buying used from dealer with only v5 logbook

[star7striker]

Hello everyone
As a newbie, I have been scanning the forums for a bit of self-learning and well before the money flies out of my pocket to buy me a therapeutic treatment in form of a used DL650.

Just after for some thoughts and guidance from you all – a Suzuki dealer near Surrey is offering a used vee ’05 reg’ with only v5 and no other documents, so obviously there is no proof of what all work has been done in the past.
Am I OK in ignoring this aspect considering I am buying from an approved dealer with all the pre sales check done ? Any thoughts, is it worth the risk ? 

[hotbulb]

My opinion, make of it what you will!
As it has the V5, it's probably legal ... still worth doing the HPI etc checks. It's about 12 years old, so will have long moved out of the "Dealer Servicing" regime. Realistically, you must judge the bike on its overall condition ... if it's clean and tidy (but not too shiny/tarted-up for sale  ), starts and runs well, chain & sprockets, tyres, brake pads/disks are in good condition with some life left, fork legs still shiny/free from rust & bad pitting .....and so on.
If a Suzuki dealer is selling such an old bike, they're probably confident that it's OK ....I suspect they'd probably move a "dog" on very quickly, as they'd want to protect their reputation. Although it's always worth trying to get some sort of guarantee, even if only for a month!
Just my random thoughts....... Good luck finding the right bike for you!

[Rich:-)]

It will likely be being sold as "spares or repair"... which is the dealer's way of selling without offering any warranty. In that sense you should treat it as if you were buying the bike privately.

This is not a dodgy thing to do btw. I bought my SD990 this way from a dealer as it can be a way of getting a better price. The bike should then also have HPI check paperwork as the dealer will have run the check before accepting the bike in as a trade in.

[star7striker]

sorry should have mentioned in my post - They are also offering a 6 months warranty as a standard on the bike.

[tallpaul]

That age of bike with a 6 month warranty makes me think you have little to fear. Just ensure you check the small print on the warranty exclusions. Just satisfy yourself that it looks straight and get a HPI.

[Hugh Mungus]

Dealer pre-sale checks mean nothing. There are some good dealers that do actually do the checks but plenty say they've checked the bike and it's obvious they haven't.

That aside... If the bike looks good and is a great price buy it before someone else does. Put it in for a full service (at the dealers or any other workshop you trust) and say you want everything checked as there is no service history - basically treat it as if it hasn't ever been serviced. It will then be as good as it's going to be. Ask the mechanic to point out anything that may need attention in the future.

[glenwatt]

Mileage covered may have an impact on your decision.

I recently purchased an 07 650 with just under 7K on the clock.
To be honest the previous owners idea of FSH IMHO left a little to be desired (officially) with nothing after the 600 miles actually stamped in the book.

They appear to be overall quite a robust bike.

Although she is immaculate and does look to be well maintained (fresh oil), plus the list of bits to do on the missing 4K service is not much more than an oil change and check over.

So I took a gamble.

I am now preparing to do the 7.5K service myself and have done a few bits and bobs as I go along.

Hopefully I won't be needing any 6 month warranty, as I bought private. 

Good luck what ever you decide.

[vstroman]

I bought a bike from a dealer a few years ago that was supposed to be fully serviced and 'had a full check over'
luckily I trailered it home, on checking it over in my own garage I discovered that it only had about 1 litre of oil in the engine!!
I do not trust dealers at all, or some of the staff they have posing as mechanics.