I would assume you already know what bike you want, but you are unsure what to look for when buying your first one.
Personally, I would not make any compromises with issues related to the engine, suspension (unless I am planning to change it anyway) and the bike’s frame. Plus these are some of the most expensive parts of your bike to buy or repair.
Disclaimer:
This post is written from the point of view of a road biker with only 2 years of riding experience (up to the date of writing this post).
Table of Contents
- Intro
- Table of Contents
- Step 1 - Familiarize yourself with the model
- Step 2 - Are you sure you want to make a viewing & test ride appointment?
- Step 3 - Before going for the appointment
- Step 4 - At the appointment. First impression.
- Step 5 - Bike inspection
- Go/no go check
- How to tell if the bike had an accident
- How to tell if the bike was well taken care of
- Inspection checklist
- Step 6 - Before the test ride
- Step 7 - Test ride
- Conclusions
Step 1 - Familiarize yourself with the model
- Research for any common defects of the bike’s model
- Research if the bike’s model had any recalls by the manufacture
- Check with the owner’s manual what kind of service intervals it has. You’d be surprised to see the drastic difference between a motocross and a touring bike :)
If you’re still certain about the model you’ve chosen, then great! Now, lets say you already found some bikes around you (or not.. e.g. I bought my first one from Germany and imported it into The Netherlands).
Step 2 - Are you sure you want to make a viewing & test ride appointment?
- Take a good look at the pictures of the bike and see if the bike visually looks good
- Take a note of the current milliage of the bike and check with the owner’s manual what kind of maintenance should have been done recently as well as what should be done next, and when. There are small, medium and big service maintenance intervals.
- Make sure the owner has the title (documents) for the bike and that they can prove they are the owner. You don’t want to buy a stolen bike, do you?
- Make sure, if the model had any recalls by the manufacture, that all required changes have been applied. The owner should have a document about it.
Something to keep in mind, not that it’s a deal-breaker, but good to take into consideration before or while you’re looking at the bike:
- Has the bike always (or mostly) been outside? If yes, was it at least covered? Prolonged exposure under the elements could cause paint discoloration, rust etc.
- Has the bike been ridden in (next to) freezing temperatures? Salt on the road causes rust and eats the paint, unless it has always been properly washed.
Step 3 - Before going for the appointment
- Familiarize yourself with how the bike behaves, sounds and also looks (e.g. plastics, color schemes etc)
- Ask the owner to not run the bike before your arrival, so that you’ll hear a cold start of the engine.
- Check with the owner’s (or service) manual if the bike has a self diagnostics mode and how you can run it. Learn about the error codes and what they mean.
Step 4 - At the appointment. First impression.
- Make sure the VIN of the bike matches the VIN number in the owner’s documents. Also pay attention to any visible alterations. Again, you don’t want to buy a stolen bike, do you?
- Are there any documents / receipts for any work done on the motorcycle?
- Are there any documents / receipts for any consumatives for the motorcycle? (e.g. oil, oil filter, break fluid etc) i.e. is there any paper proof that the motorcycle has been properly maintained?
- Take a good look at the place the bike has been kept (e.g. tidy or messy? oil on the ground?). This could tell you something about the owner and also might indicate some issues he isn’t telling you about (e.g. fluids leaking)
- What does the bike look like? Does it match the pictures?
If you don’t sense anything shady, let’s take a good look at the bike!
Step 5 - Bike inspection
Go/no go check
As I mentioned earlier, there are three things I will personally would not make a compromise with, namely the engine, suspension and the frame of the bike. Therefore, this will usually be the first things to check.
All of this, I call the “go/no go check”.
Self diagnostics If the bike could perform self diagnostics (check the service manual), it’s a good idea to run them too. Note down the possible error codes and what they mean. Also keep in mind that error codes can be removed by a mechanic (and they should, but only when the underlying issues are fixed).
Engine It’s best to run the engine cold so you get a feeling how it starts, if there are any weird noises or smells while warming up and if the RPMs are fluctuating.
To ensure that the owner did not run the engine before you come (obviously a good idea is asking him in advance), is to touch around the engine casing, the casing itself, the exhaust and the pipes. However, be very cautious because if it was ran too recently, you risk yourself getting burned.
Once you feel like the engine is cold, don’t ignite it yourself, but ask the owner instead. I’ve heard stories about people being blamed for not doing it “properly” and that they choked it. This will eliminate this scenario.
On ignition, pay close attention at the warning lights - they must light up and also turn off. If they don’t light up, then wiring might’ve be stripped to keep them off, and thus most likely hiding something from you. And if they light up, but some of them don’t turn off, then it could be another good indication that something’s wrong. Refer to the service manual and judge by yourself.
The engine, ideally, should start immediately without any “hesitation”. If it doesn’t, it might be because of battery being on low charge, but you could check that yourself with a tool and judge again by yourself. Listen for any weird noises as the engine runs for the next couple of minutes and pay attention at the RPMs. It is normal for them to go down when engine is warmed up, but by no means they should fluctuate or the engine being all revved up while warming up.
When the engine is warmed up, rev it a bit and while keeping a constant throttle input, make sure RPMs do not fluctuate. Also make sure the radiator fans kicks in. That means the bike knows how warm it is and, obviously that the fan also works.
Suspension Make sure fork legs are dry and not leaking (or have leaked) any oil. You can collapse the suspension couple of times and feel with a finger around the fork seal and the forks themselves if they are still dry.
Take a good look if they are perfectly straight. If they aren’t, the bike most likely was in a bad accident. And in any case, the bike is no good in this condition. The least thing you’d need to do, is to change the forks. If you replace only one, then the oil will be different and the springs might also feel different even if they are of the same rate. A good trick is to look at the tyre wear pattern, as it could also tell you something about the suspension. Just read further down for more information.
