Service history

[DomP]

Anyone on here ever bought a clean looking bike with little to no service history.

You can look back at old mot's on government website to verify mileages so that can confirm a few things.



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[Adam Ef]

Mine was very clean and didn't have much service history apart from receipts for oil filters and oil, new battery and a few MOTs. The MOTs proved it didn't get used for the first three years of it's life though and then only had 9,000 miles on it when I got it when it was 7 years old. Upgrades and anodized parts tended to suggest that previous couple of owners had polished itmore than ridden it too. Previous owner also admitted to never riding at night or rain. Proved by the mileage being almost the same from the time he bought it to when he sold it to me.

I'd say you can get a feeling for how well a bike has been looked after. Rather, if it hasn't been cared for then visible problems (chain stretched etc) probably suggest other less visible things have been neglected.

[Bibio]

in most cases service history means nowt except its had oil and filter change. very few owners will actually stick to the book.

for me its how many owners, condition of oil filter (if visible), signs of road rash and completely stock with no silly aftermarket parts like cheep mini indys or tail tidy and anodised bolts etc.etc usually means that the owner/s have spent more on making it look good rather than servicing it.

just because its shiny shiny dont mean that its a well cared for bike.

unless its a new bike then something is going to need done regards servicing so expect to do a service when you get it.

never ever take an owners word about anything, people will lie to get a sale and most importantly is how you feel, if something is making you feel its not right then walk away as you will never be happy.

[tom_e]

My K5 came with pretty much no service history, was a nice tidy example though meaty tyres, couple of bits done like crash bungs and exhaust but nothing too flashy. I've since doubled and then some the 20k miles it came with without issue.

Although it does now have a fair few Ti nuts and bolts along with some anodised bits so is now a junker :p

[SV650rules]

FSH in majority of cases is not worth the paper it is written on (same with cars I have bought from dealers over the years). As Bibio says look out for cosmetic mods as this is normally a sign that owner is more interested in the look of the bike than its welfare in other departments. Look at condition of chain and sprocket, a loose or overly tight dry chain and sprocket with no sign of lube. I know people with cars who are very good with polish and wax but have no mechanical knowledge or sympathy. one of my neighbours polishes his car every few days, but this is the same guy that sits on his drive warming up his car for 20 mins (even in summer) before driving off, and most people know the quickest way to warm an engine is to get moving ASAP after starting, he never lets his turbo cool down either, just switches engine off as soon as car hits the driveway.

[Bibio]

if someone else owned my bike and i turned up to buy it i would walk.. it has no service history, i dont keep receipts and it gets washed one maybe twice a year if its lucky. but i know for a fact that although the bike dont look the best its very well maintained, but only i know this.

[Adam Ef]

I quite like seeing MOT advisories (rather than fails) and then checking that the person acted on them... gives a good indication that people care for the bike / car.

[SV650rules]

I quite like seeing MOT advisories (rather than fails) and then checking that the person acted on them... gives a good indication that people care for the bike / car.

My mate was an MOT inspector, he said that VOSA was happy if they put down an advisory or two on the certificate, made them look as though they were doing a thorough job, so many advisories may just be window dressing.

[Adam Ef]

I've never had an advisory that wasn't based on someting worth doing. And if something is advised but not totally necessary but the owner acted on it then I see it as an indication that they might care for the bike / car.

[Adam Ef]

I think test centres also increase their chances of being investigated if they don't give many advisories or fails.

[Chris_SVS]

I quite like seeing MOT advisories (rather than fails) and then checking that the person acted on them... gives a good indication that people care for the bike / car.
My K6 got pulled for a noisy exhaust in 2015 but not a word said since, I've MOT'd it here in NI no problem (It's a Remus Revolution with no baffle, you can literally see light at the other end of the can)

But interestingly had advice in, 2011 for stiff steering movement,2014 for notchy steering yet passed in '15 '16 and '17(I owned it this year) with the front end up the bars stayed dead at 12oclock indicating the bearings being knackered. I have no history for any work being done to it those years

[Talking Heads]

FSH just means the book's been stamped.
There's no guarantee the work has been done properly.

[DomP]

I agree that a stamp in the book doesn't mean the works been done but if it's supported by receipts at a dealership then it's likely been done and better than no history at all.

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[stinkerbill]

I just paid a little over £1000 for a very clean 2002 with 26k miles. It's got the V5C, 2 previous owners but that's about it.

Part of me thinks that for a bike with 26k miles and only 2 owners, to be as clean as it is, it's probably been looked after reasonably well.

Regarding MOTs can also see via the gov.uk site that it's been MOT'd and passed every year since 2006 (can't see any further back than that).

It's gonna have a 'once-over' service from the selling garage and I'll probably have it fully serviced once I get my hands on it

Frankly for that price, I'm not too bothered about a paper trail of service receipts.

[ethariel]

Only once out of about 20 bikes did i ever buy an absolute dog and that's just because I WANTED a CBX1000 and stupidly bought the first one i found up for sale, other than that I'v been lucky enought to never have much more than a dodgy coil (VT750) or some really cruddy and never cleaned brakes (most of them).

These days I just buy a new bike every 2 or 3 years and trade it in for the next one though if my body lets me keep going, the Triumph Bobber i picked up this summer is a keeper, it is really just... Fun :)

[SV650rules]

FSH just means the book's been stamped.
There's no guarantee the work has been done properly.

Or even done at all unfortunately..............................

Same with cars, I have had 2 to 3 year old cars from main dealers with 'full dealer service history' with black air and aircon filters and quite severe rust on outside of oil filter - IMHO non of them been changed since car was new. Just hope they changed the oil and were too lazy to fit new filter - I don't like to think what else didn't get done during the FSH.

[Heorot]

I bought my K3 in 2013 so was 10 years old with just under 8000 miles on it. It looked good and ran well but the last service stamp was 08/2008. Previous owners had done under 2000 miles in the 5 years they had it since then. As soon as I got back with it, it went for a full service. The only mods were a double bubble Puig screen, fender extender and Oxford heated grips, all useful rather than flashy. I have no mechanical aptitude so it gets a garage service once a year. The garage owner is a friend and a biker.

I am currently putting 2500 miles a year on it.