Buying a Used Motorcycle – Tips and Tricks

If you\’ve recently made the decision to buy a used motorcycle, this guide will help you with some of best ways of choosing the right bike for you. If you are buying your first bike, we definitely suggest you buy used and get a courier ship it to you. It\’s the best way to buy a great bike for cheap while you get a feel for riding. However, there is much more to buying used motorcycles than finding one that looks and sounds cool – and if you go in unprepared, you might be walking home from your first joy ride.

Do Your Homework

When you\’re doing your preparation -and you really should do your homework-you\’ll quickly find that there are a huge variety of bikes available on the used motorbike market. It is important to ask what type of bike you both want and need? This will help you avoid trawling masses of bikes that you have no interest in. If you can select one or two bike types to work from. For example cruisers, sportbikes, scooters, touring bikes, dirt bikes, choppers, enduro bikes, etc-based on your personal tastes and needs. Once you have the type of bike locked down you can explore the various makes, models and accessories.

Dealer or Private Seller?

So you\’ve done the research and finally decided on what you want to buy, now it\’s time to figure out from whom do you want to but it: a private party or a dealer! Whichever you decide (and there is no reason to limit yourself to one or the other as long as you understand the pros and cons of each) you should know enough about the bike to walk into any transaction armed with knowledge, especially of fair market value.

Before you buy your bike have a ceiling in terms of price and work from there. It is ill advised to risk your health and life for a good deal. Safety should always take precedence over price.

Time to Inspect

You do not want to buy any bike sight unseen. Ant not only do you want to SEE the bike, but you also want to INSPECT the bike – thoroughly. The first thing you should do is check the frame. The tiniest of cracks or fractures can turn into serious risks to a bikes integrity on the road which can be very dangerous in the future. In fact, any frame damage at all should be a deal-breaker (unless you are getting a GREAT buy and understand the severity of frame damage). Parts that can obscure damage to other parts should be removed if possible.

Next, check the chain and sprockets for wear, check the battery and battery leads, inspect the tires and tread, sit on the bike, test the brakes, and look for anything that appears missing. You should always ask to see the maintenance and service records.

Time to Test Drive

After the used motorcycle passes your inspection it\’s time to test-drive it. Naturally we should make it clear that when you ride any motorcycle you should always where the proper safety gear. This applies to test drives. So make sure you come with your own safety equipment.

If you are buying a new motorcycle, you probably won\’t get the chance to test-drive it first, so appreciate the opportunity. If you go through a dealership to buy a second hand bike you should expect to have to sign a lot of liability and insurance forms. Don\’t freak out…this is simply the way it is.

You should feel comfortable on the bike while riding and the longer the test-drive the better to get a good idea of what it will feel like for longer rides. Before you drive away from the seller you should already have a feel for the bike so that you have a safe ride back home. Feel how the pedals, throttle and handle bars respond under different conditions and of course, test the mirrors. Once you are ready, take her out!

When test driving a used motorcycle, variety is the key! Test it at different speeds and give the brakes and acceleration a good workout, mix up the road conditions if possible and road types (curves, straight-aways, flat ground, hills, and so on). Try to simulate, as best you can, how you will be driving the bike if you were to buy it. But take it slow! It\’s not your bike yet.

Take it to a Garage

Finally, after the bike passes your inspection and after you enjoyed the test-drive, ask if you can take the bike to a mechanic for a proper inspection. This will come out of your pocket so make sure you are very interested in the bike at this point. In the short term this will of course cost you but the long term saving could be greater if a mechanical problem is spotted early on!

Once everything checks out, it\’s time to negotiate! Have a firm price in mind and be ready to walk away if the seller can\’t hit it. The \”walk out\” can offer be a great way of nabbing a great deal.

If the bike is not local to your home address you can organise the courier service to bring it home.

Antonino Bruno is a freelance writer creating quality content for websites. His work includes articles about how to shop for and transport motor vehicles and advice ranging between bike transport to man with a van companies to delivery your parts or vehicles.

Antonino Bruno is a freelance writer creating quality content for websites. His work includes articles about how to shop for and transport motor vehicles and advice ranging between http://www.shiply.com/bike-transport/ to http://www.shiply.com/man-and-van/ companies to delivery your parts or vehicles.

Author Bio: Antonino Bruno is a freelance writer creating quality content for websites. His work includes articles about how to shop for and transport motor vehicles and advice ranging between bike transport to man with a van companies to delivery your parts or vehicles.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: courier,cars,courier services,man and van, man with a van, cheap couriers,good couriers

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