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Thread: Buying a used motorcycle?

  1. #31
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    1st May 2008 - 12:59
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    Sarge - Question, do you let someone ride your bike alone (or at all) as a test ride, when selling private party. I come from the land of law suits and this was always a no-no, as when the guy dumps your bike, you get sued and your bike is crashed or he rides it and gets a ticket, etc...
    What's the protocol here? Just wondering as I am thinking of selling my bike in a few months...
    Ride, eat, sleep, repeat!

  2. #32
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    16th June 2008 - 00:19
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    Good advice mate. As I'm looking to buy my first bike I've read every word twice lol.

  3. #33
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    19th August 2007 - 00:07
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    Quote Originally Posted by alanzs View Post
    Sarge - Question, do you let someone ride your bike alone (or at all) as a test ride, when selling private party. I come from the land of law suits and this was always a no-no, as when the guy dumps your bike, you get sued and your bike is crashed or he rides it and gets a ticket, etc...
    What's the protocol here? Just wondering as I am thinking of selling my bike in a few months...
    acc covers injury - just make sure they understand that if they break it they buy it. ask for a deposit like their keys first, or maybe a cash deposit so you know they're serious about the bike.

    not allowing a test ride, however much you think they are just coming as a test pilot, will turn them away - i'd immediately think there was something you're hiding myself. if they aren't a buyer that's fine, if they are you just lost a sale

    if you get a ticket in the post, simply send back the attached form saying you weren't riding the bike and they'll ask the rider if he infact was riding and provided he owns up it's all sweet - dunno what happens if he doesn't

  4. #34
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    19th August 2008 - 10:00
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    Quote Originally Posted by SARGE View Post

    17. Muffler check:
    Look for rust fairies, particularly on the underside of the muffler. Rev the engine and see if there's a rattle from the muffler indicating loose baffles.
    Hi guys,

    How seriously should I be concerned about some surface rust on an exhaust when I'm looking at a new bike?

    Cheers

  5. #35
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    19th August 2007 - 00:07
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    depends on how fussy you are, but if the muffler gets filled with water often enough to rust a hole in it, that may be reason to expect rust elsewhere

    myself, i dislike stock mufflers that have had baffles removed as the guy who's rough enough to smash out the guts of a muffler is usually rough enough not to tune the bike afterwards....

  6. #36
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    12th December 2007 - 20:44
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    quality write up - cheers.

    unfortunately (and ironically) the only bad purchase i made for a bike (died horribly two weeks into owning it, i was told it had just been tuned, oil change and new sparkplugs) was from a reputable dealership with MTO registration. and then it took over a month (maybe 6 weeks) for them to fix the bloody thing.
    IMO..if you're buying a bike from a dealership, get the reciepts that it's been tuned and if something goes wrong you've got the right to free repairs (as long as you didn't do the damage yourself)..the only downside in buying privately is you don't have those rights. i'd rather buy privately though..at least you know the bike has been ridden properly in the past couple months/years..
    original quote from 98tls - Who gives a shite about Kw when you can all arrive in Fox at the same time sit and have a coffee and thank fuck for motorcycles..whatever the wording on the gas tank.

  7. #37
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    19th August 2007 - 00:07
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    just on saturday i looked at a private sale.

    and it was exactly why i'm now considering importing from japan instead of the NZ market.

    "Good bike just been serviced
    - Carb balanced.
    - Aftermarket indicators.

    Good condition "

    total rubbish. those pics are the same from the last time this was on TM a few months back. since then it's lost a wingmirror and indicator hanging off doesn't work. the thing creaks, the choke cable is not connected to choke lever, it needs the idle adjusted as it warms, and some dick has visibly gutted the muffler with a steel rod/hammer instead of cutting it open.
    it misfired above 5000rpm, had a ride and holy crap it had only two and a half (out of four) cylinders from 5ooorpm right upwards, never got it above 10k (reds at 4500)

    got back, asked if he had got the carbies tuned before or after gutting the muffler and he was pretty vague - it's clearly suffering from lack of carby work, and removing all the backpressure/scavenging effect on a high performance engine without tuning = bad idea.

    of course, having driven from the waitakeres to drury, i wasn't too happy. sure it could just be a matter of fixing the carbs, but if he won't admit it's running like a sick dog you've gotta wonder what else he isn't saying.

    /rant

    and a buyer jsut asked a question about tyres and mechanical issues. seller answers tyre question only

  8. #38
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    5th March 2007 - 18:08
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    Fuck, I know that shitty feeling. Here's a PM I sent when I was looking at buying another bike after selling my SV650S:

    Yeah I've been looking into a couple.

    But however today I was massively inconvenienced by a deceptive seller. Went to see/buy a GSXR 750 X 1999 - went by bus, had my heart set on buying it and riding it back. The bike was in Hamilton.

    I got there, and I get him to start it up. Right from the moment I arrived, he kept going on about how another dude had come to see it twice and had already offered him $5000.

    Anyway, he started it up - it was cold, and he took it straight to redline. This worried me a bit, but then when he backed off it a bit, I heard the dreaded cam chain rattle - which gixxer4ever had told me about. I asked him if the cam chain / tensioner were looked at, and he said no, so I got him to pillion me to the local bike shop where my initial diagnosis was confirmed.

    It was on trademe for $5300, I expected to pay about $5200 maximum. I offered him $5100 in its current condition, and he practically told me to get fucked and that "The other guy will give me more".

