Gut Rusting Bikes?

I've got my eye on a new/old Suzuki XF650. It's a brand
new 2002 model but it has been sitting in a showroom for
3 years. Should I be worried about engine or gearbox
corrosion as the oil has been unchanged for that long?
Also I'm assuming three years is time enough for gaskets
and seals to have dried out - and anything else that
could go bad after 3 years.

Another bike I'm considering is a brand new 2003 Aprilia
Pegaso for the same money as the Suzuki. However I'm told
the Pegaso might be more difficult to find parts for and
more expensive to service (in the UK) - and ultimately the
Suzuki might be more reliable as I need a bike for a Middle
East to Europe trip of about 4,000 miles.

 

My duke sat on the floor for 2 years and I have not had any hassles with the
bike at all.
Lushy
au

 

I'd not worry about the corrosion issue. I would change the oil right
off. As far as parts, mate, I have no clue.

-paul

 

Not if the machine was in a dealer's showroom for all that time. If it
sat out in the rain and snow, there might be a slight problem with
external weathering, but you would get a new bike warranty from the
dealer and he would have fix whatever was wrong, within the regular 12
month warranty or whatever extended warranty you purchase...

I talked to a guy who bought a 5-year old VX-800 that had sat outdoors
in the dealer's lot in Southern California for the whole time. The
dealer took care of the seat that had split due to exposure to the sun,
and there weren't any mechanical problems with
the bike...

External corrosion will attack the anodized parts first. That dark
green anodizing will show little white specks like grains of salt when
it starts corroding. Make the dealer replace any corroded parts that
you notice, since little brackets and detail parts that are corroded
become annoying to look at...

You're ASS-uming wrong. The seals and gaskets will NOT dry out in the
dealer's showroom in only three years. If you threw a rubber coated
seal out in the Sahara desert and it sat in the blazing sun for 5
years, it would be useless, but seals and gaskets in an engine will
last for 20 years. Natural rubber parts, little details like that,
deteriorate in about 15 years. Being exposed to the hot sun for 15
years will also cause plastic parts to ger brittle and crack...

Tell the dealer you want a new battery...

Consider the tariffs against Japanese motorcycles vs. European
motorcycles and you may find that the Aprilia comes out cheaper than
the Suzuki in the long run...