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Old June 24th, 2019, 11:40 AM   #1
1Sportscargrl
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Name: Elle
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To buy or not to buy?

I’m new to motorcycles and have no experience fixing cars or anything else.
Ao, any work that needs to be done will cost me. On the other hand, I son’t wanna spend a lot of $ on a first bike for a lot of reasons. I do want something safe. I saw a 2010 and a 2012 for sale. Both were second owners. Nobody is ever really specific about services that have been performed, if any, or whether tires need replacing, etc. Not having anybody to go check something out for me, I’m not sure if I should be looking anything that old or not. Is 5000 miles too many to consider? What about buying from a 2nd or 3rd owner?

Obviously, there are no 250s to buy new. There’s a 400 for sale in my area that’s practically brand new but out of my price range. Whether my budget was higher or not, I’ pretty fanatical about my vehicles. Having scratches and dents on a new motorcycle would drive me nits.

So, there’s my dilemma. I have looked at dealerships for ised bikes but there’s not much in my area.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 12:49 PM   #2
Ralgha
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5000 miles is fine for buying used. I'd try to find a friend that knows a bit about bikes to look it over for you, or you could see if a bike shop would do a pre purchase inspection for you (for a price of course).

Minimum things you ought to do, or have done for you, after you buy would be an oil/filter change, coolant change, possibly brake fluid unless it still looks good. Valve check depending on mileage. Probably a few other things I'm forgetting off hand.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 01:33 PM   #3
ducatiman
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If you were closer, I'd easily do an appraisal. Done them in the past for NYC folk buying bikes on Long Island.

Hey, post the general town or area you're in....perhaps a member here is closeby, able and willing to assist. Worth a shot, I'd think, no?
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Old June 24th, 2019, 04:12 PM   #4
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I posted about PPI - Pre-Purchase Inspection in your new-rider thread. I'll just quote it here:

Quote:
Originally Posted by DannoXYZ View Post
Hi, what you're looking for is PPI - Pre-Purchase Inspection, which is a service many motorcycle-repair shops offer. Here's what I usually do if I'm not familiar with a certain bike or car model:

1. Go to Yelp.com and entre "motorcycle shop" in city between you and seller.

2. Look for shops with good ratings and read the actual reviews (sort most recent). Look for character issues like honesty and customer-service. For example, in Cherry Hill area, I found this shop may be worth going to. https://www.yelp.com/biz/keystone-st...t_by=date_desc

3. Call up shop and ask if they can do PPI for you and how much? usually $30-50 to inspect:
- condition of tyres
- wheel-bearings
- brakes: rotor, pads, fluid-condition
- suspension: fork-leaking? Loose bolts, firm-damping. Alignment - bike tracks straight.
- all lights, turn-signals, brake-lights work
- engine-condition, good mechanic can hear if valves need adjusting. This is most expensive repair right-away if valves need adjusting.

4. Arrange for seller to meet you at shop to have it inspected. If they have complete service-records going back 10+years, that's bonus showing bike is in good condition. Have them bring records and shop can use that with their inspection and do it quicker, saving you some money.


Another possibility is shout-out here. Can anyone in S. Jersey help Elle check out some bikes? ta
Just 5000-miles is barely broken in. My 2008 street-bike had over 8K-miles when I bought it. Now with 15k-miles, it's still in perfect condition. I've just replaced tyres and changed oil and that's all it's needed in 2-years. My 2009 race-bike had about 12k-miles and 2 hard-years of racing before me. I replaced all fluids, brake-pads and tyres and it's been awesomely fun on track past 2-years. With 4-years of hard all-out racing, its held up great with oil-changes every 50-hrs, with new tyres and chain+sprockets each year and it can go another 10-years easily.

BTW - someone just posted that they've crossed over 100k-miles recently!!!
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Old June 24th, 2019, 04:39 PM   #5
csmith12
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Hi Elle,

Your concern is common it seems but does require a certain level of what is called a "leap of faith."

My advice to you is this;

Get a budget, stick to your budget, live by your budget and so on.... Your budget should include all the "other" things that comes along with riding, gear, tires, oil and such. You are not ready until you have your bottom line safety budget in hand. Whether paid in cash or via financed. Your call. At the very least take a veteran rider with you to make sure you don't get a money pit for your first bike to bring it up to your standards of safety.

Next... be a savvy shopper, there should be some good 250's and maybe even a 300 within the <2k price range that are ready to roll. It is a sellers market right now so just accept that you will pay a bit more for a ready to ride bike.

Also, don't buy the first bike you test ride. You never know what you like until you try. While I don't say the bike picks the rider, I also don't say the rider picks the bike. You like what you like while window shopping, the agreement that you AND the bike come to while together is what is important. AKA bringing a smile to your face.

Let's give you your first riding lesson. Aka, how to check your tires. There are wear marks on tires. There are date markings on tires. Neither can be hidden. For your first bike, the wear bars on the tires should have a good amount of tread above the wear bar and the date should be well within 5yrs of age with no signs of cracking or anything else. That little bit of knowledge will save you $200 in tires/mounting.

Also, have you given any thought to the BRC or MSF course in your area? You have to sign up early to get a spot as they fill up fast and you're LATE. You don't even need a bike to learn to ride. If you haven't got a spot, call NOW!

Welcome to riding, there is alot to learn, it's a lifestyle, not a whim hobby and patience is key.

Good luck, happy riding and keep us in the know.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 04:57 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by csmith12 View Post
Welcome to riding, there is alot to learn, it's a lifestyle, not a whim hobby and patience is key.
YES! It took me 3 YEARS to find my dream 1st-gen 250!
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Old June 24th, 2019, 04:58 PM   #7
1Sportscargrl
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I will be taking the course next month. It would be nice to have some knowledge prior to that, so I can have a bike and start practicing right away. I have been trying to find a veteran rider to help me check out some motorcycles but since nobody I know rides, that’s not possible. Also, I don’t think I’ll necessarily feel ready to test ride right after the msf course and I don’t want to have to buy somebody’s bike because I wrecked it.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 06:43 PM   #8
csmith12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Sportscargrl View Post
I will be taking the course next month. It would be nice to have some knowledge prior to that, so I can have a bike and start practicing right away. I have been trying to find a veteran rider to help me check out some motorcycles but since nobody I know rides, that’s not possible. Also, I don’t think I’ll necessarily feel ready to test ride right after the msf course and I don’t want to have to buy somebody’s bike because I wrecked it.
Tis the season! And its not a requirement to have a bike to go to a local "bike night" and make a friend but does to seem to require a bit of an extrovert personality to make it easy.

And yes, you are wise to not ride a bike without confidence during a test ride/sale.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 08:43 PM   #9
Ralgha
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My bike picked me. I saw it in the used bike storage at a Harley dealer (they took it in trade) and it immediately infiltrated my mind and wouldn't leave. The next weekend, I took it for a test ride and bought it! It's been a loving relationship ever since.
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Old June 24th, 2019, 08:59 PM   #10
DannoXYZ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralgha View Post
My bike picked me. I saw it in the used bike storage at a Harley dealer (they took it in trade) and it immediately infiltrated my mind and wouldn't leave. The next weekend, I took it for a test ride and bought it! It's been a loving relationship ever since.
If only my wife was so understanding!!!

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