Things to look for when buying a bike

[dabigginger]

I might have found a commuter bike that I could be interested in. Normally, I'd take my mate who knows his bikes to look at with me, but I won't be able to take him with me this week, so I'm going to be looking at it myself. I've got a fair bit of mechanical knowhow, but it's all with cars.

What things should I be checking? The things I can think of so far are:

Service history
Tyre condition
Chain condition
Fork seal condition
Condition of brakes
VIN numbers etc. match that of V5
Check for smoking under throttle
Any strange engine noises

It's a CB500 with just over 38k on the clock. I did see this (https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=104756&highlight=cb+500) for CB specific things to look for. Is there anything else I should be looking for apart from the above? Thanks in advance!

[ljwalker]

check when the battery was last changed when i buy bikes they always sell it to me with a flat battery it is so annoying.

[faddius]

Crash damage, even subtle things like scuffed bar ends and mirrors.

Make sure it starts easily from cold and warm, when you go to see it before they turn it on to show you the engine running feel the engine casing and the exhaust to see if theyre warm. If they are, ask to wait till it cools down as whilst it may start easily from warm you may have a nightmare from cold and for all you know they have spent the last 2 hours trying to start it to warm it up before you come.

Run your hand down the frame, make sure theres no ridges or curves that shouldnt be there.

Sit on it and make sure the forks seem straight and even, and that the handlebars turn free.

Test the electrics, high beam, low beam, horn, neutral.

Check all gears select properly, if they wont let you take it for a test ride, just hold the clutch, drop it into 1st, roll it forward a bit, into 2nd etc. etc. and make sure they come back down ok as well.

Get it on the main stand with the bike running so the back wheels off the ground, put it into first with the clutch held in and check to see if the back wheel is turning, it shouldnt be, if it is the clutch may need adjusting / looking at. Also whilst its in this state, check that the clutch works properly and it bites decently.

Compress the front and rear shocks using your weight (front, hold the brake and push your weight down on the bars, rear just put your weight on the pillion seat) both should compress and immediately spring back smoothly and progressively as soon as you remove the weight.

Check for rust and corrosion, if theres rust scrape at it and make sure its not eating the metal, in particular on the brake discs, forks, swinging arm and downpipes.

With the back wheel off the ground, hold the back wheel and the bike separately and try turning the back wheel side to side, it shouldnt be able to, if it moves easily run away screaming.

Check the paperwork matches the frame and engine number, numberplate etc. etc. and that its the guys name on the V5 and his address - dont accept its his mates address.

Look at body work and tank for scrapes, scuffs or not being fitted together very well, could be tell tale signs of a drop or a crash thats been covered up.

Check bars are straight and the levers.

Make sure all moveable parts like the side stand, back wheel, front wheel all move smoothly without notchiness or stiffness.

If you do all of this and you still have doubts, walk away, better to be safe than sorry.

[faddius]

May be a good idea to take a notebook and write all of this down so you can tick it off as you check it - anything that isnt how it should be will have to be taken into account of whether it needs repairing or work being done on it - could be used for haggling.

If the guy doesnt like you doing all these checks, or is trying to rush you or seems edgy/nervous about it all, walk away, hes probably hiding something.

[Barker-CBR 600]

Everything you need in checklist form
____________________
Previous - Gilera DNA50 / XVS125 Dragstar/Honda CBR 600F/GSF 650 Bandit
Current - 2013 Suzuki VZ800 Intruder
'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[dabigginger]

Thank you to everyone for the info! I've spotted 3 different bikes I'm hoping to take a butchers at. I'll see what comes of it!