I had my eye on this bike for a few weeks, the guy had it for a decent price IF was in the listed excellent condition and ‘needed nothing’ as he said. Well, it turned out to be far different, but my thorough inspection got it down to a fair and very low out of pocket price. I haven’t quite decided what to do with it as far as leave it stock or make it a project but I’m leaning towards a project. Not only would it be really fun and look sweet but would probably make an interesting video series for the site! The checklist I used is below, I put it together from a few others I found around the net. It worked out very well to systematically go through and make sure nothing was left unchecked as far as evaluating the bike for either walk-away points or things to use to bargain down with.
Basic Used Motorcycle Inspection Checklist
Original owner?
Has bike been dropped?
Pipe condition?
Maintenance records/logs?
Walk-around and visual check
Make sure VIN on engine and frame match
Frame dents, scratches weld joints
check odometer’s retaining bolts/screws for turning marks
Mirror condition
Kickstand spring
Cable condition
Transmission feel running and not
Clutch feel and adjustment
Throttle cables
Footpegs damage
Passenger pegs
Seat condition
Passenger holds
Slider or crashbar condition
Turn signals
Hazards
Low beam
High beams
Brake lights – both levers
Check kill switches – key off, bar switch, kickstand
Gas tank interior clean
Engine oil – clean and no drips
Check oil filter for condition and drips
Oil drain plug drips
Coolant fluid at a good level
Make sure the the proper cap is on the coolant reservoir
Air filter – clogged or in good shape
Radiator – no damage to fins, no spot leaks
Engine – look for pry marks and marks on flats of bolts indicating parts have been removed
If motor has been worked on – ask for receipts
Throttle springs back from being fully open to fully closed without help
Push on the shifter and make sure all the linkages feel good
Spark plugs – check if at all possible
Front forks – don’t leak, spring back up when you push down
Front brakes (pads should not be less than 1/8th inch)
No deep grooves in rotor
No leaking brake fluid in caliper, hoses, or reservoir
Rear brake if shoes, little arrow should not line up with other linkage piece when footbrake is pressed
Wheels – no bumps, bulges, cuts, slits, cracks, uneven wear, dry rot, valve-stem caps, spokes, rim’s dents
Wiggle back and front tire to see if wheel-bearings are good
Drive chain – should move up about an inch when pushed on to take out the slack, look for kinks, all the o-rings are there
Drive sprocket – none broken or unevenly worn
Chain stretching indicator
Exhaust – rust on pipes – if it’s blowing blue smoke, burning oil, crank it and put hands behind both pipes to be sure equal pressure is coming out of both pipes.
