How not to get screwed when buying dirt bike?

[Adric123]

4 pages of banter for what amounts to nothing. Plan on putting a new top end in it. For 700$ it wasn’t just done. Unless your riding track or like pushing your bike for miles back to your truck I would want to know what I have. Obviously everyone on this forum knows owning a dirtbike is constant maintenance and engine building. If it’s not brand new it needs something.

It could've been done, I'll ask for proof of some sort. As long we theirs no surprises costing more than $400.00 I still wouldn't be getting ripped off. However, it very well could have surprises costing more than that. That's why I posted this thread, trying to minimize the possibility of that

[2stmakemesmile]

I’m not the wealthiest guy around and my whole family of five ride. That said, I have bought well over 20 used dirtbikes over the years. My advice is, make a checklist of what you want to look at or check on. There is plenty of advice to be had on what to look for, but I often forget to check a certain aspect and get a surprise later at home. Make a neat list and go item by item and know what your willing to deal with and what your not. 

 

Good luck. 

[Adric123]

I’m not the wealthiest guy around and my whole family of five ride. That said, I have bought well over 20 used dirtbikes over the years. My advice is, make a checklist of what you want to look at or check on. There is plenty of advice to be had on what to look for, but I often forget to check a certain aspect and get a surprise later at home. Make a neat list and go item by item and know what your willing to deal with and what your not. 
 
Good luck. 

Cool thanks man. I've got a big list of things to check over in my notes app, planning on useing that

[smirmeister]

Wish I would've known about those before! Now I only have 2 days, i cant really get one in that time but that's a great idea. I'll keep it in mind for the future, thanks

I had to figure it out the hard way. Bought a bike that didn't run thinking it was a fuel issue because it flooded out, had I checked the piston (cracked & had a hole) I could've saved quite a bit.

Not saying the bike you're looking at will be as bad but if you ever look at a bike that's not running or a unusually stubborn to start it's nice to have. If you've got a plumber or mechanic friend they might have one.

[Adric123]

I had to figure it out the hard way. Bought a bike that didn't run thinking it was a fuel issue because it flooded out, had I checked the piston (cracked & had a hole) I could've saved quite a bit.

Not saying the bike you're looking at will be as bad but if you ever look at a bike that's not running or a unusually stubborn to start it's nice to have. If you've got a plumber or mechanic friend they might have one.

Yeah I figure if it doesnt start easily I'll either try to get him to drop the price or walk away entirely. Thanks

[1 lunger]

Not sure if this was mentioned, but I’d want to see a cold start to begin with. Look at / feel suspension and over all condition. Look at the sellers garage and personal car. That will tell you a lot about a person and how they keep things. Lastly, go for a ride and shift through all the gears. Tires, chains, bearings, etc are cheap enough and easy to replace. Don’t get hung up on that stuff. Also, ask questions! What mix ratio do they run? What 2t oil do they use? Where was the bike used? Track? Woods? Back yard? A track bike will likely be worked the hardest. Good luck! And don’t expect much for $700, but you never know.

[Adric123]

Not sure if this was mentioned, but I’d want to see a cold start to begin with. Look at / feel suspension and over all condition. Look at the sellers garage and personal car. That will tell you a lot about a person and how they keep things. Lastly, go for a ride and shift through all the gears. Tires, chains, bearings, etc are cheap enough and easy to replace. Don’t get hung up on that stuff. Also, ask questions! What mix ratio do they run? What 2t oil do they use? Where was the bike used? Track? Woods? Back yard? A track bike will likely be worked the hardest. Good luck! And don’t expect much for $700, but you never know.

Thanks

[Crustybutt]

20 hours ago, Adric123 said:

 

Planning on meeting with a guy this Thursday to buy an rm85 from 2006 for $700.00. He lives in a sub division and we plan on meeting at 7pm so the amount of rideing possible is very little, and I probably cant rev it very high as it'll wake up people who may be sleeping and annoy people who arent. Just looking for tips on what to look over before purchase. I've bought 1 used bike before and their were a lot of un welcomed surprises, so I'm very worried. Any help is appreciated, thanks! Also I'm sure theres other threads like this but I'm adding this one for my specific situation.

 

Look at his house , his car/truck and especially his garage . Why his garage ? Because that's where he did the maintenance on the bike . I've had guys come to look at a bike for sale , look around the garage and the other bikes ...and just hand me the money . His garage is a direct look at his mechanical abilities and work habits . If there's junk strewn all over and everything is in disarray? look for a different bike . Dont forget that you'll be paying for what he failed to take care of . 

