Buying a Used Bike

Buying a used bike is one of those activities that can either be extremely rewarding or quickly degenerate into a financial or mechanical nightmare. The situation is further complicated by the ease of becoming enamoured with a particular model; all common sense, rationality and good intentions are rapidly forgotten, under the influence of a bit of chrome and paint, some flash lines and bit of mythology. Even experienced motorcyclists are prey to sudden bouts of enthusiasm for a particular bike. This is probably incurable, but what follows may help them resist these strange urges.

The first problem is where to find the bike and from whom to buy it. This immediately comes down to a choice of dealer or private purchase. The former should only be approached if you are desperate for a particular bike, know the dealer has a good local reputation and can't find any other means of raising the finance.

The only other benefit of buying from a dealer is if you are totally ignorant of the mechanics of how motorcycles work and expect them to service your machinery. The bike should come with a guarantee, that will vary in length from one to twelve months, and may cover only parts or parts and labour. If only parts are covered you can rest assured that if anything does go wrong then their cost will be more than covered by the extortionate labour charges. If the guarantee is only valid if you have your machine dealer serviced find out just how much this will cost and get it in writing (salesmen and mechanics have rather different ideas about servicing rates). HP is available to just about anyone who can manage to write their name - consequently, the rates tend to be high. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that salesmen will give one rate for the weekly payment over the phone then have you sign a HP form for a much higher rate once they have you in the showroom. Again, get everything in writing to avoid any possibility of a, er, misunderstanding.

There is absolutely no guarantee that the machines in dealer showrooms are either mechanically sound or have a good history. As long ago as the first issue (and it feels like another age), I was taken to task for pointing out some of the niceties of running a bike shop in the depressed eighties. Nothing much seems to have changed. Beware, particularly, of shops that also run breakers as a side line, because bits from two poor bikes can be combined to make one that runs long enough to get it out of the showroom. It's very easy to swap over the clocks, to show much lower mileages than really exist, but, as we shall see later, there will be other pointers to high mileage than the mere mileometer reading.

The bottom line if you buy from a dealer is that you lose lots of money, have no idea of a machine's past and have only a very tenuous guarantee on any come back should the worst happen. Just to see how much money you lose, phone up a dealer and ask him to give you an idea of how much he'll pay for the machine you want to buy. When you see the profit levels involved, you will probably conclude that it's not worth buying from a dealer.

Unfortunately, the decision to go private does not leave you free from the attentions of dealers. Many are the back street merchants using private adverts to sell bikes that are either hastily renovated crash victims or have engines about to cease functioning. There is also a sub species of dealer who work out of dilapidated shops (usually guarded by violent and vicious Alsatians) and sell bikes at the same price as in private adverts. A modicum of thought should reveal the dodginess of these concerns - their ability to make a profit depends on their willingness to cut corners (which may involve pinching bikes, forging logbooks and sticking sawdust in gearboxes). It's always worth spending the odd half hour or so around these shops if you've just had a bike nicked or want to send them up by mentioning things like guarantees, but don't go too far unless you've recently had rabies injections.

By far the most sensible way to buy a used bike is to search out a good deal in the private market. This not only saves money but gives the opportunity to interrogate the owner. Private sales can be found from many different sources. The most popular medium is the classified advert section in Motorcycle News. This paper had been going for ages and it's the easiest way to buy and sell motorcycles. It's out in Central London on Tuesday and all the real bargains are snapped up before it hits the streets on the official on-sale day of Wednesday. Many traders advertise as private vendors in MCN and a lot of bikes are sold by enthusiasts who are fairly streetwise and may be getting rid of a bike just before it fails. That said, there are lots of good deals in MCN. It's always worth phoning a week after the advert has appeared because the machine may not have been sold and the vendor happy to negotiate a lower price.

Exchange & Mart is another possibility, but their motorcycle section is relatively small. Exchange & Mart does attract people who aren't really into motorcycling and there are some surprisingly good bargains. Again, it can be bought a day before its official on-sale date in London with obvious benefits for finding that bargain. Local newspapers have the obvious benefit of accessibility but usually lack choice. They are a good place to advertise for the actual machine that you need - a method of finding bikes that often brings all kinds of strange propositions out of the woodwork.

Reading the adverts in local newsagents is a quick way to broaden the mind and even occasionally turns up a motorcycle for sale. Much better, to clock the ads in motorcycle accessory store windows or some of the smaller dealers who don't mind losing out Business to the private scene. It's also a good place to advertise for the bike of your dreams.

Another source is buying from friends or through word of mouth, although the former is often a quick way to lose friends and the latter somewhat unreliable. But both have their uses. As does the fairly blatant piece of opportunism in knocking on peoples doors when there's a bike parked in view that's obviously not in use any more. Timing is essential here - if the wife of the owner is present, she'll probably tell you to take it away: anything to have a clean front garden.

