New member, couple technical questions!

[JBR8387]

Hello everybody my name is Josh, and I am looking to purchase a GS500 very soon for my first bike. I found a 92 with 8000 miles for sale, but there are some problems. I would just like the opinions of you guys/gals as to whether or not I should pick this up.

Problem:
The bike was running great, then the owner took the gas tank off to paint it. After it put it back on, it idles fine but bogs down really bad when riding it. He thinks he mixed up the vaccuum lines, or the carb possibly needs re-adjusted.

Does this sound about right?
Does $1500 Sound fair for a bike with these symptoms?
Finally, how easy would this be to fix? I have no experience with motorcylces, but have been working on cars all my life.

Thanks!

[LPC2104]

$1500 sounds too high.

I got a 91 with 8K and it was in perfect condition and I only paid $1000 for it.  I could've got it a little cheaper but I had the cash and liked the honesty of the kid selling it to me. 

IMO, $1500 is too much for an older bike that doesn't run well. 

Someone else will have to help you with the mechanical stuff......I'm still in training there.

[debtman7]

I've been watching the ads for these for a while, and that seems high to me too, but it really depends on the market. That's way over blue book value, however it also has fewer miles than what the bluebook value is based on. On the negative side, it's spring right now and lots of people are looking to buy a starter bike, especially since gas prices are up, so bike values are going to be high...

I paid $1700 for my '96 with $3,600 miles by comparison. It's in flawless condition and looks and runs like new. So $1500 for a bike with issues seems high, and I think I paid too much for mine

The carbs would most likely need work, I've never done it but read a lot and it doesn't seem too bad... I'd be curious about his claim though, I can't imagine how taking the gas tank off would cause this problem. The only lines coming out of the tank are the fuel line, reserve line and overflow line. Even if you mix up the reserve and main line, it wouldn't cause this problem...

If you want to experiment with fixing it and you're pretty sure there is nothing else wrong with it, I might offer $1200 if you're desperate to get something... Honestly though I wouldn't advise paying more than $1,000 unless he fixes it. If it has other things that need done, like new tires, brake pads, etc etc, that's going to add more cash.

[JBR8387]

Thanks for the heads-up everybody! I think I'm gonna look around some more, it's just so hard to be patient when nice weather rolls around! 

[pandy]

Agree with too high!

And welcome!