I am planning on looking at used blasters and banshees in the under
$3000 range. Are there any key points to look out for when buying a used blaster or banshee?

Any help is appreciated!

 

First of all ditch the idea of a blaster if you want something fast and to keep awhile. When you look at a banshee set it on level grond and look to see it it sit's crooked, if it does this most likely is a bent swing arm, Also pull off the air filter and rub the inside of the air intake with your finger, if it feels gritty the dirt is in the motor also, Look at front wheel alingment to tell if someone ate a tree or big rock with it. Start it up, any good banshee should start on the third kick. Now if you never rode one before and only heard about how they ride then hear this. All that crape about zero low end is not all true, THe machine should take off briskly and go without hesitation through all the gears, also it should be able to sit and idle without stalling. Ask for a list of all mods that it has, if he claims porting or other internal engine mods and the bike is mostly stock then be hesitant to belive unless ct duncan ect is printed on the cylinder. the cylinders should be black, if not that is a sure fire way to tell the engine has been rebuilt or modified, Check to see that the machine rolls fine with no binding, if it pushes hard this is a sign of bad breaks or worse bad bearings. Rock the machine and it should be solid, if the hubs clank or any other noise is there then you should check it over for poorly tightend nuts, A loose axle nut will srtip splines with requires axle replacment. After riding it hard for a minute and haveing it thoughly cleaned out , stop and check the plugs , they should be a light brown color. Stay away from pre 1991 models due to the fact they have j arms. FOr 3000 bucks you should be able to get a late 90's banshee in good shape with some aftermarket goodies on it. Good luck and beware.
inspiron
2000 banshee
Modifications (it would be easier to tell what it doesn't have on it)

 

Some good points from Inspiron, A few more... Check the brakes by going onto ashvault or pavement, lockup the front brakes and try to do a brake stand, but dont spin the tires, use the clutch to keep the revs up around midrange [4000-5000rpm] the machine should rock forward slightly, but not move, or if it does move, the tires shouldnt roll.
Check the chain and sprockets, if they dont line up, or ones bent, that will need to be replaced [few hundred $$ for nice stuff ] check the exhaust pipes for soot or spooge, if there is alot then chances are the guy was running way to rich or a poor grade of oil. There should be a nice light coating, but not enough that you cant wipe it off with one rub of the finger. Check the frame and steering stem for cracks or bends, its common for a banshee steering stem to bend right below the bars whenever its rolled. Dont worry if the SEAT doesnt sit level, Only look at the subframe and swingarm [does the swingarm sit level to the axle and footpegs?] Ive seen a few guys think their frame is done when it was just the seat frame that was bent [very common [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ] Other than that, just the basic stuff, like axle and wheel hubs dont have side freeplay, no oil leaking out of sidecovers, most stuff can be spotted with common sense. Also, take a look at the small stuff [lotsa bolts missing? cracked fenders? dings in the nerf\floorboard\bumper? whats his riding equipment look like? thrashed boots and a cheap helmet? stuff like that will give you a good perspective of how nice the machine was ridden, and how much money the guy really invested into stuff. I dont know to many guys that can afford a $3000 bill for engine mods, but only $50 for a helmet..