Picking Bike up tomorrow - WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE GOING HOME ON IT?

Question

I need to know both what to check before accepting it, and what to get used to / check before riding off.

thanks

Answer 1

If you are asking these questions, you need to take an MSF course.

Answer 2

Check gas, oil level, oil color (should look like honey or close to it. If it's black they haven't been taking care of it.)
Check chain, look to see if it is stretched out, sprockets wore? Tires good? Are they wearing funny? Do they have enough air? Start the bike. How does the engine sound? Any unusual knocking? Take it for a ride. Does it run smooth ? Does it wobble? Does the bike feel loose like a worn out bike? Tight like it's right? Does it shift good? How about brakes? Are they sticking after you apply them or do they let loose when you let go of the lever? How do the rotors look? Do they look like rotors do or are they discolored? A little bluish? Maybe worse? Scored?
How do you feel about the bike overall after checking it out?
Go with your gut. If you have doubts don't feel bad about turning it down. There are a lot of bikes out there for sale.
What ever you buy buy a shop manual for that bike and learn to pull maintenance and to trouble shoot problems that may arise and learn to fix your bike. You'll be glad you did.
Good Luck

Answer 3

Two biggest things are the tires and the brakes. Without those, you're not going anywhere.

There are so many things to check on a vehicle before you buy it. Make sure it's not leaking oil, especially if it's a japanese bike. Any oil leaking on a Japanese bike means it is shot. If it's a Harley a small leak is reasonably normal on the old ones, but the new ones should not leak either.

Answer 4

Well, you didn't say what type of bike it was. That info would have helped, but I'll try to slip you some tips.

If you are picking it up from a dealer, and it was sold as a serviced, used bike, then you need check nothing. I have never purchased a used bike from a dealer that was not just about perfect except for some normal wear and tear. If it's a new bike, same thing. Only remember a new bike has a break-in period if you want her to last a long while.

Now if you are getting the bike from a private seller, that is another kettle of fish. This list I'm going to give you will be just a start. You will also get good info from others who see what I miss. And here we go! (This is gonna take a while.)

Oil level in the engine, and how clean it is. Don't just look at it, feel it. If it feels even slightly gritty you are looking at trouble. See if there is any light brown, almost tan color foam anywhere on the dipstick. That means water. Either because it was pressure washed incorrectly, or it is water cooled and has a head gasket leak. Little light brown bubbles in the oil are trouble also. BIG trouble.

Tranny fluid. My bike takes a hex wrench to check it, most bikes don't have a dipstick for the tranny. Same procedure with the tranny as with the engine. Clean, no grit. Don't have to worry about water in most cases though. Feel for rough shifting when you get moving, and make sure you can find the neutral position with no problems.

Tire pressure and tread depth. Rim condition, and spokes if it has them. Check for loose spokes if it don't have mags. While you at the wheels, check the rotor(s). Look for heavy scoring of the rotor. Heavy scoring = NOT GOOD. Light surface rust is not a problem if the bike has been sitting, but pits are not good. Make sure there is sufficient puck left. A big space between the puck and the rotor mean worn brakes, and an unsafe condition. You can only check a drum by using it. (Don't laugh. My first bike had a rear drum, and lot's of older cheap bikes have them.) Listen for noise, feel for odd vibrations when you finally get to about 20 MPH and use it. Have anything odd checked out pronto.

(No, you ain't ready to ride it yet.) Pull the seat and look for excessive rust. On some bikes you have to pull the seat to get at the battery, and possibly the air cleaner box. (Mostly the Japanese bikes.) You want a reasonably clean air filter. You don't want to see white powdery stuff on the battery terminals. (Sometimes you get green crud also.) The top of the battery should be dry. If it has caps, check the cell level. (NO SMOKING WHEN YOU DO THIS! The battery could blow up in you face. DON'T USE A LIGHTER TO GET A BETTER LOOK! Flashlight, or pull the battery.)

