Used Motorbike Checklist: What to Check Before You Pay

Check the paperwork before you check the bike. On a used scooter in Thailand the frame number, the engine number and the name in the green registration book decide whether the purchase is possible at all; the tyres and brakes only decide what it is worth. In that order, you never waste an hour test-riding something you were never going to be able to register.

This page is meant to be used standing next to the machine. Work through it in sequence, insist on a cold start, and be willing to walk away — the next scooter is five minutes down the road.

• Do firstMatch frame and engine numbers to the green book
• Insist onA cold start — arrive before the seller warms it up
• Walk away ifAny number is missing, restamped or mismatched
• Allow25–30 minutes per bike, plus a proper ride

Before you leave home

• Ask by message: is the green book present, and is it in your name?
• Ask for a photo of the book's first page and of the frame number stamped on the bike
• Ask when the road tax was last paid and whether the Por Ror Bor certificate is current
• Agree the bike will be cold when you arrive, and say why
• Look up the model and year on the Thai classified portals for the going rate
• Bring a torch, a phone camera and a tyre-tread gauge or a coin
• Meet at the seller's home or shop, in daylight

The documents, first

Take the green book in your hands and read it before you look at the bike. If the seller will not hand it over, that is your answer.

• The name in the book matches the seller's identification
• No finance company as title holder — if there is, the seller cannot transfer the bike
• Frame number in the book matches the number stamped on the frame, digit for digit
• Engine number matches the number cast or stamped on the engine case
• Plate number on the bike matches the book
• Make, model, colour and engine size match the machine in front of you
• The tax history is up to date, or you know how many years are outstanding
• The compulsory insurance certificate is present and in date
• How many previous keepers, and how fast they turned over

The Thai logbook explained walks through every field. The distinction that matters: the book names a title holder and a possessor separately, and only the title holder can transfer ownership.

The cold start

A warm engine hides a great deal. Arrive early, put a hand on the cylinder head and downpipe, and if the bike is warm, come back another day.

• Does it start on the electric starter, first press, without repeated cranking?
• Does it need the kickstart? On a scooter that suggests a tired battery or starter
• Blue smoke on start-up that clears — oil past worn valve stem seals
• Blue or grey smoke that keeps coming — worn rings or bore; expensive
• Rattling from the top end that fades as oil circulates, or that does not
• Does the idle settle, or does it hunt and stall?
• Any warning lights that stay on once running

Engine, transmission and fluids

• Oil level and colour on the dipstick — milky means water, gritty means neglect
• Oil weeping around the crankcase joint, the cylinder base or the gearbox output shaft
• Coolant level, if liquid-cooled, and whether the coolant is clean or brown
• On an automatic: does it pull away smoothly, or judder and slip as the belt engages?
• Belt-driven scooters — ask when the drive belt and rollers were last replaced
• Whining or grinding from the transmission case at low speed
• On a manual step-through: clean gear changes up and down, no jumping out of gear
• Exhaust: rot at the join with the header, blowing, or fresh paint hiding holes
• Air filter — pull the cover if you can; a filthy filter tells you about the rest

Brakes, tyres and wheels

This is the section that stops you being hurt, and on cheap used scooters it is routinely the worst-maintained part of the machine.

• Front brake: firm bite well before the lever reaches the bar; no sponginess
• Rear brake, drum or disc: works, and does not need pulling to the stop
• Disc surface — deep scoring, an edge lip, or a blued patch meaning heat damage
• Pad thickness through the caliper slot; fluid level and colour in the reservoir
• Tyre tread depth across the whole width, not just the centre
• Tyre date code on the sidewall — four digits, week and year. Rubber over five or six years old is hard whatever the tread looks like
• Cracking in the sidewall or between tread blocks — Thai sun destroys tyres
• Wheel rims: dents, buckles, cracks around the spokes on cast wheels
• Spin each wheel off the stand — listen for bearing rumble, rock it for play

Frame, suspension and crash damage

• Bounce the front — the forks should compress and return smoothly, without clunking
• Fork legs: pitting, rust or an oily film that means blown seals
• Rear shock: oil weeping, sag, or rattling over a bump on the ride
• Steering head: front brake on, rock the bike — a knock means worn bearings
• On the stand, turn the bars lock to lock; movement should be smooth and free
• Scuffed bar ends, mirror stalks, footboard edges and levers — it has been down
• Panels that do not line up, mismatched paint, or new plastics on an old bike
• Corrosion on the frame and swingarm, particularly on island and coastal bikes

Salt air is a real factor. A scooter that has spent three years on Koh Tao or in Phuket will show corrosion on fasteners, brake parts and electrical connectors that an identical Chiang Mai bike will not. Not a reason to walk away, but it belongs in the price.

Electrics and controls

• Headlight on both beams, brake light on both front and rear lever, all four indicators
• Horn, speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer
• Ignition key turns cleanly; the seat and fuel-cap locks work with the same key
• Underseat storage catches and closes
• Charging: with the engine running, the headlight should not dim badly at idle
• Bodged wiring, insulating tape, aftermarket alarms cut into the loom

The test ride

Insist on one. A seller who will not let you ride the bike is worried about the bike or worried about you, and either way you cannot buy it. Offer a deposit or identification if that resolves it, and wear a helmet — Thailand's helmet law applies to test rides too.

• Ride at least two kilometres, including one stretch above 50 km/h if it is safe to do so
• Straight-line stability with hands lightly on the bars — no weave, no pull to one side
• Brake hard once, from speed, on a clear road; the bike should stop straight
• Listen for knocking under load, going uphill or accelerating away from a stop
• Does it hold a steady speed on a hill, or run out of drive?
• Any vibration through the bars or footboard that changes with speed
• Park it and look underneath for anything dripping that was not dripping before

Deal-breakers, in order

1. No green book, or a book in someone else's name that they cannot produce
2. Frame or engine number missing, restamped, ground or mismatched
3. A finance company recorded as title holder
4. Persistent blue smoke or milky oil
5. Seller refuses a cold start or a test ride
6. Seller refuses to attend the land transport office for the transfer

Everything below that line is a negotiation. Once satisfied, do the transfer promptly: the Motor Vehicle Act gives both parties fifteen days to notify the registrar, with a fine of up to ฿2,000 for missing it. See transferring vehicle ownership at the DLT and buying a used motorbike in Thailand.

Frequently asked questions