    What a shitty day. He hasn't stated anything about the cam chain rattle in the auction. I have asked a question though. However if he does get the cam chain fixed, I'm glad to give him $5500 for it. If this 'other guy' actually exists, he's a dumbass if he gives him more money for that bike in it's current state. I wonder if he even knows that the cam chain needs work.

    Here's the kick in the balls - he stated that the bike is 'mint', and I told him I was coming all the way from Auckland, least he could have done is told me that it was rattling. Also the condition of the bike wasn't 'mint' - I went there expecting polished up triple clamps etc, but was quite disappointed to find bits on it to be oxidised. That's no biggie though.

    Last time I checked, a 'mint' bike does not have problems with its cam chain. Maybe he thought I would be ****ing dumb and take it off him. Bad luck. Pretty pissed off about the lost day which I could have spent studying for my exam which is on friday. Had my heart set on it too.

  9. #39
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    4th November 2005 - 09:58
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    Not all the same

    Just because there are f....wits out there deceiving, telling "porkies" and generally wasting other peoples time does not set the "precedent" for the experience of buying a used motorcycle.

    As with most things in life, you always hear about the bad ones but never the (many) good ones.

    I have bought/sold (privately) many bikes over the years I still believe that the experience is more likely to be good rather than bad.

    In my (brief) personal experience, and that of friends, buying a Jap import guarantees NOTHING.

    As always, it's down to the people involved.

  10. #40
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    31st March 2008 - 19:30
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    hey, yeah they are all good things to know, but i do think there is a point to over fussyness. i would go as far as saying that more people than not have a tinker with a second hand bike once they have bought it, i.e new exhaust's maybe new paint etc etc. putting there own touches on it to make it there's. yes its a good idea to check for major damage that could be dangerous, and things like if its reported stolen, or has outstanding finance etc, but things like worn brake pads and stuff im not sure, they are all wear and tear items that WILL need replacing at some point anyway, even things like fork seals and chains and sprockets, will all need replacing in the future. alot of bikes will have scratches and have been painted at some point whether its just a touch up or a full respray, bikes fall over sometimes if there being ridden or not, it cant be helped, i bought my bike second hand from holeshot in takapuna, it was coverd in scratches, it had been dropped on both sides, it had fallen over more than once, not been down the road though as you can see by the scratches that were on it shallow and straight up and down. and 1 month into owning it the clutch engaging screw broke, they were of no use what so ever they didnt even return my calls, then it had running problems, "all fixed now " i wasnt too pee'd off as its a second hand bike at he end of the day, a few small problems are to be expected along the way, the only reall way of ridding yourself of any problems is to buy a brand new bike with a warrenty. my bike is sweet now runs nice goes nice, and has shiny new paint job. i sorted it all myself "apart from paint", more satisfying to do it myself . i look after my bikes and cars, its very hard to tell how it was treated before . even having a service history and receipts dosnt mean serviced when it says it was. aslong as you look after it and treat it well, thats all that matters. well thats my opinion maybe wrong maybe right, o well. ive actually had better experiances buying/selling privatly too, over a dealer, dealers just want to get you in and out as fast as possible, to make bonus

  11. #41
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    18th May 2005 - 09:30
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    Run the costs, sure some items are wear and tear, and you may need to replace soon, but if its chain and sprockets, tires, and brake pads you could be looking at the best part of a thousand dollars, so how much of a bargain is it still?


  12. #42
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    31st March 2008 - 19:30
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    yeah i know what you mean, but your gonna be spending that money on any bike at some point. it could have brand new tyres on it, the next day you could run over something and split the tyre so it cant be repaired, and require a new tyre. buying any vehicle i think is all if's and buts, spending $5000 on a bike that apparently is all good, or spending $4000 on a bike that requires $1500 of work done on it. you may spend $500 more but you know in your mind that everything should be good, my point is, you never know whats going to happen, that $5000 bike could break down and cost $1000 to fix, attleast with the $4000 bike you should have some kind of warrenty if the parts break, or the garage ****** it up. i just dont think you can expect to buy a second hand vehicle and not have to spend money on it

  13. #43
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    19th August 2007 - 00:07
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    i think while some of us are a little "over fuzzy", pedantic or downright cynical, i'm yet to find a lemon bike from a private sale that i didn't intend as a project - sure i miss a few genuine bargains out there, but i've never been ripped off either while still managing to find a good deal... (dealers are a different story)

    ie, a surprising number of newbie riders (or just not mechanically minded) will buy writeoffs and spend many times their worth trying to keep them going, all the while thinking they got a bargain.

    and i assume that's who this thread is aimed at: those who will pay $70 an hour to have oil changed, and have no concept of how much a bike will cost if you buy it one part at a time

  14. #44
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    19th August 2007 - 00:07
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    Quote Originally Posted by bobbydazzler View Post
    yeah i know what you mean, but your gonna be spending that money on any bike at some point.
    own the bike for 5 years, sure, the thousand bucks pans out

    own it for 6-18 months, which most of this thread's target audience will be doing (learners and/or accident prone looking for cheap ride) and you may not need to spend that money at all

  15. #45
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    31st March 2008 - 19:30
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    true, i suppose it depends on how long you plan on having the bike. and if you will be doing work yourself or not. .i myself have always gone with as long as its starts its ok, when buying a bike :P. i always want to fiddle with it. boring if it dosnt need any work lol. well within reason i, wont buy a complete piece of crap.

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