Belt or chain. The belt you check for cracks. Tiny cracks (And I mean tiny!) are OK. Any crack you can put a fingernail into, or one longer than 1/2 inch, bum belt soon. Missing teeth on the belt also. Chain, see if it is well lubed. Rust on a chain is not good and little pieces of rubber sticking out from the ends of the links meant the "O" rings (If it is an "O" ring chain.) are shot. The chain should not be rusty or make excessive noise. It's hard to visually check a driveshaft, (They are enclosed in a tube.) but check it like you would a drum brake.

Almost there! Fuel tank, lines, and filter if it has one. Gas is pretty clear. If it is cloudy, you have a problem. (Here is where the flashlight comes in again.) Shake the bike a little back and forth, and rock it forward and back. (Gently!) Look for little pieces of "stuff" floating in the gas. Bad news. Check rubber lines for cracks, and seepage at the connections. Make sure the tank reserve lever works easily so you can use it at speed if you run dry. Check the choke lever or cable. Make sure it actually works.

Brake and clutch lever. Fluid level for the disk brakes, front and rear if it has both. Make sure the levers move smoothly with no binding in the lever pivot or cables. Same for the throttle cable. Don't go overboard here since every time you twist the wick, you squirt fuel into the engine. You don't want to flood the carb.

The operator footpegs, and the bars, should be in comfortable positions. Most footpegs are not adjustable unless the bike has hiway pegs. That, you don't have to worry about that yet. But most bars are adjustable forward and back.

Getting closer! But still a few more things.

Does the bike have a windscreen? Is it badly scratched? Can it be removed easily if it is? Bad scratches will blind you when you drive with the sun in front of you. Mostly early morning. If you can look over it with not much difficulty then it's not a problem. Are the grips in good shape, or are they missing pieces. Not good. Is the seat in good shape? I had a bike long ago that had a small tear in it. Every time after it would rain, I would sit down and the seat would try to give me a rainwater enema.

The physical shape of the radiator if the bike is water cooled. Look for big chunks of bent, missing fin where the radiator took a rock or some other road debris. Make sure the radiator fins ain't covered with road crap. Check the regulator fins also while you are at it. It gets hot on some bikes.

And last but not least, just plain old signs of physical abuse or neglect of maintenance. And if the bike is new now, be sure to check these things a few times between your regular service. You can do it when you wash and dry her.

That is about all I can think of, but I'm sure there are other riders out there that will say I missed something. And I very well may have! I'm not a professional bike mechanic, but I have yet to be stranded on the highway because my bike crapped out on me. And I have never had a catastrophic failure of any part.

And as far as what to get used to, if it is a new bike to you then it will handle differently. When I started with my big V-twin after I got rid of my Sporster, the big bike was a real handfull. Don't push the bike to the limit. Ride within your skill envelope. If you have not ridden a bike before, That is a whole 'nother 8 pages of info, and I am not a book writer.

Take care, and ride safe. Drop me a line if you need more info on anything I put in this answer. I do e-mail and IM. Ciao!

P.S. Sometimes I forget this, but take a peek at my avatar pic. I'm wearing lots of dead cow. It takes the sting out of road rash. And here in FL, it gets darn hot in that cow! I also wear a bucket. It's only a half shell, but it's a good one. (Better picture on my 360 site.) I carry insurance even though it is not required here, and have my M/C endorsement. Don't ride without a permit or endorsement. In some places it's a pretty hefty ticket.

Answer 5

1.Your safety gear, helmet, pants, boots, gloves, glasses
2.Insurance coverage
3.Your ability...Ride slow & safe, you have nothing to prove.
4.Do a walk around on the bike, check tires, brakes, look at chain tension (1/2 inch of play in it.)
5.Warm it up min. 4 mins. before riding away.

Answer 6

Make sure you get a manual and heres a little extra info

READ THE DAMN THING

it will have a pre ride inspection for you to follow as well as a bunch of crap you dont know

Answer 7

check the blinker fluid... lots of dealers try to slip out on adding the blinker fluid because its so expensive.. so tell them you're not going to accept the bike until the blinker fluid is full..

Answer 8

about the chain - 1/4inch is not much. i would say if its within 1 n 1/8 its ok.