Although there are many ways of buying a used bike, it often happens that there's a sudden scarcity of the bike you want once you have the money together. It's important to allow plenty of time to find the bike you want, otherwise you'll be forced to buy a machine that isn't quite as good as it should be. Sometimes the first machine seen will be perfect, other times it'll take up to a dozen visits to find a good bike, but don't despair these things usually have a way of working out in proportion to the amount of effort expended.

Having found a suitable machine the next part can usually be done from the comfort of your living room or if (like the UMG) you can't afford a telephone after trekking around a dozen or so public telephone boxes. At the beginning of the Used Guide there's a useful section on telephone tips, so I won't bore you by repeating those points, but will reiterate that you can sort out the dealers from the genuine punters by failing to specify the nature of the bike you're interested in and by demanding to know just how long the vendors name has been in the log-book (any less that six months is very suspicious).

Arrive at the vendors house half an hour early. This can either reveal the owner frantically working on the bike, showing a different bike to another sucker or desperately trying to start the machine so that it's warm enough to start after a few kicks when you're supposed to arrive. As you're the one carrying the money, he's in no position to complain.

Try to avoid going alone, as even the most experienced motorcyclists can miss fairly obvious defects and try to arrive in the daytime, as a bike can gleam very nicely under neon street lights or in the murky gloom of a sixty watt garage lamp. Arriving with a pack of friends clad out like Hells Angels will, on the one hand, intimidate the vendor, but, on the other hand, probably cause one of the neighbours to phone for Mr Plod.

Before inspecting the mechanics of the machine, consider the nature of the owner and his probable treatment of the machine. A twenty stoner who rides a Honda C90 back and forth to work every day will have left the poor thing totally knackered even if there are only a few miles on the clock. Whereas, a bike with a lot more miles that is used only for touring by an enthusiast may well be in exceptional shape. While it is a bad thing to pigeon hole people, the young will often thrash bikes without respite, while the old will often look after them as if they were the only things in the whole word. There are people who will take excruciating pains to keep their Honda C50s meticulously maintained, while others will immediately start the process of neglect on some five thousand pound exotica. While the former is merely sad, the latter must be criminally negligent.

The ideal owner is someone who has owned the machine from new, used it only moderately in the summer months (although given our summers, this can still do a lot of damage to Jap alloy and either ha a sheaf of service receipts or does the servicing himself with meticulous attention to detail. Unfortunately, this kind of owner is very rare and finding one who's actually selling the machine you need will be extremely difficult.

But don't panic; there are still a few tricks left. Start out by asking the owner how often he changes the oil and which oil he uses. Oil should be changed on old bikes at least once every 1000 miles and 10/40W oil should be used rather than the thicker and more common 20/50W. This is important because many Jap engines are designed to run on the thinner oil and if they don't get it, the thicker stuff will not reach the camshafts before the engine has warmed up, resulting in quick wear cam lobes. Of course, there are some engines that refuse to fail even if you don't change the oil for huge distances and don't do any maintenance (and if you don't believe that, check out my tale of trying to destroy a Suzuki GS550 - Wrecking Manoeuvres in issue 2). But these are the exceptions rather than the rule.

The general state of the bike will give an idea of the kind of life it has led. If the paint is worn away on the tank where the knees rest, then it's probably done a pretty high mileage. Conversely, signs of low mileage are fitment of original Jap tyres (take sixty quid off the price straight away to pay for safer replacements), original exhausts and silencers without any rust, and an engine that displays no signs of small oil leaks, with alloy covers untarnished by white corrosion. Signs of a bike that has not been used for a long time are corroded battery terminals, excessive white flakes on alloy in inaccessible places like the carbs, and tyres that have small cracks around the side walls.

Chrome can usually be polished up to remove rust, so items that are so far gone that they actually show lots of rust indicate either great age, high mileage, too much neglect or just crap chrome (usually on mid seventies Wop bikes). Crash damage is indicated by bent levers or footrests, cracked headlamp shells, blistered paint around the headstock tubing, crystallised electrolyte around the battery and the more obvious bumps and dents, scraped silencers and bandaged owners.

Most bikes fall over from time to time, doing more damage to the owners ego than the machine, usually just bending the levers or indicators. The important checks are to the straightness of the forks and frame. The former can be checked by running fingers over the fork stanchions in search of unevenness, whilst the latter can be investigated by seeing if the wheels line up. I've always found it very difficult to check out two different sized tyres and a set of forks that may or may not be in line with the frame, but I'm assured by people with experienced eyes that it is possible to stand in front of the bike and look down the line of the wheels to see if they are out of line. Also get the front forks pointing straight ahead and look down on the bars to make sure they have not been twisted out of line by a crash. Serious crash damage will be revealed during the test ride.

