The best advice I heard about any deal, new or used, is "don't fall in love with the vehicle". The power to walk away is the strongest tool you have, don't get emotionally attached to the idea of a bike - there are other bikes on the market. Hold that spot in the garage open for the right machine, not the "right now" machine.
@@CanyonChasers I once applied this advice in my dating. While I always looked for Mrs.Right....Miss.Right Now, always was high maintenance and got me in trouble or I just felt icky ;) Its great advice agree.
You just never know. I recall a few years back going to look at an '04 Suzuki SV650S for my wife, to be her second full-size bike. The thing had only 5000 miles and was in quite good shape in terms of damage- just a few scratches. The youngish seller had just become a father and the bike had been sitting for a while; we guessed two years. The tires were nearly flat and the bike wasn't really cleaned. I was crouching next to the drive chain with the lad, looking a kinked, rusted-solid mess, and asked him: "when's the last time this chain was lubed?" "I didn't know you had to lube a chain" was the reply. Uh-oh. I actually attempted a very short, nerve-wracking test ride and despite the ruined tires, I could tell that excellent Suzuki V-twin was still there. She explained all the work I'd have to do, tires, chain, etc., and gave him $1900 for it. I wasn't sure at all on the way home, but in a few days had it up to speed with new rubber, chain, fluids, and what-all. Damn if it didn't turn out to be one of the best deals ever. She loved that thing and put over 15,000 miles on it before falling in love with a new Ninja 650 with a vastly-lighter clutch pull, which is a big deal after being a chef for 30+ years and beating up the mitts all day every day. She sold it to a favored nephew and it shall roll on. Sometimes, the signals aren't good but it turns out okay.
All those things are just indicators, right? To help us make an informed decision. If they wanted $3,500, you may have felt differently, but at $1900... Thats a song!
Avoiding heavily modified machines is good advice. I’ve been looking for a DRZ400SM for a couple months and it’s becoming very clear buying one new is the way to go. The cheap ones have been modified to death and the clean ones are as much or more than new. I have no problem with modifications per se, I just don’t trust that anyone else would do things the way I expect them to be done.
Thats exactly how I feel. Not only is unlikely they'd make the same mods I would do, I really have no idea about their mechanical ability. Did they install it or did the dealer. If they have maintenance records showing a shop installed them, I'm typically put at ease.
I've bought three bikes sight unseen, put thousands of miles on them. One had a rebuilt title (I knew about it), and was heavily discounted thanks to that. Knock on wood I haven't had any nightmares yet. Your approach is very thorough and well thought, I'm sure it will prevent surprises down the road. My approach is all up to knowing the people you're dealing with, getting a feel for how honest they are, and taking a chance. Which one is better depends on how adventurous you are and how much you're looking to save...
This is so true. I haven't been as lucky buying bikes sight unseen, but getting to know the seller and determining their honesty is a big part of the process.
This is a great video, and I've already recommended it. Good counsel on reading the seller and reading the neighborhood. One thing not mentioned is that having a discreet, knowledgeable friend with you can be a good thing.
Having only owned two bikes in my life and I purchased both of them used in Nov, I think I've done pretty good. If your inspection was an A effort, I'd consider mine a B+ effort ... passing grade but room for improvement. Bone stock is where it's at!
My first bike in my 20s was an '86 Yamaha Radian that the guy lost control and crashed through a wooden fence. The owner was a total "not-wanter" at that point. He replaced the break lever or something, my buddy took it for a test drive and gave me the a-ok (didn't have my license yet), so I got it dirt cheap. Well I was very lucky because it was an awesome bike for over 10 years before I traded it in and bought new.
Based on personal experience buying and fixing used Ducatis I would add the following: - Buy a bike with lots of QUALITY aftermarket parts - think Termi/Akra exhaust not AliExpress, parts from the manufacturer catalogue not anodized levers from fleabay, OEM luggage, professional Dyno tuning. Aftermarket parts depreciate a lot and cost a fortune to buy new. - Call the shop where the bike was serviced and get the service history from them directly. I have had a few instances where the buyer did not disclose engine and insurance repair work. - Avoid buying bikes who were parked close to the coast. Salty air and moisture are like tobacco and alcohol for humans. They make a bike age ten times faster. I've seen corrosion getting into the wiring harness and you might as well write off the bike.
