A used motorcycle is used right down to the last cable tie. Don’t forget that.
Motorcycle riders tend to strike me as mostly positive people.
If you don’t research carefully and just think “I’ll be fine,” you can run into some surprising blind spots.
• Can’t find a shop to handle motorcycle repairs and maintenance.
Seriously niche or mysterious custom bikes warrant caution. The moment you inquire or they see it, you might get a flat “sorry, we can’t handle that.”
If you have a familiar shop, definitely check with them. If not, research before you buy, or you could end up in a tough spot.
If you’re planning to do all the work yourself anyway, that’s fine.
• Beware of aggressive custom bikes
Depending on the finish, I’ve seen some seriously sketchy examples.
The previous owner probably let it go because it was “beyond their ability to handle.” Heavy-handed custom work with limited steering angle and no handlebar lock. Engine is a mishmash of similar types. Rough modifications on the rear swing arm and unclear sourcing, and so on.
Even for maintenance, if you don’t know what it’s for, sourcing parts becomes difficult. Normally you’d disassemble, clean, inspect, and reassemble, but here you need to verify dimensions and configuration first.
In cases like this, there’s usually nothing you can do—meaning it costs a lot.
Often it’s faster to rebuild from scratch.
• Extremely beat up
I understand the temptation to jump on something cheap. But if you go for it on impulse, you’ll end up hurting.
Degraded paint won’t return to good condition.
Surface rust can be removed, but is it really just the surface?
The component parts might be fine, but won’t repainting, replating, and surface treatment add costs?
I could go on forever, but cheap definitely means more risk.
• Parts availability is critical
There’s nothing you can do about this either.
Cover gaskets that don’t exist, engine covers themselves that are unobtainable even used, electrical and cooling system parts all discontinued.
You need serious commitment to stick with it, and costs pile up.
People often say buying a current Z900RS would be faster and quicker—and honestly, that’s often true.
In the end, it’s your call. If you can handle it yourself, that’s fine too (*’ω’*)
