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New to motorcycling, and looking at buying a used bike. Seeing as I dont know a lot about bikes, what should I be looking for when I go and see a bike I'm interested in? In general is it safe to buy used? Thanks

Really depends what you want. Do you want a cruiser, naked, or sport bike? The rule of thumb, if you don't want a cruiser, is to go as high as 500cc. The ninja 250 and 500 are good and so is the gs500.

kerryb wrote:New to motorcycling, and looking at buying a used bike. Seeing as I dont know a lot about bikes, what should I be looking for when I go and see a bike I'm interested in? In general is it safe to buy used? Thanks

i wouldn't buy a used bike unless i know the owner or have the bike inspected by a mechanic.

i googled these. try reading them.

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

http://www.begin-motorcycling.co.uk/used.htm

a lot of people do not follow the break in procedures for new motorcycles. I would be wary of the maturity level of who first purchased the cycle. Buying a used sport bike would scare me.

I think its safe to buy a used bike. If you get one that is a few years old it is quite a bit cheaper than new. I recetly bought my first bike (gs500) and I am pretty happy with it. I too did not know much about bikes, look for pricing in Kelly Blue book to get an idea of how much to pay and what kind of mileage a bike should have. One of vermilion's links:

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

is pretty good I read through most of it before I picked up my bike, it's a bit overkill but it gives a good overview of what you should look for. Good luck

Thanks for the replies. What about buying a used bike from a shop? Generally safer? I'm looking at getting an SV650 fyi.

kerryb wrote:Thanks for the replies. What about buying a used bike from a shop? Generally safer? I'm looking at getting an SV650 fyi.

yeah generally safer but more expensive since they claim that they fix any problems before they put it in the showroom floor.

Height, weight, inseam? Stay within the 250cc class or less.

VermilionX wrote:

kerryb wrote:Thanks for the replies. What about buying a used bike from a shop? Generally safer? I'm looking at getting an SV650 fyi.

yeah generally safer but more expensive since they claim that they fix any problems before they put it in the showroom floor.

I don't know how many used bikes you've bought from shops, but my experience is that it depends entirely on the shop. Used motorcycles are generally sold "as-is" with no warranty. If it's a good shop, they may help you out with small problems after the sale, but don't expect a lot. They probably didn't make a huge profit selling you a used bike. If it's a not so good shop, they'll point you to the part of the contract that says the bike is sold "as-is" with no warranty, then point you to the door.

Getting a good bike depends less on where you get it and more on how you go about it. If you have a friend or acquaintence that knows about fixing bikes, take them along. If you don't, see if you can get your prospective purchase inspected by a qualified independent mechanic. If you're a newb to motorcycles, it's money well spent.

When it comes right down to it, buying a used bike with no warranty means that you have to be prepared to verify that the bike is all that the buyer says it is. If you're not prepared, you'll be relying on luck and the seller's word. Never a good thing in my book (unless you happen to know the seller).

If I bought a used bike or car I'd change all the fluids, check the belts, spark plugs and other things like that. Plus I'd get my brother mechanic to do it 8]