New (to me) 2002 GZ - thoughts?

[dhgeyer]

I just bought a 2002 GZ 250 with 975 miles on it. I've owned a lot of bikes over the years (I'm 63) from very small to very large. I do as much of my own wrenching as I possibly can - including tune ups and some repairs.

The GZ seems to be running well. The place I bought it from put in a new battery. The carb does not (surprisingly) seem to be gunked up, as the bike is running well. It has obviously been garaged, and looks essentially new.

I have downloaded the service and owners' manuals from this site, and am beginning to look at them. I will do a valve clearance check fairly soon, since I have no way of knowing if the 600 mile service was done. The oil looks good, chain looks good, everything works.

Is there anything peculiar to this bike that I should watch out for, given the circumstances - long storage - little use - other than things I would probably know already?

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!

Dave in NH

[GZ250]

welcome,

why someone kept it for 7 years - just sitting in his garage and what made him sell now?

if the oil in there is from 2002, i would definitely change the oil and filter and check the air filter (dampness can effect the filter). 600 miles service does not mean anything now. even if it was done after 7 yrs of sitting it is irrelevant. check spark plug for rust, adjust valves and lube and as you said you have owned several bikes you would know the essentials.

GZ is a small bike so treat it like those.

[alanmcorcoran]

Well, tires. But you probably already knew that.

[alantf]

If it's been sitting for seven years with the same fuel in the tank, I'd definitely try some carb cleaner in the tank. For some strange reason, the gz seems to love this occasional treat. (seriously!)

[dhgeyer]

Thanks everyone for the prompt and relevant replies!

GZ250: I have no way of knowing the history of the bike. A lot of people buy smaller bikes to learn on - either before or after taking an MSF course, and then decide it's not for them. Some of them keep the bikes for a long time for various reasons - laziness, too busy to deal with selling it, or, in several cases I have known, an unwillingness to let the dream go just yet. I do plan to do an oil and filter change ASAP. I already checked the air filter, and it's fine. I do also plan to check the spark plug for the color of the insulator, just to see if it's running too rich or lean. I will also check the valve clearances ASAP. I need get or fabricate (more likely) an offset 8mm wrench of some sort it sounds like. Whatever the adjuster tool is, I'm sure I can fabricate it once I see what is needed. By the sound of the description, and the pictures in the service manual (downloaded from this site), it looks like getting a torque wrench on the adjuster nuts is out of the question.

alanmcorcoran: I checked the DOT codes on the tires. For anyone who didn't know this, the DOT code stamped in every tire sold in this country will tell you when the tire was manufactured right to the week. These are 8 years old, with no sign of wear or cracking. I don't like to run tires that are more than 5 years old, as the compound changes over time, and the result is less traction. So I'll be in the market for some new tires soon. Any recommendations?

alantf: I will most assuredly run some either Chevron Techron or Sea Foam through the tank at an early date. For now it seems to be (surprisingly) running like a champ, so I don't consider this urgent. I'll probably figure a way to install an inline fuel filter, as it doesn't seem to have one - at least I haven't found it yet.

What I have done so far - in the first 12 hours of owning it:

checked and waxed chain.
Pulled all 4 bolts holding exhaust pipes up front, in order to make sure they had not seized. Reinstalled with anti-seize compound.
Lubed and adjusted clutch cable and lever.
Checked all fluid levels.
Checked and adjusted tire pressure.
Checked battery, and left on battery tender for a while. Dealer put in new maint free battery, as old one was dead.
Loosened oil drain plug, just to make sure I could, based on a post in this forum. Retightened.
Checked tool kit for spark plug wrench, and general completeness and condition.
Filled the tank, so I can take a nice long ride today and check the gas mileage.
Generally went over the bike to find where things are.

[mrlmd1]

Sounds like you did pretty much everything,
I also remarked on replacing your tires in your first newbie post on here. Cheng Shins are good tires used by a lot of us, but the fronts are a little hard to find in the stock size - there are numerous threads on here about tires, use the search feature and peruse them all.
I have a slightly wider front, 120/80 instead of the 110/90 OEM, some others have put on a 100/90. It doesn't matter, they all work well, the size difference is totally negligible, and you would never perceive any difference in ride or handling with any of them. Get what you can at the price you want to pay.

