Help the new guy!!

[Chickenstrip86]

Hi all, so I currently have an 02 rsv mille,(be kind!!) near mint FSH, 17500 miles, quite a few extras.

I have been offered an 2001 r1 23,000 miles, history uo to 18 thou,
Few extras and nice and clean.

I wonder if anyone has any knowledge as to what to look for etc, any known problems, things I shoukd really look at in detail
And ultimately is this bike as fun as I have read about?
TIA.

[R1Clarky]

i have a 5jj (2001 model) and its the most fun you can have with yer clothes on usual stuff to look out for - well maintained, not jumping out of 2nd gear , clutch slip - thats about it - if overall condition is good then why not
oh & welcome in mate

live to ride - ride to live

[samr1]

Hi welcome ,as Clarky says


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jompy]

Welcome in Jason
As clarky says make sure second gear doesn't jump out , if it does budget in £350 I think it was for parts , it's supposedly not a hard job but is engine out .
Again clutch slip , usually somebody's only replaced the friction plates and forgotten about the steel's and spring , usually shows up in the higher rev range I.e. 8000 rpm upwards and usually 3rd gear or higher to start off with so hold on tight when testing it
(I did ride mine for a couple of years with slipping clutch with no problems as I wasnt caning it every where )
Exup valve if it still has one , make sure it moves freely , there's a few threads on here about the Exup .
Electrical gremlins can quite often be put down to the 20 pin white connector between the main and front wiring loom which is sat behind the left hand fairing panel .
Make sure it's running properly when up to temp as they can miss fire a little , sometimes it's just the HT leads need trimming or the carbs need a clean but although it doesn't happen very often worst case is a cracked bore or worn nickleseal ( one of the guys has a cracked bore & he still rides his ) a second hand engine can set you back anywhere from & £250 for a box of bits up to and over £1000 , average is I'd guess around £600 but make sure you check the crank cases for repair in front of the front sprocket and the engine mounts .
You can sometimes tell if it's been dropped as the rear sets usually snap and leave a small dent in the swing arm behind where they sit but a mint swing arm can be as little as £50.
Remember this bike is 16 years old but when running right are still a fantastic bike and you have asked what to look out for , there's still a lot of very good examples out there !
There is a lot of info in the 4xv & 5jj sections about these bikes as they share a fare few common parts .

[Steve R1]

Welcome to the forum Jason, I don't think you will be disappointed with an R1 and it will be more reliable than the Millie ... sorry .

You don't have to own an R1 to be a member of this forum, we just love bikes, any kind, even hondas

Welcome

Stephen

[Chappo]

Hi and welcome mate

[Chickenstrip86]

Thankyou all for the help, I appreciate it.
I've always liked the r1's and have always wanted to try one.

Seems there are a few things to look out for, but when isn't there with any bike,

The Millie was a bit of an impulse, but I must admit it's an animal of a thing to ride, and I have become quite attached, but tbh I need a bike that I could use most days for my short commute 7miles!!
And feel I could rely on it totally!!

[newsh]

Welcome
Some good advice there!
If the tachometer is doing the tango, sweeping round every few seconds it denotes a fault, different revs for different faults

You can check the EXUP is working, start the motor, rev and switch off then on again, you will hear the fuel pump prime and the exup motor sweep back to the zero start position. If you suspect it's not, take the cover off the valve to see the pulley moving, after the above procedure the pulley should rest with a small fork sitting in line with a hole in the valve body.

I owned a 4XV in 99 and I owned a bunch of different R1s since but just bought another 4XV and I love riding it.

[Moise]

Thankyou all for the help, I appreciate it.
I've always liked the r1's and have always wanted to try one.

Seems there are a few things to look out for, but when isn't there with any bike,

The Millie was a bit of an impulse, but I must admit it's an animal of a thing to ride, and I have become quite attached, but tbh I need a bike that I could use most days for my short commute 7miles!!
And feel I could rely on it totally!!

TBH it might not be the best bike for a short commute, especially in traffic. But buy it anyway!

I bought my 4xv as a simple winter project, but enjoyed it so much that I kept it. After replacing the usual things like tyres, brakes and the chain, most of the problems have been electrical. I had to replace the reg/rec, and clean or replace a few connectors.

it's now done 55,000 miles and still goes well.

[Chickenstrip86]

I think I will be going at the end of the month to view/potentially get the bike, and as for the commute, no traffic, literally open country roads for 6 mile!!
It woukd seam they have their niggles like any bike, I just hate googleing common problems and seeing what pops up, guess as I said most brands seem to have some sort of problems at some point!!

[R1Clarky]

fingers crossed its a good un m8

live to ride - ride to live

[jompy]

On the whole they seem a pretty reliable bike , yes they have they're niggles but to be fair they are getting on a bit . Mines lovely to ride at low speed in towns and in traffic bearing in mind it's been flat bared so your not leaning on your wrists .
Buy any 16 year old bike and Google problems and you'll come up with a list .
When I first bought mine I had to replace the forks due to one being bent and my mate who owned it before me had butchered the front harness fitting a different headlight .
There's plenty of spares for sale for these bikes and a tonne of knowledge about them but like anything second hand it could be a lemon . . . . . . But don't worry just add some vodka and you'll be fine