2002 RC51 - is this a good deal?

[SwiftTone]

Hi all, long time lurker, been a while since I've posted

I am looking to make 3 hour trip from Boston to look at a 2002 RC51 with 18,000 miles. Before I make a trip, I'd like to see if it's worth it.

So from what the owner tells me, its a clean title, no accidents. There is a small crack in the front fairing, needs front tires, and the aftermarket exhaust has a small crack that will need to be replaced eventually as it will get bigger. It has some minor scratches and scuffs from age.

Price is listed as $3600. Is this atleast a fair deal? All help and opinions will be appreciated!! Thanks!

[scottieducati]

Sounds very well priced. RC's are uber reliable and while not terribly fast, at least they're heavy

Go for it!

[SwiftTone]

Hey, thanks!

What should I be looking for on these bikes? I am afraid to say it, but I am kinda new. I had 2 seasons on a CBR600, 3-4 years ago. So My bike experience is limited. But I'm looking to get a bike that I want to keep for at least 4 years and the RC51s have always been an(affordable) favorite.

And I work in Waltham.

[REXXX]

I love mine, it is not comfortable in any way and mine likes to get hot. I have to try engine ice out to see if temps go down a little. At some point it was laid down on the left side which pinched the left radiator (now patched and still search for a reasonably priced one online) and cracked a Y radiator hose fitting. Simple fix and hasn't giving me a problem since that day which was day one haha. Seems like a good price to me. The smiles and sound the bike brings out are awesome!

Mine has 28,000 miles and runs pretty damn good. Could probably use a dyno day to run perfect but they are awesome bikes.

[oVTo]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster.

I am looking to make 3 hour trip from Boston to look at a 2002 RC51 with 18,000 miles. Before I make a trip, I'd like to see if it's worth it.

So from what the owner tells me, its a clean title, no accidents. There is a small crack in the front fairing, needs front tires, and the aftermarket exhaust has a small crack that will need to be replaced eventually as it will get bigger. It has some minor scratches and scuffs from age.

Price is listed as $3600. Is this atleast a fair deal? All help and opinions will be appreciated!! Thanks!

How many front tires does it need?

18,000 miles isn't a lot, and the 2002-up models are better than the '00 and '01. Do you have any pics of the crack in fairing, or other pics of the bike? $3600 doesn't seem unreasonable and maybe you can talk him down due to the cracks, exhaust, etc.

I love my RC51, but get ready to be abused for riding a slow fat pig of a bike.

[SwiftTone]

How many front tires does it need?

18,000 miles isn't a lot, and the 2002-up models are better than the '00 and '01. Do you have any pics of the crack in fairing, or other pics of the bike? $3600 doesn't seem unreasonable and maybe you can talk him down due to the cracks, exhaust, etc.

I love my RC51, but get ready to be abused for riding a slow fat pig of a bike.

Just one,

I have 2 pics now, but they're not detailed enough. He will take pictures for me tonight. I will post it up when I get them.

I'm at the point where I don't need the fastest thing, or else I would get a 600 thats probably faster, cheaper, and don't need to drive 6 hours round trip to just look at it. Is there such of a thing as Carfax but for bikes?

What do you guys pay for insurance? I got a quote with 500/500 deductable for comprehensive and theft and it came out to be $300. I thought there was a mistake and got another quote at $450 at a difference place.

[Half Squid]

That is a good price as long as he is fully siclosing everything about the bike.
Scottie, you suck for your heavy and slow comment.... Bastid!
He's right they are heavy, but not slow..

Compaired to your F4 this is going to take getting used to to corner. These are tough to corner slow because of their weight, the faster you go the easier it is to corner. Also Counter steering is your friend! This comes with experience though!!!

I have owed 2 RC51' and I am sure if I found the right deal I would get another one..

[SwiftTone]

That is a good price as long as he is fully siclosing everything about the bike.
Scottie, you suck for your heavy and slow comment.... Bastid!
He's right they are heavy, but not slow..

