For the last couple of weeks, I have been running around trying to secure a deal in buying a second-hand motor-bike. This is just a narration of my experiences and some tips for people who are faced with such a calamity in their life.
The first time I visited a local garage owner who had plenty of mobikes stocked in his backyard, I really thought right, this guy has so many bikes and my next bike is coming from him. Er.well, till date I'm still on my one-man mission. He enthusiastically showed me a Splendor that dated back three years, and said the price was a minimal Rs 27000/- . Well, the bike wasn't all that bad, only it had a rear flat tyre, three dents on the petrol tank, a battery that could at most run a walkman for an hour and to add, the tax receipts weren't up-to-date.
So, my dear lad, I said to myself, this is going to take some time. Definitely a visit at the next local dealer is going to improve things. So I hopped away to another dealer 5 kms away, and asked him to show me Pulsars or CBZ's. Lo and behold, he had a CBZ ready for me. It was fantastic, he claimed, just 4 years old and in great running condition. Only at a modest Rs. 30000/- he said. I had been informed not to go beyond Rs. 25000 for that old a model, but nevertheless I gave it a test run. Umm. it'll suffice to say that I got stranded a kilometre away with an engine that leaked, a front brake which wasn't a disc-brake at all, no horn(bad battery, he said later) and a suspension that made riding a horse a piece of cake.
Okay, I said to myself, enough of Mr. Nice Guy, now I'm going to have a look over at banks. Most banks have a bike-loan system. ICICI and ING Vyasa bank gave loans to enthusiastic would-be bike owners with limited cash budgets. Needless to say, they are also maestros at retrieving the vehicle if a single installment goes awry, or if a single check bounces. I learn that all one has to do is sign an agreement from the bank, go to the bank's bike depot(literally) and make your choice. The price depends on the amount of installment that has been paid by the previous owner, but you can take a pick out of many bikes.
So I asked to test-drive a Pulsar DTSI 150, at about RS. 35000, which I thought was a fair deal as it was about three-four months old. After having decided that the world would see me going around places in this black baby, I was advised to come back few days later as the Blue Book had not yet been delivered to the bank. There were a couple of Pulsars as well, but not without their fair share of bumps and bruises. Some had headlights missing, some had a bent handle, of course none had rear-view mirrors(apparently you're asking too much in this case) and broken spokes were also the order of the day. Whatever. I return to the bank's garage after three days and I learn that the bike had been auctioned for a mere Rs. 41000 to some extremely bright lad.
Next I used The Three Investigator's method of a ghost-to-ghost hookup. In short, I call up a friend who calls up a friend who calls up another friend in search of a not-wanted bike that's in my list. This method has turned out more useful, as all the parties who are ultimately responsible for getting me my bike are guided by the lure that they will get treated to a party by me at some point in the recent future. . .
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My experiences out of the way, here's some points one can follow if they ever are in financial jeopardy and wish to get a second-hand bike. I follow the rule that bikes and mobile phones should usually not be bought first-hand.(Keep in mind that I am still in college(!) and that when I can afford a car, I will inform you about my opinion in that aspect as well.)
=()= The first choice when you want to buy an used bike is from known sources, as they can usually get you the best deal. That not working out, check on local garages for used bikes. The advantage here is that for any fault lying with the bike, you can accordingly adjust the price and ask them to repair the damage as well.
=()= If you plan on buying the vehicle from a licensed showroom, you can pretty much be sure that the price has showroom-added-tax. What you do in this case is get the number of the bloke who has the bike. Once you ascertain the price with that guy, which will definitely be lower, the deal is done.
=()= If in the bike depot of banks, check out those models that have been used for the least amount of time. The bikes will have some distorted shape and that is usual, for someone who lets go of a bike that he's paid half of isn't going to let another dude get it that cheap. But if you choose a newer model, you get a better deal as the insurance and free servicings(if still available) works in your favour.
Technicalities
Without going too overboard on looks, take a look at the following aspects:
a)Start the engine and rev the accelerator. Too much noise means you move onto the next one.
b)Check the headlight and horn. If they are fine, check that the battery isn't too old.
c)Check the handbrake and rearbrake, and how much pressure needs to be applied in each case to bring the bike to a standstill from 40 kmph.
d)Check for dents on the bike. Scratches here and there and you can reduce the price, but if there's a dent on the tank, merely hammering from the inside won't fix that. It has to be air-blown which is fairly expensive. Negotiate accordingly.
e)Have a look at the tyres as well. If they are too worn out, that expense could go upto over two thousand rupees.
f)Check for any leakage from the engine. Also check out the odometers to see how many kilometers they have run. If they aren't working, not too much of a problem as fixing those wires are very cheap.
g)Take a drive, for heaven's sake. That's the most important aspect. One ride and you can pretty well become aware of the bike's handling, acceleration, suspension, gear smoothness and braking. Test the indicators and dipper switches as well.
h)Finally, make sure that all documents are in order. Check the blue book, make sure the person who's selling you the vehicle is the owner, and don't go for multiple owned bikes as that will bring down the price if you decide to sell later. Make sure that the pollution certificates are in order. As for insurance, you'll probably have to go for third party insurance, ie* in an accident if you hit someone, he or she gets paid but you get nothing. If you're taking the bike from a bank's garage, get the *no-objection certificate from that bank.
To avoid further mishaps, make sure that the vehicle in question had not previously been owned by a notorious murderer or gang-leader who hit and run somebody with that bike or you will have to part with that bike in a very short time as well as handle stifling questions over a cup of tea with your friendly neighbourhood police officer.
If the process ain't smooth sailing yet, add your own instruction to the above list.
Happy Hunting
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