Thursday, 27 February 2014

How to Buy a Second-Hand Motorcycle

Buying a second-hand motorcycle is not an easy task, as a buyer has to do lot of checks before getting engaged into negotiation with seller. In case, buyer misses something while checking a second-hand motorcycle then, there is a high probability that he or she may end up buying a wrong bike. Therefore, one must make sure that they should carefully examine a bike before buying it. However, not everyone knows what checks they should make before buying a second-hand bike. To assist such people below we have listed few tips that will help them find a motorcycle that will suit them best. 

Before one should start searching a second-hand motorcycle he or she must consider what type of bike they really need. For the reason that if they are planning to buy a motorcycle to cover 100-mile distance on daily basis then, a sports bike is not the one what they should be looking for. Therefore, do some online research and go through different models. Also do not forget to check various forums in order to gain some useful tips regarding the common faults in second-hand motorcycles. It is also important that a buyer must always look a bike during daylight, as it is not possible for him or her to find faults, scratches and other crucial points in the dark.

It is also necessary that once a person has decided to buy a bike, he or she should not forget to buy motorcycle gears from JS Accessories online store. Coming back to the topic, to make sure that the second-hand motorcycle that you are looking to buy genuinely belongs to the seller, match the engine and frame numbers with its original logbook. In case, there is some doubt it is better to walk away rather than sticking with the same bike. However, if you are buying a bike privately then, it’s good to make an HPI check, as it will reveal whether the motorcycle is stolen or not and has bad debt or has finance. You can get all this information after paying a cost of £30 roughly.

The buyer should also look for bar ends and crash bobbins on a second-hand bike because if the motorcycle had been crashed then, they will be marked. Aside from this, buyers must also look for the marks under the fairing along with the swing arm and fork bottoms of the bike. Don’t forget to check the frame covers because these provide a good cover to number of sins, including after-market paint.


Some sellers temper the original mileage of their bikes in order to show that their motorcycles have done low mileage. Nevertheless, such sellers can be easily nailed as the poor condition of a bike will tell you the whole truth, so take a close look at the motorcycle while making checks. After making all the necessary checks, if the bike looks good to you then, it’s time to hear the sound of the engine by starting the motorcycle. However, before starting the bike touch its exhaust to know whether it’s hot or cold, as shrewd sellers warm up their motorcycles beforehand if they are poor starters.

After inspecting the exhaust start the bike to hear the engine in order to find nasty sounds or sign of bad smoke. Give throttle to the bike couple of times to be sure that the engine sounds smooth. Then, start the engine once again to see how it starts after getting hot. If the bike clears this test then, take the motorcycle for a spin to see how smoothly it cruises on the road and whether all gears work well. If you are pleased with the performance of the motorcycle then, start negotiations with the seller.

Start low and look to gain some discount by highlighting facts that motorcycle have scratches, needs service, tire wear or anything else. If the seller does not agree then, it’s not bad to raise your bid by few quid. Hopefully you will be able to crack a deal after which finish the paper work, give the cash to seller and cruise on your new motorcycle.

Thursday, 20 February 2014

Things Every New Motorcycle Riders Must Know

Motorcycling is swiftly gaining popularity around the world, as with each passing day more and more people are looking to ride the bikes whether they are young, middle aged or old. Some of these riders want to learn it because they are the only ones in their group who do not know how to ride a motorcycle. While others want to learn it because they have been riding a motorcycle for several years as a passenger and now they also want to experience the freedom and thrill that trained bikers enjoy. Majority of such passengers are of women, as they also love to take their favourite bikes for a spin, like men. However, to accomplish this dream new riders first need to learn how to ride a bike. 

This makes training an extremely important for new riders, but there are several other things too, which a person must know before taking a motorcycle out from their garage. Below we have listed a few things that every new rider must know: 

Buy a Motorcycle Gear 

First and foremost important thing for any new rider is that they should get a personal protective equipment or gear before riding a bike. A protective gear will keep the riders safe from injuries, if they fell off the bike or crash the motorcycle. You can find huge collection of high quality motorcycle gear at JS Accessories that is one of the leading names in offering such products. The personal protective gear not only includes clothing, boots and gloves, it also comprises of a helmet that is extremely essential for any new rider because it protects the most sensitive part of our body, the head.

Get Training from a Good Teacher


It is extremely important that new riders should receive their training before taking a motorcycle on the road. Given that the training will not only help them to remain safe on the road, but also assist them in keeping other drivers and riders on the freeway safe as well. Therefore, experienced riders always advise that new riders should receive training from a good teacher, as sometimes to save few bucks people ask their best friends to train them which sometimes cost them their lives. For the reason that it is not necessary that a close friend should also be a good teacher, so one must receive such training from a professional teacher as a spending a little cash can save many lives.

Get License and Be Legal
  
After receiving the initial training, it is important that a new rider must get a license in order to be legal. Some of you may ask here that how come a license can help them become a better rider. The answer to this question is that a legal status will not make any one a better rider, but it’s the sober attitude of the licensed riders that makes them better than the unlicensed riders. Statistics also shows that the percentage of unlicensed riders involved in accidents is higher than the ones who have got their license. The major reason behind it is that licensed riders make continuous effort to enhance their riding skills, as they want to enjoy a long and safe riding career.

