Hola,

Scoured the site for something on this, but to no avail.

When buying a secondhand motorcycle, what are the most important things to check, to avoid buying something that would be a likely death trap or expensive to repair? What sort of things would you ask the owner about it, etc?

Any advice on buying from a private owner welcome.

Well I'm no expert but the things I look for are as follows

State of the chain - to my mind if its too slack and fairly rusty the bike has not been cared for - too tight and the owner doesn't know what he's up to

exhaust header pipes & cans - check the amount of rust if any - you don't want to have to replace the header pipes - look for any holes the shouldn't be there or poor joins to the can(s)

brake pads - again I'm usually looking to see if the owner has been looking after the machine, see if there's a decent amount of pad left, check the discs for abnormal wear/grooves etc (if you can put the bike on a center stand tilt it back on the back wheel and spin the front to check for warping on the front disc(s))

shock - have a look at the general state of the shock, again looking for general signs of being old and worn out, excessive rust etc

Look for tell-tale signs of having been dropped/crashed - bar ends scraped, with matching scrapes on levers and mirrors, check for intact lock stops by turning the handlebars to full lock on either side ensuring they don't touch the tank (look for the matching ding on the tank if they do) - it may not matter overall but can be a good indictation as to whether they are being up front with you.

tyres - apart from making sure there's a legal and decent amount of tread left you can usually also see how its normally ridden by the wear patterns

lights - make sure all lights and indicators function correctly

Starting - make sure you are able to start the bike from cold - if he's been running make sure you tell him you want to start it from cold before you buy it.

If he won't let you test ride it, at least sit on it, get a good feel for it, slip it into gear and check brake reactions, listen to the revs for any odd noises

You want to know as much as they'll tell you really, where they got it, why they're selling, who usually services it, when was it last done, what was done, what mods has he done.

Can't think of any more just now... but I'm sure someone else will remind me of what I've missed....

Make a list of the stuff you want to check and take it with you don't feel as if you should know all the answers but if you take your time and check them off one by one you will be in a much better position to find out if all is ok..

ask questions!

people will not divulge information willingly but if you ask you are more likely to find out..
"has it been crashed/repaired, where on the bike"
"do you have any problems with it"
"is it reliable"

check for a service history, even if only receipts for the work they have done themselves... again, ask "when was the oil last changed" etc.

I agree on strating from cold, when u get there, if they are not around feel the engine/exhaust to see if it feels warm, if it does then they have started it recently so be wary of starting trouble.

If they wont let you ride it:
a) ask to go pillion
b) ask to ride behind them , you on your bike/car them on the bike so you can check how it runs, and check for abnormal engine smoke

If it has a centre stand get someone to push down on the seat to lift the front wheel off the ground. Turn the bars gently from lock to lock and if the handlebars want to stop in the straight ahead position the steering head bearings are probably knackered.
Put the front brake on and bounce the front suspension up and down several times. Check around the fork seals for oil leaks.
Grab each side of the rear wheel and try rocking the wheel from side to side, any movement means the wheel is loose or the wheel bearings are worn.
I arranged to see a GS 1000 several years ago and I turned up 30 minutes early because the place was easier to find than I thought. I'd bought a sarnie on route so I killed time by sitting in my car having lunch near the sellers house. I saw the guy come out and spend a lot of time fiddling with something and this pointed me in the direction to look for faults when I saw the bike.
I always turn up early now and have often caught people out doing last minute repairs or bodges.

Probably stating the obvious but remember to do a History check on the bike, get the frame number, liscense plate and do something like MCN's HPI check and make sure there is no outstanding finance, its not registered stolen or anything.

Also check that everything matches the documents coming with the bike, I *think* if your going through a dealer then its there responsibility, but its definatley yours if buying privately, and even going through a dealer, its best to be sure beforehand.

Thanks a lot guys for your very informative replies.

No harm in stating the obvious Narcist, I knew that, but a few weeks ago I didn't. So I am sure there is a lot of "obvious" things that I don't know. As well as other new riders/wannabe riders here. Cheers mate.

girlie biker...you've just listed everything wrong with my bike when i bought it.......

still, i guess u get wot u pay 4 in my case, not a lot

All that advice is great.

Also if you buy a copy of BikeTrader, which you'll probably do at some point, each issue has 4 whole pages on buying and selling advice, worth the £2.25 just for that.


Jolyon

Above all take someone with you who knows about bikes, and can slow you down from making a rash decision. Make sure you test ride the bike, if they won't let you try it, walk away. (Different if the bike is not road legal).

As for being able to ride the bike, don't count on it. An ex friend and mcc member stole one from someone who allowed him a test drive, he rode it home and destroyed the evidence before I could report him, hence the term Ex.
If youre selling, dont let em ride it, and if you're buying, think yourself lucky if they do!

Sorry but if you don't let them ride it then you don't deserve to sell it, by all means hold a driving license or hold some other security but if you don't allow a prospective buyer a test ride then you are asking not to sell. I would never buy a second hand bike without riding it first, and neither would any other biker with any experience.

last time i test road i left my wallet with the guy, along with my carkey
last time i let someone out on a test ride, they left the cash for the bike with me

either way, had more to lose by nicking the bike than by just coming back

Leaving your wallet and car key! Dangerous game either way. What proof does he have that it's your wallet and your car? Absolutely none and you've now got his bike. What guarantee do you have of getting your wallet or car back? Again none. Only sensible option is to allow test ride on production of cash to full asking price. If they don't come back then no loss to you, same if they bin it, you've got the cash.

One thing a lot of people also forget to check is the insurance question. If somone turns up to buy your bike ALWAYS check that they can produce insurance to cover the test ride if its on public roads. It is unlikely your policy will cover them and IF they stuff the bike, or get stopped, YOU are likely to be liable for permitting them to use an uninsured bike on the road!! It happended to a friend of mine and he was prosecuted and convicted at court!

Personally I would always say in the advert that a test ride is fine if they can produce insurance and the cash before taken the bike out.