Purpose
Before buying a second hand bike, we have to think multiple times of for what purpose we have to buy a second hand bike. If you are going to use it very rarely, it suits you. But when you are about to take it for long drive or use it daily, it may not suit you because it purely depends on the condition of the motorbike. It is advised not to buy a motorbike of life over 10 years. If you are, you have to check the condition of the bike thoroughly.
Researching about the bike and price
If you are about to buy a second hand bike, you have to know several things about the bike. Firstly you have to know the model and the year it has been manufactured. Next thing you have to check is kilometers done. The reason why you have to check the model and year is, when you buy a motorbike of age 10 and above, you might have to do a FC work or to restore it. It also makes you pay for it. Imagine you are buying a second hand bike by investing more money on it. After a week of usage, you are trying to sell it. There are chances for the selling price which is only half or below half of the money you have spent on buying it. So, it is always suggested to research about the bike completely before you are going for it.
Visual inspection
It is always better to inspect the bike at day times. Missing small dents, scratches, broken parts can be avoided at day times. It is better to take a experienced mechanic or experienced person along with you for inspecting it.
Mechanical inspection
• Oil check
We have to remove the oil dip stick and have to check the quality of the oil. If there's no motor oil, it is better to avoid it because, without motor oil, all the internal components might be in really bad condition.
• Oil leakage
Carefully look around the engine for any oil spills or coolant leaks. Many of the motorbikes looks perfect visually. But when we ride, we may face problems. So it is suggested to take a experienced person with us to avoid these kind of problems.
• Checking for smoke and health of the engine
When you crank up the motor, there should not be white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. If coming, we have to service the fuel mixing system or tune it which will make us to spend for it. Another way to check is, we have to insert our finger in the end can. Don't worry.... Nothing horrible will happen. If we see small carbon powders or dust, then it's good to go. If we see black sludge something like that, then the engine is not in a good condition.
• Corrosion
We have to be careful in this part. Small amount of corrosion is manageable and can be rectified. The problem arises when large amount of rust is formed. So, we have to look after that also.
• Tyre
More amount of wear in tyre will make you to switch from old to new very soon. So you have to decide the price according to that.
• Brakes
We have to make sure that the brake performs well. Check for brake linings, brake fluid leaks etc... Any problem in braking system leads to accident.
• Ride stability
When we test ride the bike, there should be not any wobbling. If there, we have to check the suspension units, wheel bearings and handles. Small amount of vibrations are manageable. These kind of problems will cost us more. So we have to check these parameters carefully. Any abnormal engine noise and amount of vibration tells you about the engine health.
• Accidentally damaged
Here, many of the people sells their bike after meeting with an accident. So we have to keep this factors also in our mind. Check for any welding works in the frame or inspect the crash guards and handles. Check for fork bends and handlebar bends.
Other things to be inspected
Although we have inspected the bike both by visually and by mechanically, there are several other factors that also needed to be inspected such as electricals, meters, filter condition, wheel bend etc... In some places, the distance covered by the bike is reduced visually by doing some works in the odo just to sell the bike. Just turn on the engine, make sure that the headlight works properly. In old bikes headlight visibility will be dull. In some bikes, after replacing with the new bulb will fix the problem where in some bikes, it'll not. In those bikes, the problem might be due to weaker coil assembly, old reflector plate, malfunctioned RR unit or weak battery. We have to mind these factors also.
Paper works
Check for engine number, chassis number and VIN numbers properly. Make sure that the same numbers present in the paper works also. Then we have to go through RC book, vehicle insurance, PUC certificate works, FC certificate works etc....
Final price
Once you are satisfied with the bike and paper-works, you can talk about the price with the owner. You can depreciate the amount based on the condition and wear and tear of the parts..