Red Flags When Buying a Used Motorcycle – Avoiding Big Problems!

When you are going to buy a motorcycle, you should be careful. Choosing a bike is not a thing that should depend on your emotions. And if it's a new bike, you will not lose much even if you don't guess the optimal model. But if you don't guess with a used bike, you'll get an immense number of problems that are hard and expensive to solve.

Today, we'll tell you about some of the red flags when buying a used motorcycle. We will explain to you some signs that scream that you should avoid buying this bike and move on. Searching for a great motorcycle among used bikes is not that easy, so we'll also give some tips on how you can find a good motorbike without spending a fortune on it.

Here are some key questions in our today's article:

1. What are the most important signs that the used bike is bad?
2. Which mileage should be the limit for a used bike purchase?
3. What accidents and breakdowns are too bad for a motorcycle?
4. How can you buy a really good motorbike among the used models?

Let's get started!

What are some red flags in purchasing a used motorbike?

We don't want to say that used bikes are always a bad idea. Sometimes they are a good value for money but sometimes they are not. It depends on your luck and on your ability to choose good motorbikes among all those cool options you have on the market.

They may all seem good at first sight, but after you learn more about them, each used motorcycle has its own history with its own hidden flaws. That's why we have prepared the list of red flags saying to you that it's time to stop considering a certain bike and find another one.

1. Mileage red flag

You may have heard that every motorcycle with over 40K miles on it is considered to be a high-mileage motorbike. But it doesn't mean that buying every 30K-mile bike is a good idea. First of all, you should see how the motorcycle is preserved.

Also, pay attention to the type of bike. If it's a cruiser with a big-displacement engine, it can be OK even after 60,000 miles on it. But a crotch rocket will probably be dead after that many miles. Buying a used crotch rocket is always risky because you never know how it was used and where it was ridden.

Mileage is still important. You shouldn't buy a bike that has a lot of miles on it even if it looks fine. Sometimes, owners invest some money to prepare their bikes for sale. Also, cruisers are made to last, so they may still look good but technically, they are destroyed and need a lot of investment.

We believe that overall, a 40K-miles bike should be considered high-mileage and should only be bought in case it's absolutely cheap and doesn't need any repair or other investment at the moment of purchase.

Sport bikes should only be bought new. One possible way to buy a 20K+ mile crotch rocket is if you find a splendid price that you can't believe in. In this case, it may make sense, but you should let a professional guy look at the bike before you pay money.

2. Condition red flag

Motorbikes are not cars. A car can be easily rebuilt after nearly any accident until it's totally destroyed. But a bike is another thing.

If a motorbike gets some problems, it's harder to repair. That's why we always recommend thorough diagnostics before purchase. You should look specifically at these things:

• quality and quantity of oil in each important unit;
• any codes in the ECU that may show hidden problems;
• any noises when the engine idles - these may show big trouble;
• visual defects and damages to important parts of the bike;
• signs of accidents that may tell you about the motorbike's history.

After checking these problems, you may be sure that the motorcycle is probably OK. Or you can find something that will tell you not to buy this bike. For example, small metal particles in motor oil or an extremely clogged air filter will tell you that the bike was poorly maintained.

By the way, the quality of maintenance is another important thing to check.

3. Maintenance red flag

Motorbikes live as long as you want them to live. If the owner wants his or her motorcycle to live long, they will invest some money and time in maintenance, service, repair, and regular diagnostics. It means that all filters in this motorbike will be clean and new, and the oil will be changed regularly.

Also, all important parts and units of the bike will be properly cleaned. If you find a thick layer of old oil on the back of the engine or transmission, you need to check the bike more carefully.

Pay attention to service records. Responsible owners always keep track of what they change and when they give their bikes for regular maintenance. Also, these records may be checked with a dealer. These records will be extremely helpful when choosing a used machine.

If a motorcycle was maintained by a small repair shop or by the owner, you should ask for receipts or at least for some private records. Without that, buying a motorbike is a bit of a lottery. You may win, but most likely you will lose.

4. Accidents red flag

Accidents in the history of the motorcycle usually happen at the end of its life. It's just because after bad accidents, a motorcycle is usually impossible to rebuild for safe use. It's just sold for parts. But some shops tend to rebuild these bikes and sell them as just used motorcycles. Some of them may even have low mileage and have a good price.

But are these bikes actually good to bike? We would not recommend any motorcycles that had accidents in their records. Just check the frame number of the vehicle online and see if it had any accidents in its life.

If you don't find anything in these records, it doesn't mean that you should close your eyes and give money for this bike immediately. Many motorcycle accidents aren't registered officially. For example, the previous owner may have fallen without any bad injuries. He or she didn't want to call the police or ambulance, just repaired the bike and kept riding it.

So, always check the condition of the motorcycle. Look if there are some damages to the frame, body parts, suspension parts, etc.

5. Price red flag

You may know that all models and years of motorbikes have their own average prices. If a certain model you want to buy costs $8,000, it's OK to buy it for $6,500 after having a good bargain if you buy it from a private seller, not from a dealer.

But if someone offers this bike for $5,000, you should become suspicious. Check if the motorcycle is actually OK. It may be broken or it may be about to break. There could be some problems with the engine, transmission, frame, rust, etc.

Cheap bikes don't mean that you are very lucky to find some brilliant deal. They usually mean that something is wrong with the bike and people don't want to buy it at full price. So, be careful if you ever find a brilliant deal with over 30% discount from the market price.

But paying a lot for a used bike is never a good idea. We would always concentrate on prices a little lower than average. This is the ideal price range for a bike with some mileage on it.

How can you actually find a good used motorcycle?

We want to give you some tips on how to search for a really good motorcycle if you are about to buy it.

Here are some important things to consider:

• better check dealers first because, in most cases, they will offer a warranty;
• don't blindly believe the bike owners and always check the motorcycle with professionals;
• take your future bike to a dealer and ask for diagnostics in order to understand its quality and condition;
• always bargain once you find some problems with the bike that is easy to fix;
• never buy a problematic motorbike - there is plenty more fish in the sea;
• forget about salvage motorcycles - they are never a good idea for a good ride;
• don't buy too cheap or too expensive motorcycles, check the average price for a certain model and year.

Final words

Once you make up your mind about buying a motorcycle, check the market for new vehicles first. Maybe, your budget is enough for buying a good new bike. If not, research the market of used motorcycles and always bear in mind these 5 red flags that we've listed in this article. Never buy a motorbike that you aren't sure is in good condition. You don't need these problems and you don't want to spend months repairing the bike before getting some pleasure when riding it.