What faults do i look for on an off road bike?

Question

I'm looking at getting a 1 or 2 year old 4 stroke 250 (probably hond or suzuki). Any tips for when i look at them what faults to look for.... so that i dont get ripped off?

Answer 1

Don't be fooled by shiny plastics but rather look at the foot pegs to see how worn they are.  If the bike has had heaps of use it will be very tired and quite often the seller will put new plastics on the bike to make it look a lot better.  Ask when the last time the valves have been been done as they should be done about every 12 to 15 hours.  Check the frame as if it is cracked you don't want this bike.  Look for obvious maintenance let downs like if the oil filter is clean as if it isnt then the person you are purchasing from hasn't looked after the bike as they wouldnt try selling a bike with a dirty filter.  Check for slop in the wheels as this could mean the bearings are gone.  Also look to see that the rims are not bent.

Answer 2

Check the simple things to be a tell tale as to how much maintenance the previous owner had done.

Judging by that you will know how good of shape the bike is in.

Check the air filter. Is it clean or really dirty? A smart bike owner cleans the filter ever couple rides at the very least. (Less junk in the motor = less wear in the piston and cylinder)

Check the oil. Is it dirty or clean? How often did he change it? If he changed it every couple 3 rides then he probably took care of other items as they arose.

Check the linkage? Is it sloppy or tight?

With the bike on a stand, grab the rear tire and try to move it up and down. If you feel any slop then your in for new linkage bearings and seals. (About $100)

Grab the front and rear wheels and try to move them side to side. If you feel slop then you need new wheel bearings.

Good luck and be smart. If they guy dosent act like he knows what hes talking about then he probably dosent and hes looking to pull the wool over your eyes.

Answer 3

You would get a better response in "Cars & Transportation"> "Motorcycles", This is "Motorcycle Racing"

Answer 4

check linkage bearings, any oil leaks, general cleanliness of the bike, condition of the metal on the bike, look for any stress cracks/fractures in the frame, make sure tires have plenty of life in them,  good compression in the engine,  any odd rattles when the engine is running, condition of the oil in the engine and gearbox, does it have a service history with a local shop, check the chain is not stretched too bad, look at the sprockets and chain guides are not worn too much, and one of the most important things to me is to check if the radiators are bent/twisted/damaged because they are not cheap to replace.  A bike that is only a year or two old should be in pretty good condition so dont accept anything that is just ok.  happy bike hunting, good luck

Answer 5

dont worry too much about the plastic, because it can be changed out cheap and simple, but you want to look at the forks. Are they leaking oil?

Look at the airbox, a dirty airbox means neglect....

look at the rims, are they bent....

Just look at the overall appearance of the bike, you will be able to tell if the bike was neglected and just cleaned up to sell, and you will be able to tell if the bike has been taken care of......

Answer 6

I work at a dealership, and can tell you what to really look for.

1st::::Start the bike, and look for anything that isn't right.(sputtering, leaking, etc.)

2nd:::: Air box. Do check the inside of the air box for cleanliness. If the seller didn't even bother to clean that who knows what's wrong with the thing.

3rd::::Linkage. Check the linkage for wear, tear, and bad maintenance.

4th::::Bent. Check for bent handle bars, radiators, or rims. Pretty much anything that is bent will be an indicator of a crasher!

5th::::Oil, check the oil, and see if they take care of the engine.(If the oil is black it is bad, and they may have abused the motor by running the old oil in it