Another symptom of crash damage can be uneven tyre wear, but on the rear tyre the cause is more usually merely |misalignment of the wheel due to poor setting of the chain adjusters. The chain is a good indicator of rider attitude. O-ring types last much longer and only need a wipe over with an oily rag to stop the external surfaces from rusting - if they are rusting then this is a sign of neglect. The normal chain can wear out at exceedingly rapid rates if not given lots of lubrication. The most obvious sign of wear is adjusters with little adjustment left.

The chain can be checked in two places. At the centre of the lower run it should have around an inch of vertical free play with the machine on its centre stand. Also, try pulling the chain off the back of the rear sprocket, if it moves more than a few millimetre then the chain and/or the sprockets will need replacing. The sprocket teeth can become. hooked after extensive wear. Rotate the rear wheel to check for tight spots in the chain, a sure sign of advanced wear. If the adjusters don't match this kind of wear, conclude that the owner is a clever bastard who should be avoided.

Most Jap bikes begin to handle in a very strange manner once the tyres are worn down to 3mm, although it's quite legal to ride with them worn down to only 1mm. Decent replacements start at £50 a pair, prices escalating rapidly upwards as the tread become more exotic to as much as £125 a set. Tyres are a pain in the arse to change (I always seem to puncture the new inner tube with about two inches of recalcitrant tyre left to fit).

Spoked wheels should be checked for loose spokes; those with a musical inclination can run a screwdriver round them, listening for out of phase noises - although, I never actually bother with Jap bikes as they don't seem to give any trouble. Cast alloy wheels have a disturbing penchant to suddenly develop cracks and although they can be repaired after a fashion I wouldn't like to trust my life on one once it has been in a crash. They are obviously expensive to replace so check very carefully for cracks or uneven surfaces (especially where the cast spokes join the rim) as evidence that they have been repaired by alloy welding. Although a small amount of white aluminium oxide is okay, the quality of alloy necessary for a highly stressed item like a wheel should preclude heavy corrosion.

Disc brakes are another piece of modern design forced on a vast number of bikes that could well do without their excessive force and lack of sensitivity. Heavily scored discs show that the brake pads have been used when they have worn down to the metal. If the disc has a small amount of rust in one area where the brake pads are supposed to operate, then the disc is warped and needs replacing. The pads have a wear line on them (usually painted red) which can be examined after taking off a cover on the caliper. While looking at this, check out the caliper for signs of corrosion as many brakes (especially on small Hondas) are perfectly situated to pick up all the crud off the road.

Caliper strip downs can become more frequent than pad replacements. Hydraulic fluid can be highly corrosive of areas surrounding the caliper and master cylinder so it's fairly easy to pick out leaks from the system. Pump the lever to see if it comes all the way back to the handlebar. Some models have a choice of disc or drum brakes and it's usually much more economical to go for the drum. There is no justification for using a rear disc brake, so if there's a choice opt for the drum version. Drum brakes are much easier to check and maintain. The brake should have an indicator that shows shoe wear. It's dangerous to use drum brakes with worn out shoes because the brake will eventually jam on and make the rider fall off (very worn disc pads can fall out of the caliper and jam the wheel to similar effect).

Check the feel of the lever. If it's jerky the cable is probably rusted internally due to lack of lubrication. With the brake jammed on look at the exposed inner cable at the handlebar end to see if any of the strands have started to fray. Use of nylon coated inners removes the need for lubricating brake (or clutch) cables and give a much nicer feel. Jap drum brakes give little trouble and are easy to set up. Some of the British attempts, such as the conical hub Triumphs and BSAs need very careful setting up to achieve decent braking due to the poor design of the TLS operating mechanism (it relies on compression of the outer brake cable...).

Rear shocks are cheap and simple to replace so should not cause much concern if they are shot. But be suspicious of an owner who fits items that leave a twelve inch gap between wheel and mudguard or leaves them in contact - such a lack of engineering intuition and aesthetic appreciation does not bode well for the amount of money and time spent in routine servicing. Just to show willing, leap up and down on the seat a few times to see if it pogos away wildly or if there is some damping remaining.

Front forks usually suffer from leaking fork seals, a result of the sliders being left in the open to pick up all kind of muck to wreck the seals. On most early Jap bikes this doesn't really matter because they never had much damping in the first place; but if a bike is leaking oil copiously from the front forks it will fail the MOT. The steering head bearings are checked by grabbing hold of the bottom of the wheel and trying to tear the forks off the bike. This will also show excessive play in the sliders.

Wheel bearings are checked by trying to move either wheel sideways, which at the rear will also check the swinging arm bearings. The latter are cheap enough to replace but it's a very tedious operation. The lack of grease nipples on many bikes mean than some swinging arm bearings only last for very low distances.

