Hey guys, Been working like a dog this last month which means i finally have enough money to get my biking in order. My CBT is this saturday and i've been getting tips from my manager a bit.

Thing is, i have arranged to view a nice looking Honda City Fly on sunday (wishful thinking that i will actually pass my CBT ) and the bad bits of the bike have been listed as:

1)Dent in the tank.

2)Scratch on the headlight.

3)I have hidden my own switch on the bike because the ignition barrell needs changing. but the switch is perfect so no one can pinch the bike without turning the switch on. It won't cost much for a barrell off ebay.

I would just like to know if the first 2 are serious issues (i dont think they are but i dont know anything really) and what number 3 actually means because i have no idea and forgot to ask the seller when i called him up

well how much are you paying for it??????


How bad is the dent on the tank? I am not an expert but make sure it is not leaking or rusting where the dent is......

in doubt see if you can bring a friend along that knows more about it....


and make sure all the paper work is there......

Sounds like it has been nicked in the past, as Roddas said check the paperwork carefully, no V5 no sale.

A dented tank and a scratched headlight are not a problem. It's par for the course on learner bikes. Might have happened when it was nicked maybe?

It's possible that the ignition barrel just wore out, and the bike has never been stolen. I'd get an HPI check on it though, and like Ian said, if there's no V5, just walk away.

BTW - the ignition barrel is where you insert the key to start the bike. If someone tried to steal the bike, it'll have been badly tampered with, and this can be a cause of them not working. Sometimes they just get temperamental though. It's hard to tell from the information you've given us whether this bike is stolen recovered, just plain stolen, or getting a bit worn.

Do you have any friends who are familiar with buying / selling bikes who you can take along with you to look?

Thanks man thats the info i was looking for. the bike was this one here on ebay, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Honda-clr-city-fly-1...1QQcmdZViewItem it says it comes with a V5 so i didn't expect it to be fishy. Im not going to view it anymore because I have found a few better bikes and decided to spend a bit more money on a 125 because i'm going to Uni soon so won't have the money to get what i want after a DAS so plan to use the 125 for at least 2 years (that way i dont have to do restricted access either ).

Thanks guys, at least now i know to look out for messy ignition switches :p.

Havn't really got anyone i know who is into bikes unfortunatly. Think i will bug my instructor(s) for advice and good dealers in my local area when i go for the CBT on saturday.

slowly but surely...