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About this tool
Inspect a used motorcycle with a structured points checklist that scores condition and turns failures into an offer.
This is a 41-point inspection for a used motorcycle, weighted so that a mismatched frame number and a weeping fork seal do not count the same. It scores only the checks you actually completed — passed weight divided by checked weight — and reports coverage alongside the score, so a high number from a rushed look does not read as a clean bill of health. Every failure carries a repair cost band that you set, and the total is subtracted from the asking price to give an itemised opening offer. Five checks are treated as deal-breakers rather than negotiating points: frame and engine numbers, outstanding finance, seller identity and frame straightness.
Open Used Bike Buying Checklist on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
A gearbox jumping out of gear counts five times what a worn grip does, so the score reflects what the repairs will actually cost.
The tool tells you when you have checked too little for the score to mean anything.
Failures become a repair allowance in your own currency and cost bands, giving a price with reasoning behind it.
Start with the paperwork — frame number, engine number, seller identity and a finance check — because those decide whether you can own the bike at all. Then insist on a cold start, look for smoke and leaks, check the chain and sprockets, discs against the stamped minimum thickness, fork seals, wheel bearings and the tyre DOT dates, and take a test ride long enough for the engine to reach operating temperature.
Because a warm engine hides hard starting, start-up smoke and the rattles that only appear before the oil is up to temperature. Agree it on the phone before you travel, and treat an engine that is already warm when you arrive as a reason to be more suspicious rather than less.
Pull the chain backwards off the rear sprocket at the three o'clock position: more than roughly half a tooth of gap means it is finished. Hooked or pointed sprocket teeth confirm it, and a chain with a tight spot at one point of its rotation is worn unevenly. Always replace chain and both sprockets as a set.
No. Under about 1,500 km a year means the bike has mostly stood, and standing perishes fork seals, brake fluid, tyres and fuel while corroding fasteners — so check the tyre dates, the fluid colour and the underside of the frame rather than being reassured by the odometer. This is general guidance; have a mechanic inspect anything you are unsure of before buying.