[SaurAswale]

Bike Purchased- R15v3 (Dec-21) Thunder Gray
Date of Purchase- 7- July 2023
ODO at time of purchase ~ 4600kms
Platform- OLX/ Facebook Marketplace (contacted seller on both sites)

Long Story-
I didn't need a bike but it was aspirational purchase for me. I was looking for used R15v3 around 1L for 3-4 months on various platforms. Found some good examples but never pulled the trigger.
This bike was listed at 110kms from my hometown quoted at 1.5L. 2 owners in 18 months was a red flag but the bike looked immaculate in the pics and had very low reading on ODO. Fortunately my uncle lives in same area so asked him to check the bike. The bike was test ridden and checked by his trusted mechanic. he also confirmed ODO reading and gave me a go ahead. (I was in Hyderabad, 600kms from hometown) On next weekend, my father went there and check the bike again, negotiated and given a offer (1.3L- over my budget) which was rejected by the seller. After some days seller called and agreed for 1.32L. My father was already impressed with the bike so I also did not think much and closed the deal.
My father and brother went there, I transferred the money and brother took her with him. I went home after 2 months- on 15-Sept, that's when I saw her first time.
Mistakes from me-
1. Took a risk to buy a bike which had 2 owners in 18 months, but the risk paid off as I got almost new bike at 60% of the price.
2. Did not checked Traffic Challans at time of negotiation, it almost cancelled the purchased when I found it out later.
One thing to remember- When buying used vehicle, its better if you wait and pull trigger at right time. If you rush into buying, you'll become easy target and end up with bad deal or worse-loose all of your money. Also, if the vehicle is good enough, it doesn't matter if it had 2-3 owners- but use this fact to drag the price down as much as you can.

Off Topic-
I've ridden it back to Hyderabad for 620kms in a day for first time. Did couple of long rides here and a track session also. She never disappointed me. In December I had a skid and crash(due to my mistake). Though I had helmet, gloves, shoes, a jacket (Not riding jacket with protectors) and stuff, I had impact right at unprotected region between shoulder and outer ring of the helmet (3"from shoulder). Crash was at speed of around 25-30kmph. My right clavicle bone was broken and I now have a implant in my shoulder. It was not painful for me but my family suffered a lot.

Front wheel is broken and there are scratches on fairing. As I am not allowed to ride a bike, she is stationary for almost 2 months and I'll get her fixed this month and hopefully able to gather courage for starting the rides from April.

[ThePatientMan]

Bought a used RE Interceptor in June 2021. The experience is mentioned in the RE Interceptor thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5112727

Bought it at 7059 kms. Rode it till it reached 20,000 kms and recently sold it off. The bike was doing fine after initial hiccups with its electricals but i suffered a back injury which made it very difficult for me to ride the 220 kg bike.

[sachinb4u]

I bought a used Dominar 400 from OLX advt but from nearby society.

It was Nov 2021 Dominar 400 model with 2000 kms on Odo. I bought it in Oct 2022 for 1.95 lakhs, I think it was good decision since I got 11 months old almost new bike with 80K less than new bike price.

So far it's good and happy with the decision to buy the used bike.

[NB_4763]

Bike Purchased- Bajaj Dominar 400 UG BS4
ODO Reading - 11000 Kms

I just turned 21, Finished college and got a job in the field I was interested in. My college commute was on a TVS Jupiter. After 4 years I had saved up 1 Lakh to buy a bike. Parents were ready to buy me a bike after i turned 18 but I was adamant to buy it on my own. I shortlisted on getting a CBR 250R but I couldn't find good examples. My dad was against me buying a 8+ year old bike and wanted me to buy something new. As I couldn't find any good deals I just lost hope. 2 months into my job my boss wanted to buy a bike and he was set on buying a Dominar. He saw 2 options (Green UG BS4 and Black UG BS6). He decided to go ahead with the black UG as it was fitted with accessories and he didn't like the green color. Explained this situation to my dad and he told me (more like forced me ) to buy this bike and he would also pay the 50K extra (Bike was for 1.5 Lakhs). I didn't want to miss this deal so I went ahead and bought it.

