Pointers for testing motorcycles?

[Excelsis]

What things do i need to consider when buying a bike?
Changing gears, any unfamiliar noise? etc.

Thanks!

[bcrdukes]

Take it to a shop.

/thread

[Culverin]

How thorough will a shop be? Which ones have you used int he past?

[SoNaRWaVe]

I've heard good things about Imperial, Burnaby Kawasaki, EMS, and Bayside. But there's always going to be somebody that has a bad experience from any given shop.

I personally go to Imperial to get my bike work done and they have been nothing but awesome and helpful thus far. Any shop is better than no shop at all for a pre-inspection.

But http://www.revscene.net/forums/64987...otorcycle.html is a good place to start if you want to buy used.

[noventa]

its too hard if it is your first time buying a bike. All those shops mentioned above will do a quality job with your inspection. If you still insist on checking it out yourself then first familiarize yourself with the bike you are seeking to purchase. Find out if there were any known issues on that bike and make sure yours has been corrected.

Look at the tires, look at the brakes, look at the chain, look at the sprocket and look at the battery. These wear and tear items will set you back a lot of money if you purchase them near the end of their life and not factor it into the cost. Look for liitle balls of rubber underneath the tail as it is an indication that someone has been doing burnouts on the bike. Rotors should be clean with no grooves or pits or else it may not be on straight Look at the axle bolts, drain bolts and other places where a safety wire would have needed to be thread for racing. You do not want to pay street bike price for a bike that has been raced. Look at the panels for proper fitment and look for missing bolts on the fairing. If bolts are missing you are going to have to wonder why it was taken apart. May be an indication of a accident. However, if the big fairing surrounding the oil filter has somehting missing that is usually alright because ppl usually take that one off all the time to change oil/coolant and stuff like that. Make sure the bike tracts straight on acceleration and under hard hard hard (3 hard for emphasis) breaking. There should be no noise, especiially clunking from gearbox and rhythmic oscillation scraping sound from the brakes. The rebound rate should be smooth from and rear and when you change the settings, the bike should obviously change feel. If you dial in a new setting on the rear or front and nothing changes, something might be possible be seized or jammed. Also, there should not be excessive play in the throttle cable or clutch. Yes, both of these could be adjusted but if you adjust it to the max and it is still out, then this is an indication that some physical component has failed or will fail very soon.

Ummm........also, a lot of new bikes have more fancy electronics such as ABS or heated functions that you will have to make sure is working properly. I have never owned a bike with those options so I can't really say much there. Just something to consider.

If this is your first time riding a bike, you would definitely benefit from bringing it to a professional.

[noventa]

oh yeah, and familiarize yourself with where the OEM vin numbers are located on the bike you wish to purchase. Make sure they are all present and make sure they are the same. Also, look at the electrical harness and make sure none has been butchered. If they are, ask the owner why and in order to see if his story matches up.

[NLY]

Also make sure the seller doesn't start the bike before you get there.

You want to make sure it starts effortlessly

[AlexT1]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

Take it to a shop.

/thread

the easiest solution

[dachinesedude]

im looking to buy a bike too, whats the km of a bike before major maintenance needs to be done?

example, when cars reach 100,000km major stuff needs to be looked at, so on a bike, whats the equivalent km? roughly

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by dachinesedude

im looking to buy a bike too, whats the km of a bike before major maintenance needs to be done?

example, when cars reach 100,000km major stuff needs to be looked at, so on a bike, whats the equivalent km? roughly

Do you have a specific example of a bike you're looking at?

Some bikes will need valve adjustments (which can be a bitch but debatable) but otherwise, the usual stuff like chain & sprocket, oil changes, brake fluid flushes, cable adjustments, and the like (the list goes on) is standard.

I believe general rule of thumb (?) is that most standard Japanese sport bikes require some kind of service interval every 10,000 to 15,000km. Having said that though, some people perform seasonal tune ups every year. There is no right or wrong. Just depends on how much time/money you have.

[taylor192]

Motorcycles are simple, you're over thinking it.

Valves need to be adjusted, on some every 10K, on others every 50K - just do your research. Chains and sprockets should last forever if cared for, and uncared for one easy to spot as the chain won't move freely and the sprocket teeth will be worn. Shocks will need new seals eventually, with age they dry out and crack. You'll see oil residue on the shocks.

Otherwise its just standard fluid changes, brakes and tires.

[dachinesedude]

im looking at the following 600's: cbr, R6, gsxr

im seeing a lot of early 2000 models with around 15,000-35,000km that is within my budget

kawi's are always cheaper but ive heard they're horrible in terms of quality

[bcrdukes]

^
Watch out for early 2000 model bikes. A lot of them are still on carbs (not that there's anything wrong with that.) You will want to fork up the extra bit for something that is fuel injected.

I believe Yamaha's R6 didn't introduce fuel injection to their bikes until 2003. Honda's CBR600 wasn't fuel injected until the introduction of the F4I whereas the 600RRs should all be fuel injected. I don't know about Suzuki's GSX-R 600 unfortunately. Worst case scenario - have the bike checked out at a reputable shop. Lots of them around town.

Nothing wrong with Kawasaki. They earned the bag stigma due to their progress in terms of research and development and new-to-market technology. Again, this is debatable.

[dachinesedude]

for fuel injection, cbr '03+, R6 '03+, gsxr '01+, zx6r '03+

not looking at pre-2003 anyways so its all good

[NLY]

If it's going to be a first bike get the CBR. I've got a 06 CBR600RR and I love it. First bike I've ever owned and I don't have many negative things to critique.

http://i.imgur.com/11MYp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ztLRU.jpg


If you're interested send me a PM so I can buy a Ducati

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by rizo

If you're interested send me a PM so I can buy a Ducati

I'm not necessarily in the market for one but PM me with details. I know of somebody who is looking for the RR.

[CharlieH]

Originally Posted by rizo

If it's going to be a first bike get the CBR. I've got a 06 CBR600RR and I love it. First bike I've ever owned and I don't have many negative things to critique.

http://i.imgur.com/11MYp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ztLRU.jpg


If you're interested send me a PM so I can buy a Ducati

oh god dammit i didn't realize you were peanutbutter

[dachinesedude]

How much is 03 cbr with 10k km no accidents worth?
Posted via RS Mobile

[eurochevy]

tip #1 don't be stupid = you'll die, proudly sponsored by the try not to die first bike OMGITWILLBEEPICLETSGONUTS <- don't do that association

*edit* and cbr600 would be easiest to ride as a beginner, although if your looking to riding within your potential ninja 250 good starter