Second Hand Bike Kasari Check Garne: The 50-Point Checklist

Most used bikes look fine in photos and feel fine for the first two minutes. The problems that cost money are the ones you only find if you know where to look: a weak charging system, a fork seal that has started to weep, a tyre that still has tread but is seven years old.

Our inspection scores each of the 50 points below out of 100. You will not have our tools with you, but most of these can be checked with your eyes, your hands, a torch and a ten-minute ride. A multimeter helps for two of them. They are grouped into four areas here to make them easier to follow.

Before you start

• Ask the seller not to start the bike before you arrive. A cold engine tells you far more than a warm one. If the engine is already warm when you get there, ask why.
• See it in daylight, on level ground. Rust, repaint and oil leaks hide in the dark and in the rain.
• Bring a torch, a rag and, if you can, a multimeter. Bring a friend who rides if you are buying your first bike.
• Check the papers first. There is no point inspecting a bike you cannot transfer. See what to check in the bluebook.

Engine and drivetrain: 15 points

1. 1Cold Start RPM. From cold, the engine should fire within a second or two and settle into a steady idle without you holding the throttle open.
2. 2Idling Vibration. At idle the bars and mirrors should be reasonably still. A rough, hunting idle points to fuelling, ignition or mounting problems.
3. 3Exhaust Smoke. Blue smoke means the engine is burning oil. Black smoke means too much fuel. A little vapour on a cold morning is normal; smoke that continues once the engine is warm is not.
4. 4Oil Leakage. Look around the cylinder head, the crankcase joints and under the engine. Fresh, wet oil is a leak. An engine that has just been washed is worth a second look.
5. 5Engine Oil Condition. Check the sight glass or dipstick. The level should sit between the marks. Gritty black oil means overdue service; milky oil means water or coolant is getting in.
6. 6Piston Slap. A hollow knock from the cylinder, usually loudest when cold and fading as the engine warms. It points to wear in the piston or bore.
7. 7Tappet Noise. A fast ticking from the top of the engine. A light tick is normal on many engines; a loud, uneven one means the valve clearances need attention.
8. 8Spark Plug Condition. If a mechanic can pull the plug: light brown is healthy, sooty black is running rich, oily is burning oil, chalky white is running hot or lean.
9. 9Air Filter Clogging. A choked filter makes a bike sluggish and thirsty. It is cheap to replace, but a filthy one tells you how the bike has been serviced.
10. 10Fuel Pump Sound. On a fuel-injected bike, turn the key on and listen for a short whirr as the pump primes. Silence, or a loud continuous whine, is a warning. Carburettor bikes have no pump to hear.
11. 11Fuel Tank Rust. Open the cap and shine a torch inside. Rust flakes end up in the filter and injector.
12. 12Radiator Fan Trigger. On a liquid-cooled bike, let it idle until it is properly hot. The fan should switch on by itself. If it never does, the bike will overheat in traffic.
13. 13Clutch Plate Bite. The clutch should take up smoothly partway through the lever travel. In a high gear, open the throttle firmly: if the revs climb but the speed does not, the clutch is slipping.
14. 14Gear Shift Smoothness. Go up and down through every gear. False neutrals, jumping out of gear or very heavy shifts are gearbox problems.
15. 15Chain Play. The chain should have a little slack, not hang loose and not be bar-tight; the right figure is in the owner's manual for that model. Look at the sprocket teeth too: hooked or pointed teeth mean the set is worn.

