Guide to buying a secondhand bike

[Ste]

After writing the guide on buying the bike, and the stuff which was bought to my attention by the problems I'm having after selling my bike, I thought it would be useful to give a guide to stuff to do/ not do when buying a bike secondhand.

When you go and look at the bike
So after spending time searching through adverts for a new bike, you've found one you like the idea of and have arranged to go and view it. It is a good plan generally to see the bike at the owners house, which should be the same as the address the bike is registered to. If they want to meet you somewhere (either before going to their house, or to view/ sell the bike) make sure it's somewhere public and where he wouldn't be able to do something without being noticed by others. When you first get there and meet the seller and see the bike, no matter how much you like it and want to buy it, don't be enthusiastic about it too much as it will let the buyer know you really want it and will give him an advantage if you try and haggle over the price.

Checking over the paperwork
Have a look through the paperwork they have for the bike, and check any details like frame number on the bike just to be sure it's okay. Have a look through old MOT's to see that the milage is a general increase, and to see that it all makes sense and fits with what you know about it's history. Have a look over any invoices for any work done, and if in any doubt about it give the shop a ring to ask them about it. It is a good idea really to do an HPI check on the bike ( www.HPIcheck.com ) before you travel to view the bike. HPI checks tell you if the vehicle has been reported stolen, if it has been written off, and if it has any outstanding finance on it. Don't just take the owners word for it, as if they're lying and the bike does have outstanding finance the bike can be taken away by the company who are owed finance. Better safe than sorry.

Test riding the bike
It is worth test riding the bike be it costing £100, or costing £10,000. It's worth doing so you can be sure that it is running as is being sold as, and that it performances the way you want it to. Don't just take the sellers word that it is running fine, check to be sure.
The seller is very likely (and fairly daft if they don't!) to ask to see a proof of ID (like a driving license or a passport) so that they are sure you are who you say you are, and to ask to take a deposit for the bike whilst they are test riding it. The keys to the car or bike you travelled there with are fine (as long as it is an appropriate value vehicle!) or just the value of the bike in cash. This is so there is an incentive for you to come back and not to just steal it. Remember that it is your responsibility to be insured when test riding a bike. Many policies will cover you TPO on other bikes as long as you have the owners permission, but it is your responsibility to make sure you are insured.

Trying to work out a deal
So you've decided you want to buy it, and you just need to work out a price now. Buyers generally will ask about 10% more than they want to get for it to allow for people haggling, but this is not always the case, and if they say they're not open to offers then fair enough. Cash works well as it's money in their hands right then as opposed to the time taken for cheques and bankers drafts. Don't be waving it around too much, just say that you are looking to buy with cash. If you are wanting to pay by cheque or any other method really, expect the seller to not be willing to give you the bike until the money has cleared into their account. This again is where cash is good as it means it's all dealt with then.

After working out a price
You've managed to agree a price and are now about to leave with your new bike. Ask for a receipt, you should have a copy for yourself and a copy for the seller. These should both be identical and both signed by yourself and the seller. You should be given part of the V5 it is only a small slip and the rest of it is posted off to the DVLA by the seller. Make sure you are given any stuff that was advertised or said as being included in the deal. Once you have got the keys and the V5 slip, and you have handed the money over thats the point where you have very little come back so make sure anything which you wanted to ask or inspect has been done before this point! Once you have the bike and are on your way home enjoy your new bike and get rid of any copies of BikeTrader you have around your home as you'll just see something else and think that you like the bike you've just seen more than the one you've just bought.

If something goes wrong
So the new bike you've bought now has problems. If you've bought privately you only have come back to the extent if the seller was lying in the advert and has been untruthful about the bike they sold you. You do not have any type of warranty or guarantee when buying privately it is just a case of buyer beware and sold as seen. Stuff does go wrong with bikes from time to time, and it is just as likely to happen shortly after you bought it as it is to happen at any other time so bear this in mind. Try and speak to the seller, they might well know what the problem is, or how to fix it, or be willing to help you (either by giving you details of people who can fix it, or by actually helping you do the repair) but be reasonable. If you turn around to them with unreasonable demands then they will just turn around and say no, and there is nothing you can do.

The receipt is your lifeline if you get informed that the bike is stolen, a write off or had finance owing on it, and if this happens the best people to speak to are Citizens Advice Bureau or a solicitor who deals with this type of stuff. Or post up in general chat and people will give their advice on what to do.

Most bike sales are problem free, but there are ones which have problems and buying secondhand vehicles privately is not risk free. There are people who will be trying to rip you off, but the vast majority are honest sellers. You can't generally tell the difference, but just be aware that there are possible risks.

