5 Telltale Signs of a Bad Used Motorcycle

Buying a used bike, or a lemon? Here are 5 methods to Sherlock your way into a good buy. Mechanical, electrical, psychological - it's all elementary, my dear Watson.

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[CosmoxYRik]

Number 1 sign a bike has been abused is I can afford it.

[Buggyi]

"There's a good chance that the motorcycle is as defective as its owner"
Gold.

[maluinthes]

When buying my used bike, the owner came out and said everything that was wrong with it and held on to the cash till weeks after I bought it. They wanted to make sure I liked the bike and had no reservations about it. They were good people.

[johnleonard]

Me when buying a bike: "So it runs?"
Seller: "Yes"
Me: Take my money

[notgilty]

I once looked at a used bike that had a dent in the gas tank. The owner was a farmer and I asked him how the dent got there. He said: "My pig knocked it over." I bought the bike on the spot because I figured nobody would make up a crazy story like that and he must be telling the truth. The bike turned out to be a cream puff and I've still got it many years later.

[jtWrenn-qdre]

In 2006 I drove a few hundred miles to look at an exotic (to me) Buell Ulysses. The guy had given me directions, and over a slight rise and then down hill on a gravel road I saw his house. The yard was immaculate; the grass lush and green and cut as level as a pool table. All of the plants edged so precisely, I swear he must have used a protractor to define the edges. He opened door to the operating room, uh, garage, and all of his tools were on a hanging board behind the work table, each tool outlined, not one missing or in the wrong spot. He cranked up the Buell, it fired on the first hit.
“The best place to take it for a test ride” he started to tell me, but I held up my hand to stop him. “I’m good” I said, “let’s just load her in the back of my truck.”
I rode that Uly for 11 glorious years. A great bike and a great buying experience.

[joetroutt]

One good example of a bad used bike is that cops arrest you for riding a stolen motorcycle.

[blacklanner]

You did miss the most important one.
"I took the fairings off to make it a street fighter / naked."

[StewsChannel]

As much as I like buying bikes, I absolutely hate selling them! The amount of prospective buyers I've had that lowball me, don't show up, or have done zero research on the bike they are dealing on makes me want to just leave them in the corner of the garage and not even bother selling them. Lol, I once sold a Wing to a guy that gave me kind of a low offer, but also a good story about being a divorced dad and wanting to take his daughter out on bike trips for affordable holidays for them both. He seemed genuine and a nice enough guy so I took the offer, 4 hours later it was up on Kijiji for 2.5 times what he paid for it! Lol, lesson learned.

[davefancella]

As a mechanic, I want to point out that this is all good for buying cars, too. If you go through the entire process, being friendly and polite while trying to nail down answers to questions the seller's avoiding, you can usually get 20-40% of the price knocked off before you even reach the price negotiation stage.


I'll also add: be careful about who you take with you when you're looking at a used vehicle. My wife, for example, tries to be nice to the seller, and in the process she'll invalidate points that I make that should be driving the price down. It's good that she's trying to avoid offending the seller, but it's bad that she's undermining the process. Likewise, I've had other people go with me that would try to negotiate the price down on my behalf based on what I was finding, but they were too aggressive. That led to the seller holding firm at a higher price, in response to the aggressiveness. I could have gotten the price lower, and more fair, had my friend(s) stayed out of the negotiation.


You also need to know the value of the vehicle. If you're buying a bike from a weekend rider that you intend to use as a daily driver, there's a value disparity. I always love it when a customer tells me that they're not going to replace a particular part because the cost of the repair is more than the blue book value of the vehicle. Well, if it's your daily driver, then the value of the vehicle is your salary. You also need to really understand the value to the seller. I'm currently trying to sell a scooter, and honestly, with some of the offers I've gotten, I have to answer with "It's worth more to me to keep owning it than it is to sell it at that price". I recently bought a scooter from a guy having serious health issues that he may not survive. The only price negotiation I engaged in was based on what I could put together, because honestly, it would have been disrespectful to do anything else. The bike had no value for him, so he was only going after some money to use for any bucket list items or what-have-you. Value isn't limited to the blue book, or even what you can get putting it on craigslist. You need to be clear what you need the vehicle for, and why the seller is getting rid of it. The best vehicle purchases happen when there's a parity in value between the buyer and seller, and everyone walks away happy.