[RipThatYZ250f]

I've bought a fair share of bikes, 4strokes not 2 smokes. Anyways I have OCD, people see that when they buy their bike. Look how he maintains everything that he owns, his house, car, and look inside of his garage, is his workbench tidy? People with OCD tend to keep their bikes up to date in maintence etc. Start it when its cold, if its warm ask him about it... Check the air filters.

All I have to say, good luck

[Dane Richardson]

Lol, that would be sketchy if your the seller

3 hours ago, RyanLester761 said:

Ride it quietly down the street after inspections. (Check the cases for JB Weld by the way!)

Then, have the owner close the garage so you can give it a few healthy blips without annoying the neighbors. 

 

[Just one more bike.....]

Bro, make sure it has a pink.
Plan on spending whatever you paid for the bike in parts and repairs to make it reliable.
Avoid shady hoods or nervous sellers.
Do your research, each bike has its own set of unique issues.
Hope this helps my man.

[I'm trying]

Don't forget to ask for his last 5 tax returns. Why? BC he might need money to pay back taxes and now he's trying to get more money out of this bike then it's worth. Take a tour of his house. Does he dust? How are the windows? Clean, tidy. This will tell you all you need to know how he cleans his bikes. Finally, check the back yard. Check to see if hes been doing dounuts back there. Ripping it up. Look closely though. Some people can hide the tell tale signs of motorcycle abuse with good land scaping. Sneaky buggers. Sometimes you tell though just by how shifty anxious they act around you. Keep a good eye out and don't fall for any of that garbage. Oh ya speaking of garbage that can tell you a lot right there.

[Adric123]

Don't forget to ask for his last 5 tax returns. Why? BC he might need money to pay back taxes and now he's trying to get more money out of this bike then it's worth. Take a tour of his house. Does he dust? How are the windows? Clean, tidy. This will tell you all you need to know how he cleans his bikes. Finally, check the back yard. Check to see if hes been doing dounuts back there. Ripping it up. Look closely though. Some people can hide the tell tale signs of motorcycle abuse with good land scaping. Sneaky buggers. Sometimes you tell though just by how shifty anxious they act around you. Keep a good eye out and don't fall for any of that garbage. Oh ya speaking of garbage that can tell you a lot right there.

Haha, thanks for the post

Bro, make sure it has a pink.
Plan on spending whatever you paid for the bike in parts and repairs to make it reliable.
Avoid shady hoods or nervous sellers.
Do your research, each bike has its own set of unique issues.
Hope this helps my man.

What do you mean by pink? Thanks

[Just one more bike.....]

What do you mean by pink? Thanks

Title.

[Just one more bike.....]

Don't forget to ask for his last 5 tax returns. Why? BC he might need money to pay back taxes and now he's trying to get more money out of this bike then it's worth. Take a tour of his house. Does he dust? How are the windows? Clean, tidy. This will tell you all you need to know how he cleans his bikes. Finally, check the back yard. Check to see if hes been doing dounuts back there. Ripping it up. Look closely though. Some people can hide the tell tale signs of motorcycle abuse with good land scaping. Sneaky buggers. Sometimes you tell though just by how shifty anxious they act around you. Keep a good eye out and don't fall for any of that garbage. Oh ya speaking of garbage that can tell you a lot right there.

Dude, your over the top!
Keep it up?

[Florida Gliderpilot]

Does it start in one kick when warm?

Try starting it with the kick starter half way down. still start? good!

hard starting? low compression.

Can you push down the kick starter easily and slowly with your hand? low compression time for a top end.  If you can do it but its hard to do, compression is probably ok.

White smoke? Thats a coolant leak.  Not a huge deal but needs to be fixed.

Blue smoke? Thats good

No smoke? Bad!

Remove seat and look at air filter. Has it ever been cleaned? is there one? if no filter walk away, damage has been done.

Idle wanders all over the place? Air leak.. possibly worn out crank bearings and seals.  Assume complete engine rebuild $$

Listen for knocking.. there will be a little at idle but not when reving.

Sprocket teeth straight or curved like a wave? Worn out.. plan on a new chain also.

Shift through all the gears.. you dont need to go fast just run up and down the gears twice.  Cant get into nuetral? Clutch or shifter work.

Clutch slipping when shifting gears? new clutch plates and spring $100 or so

Brakes working?

