supersport buying | GTAMotorcycle.com

supersport buying

Prophet

Prophet

Active member
Forum Sponsor
I want to buy a supersport bike come this spring and I had a dilemna:

Should I buy a bike a few years old that's been broken in and had all the initial servicing done?

or

Is the used bike not worth it because the original owner has been revving the piss out of it since the day he got it, meaning a new bike is the way to go..?


I'm so depressed during winter I have nothing but meaningless questions to ponder.
 
You're rolling a dice whether new or used, I've heard horror stories from both sides.

In my experience though, used is always worth it. The mileage doesn't mean jack. Go and physically look at the bike. Check the forks, brake pads, tires, and chain condition. If the chain is loose, brake pads are worn really bad, suspension is leaking or the tire is bald, and the owner didn't tell you anything regarding those issues, move on. Otherwise, it's a green flag for me and shows that the owner really cares. The previous owner of my current GSXR talked about his bike with me until my gf got annoyed and asked to leave lol

SS bikes can take a lot of abuse and anyone that tells you they haven't opened it up once in a while is lying (would you honestly keep it under 8k forever?).
 
Getting a used bike is a risk. You save money over a new bike but you leave yourself open to problems down the road.

If you do your homework that risk can be minimized, but if you're one of the unlucky ones you'll be kicking yourself in the ***.
 
Thanks everyone for the input, both useful and -D-'s.

I know used it's always a bit rolling the dice buying used but I guess I was more asking are SS excessively risky due to being inevitably redlined more frequently. But I guess there will be obvious signs if the owner has been skipping maintenance and never switching out of first.
 
Prophet said:
Thanks everyone for the input, both useful and -D-'s.

I know used it's always a bit rolling the dice buying used but I guess I was more asking are SS excessively risky due to being inevitably redlined more frequently. But I guess there will be obvious signs if the owner has been skipping maintenance and never switching out of first.
Click to expand...

There are way's to mitigate the risk of buying a used bike. Look for the signs of wear and tear and how the owner addressed them. To me, if the owner ignores the simplest of maintenance issues, I would not trust anything else:
- worn out chain/sprockets
- doesn't remember when he did last oil change
- Valves were done "like" 3 months ago, but doesn't remember at what mileage.
- Cheap tires (Shinko's?) are a dead give away on someone who has a tight wallet - rings true for used cars especially.
- Dirty bike which has not been cleaned in ages.
- "Only dropped in the driveway" "I swear on me mum"

If this is your first bike purchase, I suggest you take someone with you..

Not every single rider beats the piss out of their bike. On the other hand, <0.01% of people who ride them like a sissy.
The point is, buy one from an owner who knows how to ride and cares about what he rides. I.e., not the broke *** kid who bought it with his OSAP money.
 
I will never buy a new bike when you lose 20 percent right off the lot. If you know nothing about motorcycle mechanics and aren't bothered to learn, buy new and bring lots of money.
 
Buying new is fun.
 
油井緋色;2118706 said:
You're rolling a dice whether new or used, I've heard horror stories from both sides.

In my experience though, used is always worth it. The mileage doesn't mean jack. Go and physically look at the bike. Check the forks, brake pads, tires, and chain condition. If the chain is loose, brake pads are worn really bad, suspension is leaking or the tire is bald, and the owner didn't tell you anything regarding those issues, move on. Otherwise, it's a green flag for me and shows that the owner really cares. The previous owner of my current GSXR talked about his bike with me until my gf got annoyed and asked to leave lol

SS bikes can take a lot of abuse and anyone that tells you they haven't opened it up once in a while is lying (would you honestly keep it under 8k forever?).
Click to expand...

Paul1000RR said:
Getting a used bike is a risk. You save money over a new bike but you leave yourself open to problems down the road.

If you do your homework that risk can be minimized, but if you're one of the unlucky ones you'll be kicking yourself in the ***.
Click to expand...


+1

unless there is a specific bike you want that's not available used, i'd go new (e.g.. special edition, limited edition etc)

but as everyone mentioned. check to wear, and ask questions. Riders who care, know their bikes.
even if the bike has been down, it can be repaired and cared for by the right owner, an owner who cares.

talk to the seller, ask questions and definitely take someone with you who has experience with riding and bikes.
perhaps even someone on this thread or in the forum who lives close to you may volunteer to help you out and check out the bike with you.

good luck.
 
great deals this time of year on the 2013 models usually... but so far ive seen high prices.
maybe wait til mid feb-late march.

if you arent going to use it much get used, if you are and want soemthing with more pride of ownership get something newer...IMO.
 
