A Used Bike: The $2,000 Dream
Nov 30 '00
While a yacht, a vacation home, and a diamond tennis bracelet are all possessions people dream about, a motorcycle is actually an attainable dream. If a prospective rider shops carefully, it's possible to get a good used motorcycle -- either a beginner bike or a cycle suitable for a more advanced rider -- for about $2,000.
As a motorcycle safety instructor in Indiana, I teach, talk to, and become friends with between 100 and 200 beginning motorcyclists every season. Some already own bikes, but most do not, preferring (wisely) to make their mistakes on our training bikes rather than on their own treasured machine. Some decide after a weekend of safety training that they don't want to ride, and for them the money and time spent for the course was not wasted -- they learned that motorcycling wasn't for them the easy, inexpensive, and safe way.
But for the vast majority who are even more enthused about riding after their training, the question of what bike to buy always comes up. This is not easy to answer because most people do not approach a motorcycle as they do a typical purchase. They often have ideas about what a bike should look like, what brand name should be on the tank, and even subtle factors such as how it should sound.
However, for beginning riders, those returning to the saddle after a period of non-riding, and anyone else who is unable or unwilling to invest a lot of money in a brand new bike, there are many excellent motorcycles available secondhand. The process here takes into account people's varied needs and wants in a bike and deals with concerns common to most makes and models:
-Identify suitable bikes. Internet classifieds, local newspaper classifieds, regional bike trader publications, and, yes, dealers are all good sources of used bikes. Staying within a budget is easier from a private seller than a dealer, but dealers should, though don't always, offer bikes which have been mechanically checked and which are safe to ride. If you are still pretty undecided as to what model of bike to buy, check the list of models to consider at the end of this article, many of which can be bought in good shape for $2,000 or less.
-Check out/test ride the bike. IMPORTANT: If you are not a good rider yet do not test ride the bike yourself! Borrowed motorcycles (including those being road tested) are WAY over-represented in accident statistics. It's very easy to crash when the controls are all unfamiliar, you're nervous about riding anyhow, and then there's the whole reason why you're testing it -- to find out if it even runs and handles safely to begin with.
If inexperienced yourself, get someone who knows how to ride to go with you to test the bike. Most important things to look for:
*Starts easily from cold. If the owner has warmed up the engine before you got there, beware; he or she might be trying to hide a problem. Insist on coming back later and starting it again when the engine is stone cold. Once the engine warms up it should come down to a nice idle, not sounding either like it's racing or about to stall.
*No black/blue smoke in exhaust. Black smoke will indicate carburetion problems, which can be expensive to sort out. Blue smoke (unless it's a 2-stroke, of which there are few street bikes left) will show oil consumption. A SMALL amount of either blue or black smoke isn't too big a deal if the bike hasn't been run much lately or if it's quite old as long as it runs well both warm and cold.
*Tires/wheels. If tires are just worn from use or cracked from sitting a long time it's not a big deal, but you will have to factor the cost of new tires (avg. of $200 per set for decent ones) into your buying cost. If the bike has spokes make sure none are loose or broken, and if it has alloy wheels (more common today) look carefully for cracks. A cracked wheel can be unsafe and it can also keep a tubeless tire from holding air.
*Chain in good shape (if equipped). It shouldn't be rusted, overly loose or overly tight. An inch or an inch and a half of slack would be about right for most bikes, although this does vary from machine to machine. A reasonably clean, well-adjusted, well-oiled chain is nice to find and often indicates that the owner took good care of the bike in other areas as well. If the chain needs replacement figure on about $100 on average.
*Cables/Controls. Check all instruments, warning lights, and controls, such as the clutch, choke, both brakes. If the clutch is hard to pull, the cable could simply be dry and the problem can be cured by squirting some silicone lube down the cable. Bring some with you in case -- it's only $3 or so at Wal-Mart. Same thing for the other control cables. The speedometer, odometer, and tachometer (if equipped) should all work, as should all warning lights.
