The 12 Checks That Keep You From Buying Somebody Else's Problem

Twelve checks on a used big twin, in the order a service manager would run them,

and what each finding is worth off the asking price.

Twenty-eight years behind a dealership counter taught me that most of what goes

wrong with a used bike was visible in the driveway, for nothing, in about twelve

minutes. What to listen for in the first thirty seconds of a cold start. What the

stain on the floor is telling you. The three numbers on the paperwork that have

to agree, and what to do when they don't.

Every check has a line saying what to knock off the price when you find it, and

the last page is the part nobody writes down: what to actually say to the seller.