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Buying a bike without riding it


Fidgetgreen
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Hi all,


I'm going to have a look at a bike today which looks like a pretty good deal.


I passed my test in September and was on an SV650 for that. This is an ER6F and I've never ridden one before. The bike is sorn so I won't be able to ride it before I buy. Is this a massive issue? I know I want something which is quite upright (I had a go on the R6 at Motorcycle Live and hated the positioning). Can anyone give me an idea of what the positioning is like for short people?


I'm 5ft2 so my choice in bikes is a little limited.


Thanks,

Sarah

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Even if you can't ride it on the road you should still be able to sit on it, check for fit, and turn it on and listen to the noise it makes, run it up and down the gears etc. Are you buying from a dealer or privately? I bought my Tiger 800 without riding it from a dealer (Hunts in Manchester) and it has been brilliant, except came with only one key. Got two more from Triumph easily enough.

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It's a private sale. It's definitely the bike I want and I've sat on newer versions at bike shows. I don''t want to buy it then find out I hate how it handles, although I don't have much to compare it to. I think as long as the riding position is ok and I can comfortably reach things then I should be fine I hope!

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Unless you can get a 24 hour test ride, you don't really know how you will get on with a bike in the long run. You just have to make a judgement call and so long as it feels OK to sit on it, you have done enough IMO.

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It's a private sale. It's definitely the bike I want and I've sat on newer versions at bike shows. I don''t want to buy it then find out I hate how it handles, although I don't have much to compare it to. I think as long as the riding position is ok and I can comfortably reach things then I should be fine I hope!

 

In that case make sure all documents tie up with bike and owner. Check Vin and engine number are the ones on the V5, check service records, mot etc. A well looked after bike should be obvious, regular oil changes etc. and the paper trail to back it up. Take dip stick out and feel the oil between your figures, is it smooth or gritty. Check brake pads have plenty of wear left on them.


Get the owner to tell you about their experience with the bike, how long owned, from new? etc. etc. Hope it is as you expect.


Edit: just realised you were going today so maybe this is too late. Did you get it?

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Take dip stick out and feel the oil between your figures, is it smooth or gritty.


:twisted: :shock: :shock: :shock: for real????

 







If you do take the owners dipstick out make sure his Mrs is out of sight :D



I've bought a few bikes with out riding em , if I like the the look of the bike I'm 99% there :thumb:

Some people are just more anal about buying bikes , guess I'm not .

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I've put a deposit down and i should be picking it up on saturday!!! It felt great, the height was right. i wasn't flat footed on both sides but i felt comfortable enough and it was in an upright enough position for me as well.

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I've put a deposit down and i should be picking it up on saturday!!! It felt great, the height was right. i wasn't flat footed on both sides but i felt comfortable enough and it was in an upright enough position for me as well.

 

Pics when you get it.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm thinking of doing the same but getting a cbr125 from superbike factory. Their bikes all seem to be cheaper than local. I'm South of London so it's 350 mile round trip to them. I'm not mechanically minded so I'd just be kicking tyres. It's a shame the rac don't do a bike check service.

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I'm thinking of doing the same but getting a cbr125 from superbike factory. Their bikes all seem to be cheaper than local. I'm South of London so it's 350 mile round trip to them. I'm not mechanically minded so I'd just be kicking tyres. It's a shame the rac don't do a bike check service.

 

Become an active member of the forum.

Ask around. Someone will live local to the bike.

Tell them you will buy them a cuppa.

Meet them there.

Sorted :thumb:

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I'm thinking of doing the same but getting a cbr125 from superbike factory. Their bikes all seem to be cheaper than local. I'm South of London so it's 350 mile round trip to them. I'm not mechanically minded so I'd just be kicking tyres. It's a shame the rac don't do a bike check service.

 

I probably wouldn't buy from superbike factory, not if I was 175 miles away. It's common for a bike to leave there with issues, and 175 miles away is going to mean it's very difficult to get them resolved! They have a large number of bikes entering and leaving the place all the time, they just don't have the time to check them properly.

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I'm thinking of doing the same but getting a cbr125 from superbike factory. Their bikes all seem to be cheaper than local. I'm South of London so it's 350 mile round trip to them. I'm not mechanically minded so I'd just be kicking tyres. It's a shame the rac don't do a bike check service.