I have done 8K Kms after the purchase and I don't regret it at all.

Here's a pic after the puja

[Storme5257]

Mode of purchase : Local dealer

Model purchased : Hero Honda Pleasure
Year of Manufacture : 2006
ODO when bought : 30k kms (approx, since odo wasn't working)
City : Nasik
Bought in : 2018
Bought for : 17k

Reason for purchase :

1) I needed a cheap pre-owned scooter for daily errands and roundabouts which wasn't convenient by a geared motorcycle.

2) This was intended as a temporary purchase although i still have it with me as it runs fine and can be used when no other vehicle is available.

Vehicle characteristics i looked for when buying :
- must be reliable and easily serviceable.
- adequate if not good fuel efficiency
- the vehicle i am buying should not need excessive repairs


Purchase +ves :

- i test rode a variety of vehicles available at the dealer before finalization.
- the purchase was quick and i didn't have to hassle for documentations (including insurance)except for visiting the rto once.
- hero pleasure, being a popular product meant the repairs were readily available.
- the odo reading was high, but hey, it had new tyres

Purchase -ves :

-It is a bit of a gamble if you buy through a dealer as i saw a few bikes which were not in a good condition but were repaired just enough to last till you take it home

- make sure you thoroughly inspect your bike for major issues like engine or gearbox as bikes in these budget tend to have one or more major problems.


Vehicle Ownership pts:

- the bike had its clutch damaged within 3 months. Got it repaired at FNG for 1.5k rupees.
- runs smoothly even today. never faced reliability issues with the bike.
- returns fuel efficiency of about 30kmpl which i find adequate considering the age of the scooter.

Conclusion

Overall, i am satisfied with my purchase.
If you don't want to spend time looking for a bike, buying via a dealer can be a viable option as it saves you from few hassles. Just ensure that you have basic necessary details (like no. of owners, accidental damage,etc.) available about the bike you buy.

[jomson13]

I'm based out of Pune and I got myself a bike from Mumbai. Here's the story:

I was upgrading from an Apache 200 (wonderful bike, I miss it to this day) and was on the lookout for quite some time. I considered the following bikes:

1. Gen 1 duke 390
- Spoke to many sellers on OLX, rode 2 of them, both bikes had issues so didn't pursue it further

2. Ninja 650
- A bhpian in our riding group was looking to sell his bike and hence this was included into my consideration set. He was kind enough to let me have a very extended test ride (I had the bike with me for almost a week). Its a lovely bike and I was very inclined to purchase it but it was slightly over budget and would need a tyre replacement soon hence I let it pass.

I did find another ninja 650 on olx, this one was from a dealer and was in pretty bad shape. I rode if for all of 200 meters and walked away.

3. Interceptor 650
- Found a very low run (5k kms in 2 years) bike through a friends relative. We couldn't agree on a price. This bike was later picked up the same friend who had initially suggested the bike to me.
- Another one that I saw (contacted the seller on olx) had a small fall and had some visible scratches and dents. Bike rode well but we were not able to agree on a price
- Found a bike within my budget in Mumbai. Spoke to the seller, got my friend to check out the bike in person. After his go ahead I checked the service history of the bike - the owner had service receipts which I cross verified through the local RE dealership. We agreed on a price and the seller agreed to hold on to the bike until I could see it in person.
I travelled to Mumbai over the weekend, checked out the bike (thankfully there were no issues), money and transfer papers were exchanged and I rode back to Pune.

I've ridden the bike for 17k kms, the odo was at 16,5k when I got it.
The ownership has not been totally fuss free (coneset changed under warranty, engine oil needs regular topup) - but i've come to understand that it is a perk of the brand (RE) and not the bike.
Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase. I got it for 2.4L and it came with a set of aftermarket exhausts that sound quite nice.

I would strongly recommend that you consider getting a used bike.
Get something that is well run, change a few parts (Fluids, tyres) and enjoy!

