First you have to choose the kind of motorcycle that suits you. Fortunately there are many models of motorcycles, for all pockets and for all tastes. You have a choice. But you have to cope well. Motorcycle is not a toy.
Once you have decided what you want, you should see if you fit into the budget. If you do not already have the moto equipment you have to count it when calculating your budget.
Many ask - What better to buy expensive equipment to better protect me or to give all my money on a better bike? Ideal is to buy a good motorcycle as well as quality equipment. I personally would not give all the money on the equipment, and in return, I will only have money for a motorbike rake. But I would not even give up buying a complete equipment (motorcycle boots, pants and jacket with protections, protective gloves, helmet). Complete equipment can cost between 400 and 4,000 euros. I'm not going into details now, I told you this to know how you count on your money. One tip I give you - buy equipment that is approved for safety standards. Do not buy who knows what cheap Chinese and do not walk after bargains if you keep your life and your health.
Okay, have you made your calculations? Then put yourself in search. Where will you find the motorbike you want? The easiest thing to do is start with some internet searches.
Search Engines - Google and Bing are the most used - you are not just looking for ads, but you can also find out about the seller (whether it's a dealer or a private one, has a good reputation, has somebody complained about it, had motorcycle accidents, etc.). You may be amazed at how much information you find
Auto moto sales / purchases websites. In Romania most popular is Bikeshop and specializes in motorcycles. There are also sites that sell mainly cars, but they also have moto ads, for example Autovit. But on car sites you may not be able to find the best deals. He's looking elsewhere to make a comparison. For example, you can try to bring a motorcycle from another country. A very popular site is Mobile.de for motorcycles in Germany or Moto.it for those in Italy. Theoretically German motorbikes would be better maintained and the Italian ones cheaper. But that's just theory. You need to study each ad and decide if the seller is honest in describing it and finding the best value for money. If you want to buy a motorcycle from another country you have to consider the transport cost - about 4-500 euros.
Moto forums. In Romania the best known are Motociclism.ro and Pro-bike.ro. Both have a section with sales announcements. The advantage is that there are comments on the forum and you can get a better idea. The disadvantage is that often the comments are subjective - the friends of the salesman will boast excessive motorcycle, the crickets will overdo the defects. As is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.Beware of bargains. If you find an ad that looks too good to be true, it's probably the same - it's untrustworthy. Instead, do not remove the motorcycles that seem more expensive. Maybe they have a reason - they are very well maintained or you will get many aftermarket accessories next to the motorcycle. If that's all, the moto accessory market is huge. Every biker tries to customize his motorcycle. You will see, the same you will do after you buy your bike Some accessories are very useful, others are just zorzoane. It's generally cheaper to buy a motorcycle with many accessories (even if it looks more expensive) than take a stock and then buy accessories separately.
People make emotional decisions. You will do the same. The moment you see the motorcycle you wanted so much, you'll be tempted to buy it without thinking.
The emotion of buying the first motorcycle is invaluable.
However, you should be careful not to regret it later. It is best to ask a friend to come with you. If your friend is better at motorcycles and mechanics, the better. But even if he does not know, it's better to come with you. He will not be so emotionally involved, but will be the "voice of reason" that you should listen to.
In addition to your friend, bring with you a flashlight and moto equipment. If it's a test drive, it's good to be equipped, even if you're only going to be a passenger or especially if you're going to be a passenger.
Ask the owner of the motorcycle not to start the engine before you come. If an engine has trouble, the easiest will be seen when starting up cold.
DOCUMENTS
The documents attesting ownership of the vehicle. This is an invoice if the motorcycle is bought from a firm or a sale-purchase contract if it is bought from an individual.
Fiscal certificate
Vehicle identity card. Verify that the entered series corresponds to the series on the motorcycle
If the motorcycle was brought from abroad, you will also need customs documents (for countries outside the EU) and proof of how the motorcycle entered the country (provisional numbers, invoice from the transport company or the registration number of the truck / trailer with which it was brought)
The list of all the necessary documents for registration can be found on the Bucharest Prefect's website (n.a. - if the link below does not work, I would appreciate if you indicated this to me)
General appearance of the motorcycle
You should first do a little research and see what the standard model of the motorcycle looks like. This way you will figure out what has been changed to the bike and what improvements have been made to it. If the bike has been modified, you have to make sure that you do not have any problems with the R.A.R (in principle, it is a non-approved exhaust drums, headlamps, stops, unmodified beacons, wheels / tires other than those in the bead)
Look at whether the bike looks straight (everything aligns) from all angles you look at, if nothing hangs, if the front fork is straight (the perfectly parallel dampers), if there are no marks of obvious bumps and bends.
