Better Safe Than Sorry | A Good Safety Check is Worth the Money - Baggers Magazine

01. We got the bike over to the shop where they had it up on the lift before we could get our riding gear off. The first thing Kevin, the service tech, did was start a visual walk-around to look everything over.

01. We got the bike over to the shop where they had it up on the lift before we could get

Buyer beware, is something you always hear when making a big purchase. Even more than ever if you don’t know anything about what you are buying. Sometimes that thing that sounds like a great deal makes you say, “Something must be wrong, the price is way too good.” What about when you buy something online? The photos could be doctored. This is where it could get really bad if you don’t know what you are getting until it gets to your house.

As we were sitting around the office we were talking about how it’s a buyer’s market right now. There are a lot of good deals out there if you know what to look for. Scott, one of the guys from our IT/Web department, said he was looking at a bike online and wanted to know what we thought, and if it was worth the money.

02. There is a checksheet with more than 60 points to look at, inspect, and rate from “ok for now,” “may need attention soon,” to “requires immediate attention.” Here is the sheet after the bike was inspected. Let’s go over a few.

02. There is a checksheet with more than 60 points to look at, inspect, and rate from “ok

The bike was an ’01 Road King Police Special with just more than 37,000 miles on the odometer. The first thing we said was, “Any time a cop bike is decommissioned, it’s never pretty.” How they pull all the service parts from the bike is never clean, such as the lights, siren, horn, and speakers, but it could be a diamond in the rough. He kept telling us about the bike and the price, and we said it sounded like a good deal but until we could see it in person, you never know.

About three weeks later there was a flat-black Road King pulling into our shop. The good news was it was a running bike; the bad news was we could hear that it needed a tune-up and see it needed a safety inspection. We called over to Harley-Davidson Anaheim-Fullerton in Fullerton, California, and talked with Colby, the service manager, about giving the bike the once-over and see just how good of a deal it was. We wanted to find out what it would take to make it safe to ride, and just what to look for when in the market to buy a used bike. Colby said to stop on by, warning not to ride crazy until he could go through the bike. B

03. As Kevin walked around the bike, he noted any and all scratches and signs of a dropped or crashed bike. Here we found that one side of the engine guard and highway peg had some damage that looked like the bike may have been dropped.
03. As Kevin walked around the bike, he noted any and all scratches and signs of a droppe
04. Next came the tires and brakes. He found that the tires still had more than 60 percent left. However, when the production date on the sidewall was inspected, they were both more than six years old and should be replaced despite all the tread left.
04. Next came the tires and brakes. He found that the tires still had more than 60 percen
05. The brake pads and rotors on both the front and rear wheel setups were checked next. Both have to be checked because pads never wear the same. The rear pads may look good while the fronts are just about metal-to-metal. He looked at all pads to make sure there was plenty of pad life remaining.
05. The brake pads and rotors on both the front and rear wheel setups were checked next.

06. He also looked for any leaks on the brake lines and missing hardware.
07. The brake fluid level was checked on both mater cylinders. The fluids looked old and discolored, so Kevin bled the lines and new brake fluid was added.
07. The brake fluid level was checked on both mater cylinders. The fluids looked old and
08. Next, all the lights and blinkers were checked. The brake light was out along with one of the front blinkers.
08. Next, all the lights and blinkers were checked. The brake light was out along with on

09. After swapping out the bulbs and the lights still didn’t work we needed to check the wiring. Once we pulled the headlight out of the housing, we could see that the wiring was a mess.
09. After swapping out the bulbs and the lights still didn’t work we needed to check the
10. We found a few raw wires that were just cut and had no heatshrink or electrical tape on the ends, which could cause a short. We safely taped and repaired the raw wires to get all the lights to work.
10. We found a few raw wires that were just cut and had no heatshrink or electrical tape
11. The intake system was checked, starting with the filter and backing plate. The manifold and seals were inspected next. We found a crack and an air intake leak along the backing plate at the breather port.
11. The intake system was checked, starting with the filter and backing plate. The manifo