{"id":1774,"date":"2020-07-31T08:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T15:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:39:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T21:39:38","slug":"buying-used-motorcycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/motorcycle\/buying-used-motorcycle\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Ask Before Buying a Used Motorcycle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you thinking about buying a used motorcycle? It&#8217;s a great way to save money and get one that&#8217;s in decent condition and runs well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, to choose a nice bike on a budget, you need to know what to look for when shopping. Things like gas mileage, physical condition, and how hard it was ridden are all things to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re asking, is it ok to buy a used motorcycle, and need tips and advice, we&#8217;ll go over things to know about buying a used bike, including why it&#8217;s a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Buy a Used Motorcycle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In a nutshell, you can save a lot of money by&nbsp;buying a used motorcycle. New bikes depreciate rather quickly, which means that they quickly become used in terms of value. Buying a new one involves multiple extra fees, which you don&#8217;t have to worry about when purchasing a used model. Keep in mind that used motorcycle values vary based on geographic location.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is High Mileage for a Motorcycle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cycleworld.com\/buying-new-motorcycle-vs-buying-used-motorcycle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mileage isn&#8217;t the only thing to consider<\/a> when you&#8217;re looking at used bikes, it is important. Low mileage doesn&#8217;t always mean that the bike is in great condition. Motorcycles that have more than 40,000 miles are considered high mileage. However, if the bike is taken care of and has a lot of miles, it can still be a great purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Can I Buy Used Motorcycles?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can purchase a used motorcycle at most dealerships that sell cars. Other alternatives include a store that specifically sells bikes (like Harley Davidson), Craigslist, and eBay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Should I Look for in a Cheap Motorcycle?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/cheap-motorcycle.jpg\" alt=\"african american man inspecting a used motorcycle on a shop\" class=\"wp-image-1778\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The first thing you want to know is the history of the motorcycle: how often it was driven and for what. You&#8217;ll also want to get the bike&#8217;s service records to see its history of scheduled maintenance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other things to examine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Footpegs, levers, and bar ends \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>If these parts are damaged, this is a sign that the bike has been hitting the pavement a lot.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tires \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Some wear is expected, of course. But lots of severe wear and flat spots could be caused by skidding and hard braking. Cupping is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electrical \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Check all headlights, blinkers, and hazard lights.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Engine \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0At some point, you need to hear the bike run. While it warms up, make sure the engine is running smoothly. If you see a lot of smoke, there could be a problem. Blue smoke means that oil is burning, which is a telltale sign that the bike will need major repairs. Also, listen to the engine for any rattling or other noises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get a Motorcycle Insurance Quote<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you want to save on motorcycle insurance? Begin by getting a quote with InsureOne. A licensed agent will go over your options and provide you with a quote for your needs for the best motorcycle insurance. Get a free motorcycle insurance quote online or over the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:52px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-vivid-red-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/motorcycle-insurance-quote\/\" style=\"border-radius:22px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get a Quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-vivid-red-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:800-836-2240\" style=\"border-radius:22px\">Call Us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-3 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-vivid-red-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/find-an-office\/\" style=\"border-radius:22px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Find Your Office<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you thinking about buying a used motorcycle? It&#8217;s a great way to save money and get one that&#8217;s in decent condition and runs well.&nbsp; Of course, to choose a nice bike on a budget, you need to know what to look for when shopping. Things like gas mileage, physical condition, and how hard it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motorcycle","category-motorcycle-safety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1774"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4286,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774\/revisions\/4286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insureone.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}