Dents in tanks, mudguards, side panels and headlamp shells are often filled with GRP. Running fingers over the surfaces will usually pick up a change in material. The presence of rust will indicate that the owner doesn't really care and the poor application of paint that [text missing from original mag] he may care but with it.

Older bikes have irritating habits like spilling half a gallon of petrol past the poor petrol cap once the tank is fully filled up - the paint around the cap will be very faded. Jap frames usually have no primer and inaccessible areas rust quickly. If the frame is free of rust, at least the owner pays attention to detail. Exhaust and silencer another quick rust area. The down pipes just look unfortunate but don't develop holes as they are double skinned. Silencers rust from the inside out, but can be repaired with Gum-Gum or by welding. Look on the underside, as they often go here first.

On a bike over five years old non standard exhausts are the norm. Motad are probably the best name in the exhaust business, the systems are little noisier than stock and often give more power. Other systems can be tremendously noisy and ruin performance. As a general rule, if the engine is in a mild state of tune it can run with most any silencers or exhausts, if it is highly tuned then it can get very temperamental when faced with vagrant exhaust systems. Two strokes are especially vulnerable to expansion chambers.

Which neatly enough brings us to the engine. If you know nothing about motors, you'll be well advised to stick with four strokes because these are less prone to an early collapse when neglected. Apart for a few fanatics, the two stroke is all but dead in the face of the evolution of the four stroke engine into a very powerful and generally reliable device. The only modern cycle to make any impression on the mass of four strokes has been the water-cooled 250 and 350 Yamaha - while these have quite shocking performance for their size, they don't quite match the four strokes on durability. Our guide to the especially good buys (see opposite) sorts out the best bikes.

Check the external appearance of the engine for oil leaks. This should be repeated after the test ride. Don't forget to look at the underside and pay especial attention to the area surrounding the final drive because the chain may have broken and smashed a hole in the crankcase. Brown stains under the carbs could indicate problems with the float chambers and leaking petrol. If the position of the kickstart is not vertical, the drive gear may have lost a tooth. If a rearset gear linkage is fitted check for free play at the ball joints. If the original cross head screws are fitted and look untouched then the engine has never been stripped down. If chewed up Allen screws are fitted it's probably been taken apart many times. Small smears of oil around the cylinder head gasket are probably OK. A cylinder awash with oil means a new head gasket is needed and/or the head is warped.

Look at the condition of the nuts holding the engine and exhaust in position - if the edges are rounded off, the owner doesn't use decent tools and could well be incapable of doing routine servicing properly. Examine the screws holding the external oil filter (if one is fitted) - do they look like they're undone often enough to justify the idea of regular filter changes?

Even before the engine is started a clear idea of how the machine has been treated can be formed. If a kickstart is fitted, pump it a few times to check compression before starting the motor. If the motor starts from cold first kick, or first push of the button, it indicates that the ignition is in good shape and the timing somewhere in the right range. An engine that takes more than a few kicks or turns of the starter to fire up may well have either mechanical or ignition trouble. Don't be too troubled if there's some exhaust smoke when it's started - either a result of oil build up (blue) or moisture being burnt off (white) or an over rich choke setting (black). Some engines settle down almost immediately, others need ten minutes of full choke.

Once settled the exhaust fumes. should clear up. Continued blue fumes are indicative of piston/bore wear or poor valve seating. The engine breather may show up this problem before the exhaust. If the exhausts emit smoke on the overrun or when changing down through the gears the valves are on the way out. Unless something is very seriously wrong engine noises are difficult to diagnose.

Some engines sound noisy but are perfectly sound, others are naturally quiet. A rattle can be caused by out of balance carbs (disappears above 3000rpm), worn clutches or camchains or tensioners needing adjustment or attention. A faint popping sound indicates valve trouble and slapping piston or bore wear. Listen to some engines of the bike you want to buy to become acquainted with the natural noise level.

If the engine runs erratically, leaping up and down the rev range it may mean the carbs are out of balance or that one of the cylinders has a problem and can't produce the same output as the others. If the machine has a combination of strange noises, heavy exhaust fumes and erratic running then it will need a complete rebuild. Four stroke engines have an amazing ability to run with many hidden problems.

The test ride will provide the final test for the machine. Check that all the gears, work, rev the bike out fully to see if it misfires, test the action of all the brakes and try loosening your grip on the bars to see if it handles OK. It's very difficult to test fully, but any major handling or engine problems should be apparent. Check all the electrics and look at the wiring to see if it's been altered. Keep the headlamp on to check the alternator. Combine such an analysis of character and machine, while refusing to be rushed, and I believe you've a very good chance of finding a good deal, without resorting to dealers.

Bill Fowler