While all the '01's and the '02's below the above listed VIN will have the pistons with the oil return hole problem, not all of these bikes are smokers or drink oil. Bikes with problems of oil consumption could have been fixed under warranty. Early owners had to really press Suzuki to get this done, but later on, Suzuki was pretty good about fixing bikes if owners complained. OTOH, there was no recall, so if the owner didn't complain, nothing would happen.
That said, there's still a large percentage of these bikes that never had any issue with oil consumption. (Mine never has.) I'd ask the owner when the spark plugs were last changed. If they haven't been changed in a while, remove them and take a look for signs of oil consumption. You could ask the owner if the bike uses any oil between changes, but you may not get an honest answer. It's not abnormal for the B12 (of any year) to use a slight amount between oil changes, but this should be measured in ounces, not quarts. (Mine will use 3-4 oz by the time it's time to change the oil.)
Topic: Help with purchasing an 01 1200 (Read 3557 times)