油井緋色;2118706 said:
You're rolling a dice whether new or used, I've heard horror stories from both sides.

In my experience though, used is always worth it. The mileage doesn't mean jack. Go and physically look at the bike. Check the forks, brake pads, tires, and chain condition. If the chain is loose, brake pads are worn really bad, suspension is leaking or the tire is bald, and the owner didn't tell you anything regarding those issues, move on. Otherwise, it's a green flag for me and shows that the owner really cares. The previous owner of my current GSXR talked about his bike with me until my gf got annoyed and asked to leave lol

SS bikes can take a lot of abuse and anyone that tells you they haven't opened it up once in a while is lying (would you honestly keep it under 8k forever?).
Click to expand...

+1, for Japanese bikes. For all others, beware.

Britain's MCN has good bike reviews and they keep up with info and tell you what to look for specifically in each model.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/bikereviews/

There was a 2005 Z750 for sale at the motorcycle show for $1600. It had >90,000 kms, but aside from fork seals and the usual stuff that wears, it was solid.
Changing fork seals is $50 and a Saturday.

Good tip on ignoring the kilometers: check the UVIP, not the gauge, because people disconnect gauges and replace gauges all the time. You can tell about the life of a bike from the brake discs, pegs, and plastics.
 
Prophet said:
Thanks everyone for the input, both useful and -D-'s.

I know used it's always a bit rolling the dice buying used but I guess I was more asking are SS excessively risky due to being inevitably redlined more frequently. But I guess there will be obvious signs if the owner has been skipping maintenance and never switching out of first.
Click to expand...

Whats the sign he wasnt shifting out of first?
 
With SS's the big things to look out for is fork seals, bent rims, steering head bearings, popping out of second gear, tires, chain, sprockets ( check front!), brake pads & fluid will give you a very good indication of maintenance
 
CafeRay said:
Depends if you are "buying" or renting from a bank.
Click to expand...

Even then it doesn't matter much. It's about priorities. Should one give up a whole season or more of riding to not rent the money to buy a bike? You'll never get those years back. A brand new bike is sweet and if it's your one indulgence I'd say go for it. If you're out of control with debt and desires that's another issue. When I was young and under employed nobody would rent you the money to live out a fantasy of riding across Canada on an unmolested machine. I did it on a rat CB750 wondering when it's gonna puke.
But I know where your going with your ideology, I agree. My personal limit is $5G, aircooled, carburated and easy to service. But I would never by a used car so I believe I can relate to buying a bike from new.
 
phil_si said:
With SS's the big things to look out for is fork seals, bent rims, steering head bearings, popping out of second gear, tires, chain, sprockets ( check front!), brake pads & fluid will give you a very good indication of maintenance
Click to expand...

All those things are cheap except for the second gear pop-out. If you can spot those things, you can use it to drive down the price.
These days, there are good YouTube videos that show you how to fix most things on a bike.

Fork seals are cheap, but scratched fork legs are not.
 
Thankyou all for the replies.

This will be my second bike after a kawi 500 ninja.

I talked to a dealer who has a 2013 gixxer 600 for $10000 all in. I really like the look of this bike and I think I'd be happy on it in the new season. I would ride it quite a bit, probably 5000-8000 km over the season.

I wanted something new that will last me a long time, but it would be my one big purchase this year and cripple my spending money.

There isn't that much depreciation in motorbikes so even if the retail markup is 20% you'd have a hard time finding a bike a under 2 years old thats being sold for 20% under purchase.

I just moved to Calgary so I don't have any friends that I can take along to look at a used bike either. And even though I wouldn't mind learning more about working on a bike, I don't want a project bike or especially an unreliable one. My car right now took me quite a bit to get running well and I don't really have the time to be fighting with multiple projects.
 
I bought new a few months ago because people were asking ridiculous prices for used ones. Suzuki of Newmarket was selling new 2013 gixxer 600's for $9000 + tax so it just wasn't worth buying used when people want $9000 for 3 year old bikes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom