Ok so I am new to the Sports bike world and will be purchasing a bike here shortly and if not in the sprinf of 2010. I am just wondering what i should look for when I am purchasing a bike, I have never drove a bike before but I have a knowledge on what to do how to shift and stop basically all the beginner stuff. i would like to test drive the bike i am looking to buy but have never riden before so what do you guys think?

 

Most people won't even consider letting you on a bike. Dealers will usually only consider it for customers they know extremely well. Private owners might consider it but expect them to demand their asking price in cash up front. Personally knowing your experience, I'd be sketchy letting you even sit on my bike (kickstand stays down at all times).

To begin, figure out your budget... Then look for a bike $500 - $750 below your budget. First out is GEAR. I'm assuming you have none. Good gear, adequate for city streets / daily commutes at sensible speed can run you around $300. That's helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and pants.

Next used bikes, no matter how well they may sound when looking at them, can have their own quirks. If you blow your wad completely getting the bike, you might not have the cash needed to get her running adequately. If you don't feel comfortable wrenching your own bike, increase that padding to $1000 for a dealer mechanic. Also if you plan to do the work yourself and don't have any tools, add the cost of tooling up (can be helluva more expensive than actual parts).

Now you're ready to actually look for a bike. To begin, ignore any aftermarket mods or upgrades they say they've put on. Aftermarket mods won't mean anything good to a beginner. They will mean possibly giving you more bike than you can handle, overly sensitive about maintaining the bike and you prolly won't know what a K & N air filter with Stage 3 jet kit and a aftermarket exhaust means anyways. Maintenance history, riding style of the owner (track days? daily commute? twisties? *shudder* stunting?), how long is the longest it sat (they can say they rode it the day before, but it was sitting for a year before yesterday). If they say it was dealer or shop maintained, ask to see the receipts.

Look at the fairings closely for repainting and ask "why" (repainting could mean dropping). If you really want to be **** about it (but to me it would show you're serious about buying my bike), ask the owner to remove the fairings to look for repair work. If they say upfront it was dropped (or if the title is reconstructed), you might want to pass or bring a motorcycle mechanic with you. Someone qualified needs to verify the base mechanics (frame, subframe, engine) are in safe and working order.

Look at the chain, rear sprocket and tires for wear. The chain will give you an idea about how well the owner maintained the bike. Example: the PO of my bike spent $300 for a purple chain (got the receipt) and it was rusted all over. So she didn't do the basic maintenance of the bike. Open the gas tank and look inside with a flashlight and mirror for rust. Pull the dipstick and look at the oil on it for hints on how the engine is really running (tho they coulda changed the oil before putting her up for sale).

That's about all I can think of for the moment. Someone else might add other pointers as well. If you're serious about getting a bike, start whatever prep work you can now: gearing up & tooling up. It's prolly too late in the year to sign up for a MSF Basic Rider's Course. Plan on it next spring. Find reliable resources for when you do have the bike: here for info, websites like bikebandit or ronayers for parts, list of local shops for work that's beyond your skills (sucks trying to find someone to change a tire after you bought the tire).

 

Oh yeah one more thing: If they don't have a clear title in their name PASS!PASS!PASS!PASS!

Bill of sale isn't good enough (could be anything preventing them from legally titling the bike, including the bike being stolen). If it has a lien listed on the title, don't even bother until they produce the documents showing the lien has been lifted.

 

I thought I knew the basics too. I got right on and smoothly rode off. I turned a couple of corners and came to a stop sign. Everything was great, then I pulled out on a four lane road and shifted twice and found myself staring at and driving directly into the oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road.

There is a thread somewhere in here with advice for beginner. Look it over. This is pretty serious business.

Too much power or weight too soon for your experience level often leads to expensive and painful mistakes. And that's if you're one of the lucky ones.

For a long time you need to ride where other people aren't. Traffic is very tricky.

 

Some good advice already. There is sooo much to check on a used bike... That's why I always recommend taking it to a factory Honda dealership to have a Honda certified mechanic do a complete once-over on the bike. For the cost of about an hr's labor, you'll know what the bike needs. Its just a good investment in peace-of-mind.

For example... You go look at the bike...you like it...& you think its a candidate for purchase... Ask the seller to meet you at the dealership for the checkup...that you'll pay for it, naturally. At the very least, the seller gets to know if all is ok w/ his bike...free to him of course.

The mechanic can check compression, suspension, electrical, etc. Unless you're an experienced motorcyclist (even then), you could miss something b/c you're excited about how good the bike looks...or how much you want it.

If the seller won't agree to this, I'd walk away. A bike can look great but you never know what's what unless its thoroughly checked by someone who knows what to look for. There are other bikes out there.

As for the test-ride thing... Well, let's just say, I wouldn't let anyone test-ride a bike I'd was selling *unless*...they actually pay for the bike w/ cash & sign a bill-of-sale. If the ride goes ok, I'll give back the money & destroy the BOS. Otherwise, a seller risks a potential buyer crashing the bike, & having the damages (or worse) to have to pay for.

To address your "never ridden before" comment... We're getting into a whole new topic here. I won't preach but will say, you need to do all your homework on riding, & please please please...take an MSF Course or equivalent. Riding a motorcycle isn't rocket-science but does require some knowledge on how a bike reacts, how to maintain control, & how to ride within your limits. Its always better to start w/a bike that's more forgiving, like a 250, but its obviously your choice on what you choose to buy.

Relating it to your buying question, take an experienced rider w/ you to do a test-ride of whatever bike you're considering buying.

Good luck.

 

thanks everyone, That answered my questions fully. Thanks again