides, have them give it a test ride first. Given that you will likely drop it once or twice, you could buy it and ride it as-is for a while, and then consider replacing it later. Fairings are more than you'd expect for a piece of plastic. Odds are the bike is in perfectly good operating condition.

Answer 8

you can get new plastics fairly cheap online, or do a decent repair job yourself...