engineless

i just wanted to know of the procedures to follow when purchasing a used bike from a private owner.....the only things that pop up in my mind are title transfer and bill of sale......please help me out im going to see the bike tommorow....TIA

Newkdog

Take it out for a ride, and get it checked about by a motorcycle shop. Also make sure the seller takes the plates off when they hand it to you and also have the seller sign something that indicates that the money has been transfered..."I payed such and such this much on this day."

Ask about the carbs...

big pete

bring someone that knows about bikes or take it to a shop to have them check it out. If you dont end up buying the bike, you're only out a little bit of cash (much better than having to fix a bunch of unknown problems later on).

engineless

thanks for the input!! what else would u guys suggest i take a look at....i.e. how tires should look like, the fork, brakes.....stuff like that

edit: what do u mean by "make sure the seller takes the plates off when they hand it to you" ??

engineless

thanks for the input!! what else would u guys suggest i take a look at....i.e. how tires should look like, the fork, brakes.....stuff like that

.Ash

do not assume that you will be able to test ride it; i never let anyone test the bikes i sold. search for scratches on the frame; check numbers between the frame and title and just look for any imperfections that may suggest a crash.

MAD1

You're in SCV...so am I? I'm at sierra Hwy and via Princessa by costco.

Oh, in cali, you leave the plates on the bike for the new owner. The registration carries over to the new owner, so you don't have to pay until the tags expire.

Look for obvious damage, especially clean fairings but scatches on the engine cover...some people like to say that there bike has never been down and it is stupid obious what the scratches came from.

And it is true that you shouldn't expect a test ride on the bike before you buy it. I, myself, have my bike up for sale and would let a perspective buyer test ride it...as long as they have the payment in full and put it in my hand before i hand over the keys for the test ride. If the bike comes back in the condition that it left in and they still don't want it, fine. give money back and i get keys back. but if it come back fugged up, they need to find a way of getting the bike to their house and I'll need to find some time to make a deposit in the bank.

you should also be able to tell how a bike has been taken care of by the way he talks about bike care and how he maintains it. Sure some people can say anything, but those of us that take good care of our rides can spot slackers a mile away.

And don't just bring a friend that rides and knows jack **** about "motorcycles". just because he rides one doesn't mean he knows a damn thing about them. Nothing more annoying to a seller is arguing with a dumbass who thinks that the GP shift pattern is because the shifter is broken(can i get an amen on that Marmalade boy?).

I'm in SCV and i'll be home most of the week...drop me an email and let me know if you have any questions. jameswashing10@yahoo.com

good luck

engineless

good stuff, Mad1 i am in scv in the saugus area of seco....back to the topic at hand....are crashes to the bike necesarily bad?? are they bikes to totally steer clear from? because lately alot of the bikes ive been looking at HAVE been down but they insist it was a light fall or has been tipped over....please shed some light oh enlightened ones of the honda-tech forums.... <---confused

MAD1

Downed bikes aren't bad, as most people have or will go down at some point. drops are also common and they do very little damage. I just mention the ones that say that they haven't been down when you can find proof otherwise.

There are also lots of people that crash and sell the bike right away because the bike doesn't ride the same anymore, My question to them is "if the bike still rides like it is new, why sell it?".

Salvage titles are a whole other realm. Salvage titles can be great buys if you can get the coverage that you want for it and if it is great working order. Salvage titles should be considerably lower priced than clean titles. People will say that it was salvaged because of cosmetic reasons, and my question to them is always , "why salvage the title if you didn't have to?" and then i ask them the same question from up above. salvage titled bike should at least be $1k cheaper than the clean titled ones.

Buying used is a bit of skill mixed in with luck...You are learning the skills here on what to look for. Good luck with whatever bike you choose.

.Ash

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MAD1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Downed bikes aren't bad, as most people have or will go down at some point. drops are also common and they do very little damage. I just mention the ones that say that they haven't been down when you can find proof otherwise.

There are also lots of people that crash and sell the bike right away because the bike doesn't ride the same anymore, My question to them is "if the bike still rides like it is new, why sell it?".

Salvage titles are a whole other realm. Salvage titles can be great buys if you can get the coverage that you want for it and if it is great working order. Salvage titles should be considerably lower priced than clean titles. People will say that it was salvaged because of cosmetic reasons, and my question to them is always , "why salvage the title if you didn't have to?" and then i ask them the same question from up above. salvage titled bike should at least be $1k cheaper than the clean titled ones.

