Difference between revisions of "Used Motorcycle Evaluation"
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* Racing puts tremendous stress on machinery. You may or may not want to buy a bike that's been raced (the price ought to be way lower than it would be otherwise), but you should definitely try to find out if it has or hasn't been raced, so you can adjust the price accordingly if need be. | * Racing puts tremendous stress on machinery. You may or may not want to buy a bike that's been raced (the price ought to be way lower than it would be otherwise), but you should definitely try to find out if it has or hasn't been raced, so you can adjust the price accordingly if need be. | ||
* Look for holes drilled through the heads of bolts [1], which racers use to safety-wire bolts in place. Check: front brake [[caliper]] mounting bolts [1], exhaust pipe bolts, engine case bolts, oil/water drain bolts [2], etc. The holes will be small, about 1/16", and should not be confused with the 1/8"-3/16" holes and castellated nuts that are often used to hold axle nuts on axles with cotter | * Look for holes drilled through the heads of bolts [1], which racers use to safety-wire bolts in place. Check: front brake [[caliper]] mounting bolts [1], exhaust pipe bolts, engine case bolts, oil/water drain bolts [2], etc. The holes will be small, about 1/16", and should not be confused with the 1/8"-3/16" holes and castellated nuts that are often used to hold axle nuts on axles with [[cotter pin]]s. Safety-wire ends can be extremely sharp -- don't cut yourself. | ||
* Tires with roughed up edges, covered with ragged strips of balled-up rubber is a sure sign that the bike has been raced. [3] [4] If the rear tire is completely flat in the middle but looks practically new on the sides, the owner may have performed a burn-out with them. (Not necessarily damaging to anything other than the rear tire, but a possible signal that the owner hasn't taken good care of the machine.) In rare instances, frazzled/ragged edges may be there because the bike's owner bought "take-offs" (used race tires) from a racer, and not because the bike itself was raced. But be very suspicious. | * Tires with roughed up edges, covered with ragged strips of balled-up rubber is a sure sign that the bike has been raced. [3] [4] If the rear tire is completely flat in the middle but looks practically new on the sides, the owner may have performed a burn-out with them. (Not necessarily damaging to anything other than the rear tire, but a possible signal that the owner hasn't taken good care of the machine.) In rare instances, frazzled/ragged edges may be there because the bike's owner bought "take-offs" (used race tires) from a racer, and not because the bike itself was raced. But be very suspicious. | ||
* Also look for heavy-duty aftermarket engine covers [5] -- made by [[NRC]], [[Factory]], [[Traksport]], [[Yoshimura]], etc. Many racing organizations require them, so they're a decent tip-off that the bike has been raced. They tend to be cheaper than the [[OEM]] case covers they replace, however, so sometimes they're used to replace crash-damaged case covers. By themselves, they aren't proof that a bike has been crashed or raced, but look around carefully for other tell-tale signs. | * Also look for heavy-duty aftermarket engine covers [5] -- made by [[NRC]], [[Factory]], [[Traksport]], [[Yoshimura]], etc. Many racing organizations require them, so they're a decent tip-off that the bike has been raced. They tend to be cheaper than the [[OEM]] case covers they replace, however, so sometimes they're used to replace crash-damaged case covers. By themselves, they aren't proof that a bike has been crashed or raced, but look around carefully for other tell-tale signs. | ||