 

Given that you are not mechanically minded surely you'd be better off buying a bike locally to yourself from a reputable dealer. Of course you will pay more but will save in the long run by having someone on your doorstep who can help. Also I've discovered that there are a number of independent motorcycle repair specialists around Stockport that I'm going to look at for servicing my Tiger. There must be similar sorts of indies close to wherever you live. Get the yellow pages out and ask around. You could start by asking on this forum in the appropriate section.

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  • 2 months later...

I had the same problem, when i bought my YBR, the bike was sorn-ed, not insured,(but mot'd) so i couldn't even take it on a spin in the cul-de-sac(sod's law comes in my mind).


I did a full check on the bike in the garage(steering,suspension, sings of damage, frame, fluids,gears, levers, etc) started her up from cold, while listening for any weird noises, and listening the tick-over when the engine is warm, and then trying to start up the engine while it's warm(temperature sensors and stuff), and i've spent like 10 minutes sat on it.


After that i've decided that it was the bike which i wanted, went home, sorted out the tax and insurance, went back 3 days later, and i did a quick test ride(just to make sure it doesn't stall/lose power or jumping out of gear), which was satisfactory(bike was tip top condition), handed the money and off i went.


I think it depends if the owner did take care of the bike, i wouldn't take a bike before a test ride from a guy who doesn't have knowledge about bikes,service history or he didn't had the bike for a longer period of time(check V5), passing the bike quickly means potential problems with it.


Generally you don't have any warranty buying privately, if you buy from a trader you have the trading standards to cover you(in some extent) or some sort of warranty.

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I doubt you'll be disappointed in the handling of the er6, it's light and quite easy going handling wise. Great about town and at reasonable speeds I'm the twisties. I like the engine, it's peppy. I prefer them to the sv650 personally.


The only issues I had with the handling on mine (had it for 4 years) was at particularly high speeds on poorly surfaced or sharply undulating roads where the budget suspension shows its flaws. Wasn't really an issue though, and only when going faster than I really should have been. It's not great for pillion use either as the front becomes light and it wanders. It'll do it but it's hard work. All in though I found mine a pretty good all rounder, and struggled to find anything I wanted to replace it with without spending a good additional wedge of cash.


Crash bungs - the R&G aero ones are the best, but they are expensive. You need to take the fairing off to fit them, they basically screw into a plate you mount to the frame via the engine mounting points. It's pretty straightforward. The non aero ones require a hole to be made in the fairing I believe.


Points to keep an eye on:


-swing arm - they rot around the welds and drain holes underneath. Keep those clean and free of crud so any water that gets in can drain. Inside the swing arm water can pull towards the ends at the chain adjuster arms. Next time to you pull the rear wheel take the adjuster arms out and clean the inside, use water proof grease on the adjuster arms blocks. It gets nasty in there if neglected. Paint finish on the end caps is crap as well, I ended up scrubbing and hammeriting mine.


-brake calipers - if you use it in the rain, particular in winter, clean them out regularly as they crud up and dirt gets behind the dust seals causing them to grip the piston and pull it back in to much. If you have excessive lever travel this is a possible culprit. The pistons rust easily too if neglected. A little red rubber grease around the extruding part of the piston and in the grove between the piston and bore in front of the dust seals helps, just a tad so there no risk of it getting on the pads.


- Coil sticks - take a look at these early doors. These sit over the spark plugs and can corrode in place. They are a bast*rd to remove without breaking them if stuck. If yours move ok, a light coating of water proof grease goes a long way. If they're stuck plan for new ones potentially come sparkplug change time (realistically the iridium ones go for a very long time so I wouldn't stress about it).


- Seat lock - keep the key hole for the seat lock clear and check it regularly. A little graphite grease into it now and again helps. The issue being that they fill with salt and other crap if ridden in poor weather and can seize (the actual pins in the lock seized on mine). A pig of a job getting the seat off if that happens. I actually removed mine and replaced it with a cable tie attached to the mechanism instead of the lock.


- Bolts holding the front sprocket cover can corrode, copper slip them.


-Rear sprocket carrier bearing on mine wasn't the sealed type and failed after road salt found its way in. Worth keeping an eye on. A £5 FAG (quality German brand) sealed bearing sorted mine.


Mine was pretty reliable and gave me no major issues in the 20k I did on it, and mine was pretty abused in terrible weather commuting. Good bikes, reckon you'll enjoy it.

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