Things to look (or listen) for when testing out a bike

[Blackshear]

Only a few days... Insurance has given me the cheque, so fair is fair - I'll have to cough up the bike soon.

Sorry dude, don't have the funds =)
Or a mum right now

[Disco Dan]

Look for 'new' parts. Things you dont normally notice untill a week later...

Look at left and right hand sides for differences - ie l/h peg looks newer/brighter than r/h peg that sort of thing.

Look for rust inside heads of bolts - gives you an indication it was recently disturbed.

If it looks too good to be true it prob is.

Is it too clean? Sometimes people will have their bike steam cleaned to sell - this can cause oil leaks on older bikes.

Inspect the wheel rims for dents - even a small one indicates it's hit something.

If you can take the fairings off do so - inspect the inside of the fairings for repairs. look at the leads entering the coils for an indication of how old they are.

Look inside the fuse box - does any of the fuses look cleaner/newer? Does any part of it look cleaner? - could indicate a recent electrical problem.

Ask the seller not to start the bike before you get there to look at it - you want to start it from cold, it's ok if it needs choke but if it is very rough there could be a problem.

Compare the evidence - ask if seller has recently done anything to bike, ie replaced chain etc then look at chain to see. If he/she says it has been reg serviced and has no problems and you (for example) see one particular fuse is clean you know he/she is lying - I would start asking some pretty detailed questions then.

[Blackshear]

Look for 'new' parts. Things you dont normally notice untill a week later...

Look at left and right hand sides for differences - ie l/h peg looks newer/brighter than r/h peg that sort of thing.

Look for rust inside heads of bolts - gives you an indication it was recently disturbed.

If it looks too good to be true it prob is.

Is it too clean? Sometimes people will have their bike steam cleaned to sell - this can cause oil leaks on older bikes.

Inspect the wheel rims for dents - even a small one indicates it's hit something.

If you can take the fairings off do so - inspect the inside of the fairings for repairs. look at the leads entering the coils for an indication of how old they are.

Look inside the fuse box - does any of the fuses look cleaner/newer? Does any part of it look cleaner? - could indicate a recent electrical problem.

Ask the seller not to start the bike before you get there to look at it - you want to start it from cold, it's ok if it needs choke but if it is very rough there could be a problem.

Compare the evidence - ask if seller has recently done anything to bike, ie replaced chain etc then look at chain to see. If he/she says it has been reg serviced and has no problems and you (for example) see one particular fuse is clean you know he/she is lying - I would start asking some pretty detailed questions then.

Christ. I should have been FAR more thorough than I was
As for starting it cold, He rode from Mt. Roskill to my house in birkdale =( But after letting it sit for 4 hours it started up fine.

Wow. I have much to inspect tomorrow! Even though it is too late <_> Will add all that to my look-for notebook. Gotta keep handy crap for next time =)
It's my first bike, so any lessons learned on it will damn surely be carved into marble for next time.

[Disco Dan]

Christ. I should have been FAR more thorough than I was
As for starting it cold, He rode from Mt. Roskill to my house in birkdale =( But after letting it sit for 4 hours it started up fine.

Wow. I have much to inspect tomorrow! Even though it is too late <_> Will add all that to my look-for notebook. Gotta keep handy crap for next time =)
It's my first bike, so any lessons learned on it will damn surely be carved into marble for next time.

I'm a tad more 'anal' than most people I guess (yeah yeah) but have had a couple of lemons before so I tend to be VERY picky.

When I buy a new bike - first thing I do when I get it home is to pull all the fairings off, pull all electrical plugs off and cover them in vaseline to water proof them a bit and to check condition.

I also change all the fluids - brake fluid, clutch fluid, coolant, oil, change plugs, clean air filter and buy a spare headlight bulb to store in my tank bag as well as a dash bulb.

Also look for insulation tape - if it's peeling off the loom somewhere it's most likely been tampered with before as factory tape very rarely peels away without help!

I also like to take a lot of photos when the bikes apart - can really help troubleshooting, especially when you end up with a screw/bolt left over!

[Disco Dan]

As for 'sounds' - cant really help. All bikes tend to have their own different tones etc.

[Blackshear]

As for 'sounds' - cant really help. All bikes tend to have their own different tones etc.

Well my dads mechanic mate is coming around 5:30 for a brushover of the bike, does engine re-builds for his job, rode MX for the last 20 years of his life ha ha. I know the right fork seal needs tending to, and to see if the weird kinda clunk is normal . So yeah! Fingers crossed! On a side note, my boss rode it yesterday, and said it was too fast.
He proceeds to goes home, look on trademe and insist an RS250 is the bike he wants.




How hard do I slap him

[nosebleed]

...He proceeds to goes home, look on trademe and insist an RS250 is the bike he wants.

yes, yes he does

...How hard do I slap him

not at all master luke

[imdying]

Only a few days... Insurance has given me the cheque, so fair is fair - I'll have to cough up the bike soon.

Wait what? Stealing off insurance companies is fair now?

[PirateJafa]

Wait what? Stealing off insurance companies is fair now?

The insurance companies should read the Bible more often... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

[imdying]

The insurance companies should read the Bible more often... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

If they've not honoured their contractual obligations then you can go to the insurance ombudsman, and then the courts. If you're stealing parts off of a bike that they've already paid you for, then they can go to the police. Given we know that the insurance guys read KB, probably not the smartest place to talk about stealing their stuff

[Blackshear]

Woohoo!!! The guy gave it the thumbs up, just need the fork seals checked out and it's all good!

Now for licence, wait for helmet to arrive and pick the jacket and pants I like the look of

Done 70k's on her already, bit snappy when turning really slowly.
I recall someone saying adding a tooth on the front sprocket would be nice, and I agree!
Did a hundred k's + the speed limit on my nice downhill street, gawrsh.

Two weeks time, imma cruisin'

Been so long since I saved that first dollar toward a bike, to actually owning it.
Glad to be a part of (Mostly spectating) these forums.
Cheers!

[Squiggles]

Just to add to the list, another good one to look for when looking for drops is marks around the frame where the brake and gear change lever sit, quite often get little knicks/gouges in the frame from where they've bent and knocked it