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How To Shop For An Used Motorcycle In Plano
Author : Motur Guru
Submitted : 2011-08-16 Word Count : 870 Popularity: Not Rated
Tags: used motorcycle dealer, used motorcycle dealership, motorcycle shop, used Motorcycle dealer, used Motorcycle dealership, used motorcycle dealer, Motorcycle motorcycle dealership, Motorcycle motorcycle shop, Motorcycle dealer, Motorcycle dealership, Plano us
Step 1: Determine what sort of riding you'll be doing most often: commuting, sports, touring, or perhaps a mixture. This can be the most significant qualification you need to take into account. A 1000 cc superbike might make your heart skip a beat, but there is an excellent possibility you will hate it on the commute, and your passanger will be miserable on it. Track-days on a cruiser may also be unsatisfactory.
Step 2: Purchase from Family PowerSports. Private sales may be cheaper, but you will not really have any option if the motorcycle breaks down or dies. If you must buy from a private party, insist that you be able to take the motorcycle to Family PowerSports to have it examined and inspected. A few bucks spent now could save you tons of cash and difficulty later on. Furthermore, Family PowerSports can perform an ownership background search for you to ensure the motorcycle in question wasn't stolen and was not listed as "written off" by an insurance company.
Step 3: Check out the motorcycle on your own. Bring some simple hand tools with you, such as a flashlight and, if possible, a multimeter.
Examine the state of the drive chain and sprocket. The chain ought to have around 3/4" of play (up and down) and the teeth of the sprocket should never show obvious damage or wear. Attempt to wiggle the chain side to side on the sprocket. There should not be significant movement on a good set. Have someone have a seat on the bike and check to ensure the chain is somewhat snug, with hardly any motion up and down. Chains degrade with time, but sprockets should last much longer. A severely worn sprocket suggests possibly an old sprocket or a poor upkeep routine.
The tires needs to have good tread all the way across the surface with no indications of irregular wear or damage. Day-to-day drivers' tires typically have more wear in the middle on the tread (much more highway driving). Others who have raced their motorcycle on the track, will have tires that demonstrate a lot more wear at the edge of the tread.
Take a seat on the bike. Evaluate the condition of the brake and clutch levers, bar-end weights, straightness of the handlebars and instrument cluster. These might be signs of an accident or drop. Other indications could be nicked engine cases, foot pegs or exhaust pipes. Hold the handbrake and bounce the front suspension. It must feel even and solid. Get off the motorcycle and test the fork tubes for signs of rust, pitting and oil. They're warning signs of worn fork seals, or likely upcoming expensive problems.
When checking out the forks, run a fingernail across the brake rotors, looking for irregular wear or grooving. Look at the brake caliper to determine how much of the pads are left. If the bike has spokes, look at the overall condition of the individual spokes. For all types, search for dings and dents or damage to the rim.
Put the bike on its center stand if so equipped; turn the bars side to side. Inspect for any uneven motion or roughness in the steering.
Whenever possible, examine the visible frame; remove the seat to see beneath it also. There should be no dents, kinks or visible damage to the frame. If you find any, find another motorcycle.
While the seat is off and you can access the battery, attach the multi-meter over the battery terminals and check the voltage. It needs to read at least 12 volts. Start the engine. The meter ought to read no more than 14 volts approximately while running. If it does, that may be a sign of a defective voltage regulator and it may well overcharge a battery and lead it to break. Examine the lights and indicators at this point also. Draw a fuse or two out and check for corrosion. Do this with the engine off of course. Furthermore, look at the battery terminals and overall appearance of the battery. Replace the seat.
Open up the fuel tank and inspect for obvious indications of rust or oxidation using your flashlight.
Inspect under fairings (in the event the bike has fairings). Take away the same fairing the owner takes away to switch spark plugs and do regular maintenance. Check the framework for weakness at the weld points. Inspect the general condition of the engine block, plugs, and radiator. Look for leaking around the oil filter and oil pan bolt.
Inspect the brake fluid level. Normally, this is on top of handlebars, within an enclosure having a transparent eye-port. With the engine running, draw hard on the front brakes level and release as you're watching the fluid level. It needs to fall and go up. It needs to rise quickly after the brake is released.
Step 4: Take a test drive. Select a good day with dry roads and great visibility when possible. Bring your motorcycle permit and appropriate gear when you have it. Almost all retailers will have loaner equipment available for you to use.
Choose a route that you're familiar with which has light traffic and good road conditions whenever possible. Start slowly and get used to the way the motorcycle feels and responds.
Test out the brakes. They should not 'pulse'. That may be a sign of out of shape disks. They need to activate smoothly and uniformly and not seize violently or feel mushy.
Accelerate throughout the gears. The tranny must really feel strong and not fall out of gear under acceleration or feel chunky.
While you're on a straight, clean patch of street, weave right and left slightly to find out the way the bike responds. It has to really feel secure and simple to correct.
Pay attention for any kind of abnormal engine sounds, suspension creaking or rattling and virtually any excessive oscillations. Ask questions about everything else you have suspicions about.
Step 5: Check out the bike again following the ride, looking for any kind of leaks or drips. Check the oil, through either the sight glass or; when the engine cools down, the dipstick if so equipped. Many semi or full synthetic oils will probably darken following only a couple of miles. That is completely normal.
Step 6: Obtain a service record. It is usually a good thing to have, but for a number of reasons, it's possibly that they may not be around. Ask for the owner's manual and factory tool set if available.
Step 7: Be reasonable when negotiating on the final price of the bike. For an individual owner, this might be his baby and insulting him now will make sure that you will not get a fair price. If at a dealership, realize that the salesman might have objectives to meet and a manager looking over his shoulder. Do some research on the internet; use the retail pricing guides when available, or read the motorcycle classifieds to get a fair market price of the bike. Next, set the purchase price correctly.
Author's Resource Box
For anyone who is looking to buy an used Motorcycle and you are around the Plano region, then you will need to stop by Family PowerSports and check out the used Motorcycle in Plano. In the following article we are going to go into some of the key considerations you should keep in mind when youre shopping for an used Motorcycle in the Plano area.