I plan to sell my motorcycle, and I’ve only done that once before, many years ago, an old Yamaha 650 that I didn’t particularly care about. This is different. I fully imagine a buyer would want to test ride it. My concern is what if they damage it or drop it or otherwise abuse it? I may not know. Do they return it and say, oops, sorry, see ya later and oh by the way nice bike…? The nature of the test ride is that they’re alone with my bike, and I’m not on the back seat. It’s not like test driving a car for sale when I’d be in it with them. What if they just want to go for a joy ride and rev the everlivin’ crap out of the motor? I’d have no way to know. Am I being overly paranoid? Maybe.
How is this done? Do I ask for $500 or $1,000 cash up front before they go on their ride? Might seem a bit extreme. Do I insist they bring their motorcycle when they come over, and then I ride that and follow them on their test ride?
So many options. How to do this?
My bike is a BMW R1200RT, in excellent condition. It’s a sport touring bike that’s built to be an autobahn cruise missile and can cover thousands of miles comfortably and quickly. It sits tall, and the seat height means there’s a long reach to the ground, unlike a cruiser which usually sits low and is much easier to handle, especially at slow speeds. It’s better for long-legged riders to control it, although skilled, vertically challenged riders could certainly handle it.
It’s tricky. If I’m considering it, I want to ride it. It’s a deal-breaker for most buyers.
Check with your insurance first to see if he would even be covered.
I sell auction cars all the time, and everyone wants to drive them. There’s no insurance on the car, and I don’t know the people at all. I just tell them there’s no insurance on it, so I can’t let them drive it. If they argue, I tell them I went to jail once for letting someone drive an uninsured car, and I’m not going back! No one’s ever walked away.
If you must let him ride, let’s stack the deck a little. I don’t know about your town, but around here, meeting people selling things on Craigslistand robbingthem is a sport.
Bring a friend or 3. Perhaps they should be testing the video capabilities of their smartphone…
Be armed.
Require anyone riding to bring you a large copy of their DL showing 2-wheel endorsement.
Require that DL to be x years old. You don’t want a new grad with 6 months riding
a Rebel to show up to try your space shuttle.
I have a K-1200rs. I know of which I speak!
Check the copy against the real thing on the spot, so you’re not left with Pedro’s
license and Bob took off on ya.
Ride with him. You’ve got another bike, right? No? :smack:
Fine. Get your friends to ride along, showing him a “good test route” that brings
him back home. If he does take off, at least you’ll know which way he went. And
remember, you’ve got his car!
Drain the gas, or put it on reserve and ride a bit. Make it so if bozo does take off,
he’s only going to make it a mile or two.
If you want to require a deposit, write up an agreement ahead of time specifying
that the rider will pay for damage, yada, yada, yada. Get a receipt book, or make
him a receipt that everyone can sign and keep a copy of.
He’ll leave his car with you, and maybe even a buddy. Make sure the first thing you do is jot down his car and tag, and remember their names when they introduce themselves.
I know I’m being mildly paranoid, and all you probably care about is whether or not he wraps your baby around a pole, but honestly, this kind of robbery happens every day around here. Ipads, Iphones, cameras, laptops, cars- you name it. Some fool meets Trayvon in a parking lot to buy or sell an Ipad, and they get either their Ipad or buy money stolen, and the perps r-u-n-n-o-f-t and jump in a nearby car and vanish.
Craigslist isn’t the only source for trouble, but it’s a biggie.
Millions of reasonable people have trouble-free transactions every day, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions.
I’m thinking of selling a bicycle on Craigslist. Here is my plan.
You meet me at my bank, cash in hand. The bank verifies that the bills are real.
You can take your bike for a ride. You don’t want the bike, bring it back in the EXACT SAME CONDITION, I will return your money. You break it, you broke your own bike.
Having trouble finding it right now, but I have seen several comments from cycle centric posters who stated this was the norm. Between theft and inexperienced riders dumping an unfamiliar bike, most people who buy used bikes know that this is the norm.
Another ploy by some buyers is to tell you they think there’s a problem with the brakes, or some other aspect. I had a guy tell me that my 2-year-old Chrysler 300 was pulling to the right on his test drive, so he could offer $2,000 less. I just said “I drive that car to work every single day and have never had problem one. The price stands.” He bought it, anyway.
Actually, you can. Many (most? all?) BMW dealers have demo bikes, almost-new bikes you can test ride. Harley does also. I’ve test ridden hogs from a dealership.
Thanks, ducati, you have lots of good ideas. Let’s see… yes, agree, if I want to buy a bike then I definitely want to ride it first. I can’t see me selling my bike without allowing test rides.
