GARY AND AL
Used bike reassurance from blokes with dirty fingernails.
Engines and transmission
AS: ‘Unless an engine has been thrashed from cold, run low on rarely changed oil and never serviced it’s unlikely to go pop. Give your new used bike a comprehensive service so you’re starting from a solid baseline. If it’s past the mileage where a valve service would be required, check the clearances to confirm they’ve been done, and done right. Change the coolant and get riding. On bikes where there are mileage/ time critical components such as the cambelts on Ducatis, swap these out unless you’re totally confident the previous owner has done them.’
GH: ‘Best way to learn if a bike has got problems is to ride it. Even if you find problems with things like gear selection, check the pedal, linkage and clutch adjustment first before assuming there are internal problems. I’ve suspected selectors and dogs only to find the issue was down to a sloppy linkage. So let’s say your engine does go bang. Has the world ended? Hardly. Bike breakers are full of reasonable-mileage engines – almost always a cheaper option than a full rebuild.’
Suspension
AS: ‘Unless you’ve plumped for an R or SP variant for your used bargain the suspension is often budget, and baggy if it’s seen a lot of use. Budget and baggy together are definitely bad news. Pound for pound, money spent on suspension yields the greatest performance benefits as it allows you to make the most of what the bike has elsewhere.’
GH: ‘Totally. Servicing forks and rear linkages is a good start. Headstock and swingarm bearings if need be too. A shock rebuild will get it as good as it ever was, but the £100-£150 that costs might be better put towards a shock upgrade. A decent aftermarket shock – the £500 Uk-made Nitron R1 is great – will be a revelation after an average original. Beyond that, the right linear fork springs for your weight and riding, the correct weight and amount of oil and even a revalve will have you smiling. Budget £500 for that.’
Tyres
GH: ‘I don’t care if there’s plenty of tread on tyres, if they’re old and the bike has been standing you want to replace them. Look out for discolouration or odd wear patterns pointing to incorrect inflation. Tyre manufacturers say the maximum shelf-life of their products is five years, and ten years once fitted to a bike. These are the maximums and assume no damage or perishing. You’ll find a four-digit week and year code on the sidewall of the tyre – the first two numerals are the week of manufacture and the second two the year.’ AS: ‘Your bike’s first and hopefully only point of contact with the tarmac, apart from the odd decked footpeg. I put tyres in the same category as brakes – the two safety issues where there is no room for compromise. Don’t be disheartened to find that a tyre’s been plugged, done right there’s absolutely no cause for concern.’
Brakes
AS: ‘Brake fluid absorbs water which compromises its effectiveness and leads to internal corrosion issues, and the pistons start to bind in their seals. Change fluid at least annually. If previous owners haven’t you might need to rebuild the calipers and/or master cylinder. The caliper pistons can also come under attack from rain, dirt and road salt. Keep them clean and don’t take chances on brake pads either. Stay original equipment (OE) or go reputable aftermarket such as EBC.’
GH: ‘Rubber hoses can start to get baggy at five to ten years old. Braided lines have longer life expectancy if decent original equipment or quality aftermarket. Sticking calipers can cause warped discs – you’ll feel the lever pulse. OE discs are usually more expensive than quality aftermarket. Again EBC are a top choice here. Don’t get the idea that you must stick more modern brakes on older bikes – make sure that what’s on there is working properly first.’
The dreaded unleaded
GH: ‘Ethanol in unleaded petrol can cause no end of issues because it is hygroscopic which means it absorbs water. This leads to rusting in steel tanks. It also attacks some rubbers and plastics found in fuel systems. Then there are the starting problems. The issue is compounded by the fact that many bikes do few miles so fuel just sits in the system. It’s goes off in as little as a month. You could try fuel system cleaner
‘Let’s say your engine does go bang. Has the world ended? Hardly. Bike breakers are full of reasonablemileage engines …’
additives if you have issues. Worst case? Off with the carbs and injectors for a proper clean and/or rebuild.’
AS: ‘Plastic tanks can react badly to modern fuels and may change shape, with some older Triumphs and Aprilias having a particular reputation for this. We’ve even seen the finish start to bubble. Triumph issued a service bulletin at one point suggesting the best fix was to drain aicted tanks and put them on a window sill for a week or two. Most super unleaded doesn’t contain ethanol for now so it’s worth the extra pennies per litre. Either that or ride your bike more so the petrol has less opportunity to go off.’
High milers
AS: ‘Few bikes bought in the last 20 years, or so, have done astronomical mileages. But I’m not put off by those that have more than 50,000 miles, say. Machines that have done the miles are more likely to have been serviced by owners in tune with their bikes.’
GH: ‘If oil has been changed and service intervals adhered to, modern engines have every chance of going on forever. And chassis maintenance/refreshment is easy enough, so why not a high-miler? Even more bike for less money.’
Patternparts
GH: ‘There’s a lot of good pattern gear out there, but a lot of tat too. Go OE for things such as engine parts and gaskets and use reputable specialists, some of whom sell a mix of OE and pattern parts they know to be good. If you need bearings and oil seals, then a bearing factor will be able to supply the correct types and grades you require.’
AS: ‘It’s worth mentioning aftermarket in the same context as pattern. Again there’s good and bad. Stick with wellestablished brands or solid recommendations. Look out for counterfeits. The internet, specifically ebay and Amazon, is full of them and they’re apparently immune to the sanctions a bricks and mortar retailer would face. Also on the internet is plenty of very sound advice and lots less so. You’ll have to be your own filter but marque and model specific forums and Facebook pages are great resources.’
‘Why not a high-miler? Even more bike for less money.’