Fulfilling your dreams is very beautiful, but sometimes you need to prepare well for it. This is the case with buying a motorcycle for the first time, especially when it is a second-hand one. Doubts may arise not only about its technical condition and exploitation realities, but also about the legal side
The dream of buying your own motorcycle is quite common. It is also not surprising that many people manage to fulfill it. Unfortunately, sometimes disappointment quickly follows. The mistakes we most often make when buying are:
Buying your first motorcycle can be a trivial activity – especially if you do not take into account the possibility that you will make big mistakes with hard to predict consequences
It’s fairly cliché, but the decision to buy your first motorcycle is worth reconsidering before you head out for a viewing. Not only is it a good idea to think through the reasonableness of such an investment, but also the sense behind choosing a particular model. Before we go for it, we should consider whether such a machine is actually a dream come true and meets our needs. One of the worst mistakes is making an impulse purchase. Invested money may be hard to get back
It is certainly better to buy a machine from an enthusiast, who can also tell us about it in details, than from a dealer. In the latter case, you may come across people who are skilled in embellishing the situation and not presenting the history of the machine’s use reliably enough
Especially novice motorcycle enthusiast should not go for his first machine alone. It often happens in the case of such people that they are too eager to buy their dream machine and that this distorts their realistic view of the product on offer. It is better to take an experienced rider with you – ideally, it should be someone who has been riding a motorcycle for years and is well versed in technical nuances, for example
Inspection of a motorcycle offered to us should be detailed and conducted in a calm atmosphere. It is not worth underestimating any shortcomings or defects, because they may turn into a serious failure in the future or even jeopardize our safety while riding
When inspecting the machine for technical condition, it is recommended to start by assessing the condition of the frame. It is necessary to look at, for example, varnish in the place of welds, because by its departure we can learn whether the offered machine was not involved in bumps, which the seller wants to hide. You should also check the numbers – first of all, if they are consistent with those in the documents, but also if they do not look suspicious. You should also take a look at, for example, steering limiters. We should also check front and rear suspension, body, brakes, wheels, exhaust system and, above all, the engine – especially check if it has no leaks and how it works
In the case of a used motorcycle, you need to draw up a purchase and sale agreement. Particular care is taken to ensure that the data on it are consistent with the actual ones. The price must be consistent with the actual price and both copies must sound the same. We also receive a vehicle registration card at the time of purchase. The situation, when the owner for some reason does not want to give it to us, for example, claims that he lost it, should be alarming for us. It may lead to problems in the future e.g. if it turns out that a motorcycle is a joint property. When a purchase is worth more than 1000 PLN, we have to pay the civil law transaction tax in the amount of 2%. We have 14 days to do this. If we buy a motorcycle with third party insurance which is still valid, we contact the insurer in order to settle the situation.
Photo: Harley-Davidson/Unsplash