Don’t Go for Your Dream Bike Right Away


Many new riders wish to have their dream motorcycle right after they receive their initial training, but unfortunately they cannot do so. Simply because new riders do not possess those skills, which one requires to ride a gleaming red 1000cc Ducati or a chopper like Harley Davidson. Therefore, experiences riders suggest that new bikers should initially ride motorcycles that are low in power or do not lure them for instance 250cc bikes. These bikes enable the new riders to develop their riding skills and how to coupe up with the enormous power under the tank. Only after that they will be ready to cruise on a 500cc, 1000cc or above bike.

Monday, 17 February 2014

How to Sell a Second-Hand Motorcycle

Selling a second-hand motorcycle is not as difficult as many people would think it is because it’s not about manipulating the buyer, it’s about how well one has presented his or her bike. For instance imagine that you are buyer and the dealer is showing you various motorcycles. It is obvious that as a buyer you will not select a bike that looks dirty or have lots of scratches on it. Therefore, it is important that being a seller you must spend some quality hours on your bike. In order to properly lube and clean it before taking it to a dealer, as a neat and tidy motorcycle will sell better in contrast to an untidy and dirty bike. You can find an extensive range of cleaning products and brushes at JS Accessories, apart from motorcycle accessories and gear.


So get the required cleaning products along with the tool kit to give your motorcycle a tidy look. You will surely get more money for your bike, if you give it a few hours before showing it to the buyers. In fact, many dealers also advise motorcycle sellers to bring neat and clean bikes if they want good money for their two wheeler. However, one must also make sure that their bike should not be over modified as it will not sell well because it is not necessary what seems cool to you should also look great to buyers as well. More importantly, sellers usually do not get extra money for installing an exhaust or other accessories in their bike.

Therefore, it is recommended that sellers should take such accessories off their bikes and sell them separately on eBay or any other online store like it. After tidying and taking accessories off your bike, now it’s time for a seller to decide a price for their motorcycle. For this purpose they need to check various websites over internet where people list their second-hand bikes for sale. The surfing over internet will let the seller decide a price for their bike. Make sure that you must not lie about the condition of your motorcycle because not only it will annoy the buyers when they will see the bike, but also give your two wheeler a negative publicity over internet in the form of negative comments. 

Therefore, a motorcycle seller should not mention his or her bike’s condition as immaculate, if it is not. Moreover, if you are demanding extra bucks for your bike as compared to a similar bike then, it is necessary that you should mention a solid reason. Also, one must show some flexibility when engaged in bargaining with the buyers because a few bucks off will help a seller seize a deal. Do not forget to get the tax disk and MOT of your bike as it will also help you seal a deal in no time.

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Brand New 500cc Sportsbike of Honda Appears in Leaked Images

We all know that currently Honda is only offering two models of its sportsbikes, CBR1000RR and CBR600RR, but rumours have been swirling in the automotive industry that the Japanese company is gearing up to introduce a brand new 500cc sportsbike as well. However, the rumour was taken only as a grain of salt because there was no solid evidence to support the news. Nevertheless, now few leaked images have surfaced online, which have not only confirmed that Honda has build a 500cc sportsbike, but also revealed that there are two more bikes that the company may launch during this year.


The pictures of the three new bikes of Honda were taken in Sulmona, a city of Italy and they all are looking pretty smashing. The official name of the 500cc bike is Honda CBR500, while the second motorcycle in the picture belongs to the naked bikes category and it will be called the CB500. The third one is CB500X that looks more like a smaller edition of popular NC700X bike of Honda, which is already a hit. As far as the design of the CBR500 is concerned, it looks quite alike the CBR1000RR, but its engine size is half of it.


Due to this mid-level 500cc engine the CBR500 looks more of a sporty street motorcycle rather than a traditional belligerent sportsbike. The naked CB500 motorcycle of Honda on the other hand, has slightly different design from the current production, as it does not have the sporty fairing. It is anticipated that this upcoming model of Honda’s naked bike will lure lot of buyers in Europe because Europeans love motorcycles that are flexible in traffic jams of big cities and offer great power so riders can enjoy a fast-paced ride.


Unlike the CB500, CB500X has taken all the design cues from the famous NC700X, as from front to back there is hardly any difference between the two models of Honda. However, the CB500X will become a hit only if the buyers found its performance as consistence as its charming design. On the whole, all three new bikes of Honda have similar kind of structure: one seat, tail, frame and engine and they offer minor modifications.

Nevertheless, surely Honda has made a smart move by building these motorcycles and fans across the world will surely get excited to see these three speed bullets when the Japanese manufacturer will official unveil them. General expectation is that Honda will easily sweep the customers off their feet when it will reveal the three new bikes, as the company has been in this business since 1959. On top of it, Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. The company has achieved the status back in 1982 when it started manufacturing nearly three million bikes during each year.

Although, Honda failed to capitalise on this number, as its production reduced down to 550,000 units per year in 2001. However, this figure was still better than its three domestic rivals. It is also commendable that Honda has managed to achieve this figure, as it has also made a mark in automobile industry and currently numerous models of its cars are available in almost every part of the world. Now Honda is focusing on developing markets, where demand for bikes is strong. In fact, recently it has made two or three models of its sportsbikes available for sale in such markets.


Let’s hope that the Japanese manufacturer will get a good response, so it could launch the CBR500 and other two bikes in the developing markets as well.