Holyman Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 I'm sure this went bye-bye with the old forum so I thought I'd redo it. Start from the front and work your way back. Get it on flat ground and look at it. Does it look lop-sided, the plastic fit tight, bars bent, rims look straght up and down and not tipped in at the top. {some aftermarket arms will look tipped in at the top}. Grab the top of the tire from the side and push it and pull it. There should be no looseness. There is it could be wheel bearings, A arm ball joints, loose pivot bolts or worn out pivot bushings. While you're there look closely at the frame for bends or cracks where the brackets are that hold the A arms to the frames. Grab the tire from the side one hand front and one hand back and move it like you're turning the bars. Looseness could be tie rod ends or wheel hubs. Move to the front of the quad and grab the upper A arm and pull it forward and push it back. Looseness here is worn pivot bushings or loose pivot bolts. Push down on the front bumper and notice any clunking especially at the shocks or front hubs. Notice how easy it is to push down for strength of the shocks. Look at the radiator for dents or repairs. Look at the fit of the rad plastic to the front fender. A crooked fit shows the bike was rolled and the steering hoop has been bent back. Look for discolored plastic or cracks. Take the plugs out and look at the color. They should be nice and clean and not burnt, melted, or black. Screw in your compression tester. Go around and check the oil. It should be clean and not smell burnt and should not look like chocolate mousse. Silver flecked oil is NOT good. Get on the quad and sit on the seat. See if the bars and pegs feel like they're in the right place. Move bars and listen for noises or looseness. Could be top stem bushing, lower stem bearing, tie rod ends, A arm ball joints or bad hub bearings. Stand up on the pegs and bounce all of your weight on one of the foot pegs and then the other. Listen for clunking or movement other than the squishiness of the tires. Looseness or noises are usually swingarm pivot bearings or axle bearings. Sometimes loose rear wheel hubs will thump a little. Look at the pegs too for bends or looseness. Bounce up and down on both pegs at the same time and listen for noises usually in the rear at the shock. Move the throttle a couple times and try to notice any snags or rough spots. Hold the throttle open and kick the kicker until the compression gauge won't go any higher. Write down the compression. Do the second one and record the number. Less than 100PSI compression or more than 10% difference between the 2 numbers means top end time. Get off the quad and take off the seat and filter top. Take out the filter and see if it's clean and run your finger inside the carb. Any grit or dirt means bad filter maintenance and NOT GOOD for the motor. Check carb tops to make sure they're tight. Check crossover tube or boost bottle for grooves from the cables rubbing. Put the filter and seat back on. Get off the quad and look at the grab bar where it meets the frame. This spot usually gets bent from back flips. Grad the rear bar and lift hard and lsiten for noises especially at the shock and linkage as well as the swingarm pivot and axle bearings. Grab the bar and push it side to side. This is another way of seeing if the swingarm pivot or the axle bearings are bad. Check the chain and sprockets for looseness and bent/ worn teeth on the sprockets. Check the tires for uneven wear and check the plastic for discoloration or cracks. Start it up and let it get warm. Alot of smoke for the first few minutes is not unusual. Clanging noise on the right while it's idling is probably the kicker. Reach down and hold it to see if that's it. Rev it up. It should rev freely. Go for a ride. Power should be even with no significant hesitations and no bogging. Check brakes front and back. They should stop well with no clunking and no grinding. Come to a complete stop and hold the front brake rock forward and back and listen for clunking. Could be loose A arm bushings, hubs, ball joints, front discs, and calipers. Hold rear brake and rock front and back. Noises could be swingarm pivot bearings, axle bearings, loose caliper or caliper bracket, or loose brake hub or caliper. Get moving again and go back and let it coast to a stop. Listen for anything unusual. A slight rubbing/ whirring sound is probably the chain slider. Well that's about all I can think of right now. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDD Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 Don't forget to look at the top case for tossed chain damage. Check the bottom of the case for fresh oil (cracks in the lower case, leaking oil). Lift the rear end off the ground and try moving one of the tires up and down, forward and backwards, and in and out. Any major play here could be loose axle nuts to shot axle carrier bearings. Look for large dents or cracks on the lower tubes of the frame. Turn on the lights, low and high beams and check the rear light. Check the chain slider, chain guide, and the two chain rollers for wear and make sure they are still there. If it still has the stock chain slider wheel I am willing to bet it is warn way past its limit and could be cutting into the swingarm pivit tube. Most importantly ask lots of questions about maintanence and how it was ridden. Write down all the things that you have found wrong with the machine and price these items. I do not buy something the first time I see it (walk away even if the seller is making you a deal). Think about what it needs and come back a second time with prices of parts you will have to buy and haggle them down using these numbers. If they aren't budging on the price don't be afraid to walk away but leave them a number where they can get ahold of you incase they give in. Most of the time they will call you back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixitrod Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 Excellent post Holyman. People should have this info. It will also help those that do a search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIRTBIKEZ Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Besides the mechanical inspection, what about the paperwork and VIN numbers? I found a nice '02 Banshee with very low hours that I'm going to buy if everything is ok with it. Basically I'd just like to know about the legal stuff, Title, Bill of Sale etc. I'm aware that there is a VIN on both the frame and the block, and I'm assuming they should match and be on one of these documents. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyman Posted February 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixitrod Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 Good bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyman Posted December 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Bumped again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyfzr1 Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 This needs to be a sticky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SICK BOY Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 This should help alot of the newer members, that are asking about buying a Banshee. *BUMP* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellison445 Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Good work on this one Holyman Bump! This should help alot of the newer members, that are asking about buying a Banshee. *BUMP* 296523[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 bump, this should be a sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyman Posted January 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 TTT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee~ Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 free bump...very good info holyman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURKE_DADDY Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 thanks for the buyers guide Holyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyman Posted March 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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