Buying a used bike is an awesome experience. With a used motorcycle, you get to see tryout something different without breaking the bank on a brand new bike.
But you still need to make sure it’s the right bike to buy.
But how do you confidently do that?
Let’s say it’s an R6 (for all my sportbike junkies out there), and you’re stepping up from your first bike. The value is right in line with NADA and Blue Book, and from the Craigslist pictures (or FB marketplace, whatever), it looks pretty clean. You should buy it, right? Not quite.
Whenever I go to buy a used motorcycle from a private sale, heck even from a dealer, I go through a mental checklist to make sure I’m not buying somebody else’s problem.
Here’s what I do:
- Is there anything obviously different from the pictures I saw online? For example, did the pictures show a full Yoshimura exhaust but now there’s some custom junk on there. This one’s pretty self-explanatory but you’re just trying to make sure the seller has integrity. If they’re changing obvious stuff, they’re usually hiding something else.
- Next, how do the chain and sprockets look? This is commonly overlooked by a lot of lazy riders (mostly weekend warriors), and riders that lack basic common sense. Your chain is what transfers the power from the motor to the rear wheel. Don’t take care of it, and you’re going to have some big problems. Look out for a rusted chain and chewed up sprocket teeth. These are signs that the seller never bothered to keep up with the easiest maintenance on the motorcycle. Knock a couple hundred dollars off the asking price.
- Are there any oil leaks? This is the point where you ask the seller to start the bike up because you want to see how it sounds (and make sure that it runs). Starting the bike up will also make any oil leaks pretty obvious. Look at the bottom of the motor to see if you can see anything dripping after the bike has been running for 30 seconds or so. Oil leaks can be pretty easy to spot.
- How worn out are the brake pads? This is assuming you’re buying a bike with front and rear disc brakes. Just take a look inside the caliper to see how much meat is left on the pad. Make sure the front brake lever and rear brake pedal both work properly and bite the rotor when pressed. Even though it’s uncommon, check for any brake fluid leaks.
- Are the fork seals leaking at all? When you checked the brakes to make sure they work, you probably rocked the bike back and forth a little bit for some movement. Once you get off the bike, check the forks for any leakage from the seals. If there is, the seller either hit tons of speed bumps or was a wheelie machine. Buy at your own risk.
- Check the tires for wear. This is very easy to do and you can just eyeball it. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, just make sure there’s no dry rot on some older bikes and that the tread isn’t completely worn out. If the back tire is flat in the middle, you’re going to need some new rubber. And bring a small tire pressure gauge with you. They’re MAX $10 and can save you from getting on a bike with low tire pressure.
- Check for general scuffs. Alright, now that you’ve covered most of the mechanical issues you’ll come across, you can check for any scuffs in the plastics or wheels. This is last on my list because for one, any big scuffs are going to be pretty obvious and two, scuffs won’t kill you. A rusted out chain or low brake pads can kill you.
- Stuff not listed. Electrical issues: these are important but are typically very obvious. Turn the bike on and the gauge cluster doesn’t work? You’ve got some issues. Turn signal not working? Could just be a bulb.
Wrap Up
That’s a basic rundown of what I look for when I’m going to buy a used bike. Most things can be fixed. If a bike had some issues, it wouldn’t stop me from buying it but I would be offering a lower price.
Let me know if you have anything that you look for when you’re buying a bike and I’ll get it added to the list!
Buy Used: CycleTrader.com