How about damage to Ohlins TiNi tubes? What looked like a great deal on ebay, turned out into 5 months of waiting for inner tubes, because they got to be directly shipped from Ohlins after they manufacture them...yep...they had none in US....ended up spending more than on a new set. I purchased a lot of used bikes and every single one had some sort of a "problem"...let me rephrase it...I've discovered what was the real reason for selling only AFTER the purchase.
Seriously!! Damage to fork tubes is easy to miss and a massive pain (expensive) to resolve!! And most people never even look at them when considering a used bike.
from my experience some people just do the minimum stuff, cheap repairs right before they sell it. Of course its convenient to get it with a oil change, new air filter, spark plugs, battery or brake pads but sometimes its conceals the real conditions of the bike.
I waited 6 years to find the deal of a lifetime. I just got a 2013 kawasaki zx6r 636 With 4k miles on her. Only 5,300. Only downfall has a salvage title but inpy due to a knock over. So will get that all taken care of shortly. But yea man Im super stoked to have my dream bike with plenty of miles left on her for me to use! Ride safe Keep braaaapin!!!
My favorite red flag was a used supersport bike: 2yo, everything in great condition, low miles. All it needed was a new ignition cylinder! Let’s all play “Guess the history of that bike”!
There's a beautiful-looking '92 Katana in AZ for sale on craigslist that sure looks like the seller has armor-all'd the tires. Be careful out there, folks!
This is good, but most private sellers will be hesitant for you to perform any safety checks on bike, especially when they say no test rides🤷🏾♂️. So you are better off buying pre-owned from a dealership, for that guaranteed mechanical assurance. 👍🏾
Yeah. If a seller wouldn't let me check over the bike, I'd walk. There really is a fair bit of risk buying from private sellers. It's why we typically mostly buy new bikes, trading in our used bikes for the the ease and tax break.
Good advice, though I'm not sure about the no test ride. I looked at a NC700x once, just didn't like the motor when I rode it. But if I'd done more homework I probably could have just ruled it out in the first place.
Yeah, its a rough one, right. The liability goes way up. The seller may not give the cash back, you might crash the bike because of something mechanically wrong with it. Another commenter suggested putting the bike in gear and walking it by slipping the clutch to see if it does anything weird. That might be a great compromise between the two.
A test ride doesn't have to be 20 minutes and totally out of sight random dude on your motorcycle (if you are selling). It can be 4 minutes and less than 30mph. Go through the gears, on second give it some rear brake and throttle and see if the clutch slips. Listen for sounds and see if it tracks straight. Depending where they live and the roads near them you can take it around the block. I'd not buy a bike for myself without test ride. It is different if you buy and sell bikes because you are then much better at valuing the bike. And in that line of work sometimes you get a lemon. You don't want a lemon when you buy for yourself because it is not just the cost of fixing it but the unavailablity of the bike to be ridden. If you live in a place where the riding season is short that could mean you get very very few miles before the season ends.
None of Honda's service manual mentioned "changing fork oil" at all. Battery last much longer than 2 years. Tire, chain and brake pads condition is clearly visible and affect selling price. What kind of bike need to replace simultaneously pads+battery+tires+fluids? Anyway, bike that need $2000 service will have very low reselling price.
Nobody really knows why some manufacturers have left out fork oil service from their manuals for so long, but it's well understood in the industry to change it every two-years/10,000 miles or so. It's oil. It breaks down like any other oil. And the point is to assume they need to be changed, and if you can see they don't, then bonus. If you can't tell/don't know then assume it needs to be serviced. Almost every used bike I've ever bought has needed valve adjustments, coolant flush, fork oil, etc.
@@leonidfro8302 any lubricated, moving part will need service, at some point, whether the manual says so our not. My truck’s manual doesn’t have a service interval for the shocks, but I’d be a fool to think they will never wear out. Seals and dampers cannot last forever. Better to budget for them and not need the service than be surprised.
There is a lot of good information in this video but when you are talking about a dirt, dual sport or adventure you have to be even more careful, on all these type of bike you can omit up to a certain point the scratches and a dent here and there, after all of they don't have any of those the bikes never were use for what they were built for. but yes everything else apply and if you are lucky you can find one of those deals like I did, KLR650 5 years old stock, 500 miles with one little scratch. of course all the fluids and rubber needed to be change due to age.