Problems which require replacing an entire instrument will be rather expensive, while cables or wires might simply have fallen off, which is cheap to fix. Visual inspection should give you an idea of the origin of the concern. Make sure the throttle operates smoothly and doesn't stick wide open when you twist it all the way. Better to spot this problem sitting still with the engine off than while riding down the road, although if it does occur while riding you can just flip the engine cut-off switch.
*Brakes. Brakes deserve special attention because of their obvious safety importance. Disc brakes should not be badly scored or grooved, and the handgrip for the front brake and pedal for the rear should work smoothly and should not have excessive travel. Before even riding the bike, sit on it and roll it forward a little and stop it with both brakes separately to make sure they work. If the bike is equipped with drum brakes there should be a visible wear indicator, which is usually an arrow which moves across a scale when the brake is applied. This should show that the shoes still have life left. Simple disc brake pad replacement or drum brake shoe replacement is not very expensive, if the only problem with the brakes is that they are worn.
*Shifting. When on the road test, shift the bike through all the gears and make sure it shifts up and down easily and doesn't make odd noises. Different bikes do vary in terms of shift effort required, so it's hard to generalize, but if you shift up and down through all of the gears once or twice you should have some idea that the transmission is working normally.
*Handling. Wobbles, weaves, and shimmies can be hard to fix. Many are simply due to tires, but you really don't know if that's it or not until you replace the tires, so if the bike doesn't handle properly, or shakes as it goes down the road, it's probably best just to reject it and look at something else unless it's really cheap and you can afford to spend what it takes to get it fixed.
*Oil Leaks. Wear old clothes so you can crawl under the engine and look for any oil leaks. It's okay if it's dirty under there, but there shouldn't be much, if any, oil. Oil leaks can be a pain because they tend to get worse over time, they make the bike look cruddy, and they can cause engine damage if they get so bad that the oil level runs too low. Some old bikes have a tendency to leak oil; if you are looking at one of those you probably know about that characteristic and are prepared to repair it or live with it. Sometimes chain lube will fly off and cause an oily coating right near where the chain enters the transmission case. Don't mistake this for an oil leak.
*Cosmetic items. A ripped seat, dented gas tank, or missing side cover are things you often find on used bikes, especially inexpensive ones. A ripped seat can be re-upholstered for $100 or so, so don't let that keep you away from a bike which is otherwise good. A nice looking "tank bra" can hide a small dent in the gas tank and looks much better than attempting to repair the dent. (However, if paint is chipped go ahead and prime or paint it before putting the "bra" on so it doesn't rust.) Missing side covers can often be gotten fairly inexpensively from secondhand cycle salvage dealers, although it's probably a good idea to check availability before committing to buy a bike with this problem.
-Make the purchase. Checking each of these areas will cause you to rule some bikes out, but don't get discouraged -- you'll find a good one. The best deals will be found in the fall and winter months (in colder climates that's the case, anyhow) when fewer people are in the market. Enjoy the process of looking for a bike, and try not to be in a hurry. You're going to live with the bike for a while, and a few extra days spent buying can make your years with the bike much more enjoyable.
For those who are not certain what bike to buy, you may wish to consider the following models. They are frequently available inexpensively used and in my opinion are often good, solid machines. This list is not all-encompassing as it only represents bikes available inexpensively and which I have some knowledge of and experience with:
Honda: CB750, Nighthawk 750
Kawasaki: KZ440, KZ550, KZ650, KZ750 KZ1000, EX500
Suzuki: GS500E, GS750, GS850, GS1000, 600 Bandit
Yamaha: Diversion 600
Finally, the last piece of advice on buying a bike: Take a motorcycle safety course such as the one I teach, which is designed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and offered through states and their agencies and affiliates across the nation. This course is a life saver, and whether you've been riding for 2 weeks or 20 years, you'll learn something from it.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
cowboyind
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
If you need more information on any of my articles, write me at kenjw@aol.com.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.