[adouglas]

The same kind of obvious stuff you'd look for on a car.

Burnt-smelling oil, milky oil, general trashy condition, oily deposits in the tail pipe, obvious funky noises, anything that just doesn't seem right, etc.

Look also for telltale signs that the bike has been down. Scuffed-up bar ends and lever tips are a dead giveaway. Aftermarket bar ends, levers and turn signals are signs of a possible accident. If you run into this, ask if the owner still has the original parts so you can check them out.

When these bikes go down, often what happens is that the front turn signal punches right through the fairing. Look for cracks. Stand back and make sure everything is straight (do both handgrips poke out from the bike at the same angle when you look at it from in front, for example?).

A repaint is also a flag... sure the owner may have wanted to express bold individuality and creativity by covering the bike in Rhino Liner, but it's far more likely that the paint was trashed and he tarted it up to unload it.

Overall, something to bear in mind is that bikes, unlike cars, are toys. There's always a supply of nice bikes to pick from so no reason to compromise lest it "get away." Be patient and the right one will come along... promise.

Service history... the bike needs valve checks every 7,500 miles. Ask if that's been done and if there's proof.

Chain... is it dry/rusty? Bad. Is it black and wet? Not bad... means it's been lubed.

Winter... has the bike been properly stored? That means fuel stabilizer and battery charger. Often, people park the bike one day, forget about it and decide to sell it a year or two later. "Carbs need cleaning" is the giveaway. The fuel goes bad, turns to varnish... not a deal-killer but a PITA.