And finally, get a good feeling of how the suspension works. Make sure it fits (or can be adjusted to) your weight and riding style.
Frame Go around the bike and check the frame for any damages like cracks, bends, dents etc. If you don’t find any, try to get clues from other parts of the bike if it was ever in an accident and of course, ask the owner himself.
So far, we’ve looked into some of the most expensive parts of the bike. As a next step, take a look at the overall condition and determine what needs to be done/purchased (if anything) prior enjoying your new ride and make a decision.
To make it easy for you, I have made quite an extensive checklist that you could print out and use it as you go around the bike. However, the conclusion will be entirely up to you. But should you have any questions, you can contact me and I’ll try to answer you as soon as I can.
Below you can read how you could tell if the bike had an accident and whether it was well taken care of.
How to tell if the bike had an accident
Besides the obvious - asking the owner for the truth, there are thing you could look for that might give away a small or big crash. Just pay close attention to every single detail and ask questions.
Scratches Damaged parts could be changed if they malfunction, but small cosmetic issues might not worth fixing due to costs - e.g. a small scratch on a perfectly functioning fork won’t worth spending thousand euro on new one.
Common spots for scratches:
- Fairings
- Bar ends
- Lever ends
- Forks
- Tank
- Exhaust
- Pegs
- Sliders
- Engine casing
- Clutch cover
- Bottom of bike
- Swing arm
- Mirrors
If you see a lot of scratches around a single area, the overall direction of the scratches could give you an idea what happened. For instance:
- single marks or tiny skids - possibly laid over, or scratched while manoeuvring in tight spaces
- long horizontal scratches - could be a low-side (when the bike loses traction and lays on the side that is closer to the ground)
- long vertical scratches - could be a high-side (when the bike gets traction after losing it for a moment and then violently flips in the air with the side that is higher from the ground)
Dents If you see any dents or any long or deep scratches, be alert for bigger damages like a bent frame, bent forks, bent bars or damages to the engine or other components of the bike. Mind that dents on the rims could indicate riding in salted roads, and not a crash per se.
Bends Usual parts that could bend in an accident (not an exclusive list, obviously):
- levers
- shifter pedal
- break pedal
- pegs
- handlebars
- forks
- rims
- spokes (if the bike has spoked wheels)
Other
- Broken plastics
- Non-stock plastics
- Non-stock paint job
- Difference in color of the inside of the tank
Obviously, the owner could’ve decided to just change the stock fairings and color scheme for fun and uniqueness and not because of a bad crash. You’d need to judge by yourself.
How to tell if the bike was well taken care of
- Take a look at the place where it’s been primarily stored
- Was the bike covered when it was stored outside
- Are there any washers/bolts that are rusted? If yes, probably the bike was mainly kept outside or ridden in wet conditions quite often
- Are there any strange wiring under the seat, between the fairings etc? Anything hanging? Perhaps they did a sloppy job while doing some custom modifications.
- Are there any damages on cables, wires, pipes?
- Are there any low quality aftermarket parts?
- Are there many scratches?
- Are there any damages on the rims? If yes, perhaps it was ridden in the winter on salted roads and was not (properly/frequently) washed
- What is the condition of the chain? It’s probably the easiest thing you could do on your bike. This is a red flag for me.
- What is the condition of the oil? Thats another easy maintenance. If it is really bad, it’d be another red flag for me.
- Does the owner have properly documented all of the maintenances of the bike?
- Listen how the owner talks about his bike
- See if the owner has another bike and how is that one
- gut feeling.. etc :)
Step 6 - Before the test ride
- Make sure the clutch engages and disengages
- Make sure throttle body goes to 0% when released
- Make sure breaks work and when they engage
- Make sure all lights (including the indicators) work
- Check the horn
So far so good?
Step 7 - Test ride
- Keep your visor up to smell if there is anything burning/funky and listen for clanking/weird noises
- Test out the front and rear breaks
- Break check before passing 20 km/h
- Hold the breaks lightly and see if you can feel pulsing/biting (disks could be warped)
- Make sure the breaks are not slipping)
- If the bike has ABS, ask the owner to demonstrate that the ABS engages (both front and rear) or do it yourself if you know how to do it safely
- If the bike has TCS, ask the owner to demonstrate that the TCS engages (e.g. record the dashboard when TCS engages) or do it yourself if you know how to do it safely
- If the bike has riding modes, test them and make sure they work
- Generally, test every feature if you know how to do it safely, without risking causing any damages
- Make sure you can switch between all gears up and down
- Make sure while you ride, the RPMs are stable (given that throttle input remains the same)
- When the engine is warmed up, put the gear in neutral and see if the engine revs normally
- Go over small bumps to test the suspension
Conclusions
So how did you like the bike and the ride? Not everything needs to be perfect, but you should definitely take everything into account and base your decision on what you saw and felt. Furthermore you could use any of that to build a compelling reason to negotiate a better price or simply pass on the offer.
If you think that the owner is lying about something, give them the benefit of the doubt and ask more supporting questions. In any case, you can go along with it and see if you would get the same feeling about other things they say. Don’t judge too quickly, but it’s good to take it into consideration at the end.
If this was the first bike you saw, I’d advise you to see a few more of the same kind and see how they feel. For example, the first bike I ever inspected was underpowered for an A2 license and the owner didn’t mention it. This was reversible, but then I would’ve have to pay extra in a garage. So, do see and try as many bikes as you can and only then make the final call.
Thanks a lot for the read! I hope I managed to help at least one person. That’d make my day! :)
See you on the road! /\