Just an additional thought re: the battery.
Those maintenance free batteries MUST be fully charged up after filling with acid prior to initial use or they will not hold a full charge, ever, even if charged up again with a good charger after they fail.
If your bike starts each and every time with the new battery, then all is good, maybe this was done. If the battery seems to die after a few days use, then if you charge it and check it with a load tester, it may fail, and you may need a new one. If you do have to replace the battery, make sure it gets hooked up to a charger (not over 2 amp) and is fully charged before first use.
The charging system on the GZ 250 is puny, basically can run the lights and recharge the battery from the discharge used in starting, but would take forever (like riding all day on a few tankfuls of gas to recharge a totally dead battery so it would have enough juice to restart the bike again).

[dhgeyer]

mrlmd1:

Thanks for the tip on the battery. The one that was in it when I first looked at the bike was dead and gone. They put the replacement on a quick charger for 2 or 3 hours. I know that this is not the ideal way to charge a new battery. I will, as you say, keep an eye on it. They can't cost that much, so, at the first sign of trouble I'll just get a new one and charge it properly myself.

I will look into the tires you suggest. I have heard good things about them on other bikes.

Day two, and this morning before breakfast I:

Removed tank, and checked valve clearances. The intake side is spot on, the exhaust is on the tight side of still within spec, but I like them a bit on the loose side, (still within spec) so I'll adjust them as soon as I buy/make something to turn the adjusters. I gotta say, the valve adjustment on this bike is even easier than on the BMW, and I thought that was the easiest. I did the 16 valves on the Concours (I still have that bike) a couple of months ago, and that's an all day job by the time you get all the plastic and other stuff off and back on.

Checked tire pressure. Oddly, they were way over what the owners' manual calls for, which is very low. I would normally never set tire pressure as low as what this manual calls for. But, since, as we have discussed, these tires are old, I did set them at the low pressure, since, all else being equal, this will add a bit of traction.

I installed a GE Nighthawk headlight bulb. Same watts, same volts, more light. I adjusted the light, as I do on all my bikes, so the high beam points straight ahead, just a little higher than level (not much, just a little). It puts a very powerful light into the eyes of oncoming drivers. I don't ride at night, so the only purpose for my headlight is for me to be seen. I have mentioned this in other forums, and it has started an argument in some cases. The argument goes "I might make people mad, or blind them, or whatever.". My wife is permanently disabled due to an accident we had, riding 2 up on the Concours two years ago. Young woman didn't see us and pulled out right at the last minute, giving no indication or any of the normal clues that she didn't see us. All that MSF training saved our lives, as I swerved automatically and avoided T-Boning her, but she still grazed us and we went down. I tumbled and rolled 100 feet, got up and walked away. Thank you good safety gear! Sue was not so lucky, despite full gear. Anyway, people can get as mad at me as they want as long as they see me. I haven't had any case where anyone didn't see me since I started with the "In your face" extra bright headlight. Anticipating comments: I don't think modulators do anything worthwhile. Just my opinion. I always see the motorcycle at least a second before I notice the flashing headlight. I almost always wear a hi-viz motorcycle jacket, or in hot weather a high-viz vest over a mesh motorcycle jacket. Also a white helmet. But I think it's probably the very bright light that people actually see first.

So, I'll call the local Suzuki dealer and see if they have an oil filter, and maybe even a valve adjuster. I will change the oil and filter before I ride it too far, even though the oil looks and feels just fine. I want to get a couple of hundred miles on it today/tomorrow to see what kind of mileage I'm getting.

[Jere]

I just ordered a valve adjuster from my local dealership. I was only $9 or so (probabl $7US). Basically it has a square end on it. One of the techs said he's done it with needlenose pliers before, but for the low cost, might as well get the tool.

The offset feeler guages were the expensive part.

[VTXorcist]

Great stuff, dhgeyer. You should write a separate post with a checklist of things to do when you buy a used GZ250. I just got mine Friday evening and I didn't even know about half the stuff you listed. Thank goodness I do now!