It now not only used car sales. There seems to be a couple of Royal Enfield dealers passing off the 2022 Himalayan as the 2022 Euro 5 version. Or the TH-camrs are lying about the version that they have…. For click bait. If it doesn’t have the cat up by the motor it’s a 2021.
I do my own work whenever possible, except tires. I'd rather spend my money on tools. I grew up working on my Husqvarna super rat and wombat. That said I hate anything to do with springs or red loctite.
I agree with you. When you buy the tool, you only pay one time. But there are some things I hate doing so much, I"m happy to pay my local guy to do it. Like, I hate working on forks. Hate it!!
Just like when you look for a girlfriend, go by the motto, "there's always another one." That way you won't get fixated on needing one particular bike (or girl) and thus overlook all her potentially deadly flaws. However, once you find that right bike (or girl), you do your best to take care of her. Probably shouldn't extend the analogy any further.
I really disagree with not test riding a bike. Riding a bike is often time the only way to feel the condition of the clutch and transmission. Also listening for strange noise or irregularities while the bike is rolling. Even just riding it around the parking lot can be helpful.
If the seller balks at a test ride (for legit liability reasons), my dad would ask to walk the bike under idle or light throttle to feel the clutch engagement. This can gets around concerns while still allowing you to feel and hear any weird rattles or throttle behavior. Better than nothing.
@@CanyonChasers this also falls under “assessing the seller”. There are legit liability reasons to not allow a test ride. But if they refuse to let you put it in gear, walk it, and hit the brakes… that’s a big red flag.
I have refused test rides. I was selling and ST1300 and a couple showed up to consider the bike for her. She was not comfortable sitting on the bike or getting it off the side stand. The husband wanted to take it for a ride - I refused; his wife was the "buyer" once she said she didn't want a bike that size there was nothing left to discuss. I have a contract for test rides - you show up with cash for the full asking price, we count it and seal it in an envelope that I hold during the ride. If the bike comes back in any condition other than how it left, you just bought it at asking price, congratulations on your new bike. It also includes a full liability waiver against me and my insurance company for injury or property damage.
How do you determine which bikes to shortlist without the riding experience? I've previously been interested in bikes only to discount them on a test ride because they didn't "feel" right. What if I don't know someone who can lend me a particular bike to try? Is owning the Only real way to know if you'll like the bike or not?
This is an awesome question! I think I'm going to add it to my list of video ideas. But yeah, it's hard to figure that stuff out. It's typically why I recommend newer riders get standard or naked bikes, as they are the most versatile, to find out what kind of riding we most enjoy. So a lot of times, newer riders, myself included, tend to go through a lot of bikes the first several years of riding as we figure it out. I bounced from superbikes to cruisers to vintage bikes before I found that I prefer adventurery bikes. It's also why I'm not super nostalgic about those first bikes. I'm more emotionally attached to my current bikes than I was those first ones. But I believe the other side of that, honestly, is listening to our heart and allowing ourselves to make emotional decisions about bikes. As simple as, I love the older KTM Super Duke simply because I love that giant bright orange rear wheel! So when riding one, I'm more flexible on how it rides because I absolutely enjoy how it looks and how it sounds and all that. Thanks for the excellent question. I'll probably keep noodling this and expect a video on this at some point.
Not test riding is a huge problem. What about a bad clutch? What about a bad gear? What about possible wobbles and shaking? A thorough inspection can find many faults, but not all of them. Potential problems that a walk around misses, are more expensive then maintenance. You would never buy a car or truck without a test ride. I would never buy anything with wheels, without a test ride. Yes. a test ride adds risk and a potential to be forced to purchase. But you should not test ride it unless you are ready to buy it anyway. I do not support joyriding someone's bike. But I do NOT support buying a bike on the seller's word either. Both things are foolish.
I need some help for my bike Honda hornet cb919 I have difficult to get the spare parts can anyone suggest me some online shop genuine please it’s about caferacer I’m from Mauritius
Take photos of all sides, list the year, make, and model in the title with the price. Disclose any damage or scrapes. Then sit back and wait to find the one serious buyer in the hundred scam calls wanting to pay with fake cashier's checks. Don't be afraid to block numbers and don't respond to people wanting to "send you a code to see if you are human" - they are using you to create a Google Voice phone number to use in other scams.
@@CanyonChasers I'm looking into buying my FIRST EVER bike 😁 so I thought this video would have some good info to know. And it did! But it felt a bit overwhelming for someone new to riding. Any particular reason you prefer new to used?
