First Motorcycle, What should I look for buying used?

I

instaant

Member
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Hi guys, I have some questions and concerns regarding to choosing my first motorcycle.
Things to consider:
- I used to ride a 150

To be specific

yamaha+vixion-1.jpg


- I'm about 5"7 medium build (Not sure if that would have anything to do with the bike)



Questions:
- I'm planning on buying a 250 or a 300: Which one is best, why? What is the difference between jumping from a 150 to a 250/300?
- What to check when buying a used motorcycle? Any particular sound, smell, look that should be a red flag?
- What is the recommended KM for buying used?
- My budget is $4500 and YES I prefer ABS. Which bikes would you recommend?


Thank you


Regards
 
For someone with limited km, 125/250/300 all work really well. If you plan on spending much time on the highway and you can deal with the increased insurance price, I would focus on 250/300. I was underwhelmed by the honda 250, I would look for a ninja 250, it has significantly more power.

No particular sound or smell to look for. Take someone that knows bikes and have them help you, alternatively there are some good online guides/checklists if you want to learn more.

Km's aren't going to be a problem on most of the bikes you are looking at, maintenance records are much more important. I would rather buy a bike with 20,000 km and maintenance records than a bike with only a couple thousand km's that spent most of its life sitting.

For 4500 w abs, I think that puts you into a used honda or kawi 250. Is that price just for the bike (ie. do you have a separate budget for gear/insurance/maintenance, or are you trying to ride for the first year for $4500 total?)
 
Hi, thank you for replying. All good points, and 4500 is just for the bike. What is the average insurance usually that you have to pay for a first timer? Even under my parents' name? I haven't really looked into that yet. Also, for a 300cc, which bike would you think is good? Because if the price difference between a 250 and 300 is only about 300-400 dollars, might as well get the 300 don't you think?
 
Call an insurance broker and get a quote for you. It varies a lot based on your age/history/postal code. Expect low thousands for the first year. When you are talking with the broker, ask them about any price difference for 250 vs 300 as well as any price difference between bike manufacturers.

Don't put the bike under your parents name, that's fraud. If they don't have M class licenses, you can't even try this game.

For a price difference of only a few hundred, I would definitely look at the 300's.
 
If you've been riding for 1-2 years then you are not a new rider and can choose whatever bike you want. I'd consider Honda's CB500F line, Ninja 500, Suzuki GS500, etc. It really depends on if you want fuel efficiency or the ability to more comfortably travel on the highway. All this, of course depends on insurance. Can you get proof of insurance from Indonesia? If you can, and can get it translated, it might lower your insurance costs here.

You can also buy used, if you can do your own repairs. This will also expand the choice of number of bikes.
 
TorontoBoy said:
Can you get proof of insurance from Indonesia? If you can, and can get it translated, it might lower your insurance costs here.
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What you smokin' willis? I have never heard of any insurance company in ontario considering foreign experience in their ratings.
 
GreyGhost said:
What you smokin' willis? I have never heard of any insurance company in ontario considering foreign experience in their ratings.
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Agreed.

OP, cardinal rule...don't hand of the cash on any bike until you've received an insurance quote that you consider acceptable. A lot of people buy bikes and then realize they can't afford the insurance afterwards.

And unfortunately any figures you get here will be baseball park at best - insurance is weird and even one postal code vs the other can have a very big difference in your rates.
 
GreyGhost said:
What you smokin' willis? I have never heard of any insurance company in ontario considering foreign experience in their ratings.
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Long, long ago a State Farm agent asked me about foreign insurance, said that if I could prove I had it that they would consider it as history, but it had to be translated to English. I've not needed to test this.
 
A GS500E is a great bike. It is what I rode, parallel twin, carb, but you can get those for around $2000, which is not a bad idea, this way you can save the money for a better helmet and gear.

$4500 will almost get you a new bike actually, there is a Yamaha 320 in the market for around that price plus taxes.

M
 
Thank you. I will consider the insurance. I heard that I can just do insurance not yearly but rather for every 8 months. considering that I'm not going to use it during the winter. The first time you have yours, how much was the insurance? I'm sure it was long time ago though.
 
