I just bought (September 11) a second-hand 2009 ZX-6R, Monster Special Edition, for the very reasonable price of 6500$ CAD (6300 USD). The mileage was very low (987 km/613 mi), the machine seemed to be in very good condition when I visually inspected it, and was (and is until November) still covered by Kawasaki’s warranty. Before I bought it, I had it fully inspected at a motorcycle dealer garage (www.rpmrivesud.com), and they found it in excellent condition.

Before buying it, I questioned the owner on how hard he had been riding, and if he had respected the break in max recommended rpms, but he was quite evasive about this. After the sale, he admitted that he had been doing intense accelerations up to 12000 rpms, "but only occasionally”. This is more than 2x the max recommended rpm for the first 1000 kms (620 mi).


1) Is it possible to verify if the engine was abused by overrevving?

2) What kind of consequences could this have if it happened ?

3) What can I do about it ?

 

sounds like a solid deal tom me. welcome to KF

 

I second that, the break in period is very restrictive and according to many sources, adversely so. If you google it you will find that there is a huge debate on how to break in an engine, my general rule of thumb is "Do it gently" then when you got her trained you can get crazy, but she will never know her limits unless you push the boundaries...

What I'm trying to say is that after you get a couple miles on it its ok to hit the red line once or twice, you wont hurt anything, and actually may even help the rings seat better, just dont do it alot. Everyone has that temptation on a new ride.

In all likelyhood your bike is perfectly fine as long as he rode resposibly during those 12k runs, but if he went straight from the showroom to the burnout competition you might see your rings wear out a little sooner. I think you got a good deal.

Welcome to the kawi family my northern brother. Lets see some pics!

 

Agree with Prom^ 100%.
Even IF there is some "damage," it would be mostly limited to the rings and the general "mating" of surfaces. Obviously if the bike is blowing smoke or metal chips out the canister, the former owner may want to get his suit dry cleaned for a court appearance. However, I also^ think you got a good deal for this bike, and would suspect you'll be just fine. It's surprising how tough the newer (past 10-15 years or so) motors are; they can take a LOT of abuse (compared to 1980's and earlier.)
Welcome aboard. Gear up; stay safe.

 

Congrats on the new ride deal. Welcome to KF

 

Hello guys, and thanks for the replies and warm welcome, I feel better now ! :-)

Actually, when the mech changed the oil, he saw nothing wrong, and noted that the oil itself was quite clear. Like me, he tried the ZX and found it in good shape, so I think everything's ok.

Happy to join the Kawi fans out there! (maybe I should omit the fact that I also have a Yamaha... oops :-)

 

Yamahahaha!:d

 

Nothing wrong with Yammers. In their day, they were serious superbike contenders. Ask jamie james or terry vance. Whatcha got?

 

FZ6, still a very good touring bike. It's a bit weak on the lower rpm range, but once past 8000, gets very pleasant.