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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 pins. Safety-wire ends can be extremely sharp -- don't cut yourself. | * 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 pins. 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. | ||
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===Related photos=== | ===Related photos=== | ||
[[Image:Safety-wire-holes-in-brake-caliper-(not-currently-safety-wired).jpg|left|thumb|Safety wire holes in brake caliper (not currently safety wired)]][[Image:Safety-wired-oil-drain-plug.jpg|left|thumb|Safety wired oil drain plug]][[Image:Textured-edge-of-racing-tire.jpg|left|thumb|Textured edge of racing tire]][[Image:Another-race-tire-showing-ragged-edges.jpg|left|thumb|Another race tire showing ragged edges]][[Image:Racing-case-guard.jpg|left|thumb|Racing case guard]] | [[Image:Safety-wire-holes-in-brake-[[caliper]]-(not-currently-safety-wired).jpg|left|thumb|Safety wire holes in brake [[caliper]] (not currently safety wired)]][[Image:Safety-wired-oil-drain-plug.jpg|left|thumb|Safety wired oil drain plug]][[Image:Textured-edge-of-racing-tire.jpg|left|thumb|Textured edge of racing tire]][[Image:Another-race-tire-showing-ragged-edges.jpg|left|thumb|Another race tire showing ragged edges]][[Image:Racing-case-guard.jpg|left|thumb|Racing case guard]] | ||
<br style="clear: left"/> | <br style="clear: left"/> | ||
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==Brakes== | ==Brakes== | ||
* Put the bike in neutral. Roll the bike forward, gently apply the front brakes*. They should engage (and the lever should move) smoothly. (Though you may hear a click as the brake-light switch engages.) Now release the brake lever and roll the bike... Are the brakes off, or are they dragging? (They should be off.) If not, the brake | * Put the bike in neutral. Roll the bike forward, gently apply the front brakes*. They should engage (and the lever should move) smoothly. (Though you may hear a click as the brake-light switch engages.) Now release the brake lever and roll the bike... Are the brakes off, or are they dragging? (They should be off.) If not, the brake [[caliper]]s need work. Stand in front of the bike with the bike in neutral. Grab the front brake lever and squeeze it hard against the handlebar. As you're doing this, try to drag the bike forward by the handlebars. (You may want someone behind the bike to stabilize it.) Do the brakes prevent the front wheel from moving? They should. | ||
* *=If you squeeze the front brake lever and it comes all the way back to the bar without much resistance, something is very wrong. Try adjusting the lever, if you know how (look for a little dial near the pivot). If this doesn't fix it, or you have to pump the brakes a lot to get them to work, the system is either empty, full of air bubbles, or something is amiss in the master cylinder or caliper. Check to make sure that there's adequate pad thickness, and make sure you get a professional mechanic to inspect the brakes before you try riding the bike. At the very least, the system needs to be bled. About $5 of brake fluid and half an hour of labor. | * *=If you squeeze the front brake lever and it comes all the way back to the bar without much resistance, something is very wrong. Try adjusting the lever, if you know how (look for a little dial near the pivot). If this doesn't fix it, or you have to pump the brakes a lot to get them to work, the system is either empty, full of air bubbles, or something is amiss in the master cylinder or [[caliper]]. Check to make sure that there's adequate pad thickness, and make sure you get a professional mechanic to inspect the brakes before you try riding the bike. At the very least, the system needs to be bled. About $5 of brake fluid and half an hour of labor. | ||
* Rear brake... roll the bike forward, use the rear brake to stop the bike. It should also engage smoothly. If the rear brake is a drum brake (no exposed brake rotor), is the wear indicator needle inside or outside the "usable range" indicator when the brakes are applied? Outside, of course, means the brakes are worn out. | * Rear brake... roll the bike forward, use the rear brake to stop the bike. It should also engage smoothly. If the rear brake is a drum brake (no exposed brake rotor), is the wear indicator needle inside or outside the "usable range" indicator when the brakes are applied? Outside, of course, means the brakes are worn out. | ||
* Some states have a mandatory safety inspection. If yours does, they'll probably require that both front and back brake levers (separately and together) illuminate the brake light. If one does and the other doesn't, you probably need a new switch (around $25?) or a switch adjustment. If both don't, you probably just need a new bulb (around $1.) | * Some states have a mandatory safety inspection. If yours does, they'll probably require that both front and back brake levers (separately and together) illuminate the brake light. If one does and the other doesn't, you probably need a new switch (around $25?) or a switch adjustment. If both don't, you probably just need a new bulb (around $1.) | ||
