Bike purchase check list

Merch

I am to start looking at bikes soon enough
and while this may have already been asked
Would people with experience of looking at bikes be able to list out a few main things when buying secondhand and a few not so obvious things.
Bearing in mind Ive a technical background, just not too familiar with bikes.

Also, the reg cert, what is it called? a VRT5? and an RF200 for change of ownership??
Where is the chassis/engine number? is it usually in the same place/obvious across most makes or hidden away? or is one of the numbers used only?

Im thinking
tyres, condition/wear/cracks/damage
Wheels, run true, no noticeable wobble in bearings
Chain, oil/greased but not too much that crud has gathered,
chain not at end of travel?? that'd be extended as far down the swingarm as possible being bad??
sprocket, not excessive wear
Lights all work, reflectors
brake discs/pad, scoring/scrapes and some meat on the pad
drum brake? how to check, push bike and stop? or ??
No obvious damage buckles generally
Exhaust, as little damage/rust as possible, secured correct
Engine starts from cold preferably, oil in it
oil clean??? clear/light, not tar?
Indication lights work on speedo/tacho
cutoff works, stand switch if fitted?
gears?? not sure?? can select? easily enough??
Should that be possible easily with engine off ? goes into neutral easy when engine on??

Anyway of obvious/quick test of electric generation? actually hows that done on a bike? integral alternator?

What about as above the reg docs? get ID? check address? get receipt??

Is there anything staring me in the face? that I missed?
whats the usual about a test drive???

seanybiker

If the bike is faired. Check for a bit of road rash on it.
Oil in the window goes black anyways after a few miles. Wouldn't worry about that as long as there oil in it.
Look out for a cloudy kinda effect in the oil window.
It depends really.
What bike are you looking at?
Sports bike could have bubbly chicken lines while a cruiser won't.
More than likely anyways we can get someone to go with ya for a look.
On mobile so can't see where your based.
Service history wouldn't bother me at all as a lot of us do work ourselves.

twowheelsonly

As Seany says.....different bikes will have different things to look out for.

On the question of oil, as he says, there's no problem with black oil (usually!!). Occasionally if you open the filler cap you'll find a brown 'gunge'. This is nothing too much to worry about either even though it's a sign of water/condensation. It's often caused by the bike not being driven enough or only being used for short commutes where the engine doesn't heat up enough to burn it off.

ALL bikes have front forks though and ALL forks can get chipped/damaged/rust spots and ALL fork seals will start to leak precisely 8 days and 4 hours after you bring the bike home. That's just a fact that you have to accept!

Visually check the forks themselves (the shiny part obviously) and run your hand over it as well to feel for 'spots'. Bounce the front end a little and check that it doesn't leave a heavy tide mark on the stanchion.

Seriously though, while a lot of bikes have a lot in common they also have huge differences in qualities and flaws. Where one will have an exhaust that rots if you mention rain another will have one that you can take swimming with you.

If you spot something you like Google it. Most bikes have some kind of owners club or the like and these can be a goldmine. Use them to suss out potential weak spots before you go to see the bike. At the very least it'll put you in the right direction as regards checking and asking questions of the owner. Keep an eye out as well for anybody riding a type of bike that you're planning to look at and ask them for their opinion. Bikers like to talk about their bikes. He'll also tell you about at least the last three bikes that he owned so ask him where the current one stands in his ratings!!

Good Luck and Safe Riding..

(I miss my bike )

TheUsual

Merch wrote: »

I'm thinking tyres, condition/wear/cracks/damage

Not so much, you can replace them for not a lot of money if you have to, if worn then drop your offering price by 80 euro. Could be a bargain bike just on crap tyres. Bear in mind that bikes have a lower wear-limit than cars for tyre wear, so it may just look worse than a car but it could be on summer tyres.

Merch wrote: »

Wheels, run true, no noticeable wobble in bearings.

Yeah, try braking (a little) hard with the front brakes and driving at speed, you will feel a pulsing in the handlebars. A mechanical friend can raise the front end and check for lose feelings in the wheel, and then same for the rear bearings.
Bad handling could be down to a badly adjusted chain, it changes the whole feel of a bike. Check for lose chain or tight spots.

Merch wrote: »

Chain, oil/greased ...

Don't worry about the chain, drop your price a bit if scruffy.

Merch wrote: »

Lights all work, reflectors

Yeah push all the buttons, bear in mind a warm engine is easier to start (covers a lot of problems you will have in the cold weather). Only thing to watch for is the headlight getting brighter when you rev the engine .. the battery could be shagged, or rectifier bad. Drop your price or don't buy ... rectifiers are expensive. It's always rectifiers or batteries for cars and bike ... same problem.

Merch wrote: »

Brake discs/pad, scoring/scrapes and some meat on the pad
drum brake? how to check, push bike and stop? or ??

Hard to tell if the pads are on the way out, or just sitting around for years and not used, cheapish to fix. Unless is is a really big bike - then you should drop your price by 60 euro.
Drum brakes are very very rare now on bikes.

