Buying tips?

[BigTony93]

Am i that bad at searching or is there really no thread for this?

Anyways i'm looking to pick up a 05 gsxr 600 with 9k on it this weekend and im wondering, what do you guys ask the previous owner/look for on the bike when your buying a second hand motorcycle?

[Bkohs]

As far as buying from a private seller, take everything they say with a grain of salt. they want to sell and most of the time will tell you what they think you want to hear. The more records they have, the better. I would actually be a little concerned if they have no maintenance records at all. I'm kind of meticulous though so I keep everything, even if i do the work I'll keep the recipt for the parts. Look at the rear tire as well. Unless it's new, it can give you a little bit of an idea about how it's been riden. If it has a flat strip down the middle, it's been mostly highway with little to no heavy cornering. When you go to look at it. Check if the bike is warm or cold before it's started up. If it's warm, the seller may be hiding something (not always the case as it may be their daily rider) like a slight to major problem with cold starts. If it is cold and the seller starts it up and revs the crap out of it to show you how great his super amazing exhaust sounds, run and dont look back. If he's willing to do that while showing the bike, just think of what he might have done when he wasn't showing it. I'm slightly preoccupied at work right now so that's all I can think of, but if I think of more I'll post them.

[Wild-Bill]

- A warm engine is usually a sign that the bike is hard to start when it's cold.
- Expect a carburated bike to need carb cleaning. People don't usually sell the bike they're riding every day. They sell the bike that's been sitting in the garage (or behind the garage in the rain!) for the last year or two. You can clean the carbs yourself if you're mechanically inclined but a shop will charge about $400 so you can use that as a bargaining tool.
- Look at the DOT code on the tires. Hit Google for how to get the manufacture date from that. Tires more than 5 years old will have stiffened up to the point where they should be replaced no matter how much tread is on them. Same thing if there's any cracking in the sidewalls or between the tread.
- Take a good, detailed look at the bike. Small parts missing or little things left unaddressed usually means that the major stuff has been neglected, too. That's not to mean that a chip in the paint or missing fairing screw says the engine is about to blow up but rather that the bike may have gone unusually long between oil changes and that the fork oil hasn't been replaced since the bike was new.

[Ronny]

Don't forget to look around the seller too! Take a minute to size them and their surroundings up. I mean would you rather buy a bike (or anything!) off someone whose front garden contained a broken fridge and a car on bricks or whose bike lived in a carpeted garage with soothing music piped in at night?

[Stumpy]

Ronny is quite right - check the surroundings. Look for spare parts, other motorcycles, tools, anything that may indicate that the owner has some clue.

I always ask when the last oil change was, what type of filters they use and what the PSI should be on these bikes as I'm a newbie to them . If they can't answer those, or a visual check shows they are wrong, then I run away

I actually went to look at an RF900 the other week with a mate. Photos on the advert were great, asking price was steep. When we got to actually see it, it was obvious that either the photos were pulled off the web or decades old.

Thing was a mess - sat on flats, and the keeper didn't even have keys handy. Time to say bye and walk away.

[92xjunker]

Hmmmm, I havn't heard of any red necks in wisconsin.... but he might be a red neck..... I would pay close attention to chain, sprockets, fork seals, oil leaks, frame scuffs from crashing it. If you can, schedule the inspection early and have him not run it till you get there. check the frame at the neck for cracks. If your licensed, test ride it, cash in hand says you can.

[Sturgisatv]

Great advice from these guys.

[Wild-Bill]

Hmmmm, I havn't heard of any red necks in wisconsin....

One thing I've learned... there's rednecks everywhere!

[92xjunker]

SOOOOOO true, just under a different name.

[Ronny]

We call them chavs!

[BigTony93]

Thanks guys! i'm looking at a 06 gsxr today to replace my kat, hopefully everything checks out and I ride it home.

[Ronny]

Good luck and beware of the rednecks!

[BigTony93]

Good luck and beware of the rednecks!

He was of Italian decent and a Marine, no rednecks! lol
Bike looks awesome, drives like a dream! i'd post a pic but I forgot how lol thanks guys!

[Ronny]

Excellent! All the best with your new ride!

[ahernandez74]

Check everything ot make sure theres no scratches on the frame. Check if theres any dents, make sure you run the bike nicely and listen carefully how it idles.

Most importantly, make sure the guy has the title in hand or don't buy it