Second Hand Motorcycle Buying Guide | What To Look For 

You made a very good point. Aesthetics is important. I bought a 2007 CBR600RR back in 2016 for my birthday. It had 21700 km's on the clock (which isn't low, but decent) but the fairings had bad scratches on both sides. Problem was it was love at first sight... so all I kept on thinking about was I could always go buy some after market fairings and the bike will be good again. Oh how wrong I was. 3 months after purchasing the bike the engine blew up. I was lucky enough to find a good 2nd hand engine for R12k. 2 years later and it's still going strong. Moral of the story is, if the bike looks all scratched up then maybe you should walk away. Great video as always.

I've been looking at these types of videos about second hand bikes and then a day later Chaos makes one and im like CLICK!

Million subs quality vid period.

Another good thing to look out for is the rear tyre. Has the guy been doing burn outs and abusing the bike?

Your bike is all like why me? I don't have any of those problems lol...

Watch out for another hidden cost: brake pads and discs condition

I’m buying a Yamaha R1 2010on this weekend so hyped about it, I love your videos, and this video was very useful, wish me luck with my new bike

Finally made the decision to comment on your video, I have to say the quality is second to none, I showed your videos to loads of my friends. The videos are very informative and entertaining. Keep it up🤙🏼

Taken me a long time to get to having my own bike, so still new to it all (even tho the rest of my family ride) so I've found your vids really helpful, thank you 🙂

I fell in love with the bike I bought (2nd hand) as soon as I saw it. It didn’t have any scratches or dents on it. The owner seemed like a decent guy. I got it for a great price too. But i later found out it had too many electrical problems. Still trying to get all of those fixed. Had to replace half the electrical parts on the bike like the rectifier (soo expensive 😭) So yeah. The third one is a tricky one to spot.

This was legit ! Fortnine made a similar one and I'm a huge fan of that for some while xD

that's a great video man. i remember wishing that i bought my bike later i was impatient and bought it before i got my license (vfr800 80k km) looked fabulous, love at first sight i spend a month hunting for them on the internet! but sadly since i didnt have my license i couldnt ride it which was no problem, everything looked fine just 2 minor scratches. a month after buying it the stator gave out, replaced it myself for less than 1/4 of the price at the dealer but it's a minor inconvenience.... but holy s**t those 2 scratches are driving me nuts! i ordered a repair kit since it was beyond the paint AND IT MADE IT WORSE now i've been looking for 4 months for those 2 parts without scratches second hand, still no luck though.... overall, considering within 2k KM i rebuild half the bike (mainly because i was curious how stuff worked and just felt like it) i'm happy with what i got, still i realise i should have been more patient since i was pretty lucky i think... but thanks for the video mate! i'm probably going to rewatch it and memorize more of it when i get my second bike haha!

Checking tires' pressure and oil condition is easy to do and reveal a lot regarding the care the bike has had. Same goes for rim condition (look out for cracks or loose sprockets) and brake pads, lines. Cheers.

Just bought a new bike by watching all different motorcycle buying guides and combining them to one document. Unfortunately, this video litteraly combining every aspect i wrote down came too late. Amazing and informative video once again, i'll be using this in the future as a checklist for sure :D Well done Chaus

Look at you! Really in *love* with an R6! The R6 which I ride is owned by my partner's sister who is freaked out and just made it stay uncared for 5 or so years, but we did a lot of job to get the fuel lines perfectly clean, the EXUP is seized but got it moving. No critical problems except the tires which is now a sloppy round gum. The oil is very clean, and it is parked inside the garage which has some cold air. 2006? Dosen't really feel like it, except the raw and rough powerband, but I got used to it. Looking forward to buying one.(the owner, together with my partner and family left for Canada, not showing signs of return!)

Good to see a South African content creator. Keep up the good work my dude.

Definitely want to see a cold start when you get there. If it’s already warm when I get there and he claims he ain’t started it yet. Alarm bells go off

Loved the video, helped out a lot. I’ve been doing my research on the few bikes I want to get. Watching videos asking as many questions as I can think of in motorcycle groups and forums and even asking riders in person from time to time. I really want to make sure I get the right bike for my first one so any and every video like this helps a ton.