For best results, repeat every 3-4 years!

Material for weekend reading:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...onds-tale.html (Ride to the Rann - A Vagabond's tale)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...wo-wheels.html (Statue of unity - On two wheels!)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...terceptor.html (An unplanned interstate run on a Royal Enfield Interceptor)

[V0rtex]

Originally Posted by aargee

I didn’t take a count, it was just a figure of speech. But around half the people I know that have purchased used bikes are facing issues with it.

Originally Posted by ThePatientMan

The bike was doing fine after initial hiccups with its electricals but i suffered a back injury which made it very difficult for me to ride the 220 kg bike.

What sort of electrical issues did you face.

[pixantz]

I have bought number of new and used vehicles so far but latest one is a 2016 Honda Hornet CB160R. Bought it through the Olx platform. I have had the good luck to have bought a good specimen from a gentleman who had used it sparingly. Was run 30k kms when I bought it in late 2021. Have it still and has run about 64k kms now.

I personally think Olx is a good platform and if you know how to sift through the bad eggs and lemon specimens and know how to correctly check the mechanicals and other details, you should not have a problem. Your instinct and other experience also counts and if you have a fairly good idea what you're looking for, it can pay off well.

And yes, I stay away from dealers as much as possible but that being said, I have also purchased one car and one bike from a dealer so far. But as the dealers were well known and in my friend circle, I didn't end up getting ripped off.

I think maybe this thread can turn into a kind of Classifieds too if potential buyers or sellers also mention their future buying/selling plans along with their purchase experience. Just a thought.

I myself am planning to sell of my Hornet soon and upgrade to a little bit more power like Fz25/RTR200v. Basically I want to get closest to a Duke250-ish power level in a 70-ish budget on Olx of course. So I have narrowed down to these two which I liked. I'm bent more towards the Fz25 because I think its a bit smoother and the added 50cc has its benefits. Also I have doubts if I'll be comfortable on the RTR with my height being 5ft8in and I've heard that bike is a bit limiting in this area.

Happy motoring guys🤟🤟

[V0rtex]

Originally Posted by pixantz

I have bought number of new and used vehicles so far but latest one is a 2016 Honda Hornet CB160R. Bought it through the Olx platform. I have had the good luck to have bought a good specimen from a gentleman who had used it sparingly. Was run 30k kms when I bought it in late 2021. Have it still and has run about 64k kms now.

I personally think Olx is a good platform and if you know how to sift through the bad eggs and lemon specimens and know how to correctly check the mechanicals and other details, you should not have a problem. Your instinct and other experience also counts and if you have a fairly good idea what you're looking for, it can pay off well.

And yes, I stay away from dealers as much as possible but that being said, I have also purchased one car and one bike from a dealer so far. But as the dealers were well known and in my friend circle, I didn't end up getting ripped off.

I think maybe this thread can turn into a kind of Classifieds too if potential buyers or sellers also mention their future buying/selling plans along with their purchase experience. Just a thought.

I myself am planning to sell of my Hornet soon and upgrade to a little bit more power like Fz25/RTR200v. Basically I want to get closest to a Duke250-ish power level in a 70-ish budget on Olx of course. So I have narrowed down to these two which I liked. I'm bent more towards the Fz25 because I think its a bit smoother and the added 50cc has its benefits. Also I have doubts if I'll be comfortable on the RTR with my height being 5ft8in and I've heard that bike is a bit limiting in this area.

Happy motoring guys🤟🤟

The FZ-25 is a really torquey bike. I think acceleration figures are very similar to the Duke 250, in fact you might get a bit more punch from it since the 250 series KTM is very much different from what you'd expect from a KTM in terms of power delivery. One thing you should be worried about in case if you plan on keeping it for a long time is that parts supply might become an issue as the bike got discontinued. Also check out the Gixxer 250 series. If it weren't for the looks and generally pathetic service at Suzuki, at one point I considered purchasing it.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by V0rtex

The FZ-25 is a really torquey bike. I think acceleration figures are very similar to the Duke 250, in fact you might get a bit more punch from it since the 250 series KTM is very much different from what you'd expect from a KTM in terms of power delivery. One thing you should be worried about in case if you plan on keeping it for a long time is that parts supply might become an issue as the bike got discontinued. Also check out the Gixxer 250 series. If it weren't for the looks and generally pathetic service at Suzuki, at one point I considered purchasing it.

