Bike for sale...advice on used bike?

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Mr. Dizney · Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:27 am

Taking MSF course this weekend. Looking for a starter cruiser. Like the Yamaha V-stars... See this one on ebay (link below) and it is located about 20 minutes from my home...looks like a good deal...I may not bid at all and may wait until I look around more to buy a bike, but things like this show up on ebay often and I wonder what your thoughts/concerns for a newbie buying a used bike would be...items to look for essentially. If I buy on ebay i would want to see bike first which is why i search close to home.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-V ... 3972QQrdZ1

Shiv · #2 Unread post by **Shiv** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:21 am

Hm...well read the stickies, that's a good place to start.

And in the MSF try picking a cruiser styled bike, see if you like how it handles/rides.

As per buying used, I was fairly confident that Sportsbike.net did a good write up on that (though it was rather lengthy, about 6 pages or so

) but I can't seem to find it.

It had diagrams of what to look for (damage wise), what to look for in general, went over the various parts of the bike and specific problems that were known for being in that area. Was a really good write-up as long as you have an attention span longer than that of the average turnip (I failed this point).

jonnythan · #3 Unread post by **jonnythan** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:22 am

Title in hand.
Starts and runs smoothly.
Tires look OK (no cracks, some tread left).
Lights (brake, tail, head, all turn signals) work OK.
Suspension is smooth and quiet.

You might have the owner take it around the block so you can hear it shift through the gears.

That V-star is pretty nice looking.. go check it out in person then decide if you want to bid on it.

Andrew · #4 Unread post by **Andrew** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:24 am

When I was shopping I found a few online that I thought were great. In the pictures the bikes looked pristine. I made a few long drives to see the bikes in person only to see that they were banged up. I bought used and am very happy I did, but I would suggest waiting to see the bike in person.

Just my

Shiv · #5 Unread post by **Shiv** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:27 am

HA! I found it.

Or well, the condensed version, at the least.

Used Motorcycle Evaluation Guide

Oh yes, and if you find a bike that you just really really like, before you buy it, get the owner to go half and half in with you in getting it evaluated by the dealership. They'll do a basic inspection on it to make sure it's running good and the like.

Adds a bit to the cost but it's worth the peace of mind in my book.

Mr. Dizney · Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:19 am

Thanks shiv!

BLKNSLVR · #7 Unread post by **BLKNSLVR** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:04 am

Another tip is to ask the seller for the owner's manual. If he or she cannot produce it, I would start knocking off the offering price. Not being able to produce an owner's manual indicates that it is not referred to very often and this would cause me to question how well the maintenance has been done. If he or she can produce it, check the maintenance schedule and compare this to the mileage on the bike. Ask the owner for service records and be wary of anyone who says they do their own servicing. If you are looking at the bike in their garage, take a glance around to see if it looks like they have the tools required to do this properly. Bikes are a lot more complex these days and many shade tree mechanics simply do not have a lot of the special tools needed to perform some of the service procedures. Once you get the service records, compare these to the maintenance schedule. If based on the mileage, what has been done, and what should be done per the maintenance schedule, you may be buying a bike that is a thousand miles or so away from a major service. I have used this as a bargaining position as well. You can knock a lot off the selling price if you take the position that you will be spending a few hundred dollars on a 24,000 mile service visit in a couple of thousand miles.

Good luck,

Greg

Social Distortion · Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:17 pm

my 1st MC was used and i really liked it ( honda nighthawk 650- 1985).
i dont think you can go wrong w/ a vstar for a starter MC.
i will probably end up getting an 06 in the coming weeks.

until you have a chance to see the used MC, i'd go to a dealer, sit on them and as posted earlier, make sure it feels right for you ( that you arent cramped in your legs, able to comfortably put your feet on the floor and your reach feels comfortable on the handlebars).

on the ebay MC, hopefully it can stay under $3,900.
in Chicago, i know you can get an 06 650 new v star custom for about 4600.

one more note on looking at used MC, when i was looking for my 1st MC, i happnened to look at one potential MC and ended up not purchasing it because i just accidently opened the gas tank and saw it all rusted and a half heartedly attempt to coat it w/ something- something that i didnt want to deal with. MAybe others have more feedback on rust in the tank- didnt seem right to me.

good luck and as mentioned, hopefully only 10 more days until my new MC!

Ian522 · #9 Unread post by **Ian522** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 4:44 am

Try to bring a buddy along with you if you can. Preferably one who knows a thing or two about bikes. He may catch something you might have missed when looking over the bike, since you will likely be excited and busy conversing with the owner.

Its tough to do, but try to resist the urge to buy the first bike you look at. I was looking at old bikes to fix up and learn on, and I ended up buying the first bike I looked at. And although it was a good bike in the end, it needed a little more work/money than I would have liked to put into it. Its a good idea to compare a few bikes before making a decision.