I bought a motorbike on the weekend for my sister, a cheapy at $1000 but I wasn't too worried as it had a roadworthy from October. I took it to a mechanic today, and they recommended writing the bike off due to the large amount of repairs needed, ballpark quote of $2,000.
There's a few scenarios I see as being the reason for the difference
- Seller damaged bike in the 4 months he had it - The seller claimed it wasn't dropped since he's owned it
- The mechanic who provided the roadworthy did a dodgy job and passed it - it's only been 4 months/350km since the original roadworthy
- my mechanic is going over the top with his assessment
I think the most likely culprit is a dodgy mechanic who provided the original RWC. I don't think my mechanic has anything to gain by lying to me, as he recommended not undertaking the repairs, if he was dodgy he'd be pushing for more work to be done. I've heard that mechanics now have to take photos as part of the roadworthy process, is it possible to get a copy of these so I can compare the bike to what I purchased, and to check if the bike was in a roadworthy state?
The good news is that it has 8 months worth of rego on it, so I'll be able to refund that for $300, then I I'll sell it in 'as is' condition, hopefully get $500 for it for someone to use on a farm or something.
And yes, I know, caveat emptor, I've learnt my lesson, I'll definitely not be buying a bike without a current RWC again.
I won't be listing details on the bike to avoid identifying the seller
What needs repair? Seems excessive on a $1000 bike. The RWC examines safety, not mechanical reliability/quality, so a vehicle with an engine about to fail, for example, could happily pass a RWC as I understand it.