Viewing a bike.

Going to view a '03' plate SV650s, less than 3000miles. Anyone got any tips or hints as to what to loo out for/check?

Only bought brand new before so not used to looking for things.

Ta.

1

[steveg]

Check engine / frame numbers / v5 for tampering & get a HPI check .

As said before ask direct questions & maintain eye contact when asking .

Take a mate who knows a bit about bikes if you can , stops you rushing in !

Good luck

Cheers Steve

id say the following, im no expert, but ive been to view a good few bikes with my mates.

1, first thing you should do when you arrive, is to feel the front pipe, do this subtly - if this is warm, the engine has been running recently, therefore when the seller starts it and claims it is a "cold start", he is lying - and could lie about other aspecs of the bike.

2, make it sound like you know what you are doing. ask the seller some techy type questions, and dont let him know that it is your first bike.
tell him what you are checking and ask him questions, see if he becomes nervous when you investigate a certain area, this could mean there is a problem with the bike that he is trying to hide.
ask him what he thinks of his tyres, compared to other makes of tyres, just go get an idea whether he knows what he is talking about.

3, ask the seller if the bike has been dropped, but still check for crash damage, a repaired bike will still leave behind evidence of a drop, check bar ends, the underside of the exhaust, pay special attention to the frame, as footpegs often leave marks when a bike is dropped, we went to see a hornet a few weeks back, the seller claimed that the bike had never been dropped, yet there were marks on the frame where the gear change lever would have hit the frame. try to imagine the bike going down, look what would hit the deck, and see what damage could have occured, then look for it (ie a fairing panel might have been replaced, so you could check the fairing mounts for signs of bending)

4, small chicken strips do not always mean that the seller is a hooligan, it simply means they carry more speed into corners, instead, compare the throttle grip wear to the other side, if one is excessivly more worn than the other, it could indicate ham fistedness of the throttle. also, feel the forks for oil, then bounce up and down on the front suspension and check again for any leaks, leaks on a low milage bike would probably indicate wheelies.

try to gauge what the seller is like, if he doesnt seem honest, or like he knows what he is doing - then id probably walk away.

go to view the bike with a mindset to find problems, knocking some money off the bike.

also check MOT's, frame and engine numbers are ok.

we went to see a CBR a few weeks back, the bike was filthy and looked like a dog.
turns out the guy was a motorcycle mechanic and really looked after this bike, it just got dirty from a long commute home, and the bike was a minter (it got sold just before we got there with the cash)

hope this helps

[Richie]

Nicked from another post...from Dec 05
but good info...

Originally Posted by BillyC

Given that the bike is pretty much new, then there's not much to look for other than making sure that it is neat and tidy.

However, it is 2.5 years old, and 3000 miles, so perhaps you should insist on the following:

4000 mile service and oil change being done in advance, or at least included in the price for 1000 miles time. At least factor it into the price if it's a private sale, it'll be about £120 from a dealer.

Brake fluid and engine coolant changed as per the 2 year service schedule (regardless of miles). Again, if a private sale - this'll cost money from a dealer, and will need to be done soon out of caution.

Also, look out for:
Crash damage - scraped exhaust, scuffs of bar-ends, panels, footpegs, bent brake/gear/clutch levers.

Corrosion on the front forks, and brake calipers - seized calipers can cause all sorts of hassle!

The grab rail on these is alluminium, unfortunately they forgot to prime them when they painted them, and the paint peeling off, is very common. They're also easily chipped and scuffed.


Above all, remember that the bike is probably at least 2.5 years old, which means no more manufacturer's warranty (for what that was worth!). You can pick up a NEW one of the 650's for about £4000 at the moment, so a mint K3 shouldn't really be more than £3000 (yes I'm sorry).

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Original thread

this is very on-topic for me at the mo, i'm also going (possibly) to see a 2003 bike tomorrow.

I gave him a call this morning to see if I could go down tomorrow for a viewing, I asked for the vehicle registration number to do a HPI check which he gave me off the top of his head straight away.

When I tried to do the HPI check I discovered I also needed the VIN number, MOT certificate number and V5 number.
He txt'd with the V5 and VIN numbers and told me the bike only had 1 months mot left (it was advertised as having 12 months MOT) it's a 2003 sv so it's only just due for it's first MOT anyway.
He said "ok I'll either get it MOT'd or I'll knock a few quid off it" I opted for him to get the MOT to save me the hassle. He said "ok you come down tomorrow for a look then I'll get it MOT'd and bring it over to your house if you buy it".
I don't want him comming to my house, I'd rather collect it as his so if he does rip me off then I know where he lives and I'll have his car and windows and anything else breakable.

Anyway, I started to do the HPI check and when I came to do the V5 number bit the number was 11 numbers long (it should be 2 letters followed by 7 numbers for bike registered in Enland) so the HPI check wasn't having it.

Txt'd him about half an hour ago to have another look at the V5 for the correct number and i'm still waiting for a reply.

Maybe it was just an honest mistake, maybe i'm paranoid but, I've been saving up for 2 years for this bike and am just using my gut feeling an common sense.

Allways do a HPI check i'm glad I did.

I'll keep you posted...

With the price of 03 bikes I would consider buying a brand new one. I just did and I only paid £3800 with 0% finance. That way did not have to pay for a HPi check, dont have to worry about MOT for 3 years, got 2 years Suzuki warrenty, 1 years AA cover and a years tax. No need to worry about part worn parts/tyres or past crash damage or thrashing owners.

IMO it makes it a cheep bike if its worth £3000 in 2/3 years time.

One other thing that I don't think was mentioned is be prepared to walk away. Even if you really really want the bike, if something doesn't add up, don't buy. There will always be others out there.

Look for scratches on the outer sides of the mirrors (the black
casing). This should tell you whether the bike has been dropped.

Originally Posted by lukemillar

One other thing that I don't think was mentioned is be prepared to walk away. Even if you really really want the bike, if something doesn't add up, don't buy. There will always be others out there.

yes.
your probably best taking someone with you who knows what to look for to be honest, and listen to what there telling you.