This is way to nit picky. "Swirls on the bike"? ffs its a secound hand bike there is gonna be wear and tear. If a buyer wanted discounts for silly things like that id ride away.
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The best advice I heard about any deal, new or used, is "don't fall in love with the vehicle". The power to walk away is the strongest tool you have, don't get emotionally attached to the idea of a bike - there are other bikes on the market. Hold that spot in the garage open for the right machine, not the "right now" machine.
That is excellent advice!!
@@CanyonChasers I once applied this advice in my dating. While I always looked for Mrs.Right....Miss.Right Now, always was high maintenance and got me in trouble or I just felt icky ;) Its great advice agree.
“Know when to walk away” this advice applies to all aspects of life. Like always, great video! Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
And know when to RUN...
@@keithrozeski8463 when you hear the bang bang bang
You just never know.
I recall a few years back going to look at an '04 Suzuki SV650S for my wife, to be her second full-size bike.
The thing had only 5000 miles and was in quite good shape in terms of damage- just a few scratches.
The youngish seller had just become a father and the bike had been sitting for a while; we guessed two years. The tires were nearly flat and the bike wasn't really cleaned.
I was crouching next to the drive chain with the lad, looking a kinked, rusted-solid mess, and asked him: "when's the last time this chain was lubed?"
"I didn't know you had to lube a chain" was the reply. Uh-oh.
I actually attempted a very short, nerve-wracking test ride and despite the ruined tires, I could tell that excellent Suzuki V-twin was still there.
She explained all the work I'd have to do, tires, chain, etc., and gave him $1900 for it.
I wasn't sure at all on the way home, but in a few days had it up to speed with new rubber, chain, fluids, and what-all.
Damn if it didn't turn out to be one of the best deals ever. She loved that thing and put over 15,000 miles on it before falling in love with a new Ninja 650 with a vastly-lighter clutch pull, which is a big deal after being a chef for 30+ years and beating up the mitts all day every day.
She sold it to a favored nephew and it shall roll on.
Sometimes, the signals aren't good but it turns out okay.
All those things are just indicators, right? To help us make an informed decision. If they wanted $3,500, you may have felt differently, but at $1900... Thats a song!
Avoiding heavily modified machines is good advice. I’ve been looking for a DRZ400SM for a couple months and it’s becoming very clear buying one new is the way to go. The cheap ones have been modified to death and the clean ones are as much or more than new. I have no problem with modifications per se, I just don’t trust that anyone else would do things the way I expect them to be done.
Thats exactly how I feel. Not only is unlikely they'd make the same mods I would do, I really have no idea about their mechanical ability. Did they install it or did the dealer. If they have maintenance records showing a shop installed them, I'm typically put at ease.
I've bought three bikes sight unseen, put thousands of miles on them. One had a rebuilt title (I knew about it), and was heavily discounted thanks to that. Knock on wood I haven't had any nightmares yet. Your approach is very thorough and well thought, I'm sure it will prevent surprises down the road. My approach is all up to knowing the people you're dealing with, getting a feel for how honest they are, and taking a chance. Which one is better depends on how adventurous you are and how much you're looking to save...
This is so true. I haven't been as lucky buying bikes sight unseen, but getting to know the seller and determining their honesty is a big part of the process.
Excellent advice. Possibly the best used-bike buying tips I've ever heard. Kudos.
This is the best video about buying motorcycles I have seen. Extremely thorough and wise advice. Well done.
This is a great video, and I've already recommended it.
Good counsel on reading the seller and reading the neighborhood.
One thing not mentioned is that having a discreet, knowledgeable friend with you can be a good thing.
Yes. A "wingman" can be extremely useful for multiple reasons. I can't believe I neglected to mention that.
Hey I appreciate the work you put into your channel. I even don’t skip ads ;)
Wow! This is really in depth! This is very helpful!
This is amazing. Love the perspective you recommend
Having only owned two bikes in my life and I purchased both of them used in Nov, I think I've done pretty good. If your inspection was an A effort, I'd consider mine a B+ effort ... passing grade but room for improvement. Bone stock is where it's at!
Outstanding advice! The idea of not taking a test drive surprised me, but the 20 minute contract made sense.
