Looking at a used 600 bike and finding out if its a lemon?

Question

what are the tell-tale signs of mechanical abuse/thrashed, providing everything by eye looks good. I know i see a 600 on the road and it sounds like the rider has it at 10-12k steady.Owner has a new zx10 in his yard and I got my eye on his 2007 zzr600 mainly cuz im on a budget and yamies and honda owners arround here don't sell their bikes. the zzr is not under salvage and this would be my first mid size bike from my old ninja 500

Answer 1

Look carefully at the bike.  You can tell pretty easily if the bike have been down.  Look at the foot pegs, frame, handle bars (ends) any protruding part.  They don't always replace everything when a bike goes down.

Ride the bike.  It's generally a feel thing.  If the bike doesn't feel tight or seems a bit ragged, it might have been abused.  If you don't have a lot of miles under you, ask if you can take the bike to a reputable mechanic for a look over or ask a trusted rider who has the experience to go with you and look at the bike.

Generally, I view any sport bike as having been ridden like the devil was after them, at least some of the time.  It's hard to keep yourself from twisting that throttle.  The feel is just too addictive for most to avoid.

Answer 2

Best thing to do is find a motorcycle repair shop. Pay the mechanic $50 to come look at the bike for you. he will know exactly what to look, listen, and feel for. He should be able to test ride the bike to be sure. this way he can tell you if it's a good deal or not.

Looks can be deceiving so there's no way to look at a bike and tell anything.