what to look for when buying my 1st bike

[houlsby]

Hi, im looking for my first 'proper' bike, i bought my rs in september purely on looks and it had a warranty, so.. i have decided which bike is comfortable and which i dont mind getting a 98 onwards model of. im 17 and i would 'like' to buy a zx6, but im unsure of what to look for in the bike itself. e.g crash damage, how the engine is, aftermarket parts (as im going to restrict it) i do know a fair bit about the rs now but not a clue on 4 strokes. any advice?. cheers.houlsby.

[stinkwheel]

Think about what you want the bike for which will point you in the direction of what is appropriate. (tell us you might get some suggestions you hadn't considered)

Take someone with you who knows something about bikes and doesn't want one for themself to avoid 'shiny bike syndrome'.

Insurance can be as expensive as the bike at your age and so insurance grouping is an important consideration.

Some of my personal rules (which I break) :
Don't buy red bikes.
Don't buy bikes with a race can.
Don't buy a bike off someone younger than yourself.
If someone says they service the bike themselves, look closely at their hands.
Inspect their workshop manual for oily fingerprints to see what has broken.
Don't buy bikes with PVC tape on the wiring loom unless you are confident you could rewire the whole thing yourself.
If you can't hear the engine running, don't buy it (unless it is VERY cheap).
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Barker-CBR 600]

Basically if your unsure and dont have anyone you can call on to come give some expert advice than you might be better off buying from a dealer. Sinceit gives you ALOT more to fall back on if something aint quite right.

Basically replaced parts like fairings, mirrors, forks etc will mean its probably been dropped. Dont let it put you off as it might be a good buy but be sure to ASK. Dealers HAVE to admit if its a write off and you probably wanna steer clear of them.

Custom paint schemes can be ways of hiding nasty suprises, as are nice big racing stickers. Choose a bike you wantbefore hand and do some Research into the official colour schemes, the year/model of the bike, price new and try to shop around to get a feel for the used price.

With aftermarket parts, shiny race cans are no good if they wont pass MoT unless you have the original AND the skill to refit it. You are usually better off getting it stockm especially with the restrictor kit since you arent going to gain anything with a race can till its de-rerstricted. Things like Dubble Bubble screens and other cosmetics dont matter, and are usually good. But do question whether they are replacements for broken... or just cause they look cool.

Forget a test ride you wont get one age 17, but i'm sure they'll be happy to start it up before you buy it (although might be JUST before you sign on the dotted line... not in the showroom when you go to look at it).

And the plus side of a dealer is they will organise an official restrictor kit, certificate and install it all.. and you might be able to get a deal when buying the bike (bit below sticker price + restrictor free or something).


If service history isnt there then be wary, and also check it for any mileage alterations (so your not buying a bike with 2000 on the clock thats done 12000! they are perfectly entitled to change the clock but it will be recorded. Again dealers arent usually too bad with this though).

Basically if something dont add up, dont buy it.

And if you not got someone who knows their bikes, iwouldnt suggest private purchase.
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Previous - Gilera DNA50 / XVS125 Dragstar/Honda CBR 600F/GSF 650 Bandit
Current - 2013 Suzuki VZ800 Intruder
'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[Ste]

Have a read of this thread about buying secondhand bikes.

Race can or any aftermarket parts really aren't a problem, if its got the OEM can then you'll be able to pass MOT without any problems, aftermarket parts just don't pay more on the basis that it's got £x worth of aftermarket parts fitted. Race can makes no difference to the bike being 33bhp restricted. Saying you need "skill to refit it" about race cans and standard cans, fitting an end can is really really easy and as long as you've got some allen keys you'll be able to do it.

The bike being crashed/dropped/repaired/whatever isn't a problem. Take the bike for what it actually is, I really couldn't care how many times you've crashed or dropped a bike as long as it is all repaired and priced to reflect its condition.

Test rides are 17 are quite possible, depends on the dealer or seller. Some dealers will be quite happy to as long as you're serious about buying the bike and havn't just walked in off the road asking for a test ride. Private sellers same story, if you're able to leave a cash deposit then lots won't be bothered about how old you are. You can't expect someone no matter how old they are to give you a large amount of cash and not to test ride the bike.

Go private, you'll save plently of money buying privately and buying from a dealer doesn't offer anything other than higher prices. If you know nothing about bikes then you're just as likely to be fucked around by a dealer as you are a private seller. Whatever the dealer says about "oh I'll do £xyz off the restrictor kit" or other deals, they're still selling the bike at more than it would cost you if you went privately.

[houlsby]

so i will most likely get to test ride the bike then.... when will be the best time to buy the bike? and do you think my insurers will swap the deal onto the kwak seen as its only got a few months left? cheers.houlsby

[Ste]

Best time has been and gone I'd say, best prices for buying are when the weather is really shit (middle of winter as hopefully we're nearing the end of it now) as people don't want to ride their bikes and people don't want to buy bikes cos of that. Also after christmas in the early new year when people are broke after christmas.

So I'd say prices are slowly going back up now.

Your insurance company will quite likely be happy to change your RS125 insurance over to a ZX6R for the last few months, how much they'll (over)charge you for doing that is another matter. Give them a ring on Monday to find out how much, they do normally charge lots of the reasoning they've got you trapped and there isn't much you can do other than accept the high price or not change your insurance to your new bike.

[Scotsman37]

Well you'll get hammered on the insurance as it will be your 1st year for insuring a bike of 600cc or more, plus as you're only 17 years old and that will up the cost again. So, you could see maybe about paying out £450 to £1,000 for fully comp insurance.

Ex.

My friend of 39 years of age has ridden bikes since being a teenager bought for the first time a bike greater than 600cc and it was a Honda CB 1100 SF X-11 (1100cc bike). For fully comp it cost him £480 for the 1st year of insurance, except if he had owned a bike greater than 600cc for more than a year prior to that it would have only cost him about £200 instead.

So you'll get more heavily hammered on insurance than he did for the 1st year !

[ZRX61]

If there is ANY sign of the bike being dropped/slung up the road:
Walk away.....

[Ste]

Why walk away purely on the basis that it's been dropped or crashed?

If it's been dropped or down the road and the bike has damage as a result then you'll be able to get the bike at a lower price, if it's been repaired 100% then what difference does it make?

If you go out only interested in bikes which havn't been crashed or dropped then either all sellers you talk to are telling lies or you're going to have problems finding a bike.