Yeah. I agree with what you say. Will check out Gixxer 250 too. I've heard that Gixxer bikes put down the power better than the similar specced Hondas. Only, I'm not sure I'll get a pre-worshiped one in my budget. Let's see. Thanx

[Draken]

1 - Honda Dio 2013 - Bought it in 2013 itself and was less than 1000 kms run. It was also from someone a relative knew so there wasnt much to check. Still have it.

2 - RE Thunderbird 350 2013 - After a month or so searching olx found one listed by direct owner. It was 2017 and only 12k kms run. Took a test drive and figured the battery was low. And also got it tested by a mechanic who gave a go ahead. It didnt have any issue other than that the handlebar and exhaust we modified and I had to source the original ones later. Sold it on olx in 2019.

Need to learn to sift through ads in olx nowadays. Most are from dealers. Most of them are lazy enough that you can see similar surroundings and identify these are from dealers. FB marketplace is also a good place to check.

[Abhi99]

Interesting thread, now that I look back, I have always bought my vehicles new but Motorcycles used (funny). Growing up I have owned a few and barring KB100, all others were pre owned (Enfield 350, RD350 & Harley). Sharing my most recently experience below -

I always thought going the pre-worshipped route was a good way to get into motorcycling for cheap, that is until I interacted with Harley dealers. Looking for a bagger, I browsed through inventories of several dealers and seeing their over ambitious prices only to realize that I am better off getting one directly from private party. Cycle trader proved to be a huge help and after exchanging a few calls I closed deal on -

Model -- Road King Special
Year -- 2022
ODO -- 4K miles

Positives from the purchase -
- Saved at least 6-7K ( Original Owner paid over 30K OTD)
- Got Lot of extras ( After market Exhaust, Windshield, upgraded seat to name a few)

Negatives -
- Nothing glaring but I missed to enquire about one flip switch on the handle, which essentially does nothing up or down. Now there is no way to know what it is until I trace back the wiring.


Overall, after clocking few miles in the last riding season, I am pretty happy with purchase so far.

[V0rtex]

Originally Posted by Abhi99

.. Cycle trader proved to be a huge help and after exchanging a few calls I closed deal on -

.

I don’t know if it’s right for me to ask, but do you happen to live in Virginia?

[shankarbn]

All my motorcycles were bought used except my first one.

2010 : Karizma 2004 model
Saw it in a classifieds ad online, bought it after a friend checked it out. Rode it fast in the first few days and didn't realise it was low on oil. Thankfully head rebuild wasn't required, got away easy. Good experience overall, although slightly more expensive than I thought it would be.
Paid 30k for the bike, 5k for repairs and kept it for 10 years until 2020!


2016 : CBR 250R ABS 2011 model
Saw it on FB marketplace, this time went and saw everything myself before I bought it as I had learnt a lot living with the Karizma. I was very sure I wanted this exact model, exact colour and even checked the maintenance history this time. No surprises whatsoever since this was a Honda. Paid 110k for the bike, 4500 rupees for a new front tyre and kept it until Early 2022. Sold it for 75k after spending 30k in tyres and maintenance in the same month. Expensive bike! (only because of my choices)

2017 : Kinetic blaze 2006 model
Itchy finger buy. I'd always wanted this scooter because it was big, powerful and appealing. It was in running condition is all I can say about how I found it. Almost everything was rattling or squeaking and I fixed every single issue except the rear suspension over a long course of time. Every single part including tyres were hard to find, expensive and mostly experimental. Bought it for 20k, spent over 20k in repairs and sold it to a determined friend for 20k in 2021/22.