I’ll check with my insurance, that’s a good point. But there’s still the issue of covering the deductible. And I’ll definitely check the DL for MC endorsement, and that it’s current.
Being armed? No, sorry. Someone stealing my bike does not authorize the use of deadly force. If they want it that badly, I’ll file a police report and insurance claim.
No, I don’t have another bike so I can’t ride with the test rider. Otherwise this problem’s solved. I may follow with a car, though. Am thinking about that.
If I require a deposit, then yes, with an agreement or receipt. That’s good, I like that.
I like this idea, but maybe it’s a check. We’re talking a few $$thousands here. Before prospective buyer takes my bike, we meet at their bank and I ensure there are funds to cover the check made out to me. I don’t cash the check if the bike is returned in the same condition.
Like ducati suggested, I’d draw up an agreement or receipt with one copy for each of us, seller and buyer.
Okay guys (gals), I can’t help but think I’m being a little extreme here, maybe overthinking this? I’ve test ridden two or three bikes for sale over the years, and none of the sellers did any of this. But while I was out riding their bikes, I couldn’t help but think they placed a lot of trust in me, on theirs. I left my bike behind with them each time, and my bike was nicer than theirs so they had access to that, but still what if I’d dropped or crashed their bike? What happens then? I’d be responsible, of course, but would feel crappy about it.
And yes, of course, I know the decision on what I’ll do is mine and I take responsibility for that, and have to be ready for possible foreseeable consequences. I’m just wondering what is ‘usual and customary’, and what if any precautions do people take.
You named the two exceptions !The BMW dealer network is a totally different animal in the motorcycle world. Harley, too, but for different reasons. In all my years working for the Big 4, the only “demos” I can recall was the first release of the Honda ACE. They (Honda) really wanted to cut into the Harley market and provided the dealers with demos.
There were some new GSX-R’s that people were not allowed to* sit on *without pre-approved financing or cash! Sounds like a total Asshole-Move, but the dealer got 10 bikes to sell, and 100 people wanted them. If you were one of the ten, you pretty much were the only person on it!
But I rode every new bike I ever sold! Including the “can’t sit-on” GSX-R’s.
It’s not about defending the bike; it’s about defending you.
Many times around here, perps shoot first, then rob.
I know I’m overthinking this. I’m just trying to get everyone to think outside the safe little box we typically live in. Yeah, we all should just be able to have Wally & Beaver come over, test ride your bike, get your money and then all go for ice cream. Them’s the good old days. They’re long gone. From here, anyway.
Originally Posted by ducati
Some fool meets** Trayvon **in a parking lot to buy or sell an Ipad, and they get either their Ipad or buy money stolen, and the perps r-u-n-n-o-f-t and jump in a nearby car and vanish.
Wasn’t hidden. Facts are facts. Come live in DeKalb or south Fulton county, Georgia and see how they roll around here.
That was a lot more likely a generation ago than now - violent crime rates are way down. TV news sensationalism is what’s up.
My procedure:
If the prospect wants to ride the bike, he brings all of his own gear and I check it. Then he signs a paper with the Pottery Barn rule on it and the “seller is not liable” etc. Then he leaves me his car key and wallet including his work ID. After inspection, it’s time for the ride!
Bums on seats sell bikes.
If the OP was selling a popular crotchrocket - GSXR-1000, Hayabusa, etc. - I’d be more concerned about the possibility of a robbery. But he’s not. The bike in question is a BMW R1200RT, something owned by boring middle-aged guys with disposable income and an interest in multi-state touring. I should know; I own one. Compared to the aforementioned crotchrockets, there’s not much of a market for stolen R1200RT’s, and so not much of a likelihood of theft.
As for falling down, well, the guy test-riding your bike might drop it at low speed, but he has a vested interest in not crashing at high-speed; if he does, he stands a good chance of getting hurt.
Shortly after buying my R1200RT, I sold my R1100RT through an ad on a BMW motorcycle discussion board. The buyer who answered my ad emailed me a JPG-scan of the cashier’s check before he arrived, and I was able to call the bank and confirm that the check was real. He handed over the check upon arrival at my house and had his friend take the bike for a short test drive while he waited with me. In the unlikely event of a crash during the test ride, I would have kept the check and signed the title over to him.
I live in Sunnyvale CA and I’m not too concerned with theft, also because of the reasons you mention.
A Cashier’s Check: best idea so far. And thanks for the reminder to post on the BMWRT / BMWST site. I was thinking Craigslist and had forgotten about this.
Interestingly, I just saw one of those Dean Winters “Mayhem” insurance commercials last night and the angle was someone test driving a motorcycle and destroying the bike.
Including the “can’t sit-on” GSX-R’s.