The frame should be straight, with no welding marks apart from the factory.
And now to work. Here's what you should check before buying a motorcycle:
If the motorcycle is defective, then the hooks must be firmly attached to the engine but not tense (if a screw is loosened, the hull should remain in place)
Look if the bike has the original paint. It is common for a motorcycle to be personalized - custom paint, stikere. It looks nicer, but often the motorcycle has been customized after it has been scratched, damaged. If the motorcycle does not have the original paint, ask the owner what caused it to change. If I was to revive my bike I would take detailed pictures (how it looked before and how the customization took place). Ask the owner if he has such pictures.
Look for scratches, bumpy paint, rust stains, cracks, soldering, brake levers and clutches or folded ladders etc. For each discovered problem, ask the owner what happened.
Check for any leakage of liquids of any kind - shock absorbers, brake fluid, coolant (if applicable), oil leakage under a motorcycle, dirty engine oil, etc. It is said that motorcycles with personality mark their territory by small leakage (like dogs do). I say it's best to avoid such "personalities." A good motorcycle does not have to leak. Most likely, it's just a gasket that needs to be replaced, but it's good to be careful because it can be serious. The owner should fix the problem himself and then sell the motorcycle.
Small scratches are almost inherent. You should not worry about it. Instead you should be careful if the motorcycle does not keep track of a serious accident. I would give up at the start of such a motorcycle.
Electric instalation
Check that all components - headlights, tell-tales, stop (position and brake), on-board lights go
Click on all the buttons and see if they're going
Ask when the battery last changed. Ideally it would be to measure the battery terminals and voltage when charging when the engine is running
Motor
It should start slightly cold
Listen carefully if no suspicious noise (beatings, bumps) are heard when the engine is idling or is slightly accelerating
A 4-stroke engine should not smoke. If it is cold outside, it will form steam (not to be confused with smoke). Smoke of any kind indicates engine problems or high wear.
Clutch and gearbox
The motorcycle should enter speedily
On a road test, it should be checked whether all gears are operating, if it does not climb and if it is slightly dead.
At a more sudden acceleration, this should be the case - if it only sounds as the engine rises in speed without feeling and the speed increase means that the clutch does not work properly. It's not serious, but the clutch kit should be changed.
suspensions
Push as fast as you can on a motorcycle and try to compress the shock absorbers. If it works correctly, it should have a progressive compression and a complete return. There should be no strange noises and no leakage of oil.
brakes
When pressing the brake lever, it must feel a progressive resistance.
With any of the brakes, the motorcycle should not be able to move from place to place.
When the brake is released the motorcycle should move slightly (not to feel that it is restrained)
The brake fluid - freshly changed has a pale yellow color, the older it becomes the browner
Check the condition of the brake pads and especially of the discs. The discs must be flat not having deep grooves and excessive wear marks. For each motorcycle model, the thickness of the brake discs should be specified in the manual.
Transmission
Transmission is by cardan, belt or chain. It depends on the model of the motorcycle
Cardan requires the least maintenance and is less likely to be wrong with him. Check for strange noises, if there is no oil leak, ask the owner when the last cardan oil has changed.
She checks the strap if she is well stretched and her general condition.
The chain should be correctly stretched, unsinkled, free of rust. Check the pinions too. Generally when changing the chain, the whole kit must be changed - with all the pinions. A thin pinion will wear the chain much faster
Tires
The less used and changed the more recently, the better
Check for unusual wear
Check how long the tires are (DOT). Tires older than 5 years should be replaced even if they are not worn. Maybe a year or two, but let's not exaggerate. Extremely old rubber has no good grip and you can put your life at risk. You better change them
Road test
Ask the owner to take a motorcycle tour (he's on the handlebars, you passenger). In this way, you will realize how the motorcycle behaves, but also how the owner with the motorcycle behaves - if he is careful or on the contrary if he is an aggressive rider and likes to abuse it
On the asphalt road, as a motorcycle, it should go smoothly, not to make voices, to avoid excessive vibrations, to make strange noises, not to have the tendency to draw on one side or another