My bike was new but I guess a lot of this stuff applies to both.DJ_MI You're talking new or used bike?
Here's a simple, free, thing you can do ... check the tire pressure. I've done test rides on new bikes and the handling was shite. Low and behold the tires were 10psi low.
Danno What are you using for lubricant there? Call me stupid, but I thought modern cables have teflon on the cable and housing, so not requiring lubrication.