Buying used is a bit of skill mixed in with luck...You are learning the skills here on what to look for. Good luck with whatever bike you choose. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i think salvage value is like 40% less than a clean title bike.

MAD1

you know, i actually wouldn't pay $5k for a 2004 salvaged 600cc even if it was brought back to cosmetically new condition. Resale sucks *** on them. I would pay about $1k less on a downed bike that still retained all of the crash damage. Dropped from a standstill shouldn't really yeild any damage if they had sliders on.

Also, if you are buying a salvage titled bike, a test ride should be demanded and you should check with insurance coverage before buying. Some companies will only give you liability and some will fully cover it, but the ones that fully cover it may not be the best company to go with. So do your research before buying.

gqnamja1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by usdmPC3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do not assume that you will be able to test ride it; i never let anyone test the bikes i sold. search for scratches on the frame; check numbers between the frame and title and just look for any imperfections that may suggest a crash. </TD></TR></TABLE>

ALWAYS test ride a USED bike before purchasing it. I've had several close calls with used bikes. They looked great cosmetically...but when you ride them, its obvious there's something wrong with it. Work out a price with the seller then bring him the full amount to hold onto as a deposit while u test ride it to make sure its ok. Other then that.....do as usdm says.....check for signs of crashes.

djay86

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Newkleus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Take it out for a ride, and get it checked about by a motorcycle shop. Also make sure the seller takes the plates off when they hand it to you and also have the seller sign something that indicates that the money has been transfered..."I payed such and such this much on this day."

Ask about the carbs...</TD></TR></TABLE>

why plates?

mos

Somebody post the URL to that huge FAQ on used bike buying...

Apocalypse

http://www.clarity.net/adam/buying-bike.html

engineless

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Apocalypse &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.clarity.net/adam/buying-bike.html</TD></TR></TABLE>


niice....all of yooh guys are life savers.......btw i've seen the bike...what should i think if the bike chain has a little rust on it.....also for you people from california...how much do u think a 99 r6 w/ 10k miles go for if its a clean title and mint condition....

edit: ok i need ur guys opinion again.....im looking at two bikes both 99 r6's.....both have been down...both have their share of cosmetic blemishes.....one has 26k miles and a year and half manufactures warrenty and aftermarket exhaust....the other bike has about 10k miles, the whole headlight assembly has been replaced the mid fairings are missing some bolts and its completely stock....both sellers have maintained the bike accordingly....im just not sure which one would be a better deal.....based on these facts what would you guys be more likely to spring for.......?


Modified by engineless at 1:41 AM 12/29/2004

MAD1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by engineless &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


niice....all of yooh guys are life savers.......btw i've seen the bike...what should i think if the bike chain has a little rust on it.....also for you people from california...how much do u think a 99 r6 w/ 10k miles go for if its a clean title and mint condition....

edit: ok i need ur guys opinion again.....im looking at two bikes both 99 r6's.....both have been down...both have their share of cosmetic blemishes.....one has 26k miles and a year and half manufactures warrenty and aftermarket exhaust....the other bike has about 10k miles, the whole headlight assembly has been replaced the mid fairings are missing some bolts and its completely stock....both sellers have maintained the bike accordingly....im just not sure which one would be a better deal.....based on these facts what would you guys be more likely to spring for.......?


Modified by engineless at 1:41 AM 12/29/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>
hmmm...why don't you tell us what they are selling them for. off the top of my head, i wouldn't pay over $4k for either of those bikes. My buddy just sold his '03 R6 with 29k miles on it for $5500 and he got tons of lower offers and that even took a long time to sell. His had been down at low-speed but everything had been fixed.

I have my 2002, never downed bike listed for $5700 with 10k miles on it, and it isn't going anywhere . A '99 R6 is old tech that has very obvious damage, and the rust on the chain shows neglect. a very clean '99 R6 would get around $4k and fugged up R6 should be a bit less.

What is your budget anyways that would have you considering R6s in questionable condition?

engineless

wow i didn't know that the older r6's would go for much less......the 10k bike the owner is selling because he lost his job and has no money to register nor insure the bike.......the 26k bike is being sold because the owner barely rides these past couple months....to tell u the truth im leaning toward the 26k bike beacuse it looks alot cleaner and he bought the bike at a long beach dealer that sold him a 2 year warranty that expires in sept 06'......budget wise im at 4600 dollars ill prolly be at 5000 in 2 weeks with money to spare for registration, insurance, and gear.....i would prefer a bike with newer technology but would 5000 cut it for maybe an f4i??