What to look for when Buying a used Motorcycle
So you want a motorcycle. You can't quite afford a new one, or perhaps you want to avoid the rapid depreciation of the first year or two of the bike's life, or... whatever; there are many good reasons for buying used. There's a lot to consider.
The safest way is to buy the bike from a dealer, preferably one who sells the same brand new. Such a dealer will have service staff experienced in that model, who will know what to look out for. A dealer bike will probably be comprehensively serviced before sale, and is likely to have a full or nearly full fuel tank. Don't assume this last point, though; check it for yourself, so that you don't find yourself hitching a ride to the nearest (probably distant) service station when you discover that the tap was already on 'reserve'. It happened to me once.
Dealers have their reputation to consider, and are unlikely knowingly to sell you trouble for a quick profit. If the machine is near enough to new, or expensive enough, it may carry a warranty, or you may be able to buy a warranty for it. This is worth considering. Buying from a dealer is more expensive than buying privately, however.
Buying privately is riskier than buying from a dealer. If you buy a stolen bike from a dealer, you will be compensated because dealers have security-of-title obligations in law, whereas private vendors do not. A private vendor is unlikely to offer any kind of warranty, and does not have a Service Department to ensure that your purchase is in the best possible condition. Buying online? I've found bikes online, but I've never considered buying one that way. I prefer direct human contact, starting with a phone call.
Whether you buy privately or through the Trade, you need to check certain things when buying a used motorcycle.
There is all of the obvious stuff, of course. The paint will not be perfect; even the most carefully-ridden bike is susceptible to scratching by dust, chipping from stones and bits of dirt in awkward-to-clean places. There will be dulling of aluminium castings - exposure to air does this - and perhaps blued exhaust pipes. Look for oil leaks around the gearchange spindle, the various gasket joints on the engine and gearbox, the fork seals (especially if it is a model noted for frequent wheelstands) and any other components which contain oil. Find out whether the model you are looking at normally leaks at certain points (my middle-aged BMW leaks very slightly through the pushrod tube seals - normal for high-mileage examples and not a cause for alarm). In fact, you should find out as much as you can about the model(s) you are interested in buying. Talk to experts and scan the internet for specialised information. A good source of information is the public library, if it has manuals for motorcycles. Haynes manuals are in my experience the best, but others will also be helpful. Magazines often do guides to buying used. BIKE magazine (British) is very good in this respect, but not found in many public libraries (Palmerston North library in New Zealand carries it).
Armed with as much specialist data as possible, have a good look at the bike. Put it on the centrestand if it has one, and hold the back down so that the front wheel is off the ground. Turn the handlebars from side to side. Smooth? Good. Nudge them at the straight-ahead position. The forks should fall to the stops without sticking. If they are reluctant to do so, suspect tired steering head bearings. If you can feel 'steps' in the steering, the head bearings need to be replaced. I had mine replaced yesterday. It took three hours and cost $150, and it was this cheap only because I am an engineer, and was able to do most of the dismanting and reassembling work myself. Many of the more overtly sporting bikes available today will easily lift the front wheel under hard acceleration, and while this is not damaging in itself unless something unexpected happens while the wheel is off the ground (I once saw a lad wheelstanding away from a cold standing start on a Kawasaki 250 triple, front wheel up and a grin changing to a look of consternation as he noticed the lock still fitted through the said front wheel...), the reintroduction to the ground is hard on the head bearings and the fork seals. If the bike has chain final drive, the condition of the chain and sprockets is a good guide to the seller's general attitude. A worn, dry chain on sprockets with hooked teeth is a clear sign that you don't want this particular bike.
Check the mileage. Is it consistent with the overall condition? If it seems very low in relation to the age, ask about it. A very low mileage (e.g. 16,000 km on a 10-year-old R850R) might simply indicate a pampered fine-days-only pleasure bike. It might also mean, as with my Ural 650, a bike incapable of going out of sight of home without involuntarily stopping. Look at the tyres. Not so much the wear, but the brand, speed rating and whether they are worn only in the middle or on the shoulders as well. Try to twist both wheels to check for play in their bearings, and try to rock the rear wheel from side to side to check for wear in the swingarm bearings. Ask about service records. Some bikes, like Ducatis, need the cambelts replaced regularly. Some, those with small sumps and high running temperatures, need frequent oil changes and do not tolerate neglect of this. Many owners, however, like me, do their own maintenance and do not keep written records of it. Clean oil in the engine and gearbox, clean, oiled and correctly adjusted chain on good sprockets and good wheel and steering head bearings are a generally reliable guide to the owner's attitude in the absence of a service history. If you are buying a sportsbike, check the drain plugs. If thay have been drilled, it's likely that the bike has been raced.
Finally, don't bother too much with things that don't matter. A high mileage, especially on a touring bike (My R65 has done 265,000 km), is less important than overall condition. Scratches, dirt and evidence of spills should not deter you from buying a trailbike - they're designed to tolerate being dropped. And a high mileage on an old British bike is evidence of exceptional reliability; Nortons and Triumphs assembled on Wednesdays after a pay rise were widely used for touring, and many were very good at it. Consult the relevant specialists, if you want to buy Old British, but don't be put off by general tales of unreliability. Motor noters are notorious revisionists.
