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Difference between revisions of "Used Motorcycle Evaluation"
→Has it been crashed?
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* Look for: deep parallel scratches on engine cases and on plastic (particularly above footpeg-level); a different/non-standard paint job (the owner might have repainted it to hide damage); paint or metal ground off the ends of the handlebars [1], or off the balls on the ends of the clutch/brake levers; dents in the gas tank where the handlebars may have smashed into it during a crash [2]; dents and deep/parallel scratches in exhaust pipes; turn-signal stalks bent or ripped off; cracks in plastic bodywork obscured by stickers [3]. ([[Aftermarket]] stickers are sometimes used to cover defects -- beware!) | * Look for: deep parallel scratches on engine cases and on plastic (particularly above footpeg-level); a different/non-standard paint job (the owner might have repainted it to hide damage); paint or metal ground off the ends of the handlebars [1], or off the balls on the ends of the clutch/brake levers; dents in the gas tank where the handlebars may have smashed into it during a crash [2]; dents and deep/parallel scratches in exhaust pipes; turn-signal stalks bent or ripped off; cracks in plastic bodywork obscured by stickers [3]. ([[Aftermarket]] stickers are sometimes used to cover defects -- beware!) | ||
* Sometimes brake and clutch levers will be bent in a crash and replaced with a lever that's a different color than the other side, or a slightly different style than the other side, or it'll be hammered back into shape so it doesn't look obviously bent. (In the latter case, look for thin cracks in the | * Sometimes brake and clutch levers will be bent in a crash and replaced with a lever that's a different color than the other side, or a slightly different style than the other side, or it'll be hammered back into shape so it doesn't look obviously bent. (In the latter case, look for thin cracks in the anodizing or clear coats of levers... it'll look something like a spider web of hairline cracks.) Also look for bent or cracked mirrors, or mirrors replaced with mirrors of a different type. Both are signs that the bike has been down. Not necessarily crashed, but at least tipped over. Check carefully. | ||
* Sometimes a crash will twist the front forks. Sit on the bike, sight down the forks, and see if they're at all twisted or bent. (Twisted is pretty cheap and easy to fix, bent is not, but either ought to be a warning sign to check extra-carefully for other damage.) If you get a chance to test ride the bike, get the bike going straight, and take a quick look down at the bars to make sure they're pointed straight -- if they aren't, the front has probably been twisted in a crash. | * Sometimes a crash will twist the front forks. Sit on the bike, sight down the forks, and see if they're at all twisted or bent. (Twisted is pretty cheap and easy to fix, bent is not, but either ought to be a warning sign to check extra-carefully for other damage.) If you get a chance to test ride the bike, get the bike going straight, and take a quick look down at the bars to make sure they're pointed straight -- if they aren't, the front has probably been twisted in a crash. | ||
* Non-parallel scratches and shallow chips tend to indicate a tip-over rather than a crash at speed. (Crashes, of course, tend to do more damage -- tip-overs rarely do more than minor cosmetic damage.) | * Non-parallel scratches and shallow chips tend to indicate a tip-over rather than a crash at speed. (Crashes, of course, tend to do more damage -- tip-overs rarely do more than minor cosmetic damage.) | ||