Kick wheels.. solid or any rattle?

Check chain for kinked (jammed) links.

Check radiator for coolant. Should be within finger dip range.

Start in first gear with clutch in. Cant do it or bike tries to crawl forward with clutch pulled? may need a new clutch basket or at minimum some filing done to the basket.

Tire knobs rounded off or short in the center? need new tires...

Compression test is a good idea but if it starts first kick its unnecessary.

To be honest for $700 you are just hoping it starts and runs and everything is there because it IS going to need some work

Edited September 19, 2018 by Florida Gliderpilot

[Adric123]

Does it start in one kick when warm?
Try starting it with the kick starter half way down. still start? good!
White smoke? Thats a coolant leak.  Not a huge deal but needs to be fixed.
Blue smoke? Thats good
No smoke? Bad!
Idle wanders all over the place? Air leak.. possibly work out crank bearings and seals. 
Listen for knocking.. there will be a little at idle but not when reving.
Sprocket teeth straight or curved like a wave? Worn out.. plan on a new chain also.
Shift through all the gears.. you dont need to go fast just run up and down the gears twice.  Cant get into nuetral? Clutch or shifter work.
Brakes working?
Kick wheels.. solid or any wobble?
Check chain for kinked (jammed) links.
Check radiator for coolant. Should be within finger dip range.
Start in first gear with clutch in. Cant do it or bike tries to crawl forward with clutch pulled? may need a new clutch basket or at minimum some filing done to the basket.
Tire knobs rounded off or short in the center? need new tires...
Compression test is a good idea but if it starts first kick its unnecessary.
To be honest for $700 you are just hoping it starts and runs and everything is there.

Cool, theres tons of useful information there thank you. Also in my area $700 isnt all that crazy cheap, the common price range without looking for good deals is about $1100, plus I talked him down $100 so it was originally $800. Plus it's the end of the rideing season so price should be down a bit. I'm not saying it's not going to be a no go, it very well could be a trash bike, but it may not be too good to be true here. Thanks!

[Adric123]

Title.

It may not have a title. Here in indiana dirt bikes arent required to be registered, but I'll be sure to look up the vin if it doesnt have one

[Florida Gliderpilot]

1 minute ago, Adric123 said:

26 minutes ago, Just one more bike..... said:

Title.

It may not have a title. Here in indiana dirt bikes arent required to be registered, but I'll be sure to look up the vin if it doesnt have one

Agree here in FL older bikes have  no title and newer bikes "might" but its not a deal breaker unless its street legal

[sirthumpalot]

It's an older bike so either it was well maintained and will run like new, or it was not well maintained and it's likely lots of things are worn out.  Your job is to figure out which case you have.  

In addition to the great info above: 

My general rule of thumb is, if it has black plastic, walk away.   If it has black plastic and lots of stickers, run away!  ?  Seriously though, look at the air filter, if it's not clean and oiled walk away.  If the air box is not clean walk away.  Check the radiator, the coolant should be full and fresh, if not then walk away.  Is the chain clean, lubed and properly adjusted?  If not then walk away.  Are the forks or shock leaking oil?  Check if either wheel has sideways movement (bad wheel bearings).  Put the bike on the stand and see if the swing arm or linkage has any play (bad bearings).  Is the steering stem loose?  If these types of things were not maintained then the bike was likely not well maintained and you can expect lots of things to be worn out.  Take it on a ride (the neighbors will get over 5 minutes of noise), does the clutch slip or drag?  If yes, this could be either worn plats (not too expensive) or a grooved basket and hub ($$$).  Ask what premix oil and gearbox oil he used, if he used cheap stuff then walk away.  Check the gearbox oil, if it's not properly full and clean then walk away.  Is the silencer core clean and properly packed?  Another standard maintenance item.  Look for any seepage near the water pump weep hole.  Look for signs of oil leaking from any of the seals around the shifter, countershaft and kickstarter.  Is there a bunch of crud caked up behind the front sprocket?  If yes, that's a sign the bike wasn't maintained that well.  Are the levers bent or floppy?  If yes, it's a sign the bike was not well maintained.  Again it's an old bike and if it has hours to match its age then either the owner would have been replacing parts along the way, or just riding it until the whole thing is worn out  You just need to figure out which type of owner he was, and use that to estimate how much work the bike will need to keep it going.  

 

 

Edited September 19, 2018 by sirthumpalot