2021 : Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS special edition 2010 model
This one was not an impulse purchase by any stretch of imagination. I had been looking for a Suzuki bandit for 3-4 years when this bike popped up on my radar almost by accident. I spent a few weeks agonising, few weeks speaking to mechanics, fellow triumph owner friends and finally pulled the trigger on this in December 2021. I've been equal parts scared and delighted by this bike. It needed very few repairs since the previous owner (now a friend) and owners before him had kept it well. Surprisingly my yearly spend is far less on this bike than it was on my CBR 250R. I still own this bike, not even close to considering a sale even though there's a lot of my friends waiting for me to sell . 1/1 in India as far as I know.

2022 : KTM Duke 390 2018 model

This was bought as a replacement for the kinetic blaze as a city commuter. Bought it from a friend of a friend for a good price and it only needed a new battery. After living with it for a few months and upgrading the living daylights out of it with Michelin road 5 tyres and every other accessory known to man, I sold it as quickly as I had bought it. Did not lose any money overall which was truly surprising. Thanks to the way the used bike market works I guess.

February 2023 : Hero Xpulse 200, 2021 model

One of the most fun bikes I've ever owned or ridden. Since I turned 30, I had stopped rewarding myself material things like a new phone or a formal shirt and started rewarding(challenging) myself with new hobbies. The hobby for 2023 was dirt/off road biking. After spending months researching on safety gear and picking up dirt specific gear far exceeding the cost of the motorcycle, I started the search, saw many xpulse bikes and finally landed on this well maintained but also well ridden 2021 example. It cost me 90k to buy - I added a lot of custom touches to it and sold it once I built an even faster off road bike from a duke 390. Did not lose much money overall because I sold it for almost the same price I bought it and I had sold a few accessories installed by previous owner separately.

2023 : Rally spec KTM duke 390, 2018 model

While I was enjoying the xpulse on trails, really needed a faster way to get to the trails. The xpulse felt so BORING on the road to the trail head. Bought a built up ktm duke 390 in rally spec, did an expensive top end rebuild, added tons of accessories and custom touches and it is one of the most well built KTM duke 390 dirt spec bikes in the country today. Spent around 2.6-2.8L and many hours building it to the exact spec I wanted. For a 130-140 kilo pocket rocket with spoke wheels and off road suspension though, it's no hardship at all!

Sadly I have to sell it since I am currently away from off road riding for 18 months due to an injury. Money and time spent was quite a lot but this bike still remains one of my most coveted projects.

2024 : Time to slow down and stop buying so many motorbikes as I do have many other hobbies in life

[tharian]

My experience was from back in 2007 and probably may not occur that frequently now a days.
My first bike was a brand new Bullet Electra from 2002 which I was using for one day rides and in city.
Back then, the Bullet 500 was a motorcycle that had a special tag attached to it, something like a RD but not to that extent. But a RE fanboy would always want to have a 500 or a 535 Lightening in their garage. The 535 was a bike that saw the workshop more often than the road, so it was the 500. I never thought of this bike until a friend picked up a second hand one and I had a ride on it. Since it was a bored out version of the same type of engine I had on my Electra, it was easy to understand how much more torquey the 500 was. It was like a tractor compared to mine.
Through the same friend I got to know there was a 500 for sale in Mysore. I had just enough savings to buy it which I did for 40k. I saw the bike only when I went to buy it and the the mechanic who was the broker too was getting the bike from where he had stored it and the first thing I saw was the oil smoke from the exhaust. He said it was because it hadn't been used in a while and once warmed up, it will be fine, which it was. But in reality, the engine had run quite a bit and was already sleeved once before. It was owned by a Buddhist monk from Kushalnagar.
I used it for a year and around 10k kms in that condition till the engine seized after which I got the bike rebuilt ground up with all new parts/electricals including the bore and piston and spent the same amount that I bought it for the year before that. I did plenty of trips on it and rode a total of 50k kms and finally sold it in 2015 for more than the purchase and the rebuild cost added.

Will I do something like this again? I don't think so, mainly because I don't have the time and patience now that I had 15 years ago.