I’d love to buy a used motorcycle… it’s a dream of mine
But…
I don’t have a good eye for these things
—I imagine there are quite a few people who think that way.
Major damage repairs are usually obvious, but subtle repairs are hard to spot, I think.
Basically, you can’t know for sure without taking everything apart and measuring it…
From the outside, you can see
• Bent front forks
• Bent stem
• Bent wheels or brake discs
• Bent frame
—but if you can tell the condition just by looking, it means it’s seriously bent.
On the flip side, I’d think such bikes don’t even make it to the market. I’m somewhat amazed at the mindset of people who try to sell something like that.
And then there’s Suzuki, where even new bikes sometimes come with bent seat rails… I wonder what they’re doing about that.
If I were buying a used motorcycle, here’s how I’d think about it…
Recently I’ve been bitten by the bug to own a VTR1000SP2 in white…
First
• Buy one that’s close to original, with low mileage and good condition
This way you won’t have to worry about parts or maintenance after purchase, and there’s a high chance it hasn’t been heavily modified. So there should be fewer mysteries to solve and fewer additional modifications needed later.
• Be careful with custom bikes
This applies even when we do the work here—only the person who did the work (the one who modified and customized it) knows what’s involved. *Most owners don’t actually know.
For example, the fork is a combination of XX and XX, the stem has a custom-made shaft and added stoppers, the wheels are XX, the disc is XX, the axle is XX, and the spacers are custom-made. If you have a major front-end accident with a setup like this, you end up in quite the mystery-solving world. It’s generally beyond what most people can handle.
Bikes with unknown front or rear components sourced from other bikes are basically problematic—we won’t even do maintenance on them. You should find a shop that will accept them before you buy.
In a way, bikes loaded with “bolt-on parts” might be easier because you can always return them to original.
Anyway, getting back on track
• One where you can find out about the previous owner and maintenance history
• Preferably with low mileage
• One that’s been kept in running condition with regular inspections and hasn’t let the registration lapse
• One as close to original as possible
• One with minimal rust, corrosion, or modifications
With a used bike, everything down to the cable ties, bolts, and nuts is used.
Also, keep in mind that every component has a different lifespan.
Tires and engine oil have short lifespans, right?
If I bought a used motorcycle, at minimum I’d want to check
• Front and rear tires
• Engine oil change
• Fluid and coolant change
• Brake pad replacement and caliper cleaning if possible
• Control system tightening and lubrication
—these are things I’d want to look at. At least that gives you basic peace of mind.
Tires are like wearing someone else’s pants… I mean shoes. You don’t get that fresh, crisp feeling, do you?
If it’s a full custom with a known history, it’s fine to buy it with future fixes in mind.
If you can think, “I won’t regret buying this bike!” then I think you can stick with it to the end (^^♪
You also need to keep resale value in mind!
