Finally, your hard work has paid off and you've got the title to a shiny new sportbike in hand. OK, maybe not so shiny and certainly not new-but it's new to you. The excitement is overwhelming. With the pedal nearly to the floor you're almost home. The bike in the back of the truck will soon be unloaded so you can saddle up and take it for a rip.
But try to get a grip and evaluate the situation. Whether your purchase came from a dealership or a private owner there are some important items to check before pounding the throttle. Some are less critical than others, but skipping a secondary inspection (assuming you went over the bike in detail before purchasing) could end in tragedy.
Our "first bike" was found after months (yes, it takes months to find a deal) of patiently trolling Craigslist: a clean 1999 Honda CBR600F4 with only 12,000 miles. It was definitely ridable, but had some issues...
Don't take the seller's word about anything, and regardless if he claims to have ridden it only yesterday, it's better to be safe than sorry.
...
>>next page