Chassis, suspension and body: 17 points

1. 1Chassis Alignment. On a straight, flat road the bike should hold its line with a light grip. From behind, the two wheels should sit in one line. A bike that pulls to one side has usually been in a crash.
2. 2Frame Rust. Check the welds, under the seat and around the swingarm pivot. Surface rust is cosmetic; flaking, pitted metal is not. Fresh paint on the frame alone deserves a question.
3. 3Handlebar Straightness. With the front wheel pointing straight ahead, the bars should be square to it.
4. 4Fork Seal Leakage. An oily film or a ring of dirt on the fork tubes means the seals are leaking. Pump the forks a few times and look again.
5. 5Rear Suspension. Push down hard on the seat. It should compress and return once, smoothly. Bouncing, or oil on the shock body, means the shock is finished.
6. 6Swingarm Bushing. With the rear wheel off the ground, grip it and push side to side. There should be no play and no clunk.
7. 7Wheel Bearings. Spin each wheel off the ground: smooth and quiet is right. Rock the wheel sideways; any movement is bearing wear.
8. 8Rim Bends. Spin the wheel and watch the gap between the rim and a fixed point such as the brake pad. A gap that opens and closes is a bent rim.
9. 9Wheel Balancing. A vibration through the bars that appears at one speed and fades above and below it usually comes from the wheels, not the engine.
10. 10Footrest Alignment. Bent or ground-down footrests and levers are the easiest sign that a bike has been dropped.
11. 11Mudguard Alignment. An off-centre mudguard or cracked mounting points mean something has hit it.
12. 12Fairing Rattles. Loose panels, mismatched clips and broken tabs show that panels have been off, often after a fall.
13. 13Stand Mechanism. Side and centre stands should hold the bike firmly and spring back cleanly. If the bike has a side-stand cut-off, check that it works.
14. 14Seat Lock. It should lock and release with the key, first time.
15. 15Paint Thickness (Tank). We measure this with a gauge. By eye, look for a colour mismatch between panels, overspray on rubber or badges, and a ripple under the paint where filler has been used.
16. 16Mirror Tightness. Mirrors should stay where you set them at speed.
17. 17Number Plate. The plate should match the bluebook exactly, be legible and be properly fixed.

Electrical: 11 points

1. 1Battery Voltage (Idle). With a multimeter across the terminals and the engine off, a healthy 12-volt battery reads around 12.6 V. Near 12.0 V or below, it is weak. More in what battery voltage readings mean.
2. 2Charging Voltage. With the engine running at a few thousand rpm, the reading should rise to roughly 13.5 to 14.5 V. If it stays near battery voltage the bike is not charging; if it climbs well above 15 V the regulator is failing.
3. 3Self-Start Load. The starter should spin the engine briskly. Slow cranking, clicking or lights that dim heavily mean a tired battery or starter circuit.
4. 4Wiring Harness. Look under the seat and behind the headlight for cut and joined wires, tape and non-factory connectors. Badly fitted alarms and accessories cause most electrical faults.
5. 5ECU Error Logs. On a fuel-injected bike the engine warning light should come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs. A light that stays on or blinks means a stored fault that needs a scan tool to read.
6. 6Console Display. Every segment, needle and warning lamp should work, and the odometer should be clearly readable. See how to spot odometer tampering.
7. 7High/Low Beam. Check both beams and the pass switch.
8. 8Brake Light. It should light from the front lever and from the rear pedal, separately.
9. 9Indicator Relay. All four indicators should flash at a normal, even rate. Fast flashing means a blown or wrong bulb.
10. 10Horn Decibel. Loud and clear, not a weak buzz.
11. 11Switchgear Click. Every switch should move with a definite click, including the kill switch and starter button.

Brakes and tyres: 7 points

1. 1Brake Lever Feel. The lever should be firm and stop well short of the handlebar. A spongy lever means air or old fluid in the system.
2. 2Brake Pad Thickness. Look into the caliper. If the friction material is down to about 2 mm, or the wear groove has gone, the pads are due.
3. 3Disc Plate Scoring. Deep grooves, a raised lip at the edge or blue heat marks mean a worn disc. A lever that pulses under gentle braking means a warped one.
4. 4ABS Pulsation. The ABS light should come on with the ignition and go out once you ride off. Only test the system itself somewhere safe and empty: under hard braking you should feel it pulse through the lever.
5. 5Tire Thread Depth. Find the small wear bars inside the grooves. When the tread is level with them, the tyre is finished. Uneven wear across the tyre points to pressure or alignment problems.
6. 6Tire Age (DOT). The four-digit code on the sidewall is the week and year of manufacture, so 2321 means week 23 of 2021. Rubber hardens with age, so an old tyre with plenty of tread can still be due for replacement.
7. 7Sidewall Cracks. Fine cracks mean the rubber has aged. Cuts and bulges mean the tyre should not be ridden on.

The test ride

Ten minutes is enough if you use them well. Ride slowly first and listen. Then use every gear, brake firmly with the front and rear separately, hold the bars lightly on a straight road to see whether the bike tracks straight, and come back and look under the engine again for fresh oil.

You need a valid driving licence to test ride. At MOTOVO, test rides happen at our Jorpati location: see test ride and delivery.

What a checklist cannot tell you

A checklist tells you what to look at. It does not tell you how bad a fault is or what it will cost, and some of these points (ECU faults, paint thickness, charging output under load) need tools to judge properly. That is the reason an inspection report exists.

Every MOTOVO Certified bike has all 50 points scored and a grade from A+ to C, with the full report on the listing. Uncertified bikes on the site are listed by their sellers and have not been through this yet, so for those, this checklist is your job.