My first bike in my 20s was an '86 Yamaha Radian that the guy lost control and crashed through a wooden fence. The owner was a total "not-wanter" at that point. He replaced the break lever or something, my buddy took it for a test drive and gave me the a-ok (didn't have my license yet), so I got it dirt cheap. Well I was very lucky because it was an awesome bike for over 10 years before I traded it in and bought new.
Great video, some useful tips for those that want a different bike for the 2022 season. Ride safely 🤓 💙
Another one I like to do is tell the seller not to warm up the bike before I get there. Want to see how it does on a cold start.
Based on personal experience buying and fixing used Ducatis I would add the following:
- Buy a bike with lots of QUALITY aftermarket parts - think Termi/Akra exhaust not AliExpress, parts from the manufacturer catalogue not anodized levers from fleabay, OEM luggage, professional Dyno tuning. Aftermarket parts depreciate a lot and cost a fortune to buy new.
- Call the shop where the bike was serviced and get the service history from them directly. I have had a few instances where the buyer did not disclose engine and insurance repair work.
- Avoid buying bikes who were parked close to the coast. Salty air and moisture are like tobacco and alcohol for humans. They make a bike age ten times faster. I've seen corrosion getting into the wiring harness and you might as well write off the bike.
very valuable information for inspecting the bike, with visual examples too... learned new things.
I’m still on my first bike which I have brought new but as I look into the future these are some good tips to keep in mind.
Love the thumbnail!!!
Hahaha. Thanks!
How about damage to Ohlins TiNi tubes? What looked like a great deal on ebay, turned out into 5 months of waiting for inner tubes, because they got to be directly shipped from Ohlins after they manufacture them...yep...they had none in US....ended up spending more than on a new set.
I purchased a lot of used bikes and every single one had some sort of a "problem"...let me rephrase it...I've discovered what was the real reason for selling only AFTER the purchase.
Seriously!! Damage to fork tubes is easy to miss and a massive pain (expensive) to resolve!! And most people never even look at them when considering a used bike.
Well done with great advice.
from my experience some people just do the minimum stuff, cheap repairs right before they sell it. Of course its convenient to get it with a oil change, new air filter, spark plugs, battery or brake pads but sometimes its conceals the real conditions of the bike.
Great content great advice brah 🤘
I waited 6 years to find the deal of a lifetime.
I just got a 2013 kawasaki zx6r 636
With 4k miles on her.
Only 5,300.
Only downfall has a salvage title but inpy due to a knock over. So will get that all taken care of shortly. But yea man Im super stoked to have my dream bike with plenty of miles left on her for me to use!
Ride safe
Keep braaaapin!!!
Congratulations. I always loved those 636s!
Awesome and hilarious thumbnail :) A very trustworthy person on it ;)
Really true! just purchased one.
My favorite red flag was a used supersport bike: 2yo, everything in great condition, low miles. All it needed was a new ignition cylinder! Let’s all play “Guess the history of that bike”!
ROFL!
My scariest used bike experience was test riding a bike with armorall'd tires! 🤯
Oh wow!
There's a beautiful-looking '92 Katana in AZ for sale on craigslist that sure looks like the seller has armor-all'd the tires. Be careful out there, folks!
great video , your channel is very enjoyable
Thanks for the excellent summary and…the Chase cameo!
Every video is better with Chase in it.
@@CanyonChasers Ramned Right! Ruff!
This is good, but most private sellers will be hesitant for you to perform any safety checks on bike, especially when they say no test rides🤷🏾♂️. So you are better off buying pre-owned from a dealership, for that guaranteed mechanical assurance. 👍🏾
Yeah. If a seller wouldn't let me check over the bike, I'd walk. There really is a fair bit of risk buying from private sellers. It's why we typically mostly buy new bikes, trading in our used bikes for the the ease and tax break.
I have come across engine numbers not matching the vin, especially when the bike was used for racing. Older bikes seem to have this occur as well.
I think this is quite common with race bikes. It may not be a big deal if you don't plan on registering the motorcycle.
Good advice, though I'm not sure about the no test ride. I looked at a NC700x once, just didn't like the motor when I rode it. But if I'd done more homework I probably could have just ruled it out in the first place.
Yeah, its a rough one, right. The liability goes way up. The seller may not give the cash back, you might crash the bike because of something mechanically wrong with it. Another commenter suggested putting the bike in gear and walking it by slipping the clutch to see if it does anything weird. That might be a great compromise between the two.
Very thorough 👌
I want to go bike shopping again now!
