Inspection Checklist for Buying Used Motorcycles

Buying a used bike can make for a lot more savings than getting a brand new one, but this affordability does not necessarily come without a catch. For one, you should have the motorcycle inspected for any possible damage or faults due to the way the previous owner used it. Here are some of the items and parts you should have checked:

The Frame

Since you can check this even without handling the bike first, make frame inspection a top priority. Note that the slightest dent or damage in the frame could already qualify it for a salvage title. If there are parts or accessories put in place to seemingly hide any dents or chips in the surface, have them removed to reveal any hidden signs of damage.

Tire Tread

The depth of the tire’s tread speaks volumes about how often the bike was used by its previous owner, but it also determines how safe you’ll be on the road. To check on this, simply put a quarter inside the tread; if it goes below the head on the coin, then it might have insufficient tire tread, thereby requiring a replacement.

Battery Leads

If you want to know how long a bike has been sitting idle, check the battery leads. You may need to lift up the seat to visualize the battery. If it’s clean and doesn’t show signs of corrosion, it probably hasn’t been left unattended for a long time–a good sign.

Corvette Meets Corvette

When the first Chevy Corvette debuted as a prototype in 1953, people were looking at what would become the company’s oldest line of sports cars. It got its name thanks to Myron Scott, Chevrolet’s public relations executive at the time. According to The Complete Corvette by Tom Falconer, Scott overheard the board wanting the name to start with a C.

Scott named the brand’s iconic sports car after a fast warship called a corvette. These small but nimble ships came into existence as early as the 17th century, but their importance was largely highlighted during World War II. Corvettes were easier to produce than capital ships, which the Allied navies desperately needed to protect the merchant fleet from German U-boats.

The Chevy Corvette, however, isn’t an easy car to make. First-generation units underwent a lot of design changes and the limit on their production numbers meant it wasn’t a mass-production car compared to others. Automated assembly lines made the job easier, but they still required design inputs from the engineers themselves.

The car’s numbers weren’t as numerous as their naval namesake. Since the debut of the first Corvette, the company has produced over 1.5 million units. As of 2009, half of these were registered in the U.S.