# Selling My Motorcycle: Test Ride? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871 "2012-06-02T14:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/21 "2012-06-04T14:42:34Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > 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. Ah, [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0RC181UbYE) I love that whole series of ads. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/22 "2012-06-04T14:53:30Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > 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. Ah, [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0RC181UbYE) I love that whole series of ads. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/23 "2012-06-04T14:57:23Z")
Ah, they’re 2010’s-style “Death Rides”. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/24 "2012-06-04T15:25:46Z")
> [@littlespeedysuperbike](#): > > That was a lot more likely a generation ago than now - violent crime rates are way down. I was a cop a generation ago. I respectfully disagree. This isn’t even the whole first page of Google responses. The internet makes instant and widespread communication so much easier than in olden-times, say, 1980. Bad guys used to have to stalk and seek and research victims. Now, they just make an appointment and **we go to them**! > **[Craigslist Robberies By Appointment on Rise](https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/01/craigslist-robberies-by-appointment-on-rise/)** > > Get breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news. [http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120604/BREAKING/120609851](http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120604/BREAKING/120609851) > **[San Diego Union-Tribune](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/)** > > San Diego, California and National News [http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=18659620](http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=18659620) [http://www.11alive.com/rss/article/239687/40/Victim-takes-cell-phone-video-of-Craigslist-robbery](http://www.11alive.com/rss/article/239687/40/Victim-takes-cell-phone-video-of-Craigslist-robbery) Common sense isn’t, but at least we can pay attention: > **[Jeff Cooper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Combat_Mindset.E2.80.94The_Cooper_Color_Code)** > > John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine Corps officer and firearms instructor. He is the creator of the "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. > Jeff Cooper was born in Los Angeles where he enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Los Angeles High School. Cooper then enrolled at Stanford University, where he lettered in fencing, and he graduated from Stanford in 1941 with a bache... This applies when you’re selling ipads or buying gas. Let’s be careful out there! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/25 "2012-06-04T16:00:03Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Ah, [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0RC181UbYE) I love that whole series of ads. 😃 Me too, they’re funny and creative. I like [that bike test ride one](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9CG5HozkvAc). We have a dog and [this one is exactly what she would do if robbers broke in with a meat-filled bone](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EhyQgskfjNc). ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/26 "2012-06-04T16:28:49Z")
Plenty of info and some handy links and info for selling a BMW bike [here](http://www.verrill.com/moto/kbikesellingguide.shtml). > [@](#): > > 1. Test Rides > > This is often the biggest point of contention when discussing selling a bike, often replete with tales of potential buyers who have wrecked or damaged the bike on a test ride (and the ensuing battles over who will pay for repairs), folks who just wanted a joy ride, and even folks who have taken off on a test ride never to return. Some sellers simply don’t permit test rides, or allow them only with the potential buyer as a passenger with the seller driving. Some sellers require the potential buyer to temporarily buy the bike with the agreement that if the buyer is unhappy and the bike is returned undamaged the sale will be voided and funds returned. Some require the potential buyer to show that he has cash on-hand to buy the bike, and some give it little thought at all. Whatever you decide, use your common sense to size up the potential buyer - is it a 16-year old kid with no gear other than an ill-fitting second hand helmet or a seasoned veteran rider with complete and well-used gear? Whatever you decide, make absolutely sure you see the potential buyer’s drivers license (make sure there is a motorcycle endorsement!) and proof of his own motorcycle insurance, and have him sign an agreement that he will be responsible for any damage that occurs during the test ride. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/27 "2012-06-04T16:33:13Z")
