what to check for on used motorcycle?

S

sy123

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ive planned with a guy to buy his 09 kawasaki ninja 250 today, but im not sure what i should be checking. the plan was to bring the bike into a maintenance store for a check up to see if its good but they all seem to be closed today :mad: it has 17000 miles on it, passed a safety in april of 2013, no scratches or dents as far as i can see. he says he will provide me with regular service records.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzUwWDEwMDA=/$T2eC16J,!w0E9szN(W+hBRbpwm)1sg~~48_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzUwWDEwMDA=/$T2eC16R,!zQE9s3ssNzFBRbpwttKdw~~48_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzUwWDEwMDA=/$T2eC16RHJIYE9qUcOOeFBRbpwcFgt!~~48_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzUwWDEwMDA=/$T2eC16F,!y8E9s2fjE+QBRbpwgbWlg~~48_20.JPG

anything look off from the pictures?

so far, i have this checklist but im not sure its thorough enough:



Fluids (levels, look- is it clean, and smell- does it smell burned)
-
Oil Good Average Poor
Brake fluid Good Average Poor
Coolant levels Good Average Poor

Tires
-
Brittle/Cracked Good Average Poor
Nails, plugs, repairs Good Average Poor
Flat spots Good Average Poor
Tread life Good Average Poor

Chain (sprocket wear, can chain be pulled from sprocket)
-
Rust/Slack/Overall Condition Good Average Poor

Electric
-
Lights Good Average Poor
Blinkers Good Average Poor
Battery and wires Good Average Poor

Signs of accident or dropped bike:
-
Frame (lines up, bent) Good Average Poor
Dents Good Average Poor
Scratches in paint Good Average Poor
Scratches in footpegs/boards and end of handlebars Good Ave Poor
Scratches or dents in chrome/muffler Good Average Poor

Engine:
-
Exhaust from both mufflers Good Average Poor
Sound Good Average Poor
If ride on it, pulls strong Good Average Poor
Throttle doesn’t stick Good Average Poor


thanks guys :D
 
call rosey toes to see if they're open
but TLDR the list above, seems pretty thorough to me

it's a relatively new bike, so it should be fairly reliable
just check the gaps between fairings and their alignments to see if anything is off, indicative of a dropped bike....

otherwise, just ride it around and if it feels good, go for it
 
i dunno where your located or how much you want to spend but if you want low kms I got a black 09 ninja 250 with 7000kms on it if your interested pm me
 
I don't have a list.
This does not even start with things like steering head bearings.
Swing arm bearings.
Wheel bearings.
Fork bearings.
Frame cracks.

OK, sorry. It actually does mention wheel bearings, but how is this stuff checked?

What about cracked signal covers?
There is so much not on that list.

That list is for a beginner who is absolutely in love with the bike and wants an excuse to buy it.

Have a mechanic check it.
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