‘I love to see an oily manual’
The ad says it has a full service history. Sure enough, there’s a service book all neatly stamped up. Is that worth having? Answer’s a definite yes, if it’s a oneowner bike that came from a franchised dealer. After that gold standard, things get a bit more elastic. People have been conditioned to check service history, but in my experience, after two or three owners the trail vanishes. I’m reassured if a bike’s been with the same owner for several years. The absence of dealer stamps doesn’t bother me: if it’s running fine and in good condition, then the seller knows his onions. If the bike has visible defects, that’s the time to be cautious.
‘It pays to check the seller as much as the bike’
Who serviced it? If the seller says: “I do it myself,” you want to look for signs that this is true. If the bike lives outside under a tarp, it’s unlikely. If he has a garage, you want to see things like decent tool boxes. A Haynes manual with oily marks is always a good sign. In short, check the seller out as much as the bike. It pays dividends.