* Check remaining brake pad material. There should be at least 1/8" of brake pad material on each brake pad. For bikes with disc brakes, get in front of the bike and look into the | * Check remaining brake pad material. There should be at least 1/8" of brake pad material on each brake pad. For bikes with disc brakes, get in front of the bike and look into the [[caliper]]s, on either side of the rotor(s). A flashlight might help here, even in daylight. The pads are the raised parts that directly contact the brake disc. If the bike has a disc brake in back, do the same type of inspection with the rear brake pads. | ||
* Disc brakes continued: rotors should be a certain minimum thickness and shouldn't vary more than a certain amount when spun. This kind of information will be in the service manual. As a general rule of thumb, rotors should be a minimum of 4mm, and warpage should be less than .012". (FWIW, even warpage of .020" probably won't show up in the form of lever-pulsing at speeds below 45 mph.) If you don't have the right tools to test this, you'll probably need to rely on a test ride to spot a warped rotor -- unless it's so bad that you can see it with the naked eye. Even if you don't have the right tools, you can inspect the rotors for cracks, deep wear grooves and other damage. | * Disc brakes continued: rotors should be a certain minimum thickness and shouldn't vary more than a certain amount when spun. This kind of information will be in the service manual. As a general rule of thumb, rotors should be a minimum of 4mm, and warpage should be less than .012". (FWIW, even warpage of .020" probably won't show up in the form of lever-pulsing at speeds below 45 mph.) If you don't have the right tools to test this, you'll probably need to rely on a test ride to spot a warped rotor -- unless it's so bad that you can see it with the naked eye. Even if you don't have the right tools, you can inspect the rotors for cracks, deep wear grooves and other damage. | ||
* [[Brake fluid]] should be a very light amber. Darker than honey means it's time to replace the brake fluid. Not expensive, but possibly an indication that the owner hasn't followed the maintenance schedule. (Or maybe the bike has just sat for a long time.) The front brake fluid color and level should be easy to inspect through a sight glass in the front master cylinder or via marks on the translucent brake fluid reservoir. (Fluid level should be roughly in the middle of the sight glass or reservoir min/max range when the bike is on level ground and the steering is centered.) For bikes with disc brakes on the rear wheel, check the rear brake fluid as well -- sometimes visible under the seat/tailsection, sometimes visible through a hole cut in the tailsection or side fairings. | * [[Brake fluid]] should be a very light amber. Darker than honey means it's time to replace the brake fluid. Not expensive, but possibly an indication that the owner hasn't followed the maintenance schedule. (Or maybe the bike has just sat for a long time.) The front brake fluid color and level should be easy to inspect through a sight glass in the front master cylinder or via marks on the translucent brake fluid reservoir. (Fluid level should be roughly in the middle of the sight glass or reservoir min/max range when the bike is on level ground and the steering is centered.) For bikes with disc brakes on the rear wheel, check the rear brake fluid as well -- sometimes visible under the seat/tailsection, sometimes visible through a hole cut in the tailsection or side fairings. | ||
* Inspect the brake hoses for nicks, cuts, dry-rot, and leaks. | * Inspect the brake hoses for nicks, cuts, dry-rot, and leaks. | ||
* New brake pads are around $25-30 per pair (each caliper has one pair, so a bike with two brake rotors in front = two | * New brake pads are around $25-30 per pair (each [[caliper]] has one pair, so a bike with two brake rotors in front = two [[caliper]]s up front = two pairs of pads up front.) Brake rotors are usually around $150-250 each. Brake lines are about $80-150 new, but if you have to replace them, replace them with braided stainless-steel lines, which cost a lot less ($70-80 new) and offer better brake feel and less heat-induced expansion. Don't forget you might as well replace the brake fluid while your at it. | ||
===Related photos=== | ===Related photos=== | ||
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===Some miscellaneous pictures of where things are & what they look like...=== | ===Some miscellaneous pictures of where things are & what they look like...=== | ||
* (diagrams coming soon!) FRONT WHEEL: one two three | * (diagrams coming soon!) FRONT WHEEL: one two three | ||
** Pictures of the front wheel area -- the lower fork leg, brake caliper, brake rotors, caliper mounting bolts, front axle, rim, tire, etc. | ** Pictures of the front wheel area -- the lower fork leg, brake [[caliper]], brake rotors, [[caliper]] mounting bolts, front axle, rim, tire, etc. | ||
* REAR WHEEL: one two three | * REAR WHEEL: one two three | ||
** Pictures of the rear wheel and swingarm -- brakes, chain/sprocket, exhaust pipe and cannister, rear shock, etc. | ** Pictures of the rear wheel and swingarm -- brakes, chain/sprocket, exhaust pipe and cannister, rear shock, etc. | ||