Can have mechanic inspect bike Iwanna buy?-2prev.Thai owners

Dec 28, 2008
30
0
0
I looked at a 2005 Honda xr400sm (super-motard) bike in Chiangmai a couple of weeks ago. The asking price is 120,000 baht (invoice only) - seems reasonable - and I think the guy’s willing to bargain some. The bike has some scratches on it, and there’s a pretty big dent on the top of the muffler, and the present owner replaced the front mud guard (said it was in pretty bad condition), so it’s gone down a few times. The owner is Thai, and bought it from another owner, presumably Thai. I don’t feel very confident that the bike’s been taken care of well with two previous Thai owners. So I’m wondering, would a good mechanic be able to tell what shape the bike’s in (engine, suspension, steering, etc.) by inspecting and test-riding it? Can anyone recommend a good mechanic in Chiangmai who might be willing to do that for me for a reasonable fee? I’m not very mechanically-skilled, and feel like I need a qualified opinion about the condition of this bike before I agree to buy it.
Thanks for any help anyone can give.