Edit: Have a read of this thread for details of what to check over when buying a bike.

[WildGoose]

bingo

/me prints out and puts next to credit card in wallet
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[Liono]

Thanks for that Ste, I'm looking around to buy my first bike so will find the information really useful.

[GreyHam]

dilemma - when you buy the bike your not insured right? so can you ride it home without insurance or would you have to buy it and collect later?

[Jrod]

If you're not insured you can't ride the bike.

[haGGard]

But no one will notice

[Kickstart]

Hi

Some policies cover you to ride bikes you do not own. I have heard that some also cover you to ride bikes home that you have just bought, but not seen such a clause in any policy I have had.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Sissy]

Printed. Thanks, Ste. That'll help me in a month or so.

[Ste]

[MinhDinh]

i find it silly that you can not test ride the bike if you are not insured. i read that in biketrader but then thought that i won't be able to have a test ride when buying as i dont have insurance. insurance is expensive for me as i live in a 'f' area and i dont really wanna pay for it until i actually find a bike. dilemma? yes.

[R4nger]

This link I used before. It is great, has photos etc on what to look at for.

https://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike-content.html

[Fallen Angel]

Och Ste, you're just too helpful mate!!!
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I have an asshole tolerance level of -10
www.cliqueyclanmcc.co.uk
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[tintin]

A few other suggestions:

When you first ring up just say "I'm ringing about the bike", if they say "which one" then you know they are a dealer.

Try and take a mate with you. This can stop you getting carried away and buying a heap of junk, a second opinion is always helpful, they can also back you up if it needs things like new tyres or a chain - which helps with the haggling. And it's someone to give you a lift if you buy the bike and ride it away.

Try and see the bike in daylight, I know it's difficult at this time of year but it will help you see faults better.

After you have looked at it say you have got to go and view anoother bike in the area, or say you have just seen another one before you arrived. Then say you need to have a think about which bike you want and go and have a coffee for 30 mins, this puts you in a much better position to haggle.

You can always walk away if it's not right - there is always another one out there.

Having said all this I once met a bloke from Nottingham at a Motorway services halfway between us, left my girlfriend as a deposit while I had a test ride and paid cash for a bike which blew up 3 months later, so what do I know...
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The older I get the better I was

[kasandrich]

[RiderOfTheSto...]

Good post. Wouldn’t it be useful to have a ‘Guides’ forum because posts like this will move off the page and become hard to find. Maybe if someone writes a good guide they can post it in here first and if a number of people like it the mods can move it to the guides forum? Just a suggestion.
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It hurts doesn't it? Your hopes dashed, your dreams down the toilet. And your fate is sitting right besides you.

[whymore?]

doesn't Bike Trader say that you risk 6 points on your license and on the vendor's licence if you're caught test riding without insurance? sounds like good enough reason for the vendor to refuse outright to let you test ride it without seeing your insurance document.
I bought a moped for #350 once. I phoned up the shop & got the reg no, insured it & test rode it, bought it. I had to buy something to keep my employer happy and it lasted almost as long as my job did (only 3 years) so I was happy
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you can type TYPEWRITER and PROPERTY using the top line of a typewriter only,but what can you type only using the others?

[Gazdaman]

It sounds obvious, but make sure the speedo is in MPH.

I managed to buy an XJ, 3 of us looked at it, all bikers, none of us noticed until it was tucked up in my garage.

Check wheel bearings while you're there, make sure there's no play in either wheel and/or head bearings.

That makes an excellent haggling point, but may also not want you to ride home...

Gaz

[Ste]

If someone gets stopped on your bike and they don't have insurance they you get done by the police as well as the owner of the vehicle you're meant to check that someone has insurance before giving them the keys.

Lots of shops have their own insurance to let you test ride rather than saying you've got to get an insurance policy before letting you test ride to make people more interested in the bike.

It's a calculated risk letting someone test ride your bike.

[Gazdaman]

My dad is insured on any other bike as long as he has the owner's permission, since I bought the bike, technically I was the owner and he had my permission, so in my case I guess it was all legal.

But insurance is always going to be a problem when riding a bike home.

Gaz

[Ste]

Most policies like that also say that the bike has to be insured by someone else, otherwise everyone would buy and insure C90's and ride litre bikes which they've put in someone elses name.

[iiRZAii]

[Jamopy]

[Chalky.]

[J4mes]

wow at nearly 8 years since the last post it's possibly the best thread bump ever.

[MinhDinh]

Wow in 2005 my English was even worse than it is now....
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