I’m selling two bikes right now, an 86 Goldwing and an 82 GS750. I gauge the buyer and then hold the full purchase price while they ride. If they drop it, I sign the title and hand it to them. Fingers crossed both will sell today. How much are you asking for the RT? Have you advertised it on [ADVrider.com](http://ADVrider.com)? Probably the best Bimmer centric site out there. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/28 "2012-06-04T18:11:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > 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. I bought a Kawasaki new a few years back and the dealer said absolutely no way would they offer test rides of any bike. I didn’t particularly like buying a motorcycle I’d never ridden, but there wasn’t much choice if I wanted a new bike. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/29 "2012-06-04T18:28:11Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > It’s not like test driving a car for sale when I’d be in it with them. I don’t ride along on car test drives either. They way I see it, either nothing bad will happen, and I won’t need to be there, or something bad will happen, and I don’t want to be there. Do you really want to be sitting in the passenger seat if someone crashes your car? I’d rather be nowhere near it. Do you really want to be in the passenger seat if someone’s planning to steal your car? I guess you can hope that they’re willing to steal the car if you’re not there, but they’re _not_ willing to hurt you to steal the car. That seems like a pretty narrow range where being there is a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/30 "2012-06-04T23:35:28Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > Plenty of info and some handy links and info for selling a BMW bike [here](http://www.verrill.com/moto/kbikesellingguide.shtml). Cool, good resource and info. That was a good article. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/31 "2012-06-04T23:36:32Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > How much are you asking for the RT? Have you advertised it on [ADVrider.com](http://ADVrider.com)? Probably the best Bimmer centric site out there. I haven’t gotten that far yet, and I’m not 100% convinced I will sell. Right now I’m planning on it, thinking on it, and getting all my ducks in line (even though it’s a BMW, not a Ducati :D). And thanks for the reminder about ADVRider. I’m a member there, and hadn’t thought about posting it there. It’s still very early in the process for me. Good luck with your Goldwing and GS750 sales, I hope they move quickly and fairly for you. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/32 "2012-06-04T23:37:41Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I bought a Kawasaki new a few years back and the dealer said absolutely no way would they offer test rides of any bike. I didn’t particularly like buying a motorcycle I’d never ridden, but there wasn’t much choice if I wanted a new bike. I had a different experience. My very first bike was a 1983 Yamaha 650 Special bought new in 1985 from the long-gone San Bruno Cycles on El Camino Real (in case anyone is local and remembers). When buying it, I negotiated the price, had payment ready to go, and filled out all the paperwork except for the very end - my signature on the proverbial bottom line. I then asked to take it for a test ride, right before officially taking ownership. I wanted to avoid the situation where the bike is legally mine and I ride away and then there’s some (any) obvious problem. At that point I’ve lost all leverage with the dealer and would have to rely on their good graces to help me resolve the problem. Most dealers probably would help, but still, I’ve lost any leverage at that point. The sales guy hesitated, but then agreed with my rationale and let me take it around the block. There wasn’t any problem and I was back in 10 minutes and finalized the sale. Since then I’ve bought 3 other bikes in total, all BMWs. 1 was used and 2 were new. Every time, I test rode before finalizing the sale. But as someone mentioned here, BMW allows for test rides of new bikes. 5 bikes in 27 years and 250,000 miles of riding. I’m guessing that’s a low turnover rate? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Natural](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mr.Natural](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Natural)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/33 "2012-06-04T23:44:07Z")
I have had a lot of motorcycles, and unless it’s new, I don’t buy it unless I ride it first. On the other hand, though, I generally won’t allow anybody that I don’t know to ride one that I am selling. Sometimes, but not most times. If they come on a motorcycle, they’ll be much more likely to ride mine. One option is to sell the bike, and offer to follow them for X number of miles and give their money back if they don’t crash it, but don’t like it for whatever legitimate reason. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/34 "2012-06-05T00:01:05Z")
This has been a helpful thread. I think about selling mine every once in a while and this has been a sticking point for me. I was thinking about having the potential buyer follow/drive beside me as I rode it to demonstrate that everything works, no funny noises, no blowing smoke, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/35 "2012-06-05T00:03:06Z")
> [@Mr.Natural](#): > > One option is to sell the bike, and offer to follow them for X number of miles and give their money back if they don’t crash it, but don’t like it for whatever legitimate reason. Have you actually done that while selling a bike? Any problems doing so? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Natural](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mr.Natural](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Natural)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/36 "2012-06-05T00:39:13Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > Have you actually done that while selling a bike? Any problems doing so? I’ve offered to do that, but never had anybody actually want me to do it. You know how some folks you feel comfortable with and others you don’t? I personally think that’s important. Trust your instincts. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871/37 "2012-06-05T04:32:43Z")
> [@Mr.Natural](#): > > I’ve offered to do that, but never had anybody actually want me to do it. > > You know how some folks you feel comfortable with and others you don’t? I personally think that’s important. Trust your instincts. Yep, totally agree with you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-motorcycle-test-ride/623871.md?page=1)