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Stix's advice on buying a new bike. The good thing about buying a bike is that you can see most of the parts, obvious to say the least. The only problem is that parts are often dearer than car parts so you want them to be OK. Look out for crash damage. As a repairer of some crash damaged bikes here are a few points to watch. The engine casings could be scratched and the pegs and bar levers could be scuffed. Don;t let these put you off as it could have been a low speed crash and nothing more than a scuff but look a bit deeper if you see these signs. Brakes. Look out for worn and warped brake discs. You will see if they are worn pretty easily i.e. ribbed instead of smooth, and you will only know if they are warped by riding it. You may not be insured therefore you may have to ask the question and see what the reply is. Make sure the front and back brakes work, the fronts efficiency/effectiveness is more important than the back. Frame. Make sure the frame no. matches the registration doc and look again for cracked welds, especially in an aluminum bike. Also stand in front of the bike and have a good look to see if it is straight. Are the forks bent ? Again, the forks must be in excellent condition with no rust, bends or movement. I'll finish this off later