Merch wrote: »

Exhaust, as little damage/rust as possible, secured correct

Not a stupid question at all, and not so cheap to fix.
Is it the original exhaust, or an illegal racing one ?
My insurance company wants it all legal, and it was expensive to change. Ask them if they have the original exhaust, or trade them the price of the fitted sports exhaust for their original. They are mad prices from the bike companies (but you can get other legal cheap ones)[/QUOTE]

Merch wrote: »

Engine starts from cold preferably, oil in it
oil clean??? clear/light, not tar?

Hard to get a bike cold, any I have checked have been warm. It's a long, long wait to get it cold. Oil is fine once you can see it.

Merch wrote: »

gears?? not sure?? can select? easily enough??
Should that be possible easily with engine off ? goes into neutral easy when engine on??

Yeah check all of these. But low oil level or a rough chain will mess up your gearbox, so it could be a cheap fix.

Merch wrote: »

Anyway of obvious/quick test of electric generation? actually hows that done on a bike? integral alternator?

Rectifier/Alternator.
if you have a Voltmeter, connect it to the battery, rev it over 3000 rpm, and you should see 13 Volts (depending on the bike).

Merch wrote: »

Whats the usual about a test drive???

Don't leave a bike/car or cash as security when you take the bike for a spin, stories of lads being left alone are out there. Bring a mate as security, and don't hand over cash or car-keys for a test ride. There are bike thieves out there.

TheUsual

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Good Luck and Safe Riding..
(I miss my bike )

Get back on her ... you know you will in 20 years from now ... just do it today.
(Try Adelaide Insurance in Belfast, very good prices for experienced riders.)

Merch

whats road rash mean for faired brakes?? edit misread that, i see its faired bikes, I assume road scratches from leaning over.

Im not even certain what bike falls into sports bike (is that a racing style?)
And bubbly chicken lines?

I was thinking cruiser/naked bike.
I was looking at a kawasaki ER-5 but the insurance was (to me) a bit pricey for my finances plus they were looking for gradings also I was getting quotes that were high for naked bike (cant recal offhand but they wouldnt accept non factory fitted restrictions) So I stopped looking, as it was easier to just get quotes on bikes that dont need a restriction.

I really wanted no less than a 250 like a GN250 or similar,not too many out there. Im not sure what other makes have as similar offerings as the GN (shudder the thought of the response @125/250 ). I quite like the look of the GN and the low cruiser style and the naked bike, (Im not into the low handle bar faired racing type bikes) Im thinking more for comfort and not speed, also im not that tall 5 10 at the max in shoes.

I basically want to get into driving bikes to get my licence/transport/just get on and go for a spin and to be prepared if I end up getting rid (thats less likely) or just not replacing the car.
I did a few lessons and I liked it, so its much cheaper to get the experience in by owning my own and do the odd lesson to fill in the gaps.(had bike ticked on provisional years ago so didnt need to start into the IBT, lucky) (if i get a 125, while I'd prefer bigger cc, then I would do the test on a rented 250).

If anyone has suggestions about 250 bikes, learner legal reliable like a GN? naked or cruiser style that be good too.

voltmeter good idea, should have thought of that

@the usual
re:Don't leave a bike/car or cash as security when you take the bike for a spin, stories of lads being left alone are out there. Bring a mate as security, and don't hand over cash or car-keys for a test ride. There are bike thieves out there.

I thought the seller might think that too!
I wouldnt be wanting to hand over keys nor leave the full whack of cash, although i was told by a bike owner they'd never part with the bike unless they had the full amount in their hand, which i can understand too. I was thinking people can get iffy if I didnt like the bike, they could hold it/try deduct something and then there'd be hassle

I dont have ins either so I'll need to organise that for test rides and then transfer to a bike I get, i assume.

TheUsual

Merch wrote: »

whats road rash mean for faired brakes?? I assume road scratches from leaning over Im not even certain what bike falls into sports bike (is that a racing style?)

Yeah, scratches on plastic and engine covers from crashes, Not a thing to worry about, but I could not say the same thing about buying a car. Because you could have invisible damage to the framework on a car, and also the repair costs are way higher for a car, where for a bike you can do most yourself with the internet's help.

Merch wrote: »

And bubbly chicken lines?

The edges of tyres can show that low milage bikes have been used as race bikes. Which, of course, have a very hard and short lives compared to a normal "road" bike's engine.

Merch wrote: »

I was thinking cruiser/naked bike.
I was looking at a kawasaki ER-5 but the insurance was a bit pricey for my finances plus they were looking for gradings also I was getting quotes that were high for naked bike (cant recal offhand but they wouldnt accept non factory fitted restrictions) So I stopped looking, as it was easier to just get quotes on bikes that dont need a restriction.

See you can restrict any bike for a learner through factory changes to the exhaust or fuel injection, including the fastest machines on the planet, so maybe the insurance company are being fussy to avoid thefts, as you could attract more crime. (Kawasaki ER-5 is a great first bike, I did 80,000 km on one)
Try Adelaide Insureance, I don't work for them by the way.