buying a 440 EX any warnings or things to look for? problems?

[Honda_rider101]

Hello, I'm looking at buying a 99 440 Ex from a person I know. I havent had much time to read up on the 440EXs but I know the head gasket was a problem and this person said they had that problem them had put in the bigger head bolts and said that fixed the problem but they also havent riden it much. Now the wheeler was previously raced they run mixed gas such as they would fill a tank 3/4 full with 111 octane and then put in a 1/4 tank of 92 octane. I noticed there was a pretty nice size dent in the pipe which I dont think affects anything. other than that everything looks to be clean. now they are asking $2500 for it and I think I can get it for $2000 is this a fair deal? this is my first sport quad I will be owning. any suggestions will be helpful

[khen]

$2000 - $2500 is a really good deal for it. Just look over the frame really good at all the junctions and check for cracks. Make sure all the wheels spin freely and wobble the front wheels looking for any play in the bearings/bushings and ball joints. Fire it up and make sure it doesn't smoke continuesly or when you throttle it up(after it's warm) and check all around the head and base gaskets for any leaks. Does it have an aftermarket suspension?

[Honda_rider101]

I do believe it does but not 100% sure

[prepracing]

that sounds like a good price to me, only downside to the 440 is if you ever have to rebuild it you will need a new cylinder sleeve and that can be expensive for parts and labor unless you have the means to do this yourself

[quad2xtreme]

Check the upper a-arm bearings closely. These go out first - rarely ever the bushing. It is cheaper to replace the whole upper a-arm than to just replace the bearings.

I am on a kick of telling everyone to watch out for a frozen swingarm bolt. It is a major pain to cut out if you can't get it out.

Check for a bent axle, loose swingarm. You will need to jack it up so the rear wheels are off the ground.

I wouldn't walk away from the deal. Just helps when negotiating a price.

/Jon