So i go out and buy my first bike, I found the guy on cycle trader, and had him meet me at a dealership in his area. It`s my very first bike and ill be the first to admit my knowledge is very limited, so i paid a shop to go over it before buying it. They come back and say other then a few small things like a licence plate light and pegs for a passenger the bike is in great shape and has no issues.
About a week after getting it i go to start it, and i just hear a painful grinding sound and i take it to my local dealership and ask them to go over it, and it went horrible. The gears in the starter are shot and they think the engine may need major work as the spark plugs were rusted. Is there absolutely anything i can do? Possibly go after the seller for not disclosing the issues? Or the dealership for not finding them?
Since it's a private sale, there's nothing you can legally do to the seller. As for the shop, they probably looked at the bike in the same capacity that they would during a state inspection. In other words, just the things required by law such as lights and tire tread. Unless you specifically asked them to look into the internals, and then this happened, you're out of legal ground to pursue.
Doesn't mean you can't call and complain to both the shop and the seller. I doubt the seller is going to do anything about it since he potentially lied about the condition of the bike but the shop might throw a bone to you. It's grim but sh!t happens. I hope you didn't pay too much for the bike or the inspection.
I hate to break it to you, but you're stuck with the bike. A private sale of a used bike is always going to be 'as is' and the problems are internal, not something the shop would have noticed without taking the bike apart.
Personally, I would bring it home and change the plugs, oil, air filter, and flush the brakes and radiator. Then find a starter, either here or eBay, and go from there. Just make sure the flywheel isn't torn up. I know you said your knowledge on bikes is limited but now is a good time to learn. There are plenty of YouTube videos and write ups on this forum that should help you out.
That stinks, sorry to hear. I just bought my bike a few months ago off Craigslist and couldn't be happier. Sounds like you did everything possible to avoid any issues. You just never know!
Sorry to hear that. How much did you pay for it? What's the mileage and any cosmetic problems?
I would try to sell it back on CL with the known problem and see if anyone want to pick it up. You may lose a bit of money but it's better than investing more money into fixing it.
Rule of thumb, don't rush into buying your first bike. The best bike to buy is something as close to stock as possible. Price won't be cheap but it's a steal compared to brand new and the problems that you might encounter like this one.
The first place you went wrong was meeting a private sale at a dealership. Your stuck with that bike as that is exactly what the shop did., which was inspect it for state inspection. Probably didn't even run the bike.
Really???? I'm sorry but talking out your ass is just plain ignorant. i think meeting at a dealership is probably one of the safest thing you can do and shows some good thinking on the OP's part in buying his first bike. What should he have done, take it to the factory? Completely disassemble the bike? Your statements make zero sense.
Regardless of the issue showing up after the inspection you bought a used bike so there are no warranties involved, it's why you pay what you do. Lesson learned. The original dealership may have been involved in some sort of deception but i would seriously doubt it. They looked the bike over, started it, it ran, rev'ed and looked fine so they stated it as such. Unless you pay them to disassemble the bike to the point they can go over every mechanical and electrical part piece by piece you will not catch every issue. It's an assembly of parts, parts do fail.
Now onto your new shop doing the work, what exactly are they saying is wrong? Did you physically see the spark plugs? See the broken parts?
What I would do is get an estimate for everything wrong and have a detailed understanding of what and why. I'd then ask your dealership if these issues should have been caught in the prepurchase inspection by the first shop. After that I'd call the original owner and show him or her what was found and what went wrong and see what they say. If they are an honest person they may have been in the same boat as you, had zero idea, feel terrible and want to help. Or they are in their rights to say sorry, it's your bike, your cost. Or hopefully somewhere in between.
At that point you and your dealership need to determine if you should follow up with the first one that did the inspection. My guess is if you paid for it all you could possibly get back is your inspection fee but at least it's something. Might be worth a call if it shoukd have been obvious but at this point it's sounding like an internal failure.
Don't stick major money into this motor. Used complete units are in the $500-$900 range and plentiful, that's the plus to bike that's been unchanged for many years. It's a lesson, we've all been there and learned from it. Now move on and figure this out.
which is why I'm all for buying new bikes, especially for new riders or anyone with limited knowledge of bikes.
To the OP, sorry for your situation. that is the risk of buying a used bike. Even with an inspection, it doesn't guarantee that nothing is wrong with the bike. When they inspected the bike, it was in running condition.
Another route you can go is to get a second opinion from a different shop or mechanic.
Can you give us some info on the year/condition of the bike you bought?
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