Insurance price depends on the engine size and type of bike I get correct?
Qiuck question, what was the price of the insurance for yours the first time you had your motorcycle? I'm sure this was long time ago, but I'm curious.
 
instaant said:
Thank you. I will consider the insurance. I heard that I can just do insurance not yearly but rather for every 8 months. considering that I'm not going to use it during the winter. The first time you have yours, how much was the insurance? I'm sure it was long time ago though.
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Insurance doesn't work that way in Ontario. They already price it assuming you don't ride much in the winter. Get insurance for the full year, expect to pay 1500 to 3000. Call an insurance broker before buying a bike, it's the only way to get real prices.
 
GreyGhost said:
Insurance doesn't work that way in Ontario. They already price it assuming you don't ride much in the winter. Get insurance for the full year, expect to pay 1500 to 3000. Call an insurance broker before buying a bike, it's the only way to get real prices.
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x2. If you can cancel a 1 year policy in the fall that you started in the spring the insurance company will send you a bill for all the premiums you would have paid during the winter months anyways as those were offsetting what would have been higher payments in the summer.

If you DO happen to find an underwriter that will still do seasonal policies expect to pay considerably more, so most people just take a 1 year policy.

Another thing to keep in mind is that contiguous insurance coverage will help lower your rates in the future, so you want to keep continuous coverage, not terminate it.
 
You buy motorcycle insurance for a year in Ontario. When you have motorcycle insurance but do not ride in the winter, your monthly premium is zero. You pay insurance for the months you can ride, but still get billed for the whole year. This is easier to administer for the insurance companies. Therefore there is no benefit to trying to get an 8 month insurance policy.

Tips on reducing your insurance: Buy a used bike, a little older, so that you don't need theft. Buy under 500cc, don't buy a sports bike, be over 25 years old (I know, you cannot change this). Always shop around, as insurance companies rarely reward you for loyalty, so screw them, go elsewhere and find the best rate you can.
 
instaant said:
Thank you. I will consider the insurance. I heard that I can just do insurance not yearly but rather for every 8 months. considering that I'm not going to use it during the winter. The first time you have yours, how much was the insurance? I'm sure it was long time ago though.
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What you heard of was a payment plan. You still pay for the entire year, but they split it up into either 8 or 12 months depending on who your insurance provider will be.

As for cost I have seen costs range from 700 a year all the way up to 8000. It really will depend on your age, experience, and type of bike + CC and many more other details.

Browse through the insurance section of the forum and you should shortly come up with a list of insurance companies you can call to get some rates. I would try Dalton Timmis.. they seem to be a go to for cheap insurance right now apparently.

I wouldn't consider ANY older bikes. Especially since you don't have any experience repairing or working on bikes at all, I mean.. why bother at all with the possibility of major issues with an older bike if modern types are available. If you are going into the 300 class of bikes you may as well get the newer models, because eventually you will want to trade that thing in for something else (possibly) so its much easier to offload a bike that is extremely desirable to a large group of people. If it was my choice, I would be looking for a used Ninja300. I could EASILY find someone to sell one for $4500 or less. That isn't exactly a deal, its pretty much how much those bikes cost new without tax (with some haggling perhaps). So throw out some offers on those Kijiji bikes, see if one sticks.. I am pretty sure there is a Ninja300 with ABS as well. Good luck on your hunt for a bike.
 
-JERICHO- said:
What you heard of was a payment plan. You still pay for the entire year, but they split it up into either 8 or 12 months depending on who your insurance provider will be.

As for cost I have seen costs range from 700 a year all the way up to 8000. It really will depend on your age, experience, and type of bike + CC and many more other details.

Browse through the insurance section of the forum and you should shortly come up with a list of insurance companies you can call to get some rates. I would try Dalton Timmis.. they seem to be a go to for cheap insurance right now apparently.

I wouldn't consider ANY older bikes. Especially since you don't have any experience repairing or working on bikes at all, I mean.. why bother at all with the possibility of major issues with an older bike if modern types are available. If you are going into the 300 class of bikes you may as well get the newer models, because eventually you will want to trade that thing in for something else (possibly) so its much easier to offload a bike that is extremely desirable to a large group of people. If it was my choice, I would be looking for a used Ninja300. I could EASILY find someone to sell one for $4500 or less. That isn't exactly a deal, its pretty much how much those bikes cost new without tax (with some haggling perhaps). So throw out some offers on those Kijiji bikes, see if one sticks.. I am pretty sure there is a Ninja300 with ABS as well. Good luck on your hunt for a bike.
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Thank you for the well thought out explanations. I will be looking for those for sure!
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