NC35 - pre-puchase questions... pls advise

[dtek]

So I'm in the market for an NC35 and I went to see one recently, it's at the cheaper end of the spectrum because it has dud chinese fairings on it and is a little bit rough round the edges.

Anyway, i took it for a test ride and as approaching an intersection where I was kind of coasting into a turn I noticed that the front felt really unpredictable (sort of like tramlining feedback coming through the bars) and a reluctance to tip into the turn. I'm talking about a very timid maneuver here, at about 20-ish km/h so definitely caught me off guard because I thought these bikes were super nimble and almost telepathic in turns?

I proceeded to give it a little bit more of a punt and tried just feeling how it moves around by doing a little weaving and also keeping a close watch on it through a few more 90º turns riding through suburban streets. Once the bike was going faster and after the initial lean-in it felt pretty stable, but it consistently had a strange reluctance and/or wobble sensation on lower speed changes of direction.

Is this just an issue with this particular bike, or is it normal for all nc's?
The tires had a very slight flat spot through the middle of them from the owner doing a long distance commute, but the rear was much more noticeably square-ish than the front, yet the front seemed to be the problem end. Also the suspension did feel pretty wallowy and soft except when it went over 3 consecutive potholes on the road it really felt crashy, hard and uncomposed. (I'm not a lard-arse.. maybe 80kgs and 6ft tall.)

I'm used to riding a zxr250 (jap grey import), which in comparison felt much lighter, easier to tip into corners and overall much more linear in the transition from upright travelling straight to turning/leaning/changing direction - at any of the speeds I tried the NC35 at anyway. I could turn and lean the ZXR like a scalpel but the NC felt like a meat cleaver... I'd like to ride more NC's to compare, but they're pretty thin on the ground in Sydney and I made a 2.5hr each way journey just to get to this one I rode. If this is pretty normal for NC's then I think I'm going to give up on them and try to find something newer and a bit more intuitive to ride, but it seems odd to me compared to what people say about them.

Interested to hear what the experts think about this weirdness...

[veefer400]

Mate, NEVER assume the bike has the correct tyre pressures/bearings/been looked after...

Bearing checks are never easy to do on bikes without an abba/centre stand, & modern tyres can look like they are at the correct pressure whilst being completly incorrect, whilst you are right to think these bikes excel in cornering that would only apply to one that is uptogether...

[CMSMJ1]

I'd say knackered tyres and low pressures and at the end of the day the core of the bike will be solid enough.

They do handle very well and if you bought it then you would find that a service on the suspension and new tyres would see you finding it very nice to ride.

[CRM]

also if someone has fitted a 70 profile front tyre then that too will make it tip and feel vague on the road

[craigs23]

So many variables to consider.

Mine will start with tyres and basic maintenance (fork condition, settings, bearings, etc).

Certainly not something with the NCs in general - even the saggy/squishy ones I've ridden have predictable and confidence inspiring handling.

[hipringle]

I'd say knackered tyres and low pressures and at the end of the day the core of the bike will be solid enough.

They do handle very well and if you bought it then you would find that a service on the suspension and new tyres would see you finding it very nice to ride.

My thoughts too.

[Neosophist]

I'd say it was knackered / neglected.

It should feel like a ZXR250 but with less revs / more poke and more grip! :)

[dtek]

OK I'll notch it up as just being a bike in need of fixing. Probably not worth buying as I dont want to inherit unknown problems but at least I can keep looking at NC35s.
Thanks for the input!

[Matchlessman]

you could always use it as a bargaining point for getting the price down. What was the rest of it like? Its probably good to see a few before you buy one so you get an idea of what you are looking at.

oh, and +1 on the tyres needing replacing

[dtek]

Update:
I took another one for a test ride and although it was raining and very slippery I could tell it was much more responsive in the handling and turning department. Almost had to change my pants when it fishtailed around a roundabout!

I noticed that both the rear shock and the forks had small blue Showa logos on them - is this indicating aftermarket suspension or is that standard? I'm not sure what to think from riding it because the suspension did feel pretty soft and a bit prone to diving under moderate front brake use.

One of the forks seemed to be weeping a bit of oil, is there any chance that that could be caused by being tightly tied down and trailered around behind a car, or is it a sure sign it needs fork seal work?

Cheers...