HELP! Should I be concerned before buying this Super 9 LC?

[10W-30]

Hi there,

I came across a 2006 Super 9 LC on the local classifieds and just went for a look / test ride. I noticed the following things, should I be concerned?

1.  Right underneath the taillight there is a plastic rivet at the center joining the two side plastic body panels. The rivet was a bit loose. Do they normally come loose after normal riding?

2.  Similar idea, a plastic rivet on the inside rear wheel well was partially sticking out. The body panels were pretty secure but I'm just wondering if this could be a hint that it has been previously removed.

3.  When the bike was started the headlights seem to flicker a bit. But I was told a brand new battery was installed. Is it normal?

4.  After the test ride (which went smoothly), I shut down the engine for about 5 minutes and tried to restart it. It'll only restart when I give it some throttle. Is that normal too?

5.  The sticker on the body panel says "Super 9 S". What does the "S" mean? And is that the same as a normal "Super 9"?

6.  Anything else i should watch out for when buying a Super 9?

FYI the scooter has about 3700km (2300 mi) on the odometer. It should still have plenty of km left?

Thanks in advance!

[axy]

You are slightly paranoid (regarding 1 and 2)

Regarding 3 - it is normal.

Bikes are usually started with open throttle when the engine is warm. They are started without throttle when cold.
If my bike is parked in summer sun, I have to apply throttle even if the engine is cold. Ditto for air temperatures over 25C.
This is how automatic choke works.

Few thousand kms is nothing if everything else is fine. Do not worry and buy it.

I would personally prefer to buy a scooter with few thousand kms. First, it is already inspected, somebody has paid for first and second inspections and if there were some little glitches they are already fixed. Then, documents and paperwork for a new scooter are around 150 US$ for a new bike, and when you buy used you save that money. Finally, it is possible that somebody has already installed a topcase, such things usually "go with the bike".

5 years ago I bought my Beverly with 1000 kms on it at 35 % discount.