A test ride doesn't have to be 20 minutes and totally out of sight random dude on your motorcycle (if you are selling). It can be 4 minutes and less than 30mph. Go through the gears, on second give it some rear brake and throttle and see if the clutch slips. Listen for sounds and see if it tracks straight. Depending where they live and the roads near them you can take it around the block.
I'd not buy a bike for myself without test ride. It is different if you buy and sell bikes because you are then much better at valuing the bike. And in that line of work sometimes you get a lemon. You don't want a lemon when you buy for yourself because it is not just the cost of fixing it but the unavailablity of the bike to be ridden. If you live in a place where the riding season is short that could mean you get very very few miles before the season ends.
None of Honda's service manual mentioned "changing fork oil" at all. Battery last much longer than 2 years. Tire, chain and brake pads condition is clearly visible and affect selling price. What kind of bike need to replace simultaneously pads+battery+tires+fluids?
Anyway, bike that need $2000 service will have very low reselling price.
Nobody really knows why some manufacturers have left out fork oil service from their manuals for so long, but it's well understood in the industry to change it every two-years/10,000 miles or so. It's oil. It breaks down like any other oil.
And the point is to assume they need to be changed, and if you can see they don't, then bonus. If you can't tell/don't know then assume it needs to be serviced. Almost every used bike I've ever bought has needed valve adjustments, coolant flush, fork oil, etc.
I guess you're one of those guys that don't service their suspension.
@@CanyonChasers yea, “nobody”. It’s not there because forks doesn’t require periodic maintenance.
@@monkeyCmonkeyDoo you’re not supposed to service anything not mentioned in user manual. Unless you have a specific problem.
@@leonidfro8302 any lubricated, moving part will need service, at some point, whether the manual says so our not. My truck’s manual doesn’t have a service interval for the shocks, but I’d be a fool to think they will never wear out. Seals and dampers cannot last forever. Better to budget for them and not need the service than be surprised.
There is a lot of good information in this video but when you are talking about a dirt, dual sport or adventure you have to be even more careful, on all these type of bike you can omit up to a certain point the scratches and a dent here and there, after all of they don't have any of those the bikes never were use for what they were built for. but yes everything else apply and if you are lucky you can find one of those deals like I did, KLR650 5 years old stock, 500 miles with one little scratch. of course all the fluids and rubber needed to be change due to age.
Excellent point! Understanding the life the bike is supposed to lead is very helpful!
Hi Man I have learn a lot from u the best motorbike video
Great advice/video
It now not only used car sales. There seems to be a couple of Royal Enfield dealers passing off the 2022 Himalayan as the 2022 Euro 5 version. Or the TH-camrs are lying about the version that they have…. For click bait. If it doesn’t have the cat up by the motor it’s a 2021.
Never ben down or tracked just been serviced.....lol
I do my own work whenever possible, except tires. I'd rather spend my money on tools. I grew up working on my Husqvarna super rat and wombat. That said I hate anything to do with springs or red loctite.
I agree with you. When you buy the tool, you only pay one time. But there are some things I hate doing so much, I"m happy to pay my local guy to do it. Like, I hate working on forks. Hate it!!
Just like when you look for a girlfriend, go by the motto, "there's always another one." That way you won't get fixated on needing one particular bike (or girl) and thus overlook all her potentially deadly flaws. However, once you find that right bike (or girl), you do your best to take care of her. Probably shouldn't extend the analogy any further.
I really disagree with not test riding a bike. Riding a bike is often time the only way to feel the condition of the clutch and transmission. Also listening for strange noise or irregularities while the bike is rolling. Even just riding it around the parking lot can be helpful.
If the seller balks at a test ride (for legit liability reasons), my dad would ask to walk the bike under idle or light throttle to feel the clutch engagement. This can gets around concerns while still allowing you to feel and hear any weird rattles or throttle behavior. Better than nothing.
Thats a great suggestion John!
@@CanyonChasers this also falls under “assessing the seller”. There are legit liability reasons to not allow a test ride. But if they refuse to let you put it in gear, walk it, and hit the brakes… that’s a big red flag.
I have refused test rides. I was selling and ST1300 and a couple showed up to consider the bike for her. She was not comfortable sitting on the bike or getting it off the side stand. The husband wanted to take it for a ride - I refused; his wife was the "buyer" once she said she didn't want a bike that size there was nothing left to discuss.
