What to look for when looking at a used bike in person?

T

Thegruntmin

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So, I only have my M1 and I have done a lot of research choosing a starter bike. Sat on R3's, CB300R's, Ninja 300, SV650's, CB500R...etc etc.


I am going to be looking at a used 2013 Ninja 300 with 4500Km on it. Has slip on, LED lights and fender eliminator kit. Selling it for 4.5k. It did have the ECU done when they did the mass recall. I was just wondering what I should be looking at when buying a used motorcycle...or this one specifically.


Thanks for your help.
 
As a general rule a new rider should get a first bike that has: <50hp, <500lb. For the second bike, get what ever you want.

A new 2015 R3 costs $5k at Snow City. I was there this week. If you are spending $4.5k I'd just get a new bike.

Part of bike shopping is to look at insurance, which might actually be more expensive than the bike. Get insurance quotes before you buy any bike, as you won't like the surprise if you have not budgeted for insurance.
 
TorontoBoy said:
As a general rule a new rider should get a first bike that has: <50hp, <500lb. For the second bike, get what ever you want.

A new 2015 R3 costs $5k at Snow City. I was there this week. If you are spending $4.5k I'd just get a new bike.

Part of bike shopping is to look at insurance, which might actually be more expensive than the bike. Get insurance quotes before you buy any bike, as you won't like the surprise if you have not budgeted for insurance.
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I know. I have looked into insurance as well. I just want to know what to look for when I get to the actual motorcycle. As for the R3. Sure, its 5K..but out the door its about 6K. Insurance for me on an R3 is 1400 compared to the Ninja 300 which is about 650...so yeah.
 
Talk them down to $4k if u can. That's about the going price
 
They are not going anywhere, they are sitting on kijiji. If they aren't gone over a weekend, they are overpriced.

I sold my 2011 250 with 10,000km 2 years ago for 3400. Not one person ever contacted me from the ad until my price was 3500.
The first person to ever come look at it after being on kijiji for 3 weeks bought it.

Steps to a successful purchase.
1. Put the amount you are willing to pay in your pocket.
2. Contact seller and arrange time to come look.
3. Show up, look for damage, kick the tires, make them start it, ride around in a circle in front of you, whatever makes you happy.
4. If you are happy, offer some $, right here, right now.
5. Deal or no deal, that's all it is. You can start negotiatios around 30% off. Don't go over what you are willing to pay should be a no-brainer.

Also, don't start the first contact off with "what's the lowest $$$ u'll take??". Anyone with a kijiji ad up for more than 24 hours will have learned to not bother replying or just start to **** with you.

thedudesrug1369 said:
Thanks. I see ABS used models go for 4.5k...so I think if I brought a deposit with me I could score the bike for 4k.
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eljay said:
They are not going anywhere, they are sitting on kijiji. If they aren't gone over a weekend, they are overpriced.

I sold my 2011 250 with 10,000km 2 years ago for 3400. Not one person ever contacted me from the ad until my price was 3500.
The first person to ever come look at it after being on kijiji for 3 weeks bought it.

Steps to a successful purchase.
1. Put the amount you are willing to pay in your pocket.
2. Contact seller and arrange time to come look.
3. Show up, look for damage, kick the tires, make them start it, ride around in a circle in front of you, whatever makes you happy.
4. If you are happy, offer some $, right here, right now.
5. Deal or no deal, that's all it is. You can start negotiatios around 30% off. Don't go over what you are willing to pay should be a no-brainer.

Also, don't start the first contact off with "what's the lowest $$$ u'll take??". Anyone with a kijiji ad up for more than 24 hours will have learned to not bother replying or just start to **** with you.
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Sounds like solid advice. I appreciate it. He has a mods on it like, but none that really "improve the performance" of the bike. How do you argue against some one who says well I have an fender elimitator kit, slip on exhaust, LED tail lights and HID headlights?
 
thedudesrug1369 said:
Sounds like solid advice. I appreciate it. He has a mods on it like, but none that really "improve the performance" of the bike. How do you argue against some one who says well I have an fender elimitator kit, slip on exhaust, LED tail lights and HID headlights?
Click to expand...


You ask if he has all the oem parts in case you need them for the safety.
That usually shuts them up.
 
Well for me frankly, these are things I always do to my bikes, but I need to see if they did it properly. If done properly, I tend not to discount the value because they don't need to be redone. But they don't add a ton of value. A brand new Yosh exhaust on the bike just means I don't need to get one myself. A danmoto on the other hand...
 
Read a bunch of guides and make a list of all the things you want to check. Bring a flashlight, bring some basic tools. Even in broad daylight you would be surprised how hard it is to see into the dark nooks and crannies of a bike.

If it's your first time, best thing to bring is someone who knows what they're doing. While they're looking at the bike, they can teach you what to look for. Also doubles your chances of noticing things. There are lots of people on here that would be happy to help.
 
Also, talk to the owner. Have a list of questions ready to ask them. There are certain parts of a bike you will never be able to inspect, and you're just going to have to take their word for it. Determining whether they're sketchy or know what they're talking about will tell you more about the bike's history than most anything else.
 
Finally, find a digital version of the service manual and download it. Read through it, specifically the periodic maintenance section. I do this every time before looking at a bike. Start by asking them "what work has been done on the bike?". Based on KMs, before I even show up I already know what work should have been done. If they don't have receipts, you can't be sure they did it.
 
Then anyone you sell a bike to should be able to talk to you and get the impression you did the work and you know what you're doing. If you dont have receipts, even for the parts, then they're going to have to take your word that it was done.
 
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