Compaired to your F4 this is going to take getting used to to corner. These are tough to corner slow because of their weight, the faster you go the easier it is to corner. Also Counter steering is your friend! This comes with experience though!!!

I have owed 2 RC51' and I am sure if I found the right deal I would get another one..

What should I be looking for on these bikes??? It's been a while since I've touched a bike and would appreciate some help.

Thank you.

[Half Squid]

Buying a used bike is always a risk unless you get an honest seller, or you are able to take it to have a bike Mechanic check it out.
Just be your eyes alone your not going to know 100% whats going on inside the engine components.

Look at the overall condition, this will tell you how well this person cared for the bike. Most RC51 owners take good care of them.
SOUND is key with this motor, it has a very distinctive sound, it's something you either know or don't. If it sounds like it has a wet clutch walk away fast!
Check around the as much as you can with a flashlight behind the body panels to make sure the radiators are not mashed or leaking, check around the engine for any fluids that should be inside the bike, not out, look at the chain, and sprockets for wear and if they have been maintained. You dont want to see abnormal teeth wear or kinks or rust onthe chain. Take a goood look at the forks to look for scraps, or fuids. IF you are able to take a ride make sure the brakes feel good without vibration when applying brakes. The RC's have a great stock brake system and have a great bite when firmly grasped..

If this was closer I would offer to go with you, but I'm out by Worceter plus my weekend is busy. A week night this week or next weekend I might be able to take a ride with you.

[jwm2k3]

Buy it. Never should have sold mine...

[SwiftTone]

Buying a used bike is always a risk unless you get an honest seller, or you are able to take it to have a bike Mechanic check it out.
Just be your eyes alone your not going to know 100% whats going on inside the engine components.

Look at the overall condition, this will tell you how well this person cared for the bike. Most RC51 owners take good care of them.
SOUND is key with this motor, it has a very distinctive sound, it's something you either know or don't. If it sounds like it has a wet clutch walk away fast!
Check around the as much as you can with a flashlight behind the body panels to make sure the radiators are not mashed or leaking, check around the engine for any fluids that should be inside the bike, not out, look at the chain, and sprockets for wear and if they have been maintained. You dont want to see abnormal teeth wear or kinks or rust onthe chain. Take a goood look at the forks to look for scraps, or fuids. IF you are able to take a ride make sure the brakes feel good without vibration when applying brakes. The RC's have a great stock brake system and have a great bite when firmly grasped..

If this was closer I would offer to go with you, but I'm out by Worceter plus my weekend is busy. A week night this week or next weekend I might be able to take a ride with you.

This may be a bit forward, but if you could help me it would be GREAT! I have Monday available pretty much all day. Would you be willing to do it Monday?

[Half Squid]

I'll be at the BOMO trackday @ Louden Monday.

The rest of the week I work until 3:30PM I couldn't make it to Waltham or Boston until 6 as I have to get home to let my pouch out.

This may be a bit forward, but if you could help me it would be GREAT! I have Monday available pretty much all day. Would you be willing to do it Monday?

[SwiftTone]

It looks like its been dropped on its left at low to no speed. Front fairing is cracked all the way through, from where the front blinker mounts to the edge. And where the muffler mounts to the pass peg, the carbon fibor is chipped away down to whats underneath. It has a 2-1 Jardine exhaust.

Will post pictures soon. Most of you guys are probably riding today anyways.

[slammp]

Price is too high. I know everyone says the 02 on are better (sp2 vs the sp1). Honestly there is not much of a difference-I had an sp1 for years and never had any issues it ran like a tank. Personal opinion, the 2 in 1 Jardine is the worst pipe you can get for these. Part of the beauty is the dual exhaust. Honestly for the mileage, and the damage I'd walk away you can find a better deal on an RC51 if you look a little. Actually there's a sick one for sale on this site with Sato pipes (see link below) or go to the for sale section.

http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...xtras-too.html

[SwiftTone]

Well, here are the key photos. Looks like it's been dropped/tipped over. The exhaust looks like it's going to rust through. How expensive is the front fairing? Would the crack on the fairing likely to develope futher?