Thanks for making another smart video review

25k km is not much at all for a bike, i do about 20-25k km yearly, as long as you follow the service manual and take the bike to a dealer to do the work and keep the service history the bike will as good as knew but with few extras/mods on it. i came across a few bikes with really low millage such as a bandit 2004 with only 9k km and it had a lot of oxidation and didnt start after a week, if a bike has low milage it means it wasnt serviced often or take care off, then i went to look at a sv650 2008 with 85k km, ran smooth from cold, paint was mint, chain nice and clean and pleeenty of receipts from dealer.

I always enjoy your videos

Another amazing video! I love your accent man, where are you from?🤘

fantastic video ! detailed very Well And quality is top love your videos huge fan of you.

another important is checking the front side of the frame for cracks(where the fork goes) because many bikes cant take the forces when they land from a wheelie

Very nicely explained, in a sympatic manner. A joy to watch compared to most other vids :)

So Smooth , Nice video man you deserve more audience

Showing your knowledge. 👌 Nice!

chack the oil fill plug if it has white sluge on. if it has it may be a sign of a head gasket. check the coolant if you see any oil in it.

A gpod way to spot a bike tbat has been dropped is to look at the gear lever and brake leved... even if the owner has replaced them, look where they fit into the bike. If the bracket is beant qider than it needs to be than its probably been dropped and the lever beant it

Wow this was an extremely useful video! Thank you!

Again.. The most useful motovlogs channel 👌👌

Good advice, especially about wired sump plugs 👍

Thanks for the advice bro. I'm thinking about upgrading towards a 2016 r1 or an s1000rr. I'll keep this video in mind. Btw you have a stunningly beautiful bike!

Good tips man. BTW how do we check the engine heat issue when it comes to first time buyers?

This might work where you are. I live on the border where people steal bikes- swap parts etc. people where I live can ride all year long. They will remove the speedo cluster so you’ll never know what the actual mileage is. They beat the bikes then when it’s time to sell. They will put the speedo back on- sometimes the fairings then sell it. Trust me I got burned on buying a used bike. Next time the bike goes to a certified mechanic or I’ll pass on buying

I warm engine and after every wash I am lubricating every spot that should lubricated. I am proud my self.

Thank you so much ! This really helped.

Very good video quality and very useful info thanks👍👍

really nice video .. u r presentation is too good .. I'm so happy .. nice channel.. do lot of videos. i will support. cheers from india. This is Muthu .. great work man ..

You know when private ads say "test ride only with money in hand"? I understand the reason behind that, but I would be nervous taking that much cash with me. Should I expect to have to let the seller hold the money while I go for the test ride? Should I expect the seller to let me hold the title?

Love the edits

Whatup CC 👍🏻 another great post 👏👏 I'm thinking what about service history? And checking the background of the bike to make sure the mileage is correct!!

quality as usual

Thank you for the explanation, got a like and a sub 😇

good video 😊

Amazing vid bro! Thanks for the contents. I am planning on getting my 2nd bike (2nd hand) R6 also. Then one day God pops up your channel on my RU-vid timeline! I’ve been following all your vids! Hoping for more and great content from you! Love from Malaysia brother! Love from 🇲🇾

Pal, i like ur explanations very much becoz its a fact..

I once got ripped off for a 500€ Scooter.. The owner warmed the scooter up beforehand and it just wouldn't start when the scooter was cold. Little did I know that a scooter Starts/runs smoother when it's fully warmed up (Was 16 at the time).

Thanks my brother...

Getting my first bike today a Suzuki gixxser 150 cheking it out in 3 hours will do a update

I already got ripped off once, had to spend thousands to get it fixed. Now i sold it and I'm ready to buy another one but I'm so scared of getting ripped off again, specially since motorcycles are so expensive in my country.

as always you are AMAZING 😍❤️

thank you for sharing bro.. ride safe.. from philippines 😊

Lovely video Chaos and thanks for the tips, but how do i find a buddy who knows whats up if its my first bike and there is noone in my family n friends who rides one? I a bit afraid of buying a second hand bike alone, but i dont really have the money to buya brand new one from a dealer. It sucks being a student and the son of a non biker father :D

What I cannot stand is the dealership's that keep bikes parked in the sun and you see this on Northrand road from about 3 of them, IMMEDIATE TURN OFF!!!!. I stay far away from those dealership's and a work colleague who bought a bike from those dodgy bike shops has a had his R1 sitting at a mechanic for the past week after owning the bike for 4 months.

