Checking Over A Used Bike

wr250f95 · 08-23-2007, 05:49 PM

Okay so your going to check out a bike, to tell how hard it has been used and if its worth it is to go over the bike looking for imperfections.

If its fairly old your gonna want to check the lines and check for cracks or sun damage, This will tell you a little about how its been treated, if its spent days out in the sun, than the lines will be sun damaged and such, of course they will decay with age also.

Check out the plug wire and run it back to the cdi unit, a little black box located usually in front of the tank and on the front section of the frame.
Check for damage.

Check out the brake pads, if their worn, that will mean the bike has been ridden hard, which could mean it has an unknown history.

Check out the chain and sprockets, ask if they are the original and check the condition over, is it loose? stretched? wont tighten up if its lose? these are all signs that the chain and sprocket are worn.

check the sub frame, if its bent, then the bike was probably involved in a nasty crash and may have other nasty little secrets.

Check over the main frame, look for cracks, possible flex, and bends. also look for possible points where the frame was welded and inspect the quality of the weld.

Ask the owner how to clean the air filter, where the drain points for engine oil are, where you add oil, and what kind of oil to run. If he doesnt know its a sure sign the bike has not been very well maintained and a sever engine failure may be on the way.

an obvious thing to look for is oil leaks.

It may be worth it to ask what his maintenance schedule was.

If its a four stroke, you should ask when the last time the valves were checked.
If its a two stroke ask when the last top end was done.

However, it can be difficult to find a bike (especially a early 1990's and older) that meets all these, so it is up too you, the buyer to determine if the things wrong with it are worth fixing.
Good luck and happy trails.

tigmaster · 08-23-2007, 08:04 PM

nice how-to article.

wr250f95 · 08-23-2007, 08:39 PM

thanks, just weve been seeing alot of broken old bikes recently, hoping to save some hassle

JThompson · 08-24-2007, 12:54 AM

Grats to the front page you go. Thanks wr

tigmaster · 08-24-2007, 05:41 AM

i still enjoy when i bought my rmz250 the top of the bar clamps had a gouge out of it like someone had wrecked it. now to get a gouge out of the bar clamps the bike lands how????????? yes we can all figure out that this bike was in a pretty bad crash. sub frame had a few cracks but i threw some molten aluminum at it and it was all good. header had a dent in it too and a hole which i welded up. ya, i know it sounds like a piece but it was a good bike even then. thinking back on that day, it felt so much bigger and more powerful and now im like eh... could use a 450 now.

08-23-2007, 05:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
wr250f95 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 7,657	Checking Over A Used Bike Okay so your going to check out a bike, to tell how hard it has been used and if its worth it is to go over the bike looking for imperfections. If its fairly old your gonna want to check the lines and check for cracks or sun damage, This will tell you a little about how its been treated, if its spent days out in the sun, than the lines will be sun damaged and such, of course they will decay with age also. Check out the plug wire and run it back to the cdi unit, a little black box located usually in front of the tank and on the front section of the frame. Check for damage. Check out the brake pads, if their worn, that will mean the bike has been ridden hard, which could mean it has an unknown history. Check out the chain and sprockets, ask if they are the original and check the condition over, is it loose? stretched? wont tighten up if its lose? these are all signs that the chain and sprocket are worn. check the sub frame, if its bent, then the bike was probably involved in a nasty crash and may have other nasty little secrets. Check over the main frame, look for cracks, possible flex, and bends. also look for possible points where the frame was welded and inspect the quality of the weld. Ask the owner how to clean the air filter, where the drain points for engine oil are, where you add oil, and what kind of oil to run. If he doesnt know its a sure sign the bike has not been very well maintained and a sever engine failure may be on the way. an obvious thing to look for is oil leaks. It may be worth it to ask what his maintenance schedule was. If its a four stroke, you should ask when the last time the valves were checked. If its a two stroke ask when the last top end was done. However, it can be difficult to find a bike (especially a early 1990's and older) that meets all these, so it is up too you, the buyer to determine if the things wrong with it are worth fixing. Good luck and happy trails. __________________ "LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT, SHOUTING'...HOLY S**T... WHAT A RIDE!" this, is why I ride.

08-23-2007, 08:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
tigmaster Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Missouri, United States Posts: 7,492	nice how-to article. __________________ --'03 CRF450r-- --FMF Pipe, Pro-Tech Revavle-- --Vortex Basket With Tusk Disks And HP Springs-- --Pro Taper Triple Clamps And Bars-- --Devol Full SP With Moose HGs-- --Renthal 13/50 With R1 Chain-- --Now It Is The End, Probably...-- --'06 CBR F4I-- --Bone Stock-- Check Our Latest How-To Here

08-23-2007, 08:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
wr250f95 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 7,657	thanks, just weve been seeing alot of broken old bikes recently, hoping to save some hassle __________________ "LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT, SHOUTING'...HOLY S**T... WHAT A RIDE!" this, is why I ride.

08-24-2007, 12:54 AM	#4 (permalink)
JThompson Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bellingham WA Posts: 4,819	Grats to the front page you go. Thanks wr __________________ Tired of ads? Become a member for an almost ad free site! Also we give away monthly prizes just for posting! Register today! Looking for places to ride! Want to review a riding area? Check them out! PRE-ORDER MOTOTIPS Stickers now. Help keep mototips running! Get your order in today! Buy NOW! Special Discounts for members only! Check out our new discount forum for retailers offering to help you save money! Mototips Discounts

08-24-2007, 05:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
tigmaster Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Missouri, United States Posts: 7,492	i still enjoy when i bought my rmz250 the top of the bar clamps had a gouge out of it like someone had wrecked it. now to get a gouge out of the bar clamps the bike lands how????????? yes we can all figure out that this bike was in a pretty bad crash. sub frame had a few cracks but i threw some molten aluminum at it and it was all good. header had a dent in it too and a hole which i welded up. ya, i know it sounds like a piece but it was a good bike even then. thinking back on that day, it felt so much bigger and more powerful and now im like eh... could use a 450 now. __________________ --'03 CRF450r-- --FMF Pipe, Pro-Tech Revavle-- --Vortex Basket With Tusk Disks And HP Springs-- --Pro Taper Triple Clamps And Bars-- --Devol Full SP With Moose HGs-- --Renthal 13/50 With R1 Chain-- --Now It Is The End, Probably...-- --'06 CBR F4I-- --Bone Stock-- Check Our Latest How-To Here

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