I have a contract for test rides - you show up with cash for the full asking price, we count it and seal it in an envelope that I hold during the ride. If the bike comes back in any condition other than how it left, you just bought it at asking price, congratulations on your new bike. It also includes a full liability waiver against me and my insurance company for injury or property damage.
What's in the Darth Vader action figure case on the workbench?
Action figures! :D
8:12 I thought a meme just showed up. 😂😂
How do you determine which bikes to shortlist without the riding experience? I've previously been interested in bikes only to discount them on a test ride because they didn't "feel" right. What if I don't know someone who can lend me a particular bike to try? Is owning the Only real way to know if you'll like the bike or not?
This is an awesome question! I think I'm going to add it to my list of video ideas. But yeah, it's hard to figure that stuff out. It's typically why I recommend newer riders get standard or naked bikes, as they are the most versatile, to find out what kind of riding we most enjoy. So a lot of times, newer riders, myself included, tend to go through a lot of bikes the first several years of riding as we figure it out. I bounced from superbikes to cruisers to vintage bikes before I found that I prefer adventurery bikes. It's also why I'm not super nostalgic about those first bikes. I'm more emotionally attached to my current bikes than I was those first ones.
But I believe the other side of that, honestly, is listening to our heart and allowing ourselves to make emotional decisions about bikes. As simple as, I love the older KTM Super Duke simply because I love that giant bright orange rear wheel! So when riding one, I'm more flexible on how it rides because I absolutely enjoy how it looks and how it sounds and all that.
Thanks for the excellent question. I'll probably keep noodling this and expect a video on this at some point.
Thanks
With inflation driving used bike prices insanely high the last 12 months... it may be worth shopping Brand New.
It's crazy what the used market is doing right now.
@@CanyonChasers Yes, and here in the EU:
Petrol is 142 NRS per litre, about 1.88 USD. How much is it where you live?
We're probably around $0.90 - $1.35 USD per liter. And people are crying like it's the end of the world. Haha.
excellent
Thank you! Cheers!
@@CanyonChasers just bought my first bike today! was able to haggle well using your advice
Not test riding is a huge problem. What about a bad clutch? What about a bad gear? What about possible wobbles and shaking? A thorough inspection can find many faults, but not all of them. Potential problems that a walk around misses, are more expensive then maintenance. You would never buy a car or truck without a test ride. I would never buy anything with wheels, without a test ride. Yes. a test ride adds risk and a potential to be forced to purchase. But you should not test ride it unless you are ready to buy it anyway. I do not support joyriding someone's bike. But I do NOT support buying a bike on the seller's word either. Both things are foolish.
It's frustrating. This is why we're fans of the "Buy Back" model. It should protect buyer and seller.
Take a look at their other things as you pull up. House in disrepair, truck or car used and abused. Walk away!
Excellent point!
Every bike hasn't been dropped.
It's true. But that's a lot less common.
I need some help for my bike Honda hornet cb919 I have difficult to get the spare parts can anyone suggest me some online shop genuine please it’s about caferacer I’m from Mauritius
Can please help for the spare part
Bro dressed like matilda dad in the thumbnail🤣🤣
Accurate! I'm delighted someone got the reference!!
I wish I had tips how to sell a used bike ))
For some reason, that seems much harder. Yeah?
Take photos of all sides, list the year, make, and model in the title with the price. Disclose any damage or scrapes. Then sit back and wait to find the one serious buyer in the hundred scam calls wanting to pay with fake cashier's checks.
Don't be afraid to block numbers and don't respond to people wanting to "send you a code to see if you are human" - they are using you to create a Google Voice phone number to use in other scams.
Cute little dawg
So what you're saying is don't go to the ghetto to buy a motorcycle.
So basically, you have to become a mechanic to truly know the state of the bike and if it's worth buying.
Guess I'll forever buy from a dealership! 😂
I mean, I greatly prefer buying new bikes 😎, but just look at it and see what you see. It'll help you make informed decisions.
@@CanyonChasers I'm looking into buying my FIRST EVER bike 😁 so I thought this video would have some good info to know. And it did! But it felt a bit overwhelming for someone new to riding.
Any particular reason you prefer new to used?
This is way to nit picky. "Swirls on the bike"? ffs its a secound hand bike there is gonna be wear and tear. If a buyer wanted discounts for silly things like that id ride away.