What is a good source to consult to find the year model colors? I'm looking for a r6 but every damn seller seems to deviate from the original fairings. like the decals on the tank is commonly removed. or the fairings color is slightly different from the tank. Or the bike is older but the put newer modal fairing on to fool you. flippen frustating. Good videos CC. I'm also from SA.

Also try to find out if the bike has some problems straight from the factory like a faulty fuel pump like my 2008 yzfr 125 has. I had to spent 70€ on that after i had rode the bike only 3000kms

I'm look for a 2020 and the tag stated on the bike stick 2019 ?????

Saw this and sub ! I just dont get it i find 2007 for 4500e and 2008 for 5500e why is 1 year model 1k more?

thank you..nice video

nice video !bro

Why am I so idiot by not checking properly. I just hope after getting this bike I will check deeply in details. Thank you for the tips hence... hopefully nothing bad news about my 2nd hand bike 🤭

I’m a beginner who is looking for a used Ninja or CBR at 300cc or lower. Which dealerships in Johannesburg/ Pretoria do you recommend? I really don’t want to get ripped off

Which yr is this R6.....????looking so awesome.

it's not fool proof. I got a zx10, rode it home knowing about the baldish Tyre and semi loose chain, but that's the only bad points. three months in the Manifold gasket goes. There is never anything you can do to ensure a worry free bike but you can make the chances lower. Here is my checklist -- The order doesn't matter but when you arrive ask thick people questions so they show all their cards, if they mention a part in particular say the clutch, shift your focus there. Too many sellers are w@nk3r'5 now Watch out for recalls. Check that part if there was a recall Check all seals such as calipers and forks Check the brake pads for how much meat is there How bulky was the History, does it all line up at a half hour glance search the MOT history to find failures and ask about them, then check and see if you're happy the info lines up. Pitting on the forks Check for Tipex, typically used by people to mark changes, this is a good sign, it means they thought about the modification before battering the bike Take some tools such as a mechanics Stethoscope, Multi Meter, Tread checker, Tyre pressure gauge, it will point out the bad parts but also show the seller you know your stuff. Cutting the crap they tell you. Move the steering left to right, slowly and smoothly, checking the head bearings. Take it for a bombing run in at least 1st 2nd and 3rd to check the clutch plates aren't slipping Brake disc wobbles mostly on the front due to the stopping power and floating discs. rusty bolts indicating no mechanical love was given as the fairings or calipers were not removed. Check all dash lights power on when the key is turned as the loom may have been cut to hide that check engine light mis-matching parts, if a seller changed just one rearset it was most likely a drop, if they changed both it is likely to be cosmetic or wear and tear such as worn o-rings. check for wiring changes, if they are soldered on, odds are it was done by someone who cares or is great at their job. electrical tape, you can bet the bike it was done on the cheap at home while they watched Eastenders. Don't let a drop be the decider on the purchase, we have all dropped a bike a few times, the honesty is what you'll see, if you can see a large scrape it wasn't a parking lot on and off the other side or slow speed slip.

Maaan did I fall for you and your content Even though I'm not gay 😁💓❤ lots of love from India!!

Great video bru! May you please explain why here in South Africa, the used bike prices have soared tremendously such that pricing has appreciated! Back in 2011 I paid R50k for a mint K7 GSXR 600. 7 years later the bike is around the same price / if not more. I have been looking at the BMW S1000RR due to its long service intervals but second hand prices are crazy! Thoughts?

Nice vds

I got a 2007 Yamaha R1 for $500 with 10,000 miles.

It seems like hard to find a good second hand bike, I prefer to buy a new bike

below 15k and 25k miles? Are you basing that on something specific or is it just a guess? Coz it is good to know that a lot of these bike engines despite revving higher actually go for longer than an average car engine, like 300k miles+ with decent maintenance. 15k miles in a bike is nothing really.

Cool r6😮🇮🇳💕👍🏻

How tall are you?

Why do you talk about money as dollars when you live in South Africa we use rands

Wanna just come with me to get my bike 😂

Get it inspected by a mechanic

Hey when ever u want to sell your KTM jook me up

yee haw first

This video reveals how shady and dishonest humans really are. Makes me cringe when thinking about dating or hiring someone for a job.

👍👍👍👍👍🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗............

Simple solution: buy your bike brand new.