[kumpy]

Hmm, tough call. About 6 months ago I was totally convinced that I was gonna get an RC51. I looked at every RC51 I could find, online, locally, at a dealer, and from private sales. Depends on what your budget is but the more you spend, the better bike you're gonna get. To give you an idea, a local dealer had an 05 RC51 (I believe last year it was made) which was all black and had 18k miles on it too. They wanted $5500 and they would have let it got for $5000. This is with a dealer guarantee that mechanically it is sound, would pass inspection, and the fairing was mint. The only issue is high mileage. Personally, I don't care how old a bike is I wouldn't get a bike with over 10k. I would say 18k is not a lot of miles for a car or for a honda goldwing, but 10k on a sportsbike is equal to about 100k on a car. I think mileage is actually more important than year because it's a clear indicator of how much it was used. Considering the nature of sportbikes, used sportbikes tend to have some level of abuse in their life. You can't tell me that any sportbike has never been revved high or never been over 100+ mph. As for the RC51, there is a small following for them as they are Honda's V-twin and they hold their value more than the same year / same condition CBR. With that said, if you can live with the cosmetic problems of that bike, then I would say the price is fair, not great, just fair. If you decide to put money into it, then after you fix the exhaust and fairing, you'll be looking at $4500-5000 for a bike that's been down. On another note, very very good chance that if a bike's been down, the frame will be bent. Actually, all bikes don't have straight frames. The question is if the frame alignment is within acceptable tolerances. From experience, I would say .5 degrees or above would need a frame alignment which will then cost $400+.

[jwm2k3]

2006 was the last year made. Both the 05 and 06 are the black ones. The 04 is the Nicky Hayden edition.

Ya, the Jardine 2 into 1 blows donkey dicks.

[SwiftTone]

Looking at a RC out of state. Its a 2002 with 16,000 miles. I think it had an exhaust before, but now it's stock. Clean title, looks like a low speed low-side and the plastic was replaced with original ones, scratched up clutch cover, valve adjustment not done yet.. The tail fairing is cracked from what he says "incorrectly installed fender eliminator" but I'm not too sure if its true. I talked him down from $4300 to $4000. Should I get it??

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

Price is too high. I know everyone says the 02 on are better (sp2 vs the sp1). Honestly there is not much of a difference-I had an sp1 for years and never had any issues it ran like a tank. Personal opinion, the 2 in 1 Jardine is the worst pipe you can get for these. Part of the beauty is the dual exhaust. Honestly for the mileage, and the damage I'd walk away you can find a better deal on an RC51 if you look a little. Actually there's a sick one for sale on this site with Sato pipes (see link below) or go to the for sale section.

http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...xtras-too.html

Not for sale any more.
;-)

[SwiftTone]

Wirelessly posted



Not for sale any more.
;-)

Ya, it's too bad. I wanted it too! Were you the one that bought it?

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

Yes.

[SwiftTone]

Very nice man. I couldn't stop thinking about it for a week

[hondarider102]

Wirelessly posted

Degsy you bought an rc? Can I borrow it? Like seriously lol I'll let you borrow my bike

[dankatz]

I'd keep looking at them. None of the ones you are looking at seem like a great deal. Are you set on an RC51 or would you consider a Super hawk as well? They may be better for the street. A guy recently wanted to trade me a 2006 RC51 for my 2009 monster 696. I was not quick enough to reply and he traded with another Monster. Generally speaking, if you have only one bike the RC51 is pretty aggressive in riding position. The super hawk is a little easier stance.

[slammp]

Well, here you go - he's actually a member on here too although I cant remember his name.

http://providence.craigslist.org/mcy/3145325730.html