What to look for when buying a used bike

[kgreen]

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I would love to hear from some more experienced riders about what they look when considering buying a bike from a private seller (like kijiji). As I'm new to riding and I'm not a mechanic what are some of the red flags that I should look for?

 

[mimico_polak]

As a new rider also I had a chance to look for used bikes last year for my first bike. I took someone that's been around bikes a long time to help me search out the junk from the good ones.
One tip he gave me was to look at the outer parts of the bike (handle bars, pegs, mirror edges, etc.) because if it's fallen those are clear indicators and sometimes are not bothered to be replaced.
A major factor for me was how the bike starts (ask them to start it from cold, not warm so check the bike's not been started close to the time you're there) and to also take a look at how it's stored, and taken care of. A dirty bike with no start (happened to me this spring) is a clear no no for me.

 

[jeffjones]

Ask if they have the service records or if they do the work themselves ask when certain parts were changed, If they know, they most likely take pride in there motorcycle and if they don't know the last time the rad fluid was flushed you may want to skip that bike.

Also check the UVIP for liens and previous owners, If it has had 5 owners in the last 4 years, you might wan tto look at another one.

 

[anark]

perform your own "safety inspection"

- check wheel and steering head bearings
- check for fluid leaks and proper fluid levels
- check for damage (bodywork, pegs, forks)
- check all electrical (low/hi beam, horn, signals, front/rear brake light switch, cluster)
- check all safety interlocks (sidestand, clutch)
- check brakes, fluids, lines
- check chain and sprockets for wear, stretch, kinks
- check steering stops to see if they've been damaged/welded/cracked
- check tires, rims for wear, trueness, damage
- check clutch cable for binding and if engagement point is ok
- check frame for damage (make sure front and rear tires line up)
- check bodywork mounts for damage
- startup bike and check for idle, if it accepts throttle, if moving the front end to the steering stops change the idle

Good luck
Allan

 

[bboySushi]

Check the straightness of the forks and tires to make sure the frame isn't bent.
Look at the scratches and see what direction they go in to discern if it was a tip over or a crash (horizontal)
Check for oddly replaced parts or stickers to hide damage or replaced parts from a crash.
Check for rubber underneath the tail (if the guy does burnouts and stuff, not really indicative of anything but ask if he does burnouts and see what his reaction is)
Bang through some gears, see if there's problems changing.
Rev it up when in neutral. Just cause it can idle fine doesn't mean it won't shut off when you rev it; could be gunked up on the inside.

If you want to be more detailed, pm me with your email addy and I'll email you a bike inspection checklist I made. It's got like procedure/expected results, and some pictures and its broken down in different categories. It's way too detailed to actually bring with you to do, but by reading it you'll get a sense of some things to keep in mind to check.

 

[Rkt14]

my first bike was a 1998 ninja zx6r. Because it was my first i wasn't paying much attention to all the cosemtics of the bike but more mechanical, mind you, the owner that had it from new took good care of it, but replaced the motor because of high km's, the motor was starting to get "tired". i saw the replaced motor that was sitting in the owner's garage, and everything checked out, he even had the paper work from the motor swap,

I've long sold that bike just because it was getting older as i rode it, so i decided to get a new bike. I now switched to a 2006 kawasaki ninja zx636 special edition. This time though i made sure to check everything on the bike from chain, to fuel leaks, oil leaks etc. The bike i purchased only has 3000KM on it so i expected to find absolutely nothing wrong with it, and i didn't it was completely clean, the owner of the bike allowed me to remove the fairings to check out the motor and electrical behind all the hidden plastics, which was really nice of him, it made me feel a little more comfortable in purchasing his bike.

The only imperfection i found on this bike was a zipper scratch on the gas tank, it sucks, but to find a special edition bike with only 3000 km on it wouldnt be easy again.

I know a lot of owners won't let you remove plastics, but thats when an experienced rider will come in handy maybe they can help you look !

Anyways sorry for going on forever haha, good luck in your quest for a bike !

safe riding !

 

[Scary]

Check ownership - make sure there's no brands.
Check for fluid leaks.
Check (by hand) chain tension, fork seals, and rebound.
Make sure it starts well, the valves aren't clacking like a mofo, it shifts through gears properly, and it rides straight and doesn't pull to one side.
Check tire pressure and brakes if you're gonna ride it home.

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