[lemster]

Holy sh... This was such an unexpectedly high quality video. I feel like a watched a film. I'll definitely be watching more.

[peteraugust]

From all the Bikes I have bought so far I can say that usually the decision depends to 90% on the seller and only to 10% on the Bike. The condition of the bike will be compared to its price, thats for sure, but the decision if I buy it or not depends almost exclusively on me eyeballing the seller. And that is said by me, beeing a mechanic and an Engineer...

[wlsonj]

You'd be amazed how many sellers tell me no to a test ride, even if I offer to leave cash in hand. Most of that group also tend to throw a whiny fit when I refuse to buy their bike, regardless of how well the visual went.

I don't know who's out there buying bikes without a test ride to make these folks think that'll fly, but it's a good way to get ripped off

[paullacey]

I recently bought a bike at a decent price from a guy.His other bike and man cave garage was utterly even had the bike loaded in the van and were still chatting, and then I said 'I better pay you for this bike now'....Its been as good as gold🤫There are some decent people out there!

[vin]

dude huge respect for bringing great storytelling, and filmmaking technique to this niche! lovin the style and how well researched your content is.

[lukekeogh]

I’m not even looking for a bike to buy....I just watched this because I just enjoy watching Ryan’s clever and well put together vids. You do this very well mate, Merry Christmas and more success to you.

Luke from Australia

[tryarunm]

I think sometimes in the interests of amusing our fans we forget the job.

I would look for:
- signs of damage like scratches, dents, mis-coloured parts especially of metal (they've been painted over but the rust festers underneath).

- signs of weather damage: has the machine been parked in the sun and rain? Faded paint on the sun side, pits and abrasions on metal parts. They look ugly but can cave in at the slightest pressure.

- starting. First kick? Tenth? Or with self start, any granular noises?

- idle. Even or staccato? You can tell most of an engine's condition from how she idles. Carburetted engines: might need slight throttle until they warm up, but if after 5 minutes of very gentle encouragement she fails to idle, walk away (Mind you, I live in the tropics, in South India. In colder climes this will vary).
Injected engines take a few seconds longer. Stand your ground for 5 minutes. Talk about the seller's beautiful neighbourhood, house, car, the weather in Papua New Guinea (in India, NEVER mention any female member of the family or neighbourhood) but LET THAT MACHINE ARRIVE AT EQUILIBRIUM. Let it idle.

- test ride: take a friend along. Let them test ride. If you still need confirmation, test ride. But If your friend is unhappy, walk away. If the owner declines a test ride, walk away. However, in the case of premium motorcycles like Harley-Davidson, get the owner to agree to a service center inspection and vehicle condition report. If the owner declines this (he should have had this done already), walk away.

- electricals: don't worry too much about dead indicator bulbs. You can replace them with pocket change unless you are buying a premium motorcycle. But check for Scotch tape; it covers a lot of faults.

- sabotage. Look for signs of deliberate damage from jealous neighbours. I speak from personal tragic experience.

- the condition of the petrol tank on a traditional motorcycle. That is the focal centre of any motorcycle, so judge how well the owner has respected it.

All my recommendations have been given for riders in the tropics and especially in India. 70-odd percent of road users in India ride motorcycles or scooters. But, to misquote, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

[CockatooDude]

Thanks for telling me how to sell my bike properly, much appreciated.

[Blacksonny]

this makes me so paranoid. I feel like buying a used bike will have the same amount of pressure as taking an exam,

[mikeward]

Remember that an old bike with low miles means a lot of maintenance before you ride. Currently replacing all the seals, lines and rubber components on a 87 Yamaha with 600 miles on it.