how far have you travelled to buy a bike?

[damz]

looking at bikes on ebay/autotrader etc and was wondering how far people have travelled to pick up a bike and if you viewed the bike before buying it.
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Current Bikes RVF400 - 94
Cars: RX7 FD, Eunos Roadster
Former Bikes: FZR 250R 89, ZX7R 98

[ms51ves3]

20 miles is usually my maximum as there are too many dishonest people around for me to travel a long way for a bike to find out it's a pile of shite.

[imanupstart]

Picked up a DR350 last week and rode it 80 miles home....won't be doing that again in a hurry Depends on the bike and how badly you want it imo.

[chris-red]

My first bike an RXS was in nottingham, My dad rode a 100cc bike some 150 miles

Most of the others where fairly local.
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[Polo]

I live in Sahf London and bought my CBR 900 on Ebay, from a great guy in Sahfhampton. The guy lived about 5 miles from the train station and picked me up on his new CBR.

I still would have walked away if I thought it was a lemon, but it wasn't - yay me.

Best ride on a bike - EVER!!!!!! Grinning all the way back for a grand 88 miles.
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My mum smells your fingers

[P.addy]

about 65 miles.. 125cc..back down the motorway...great

[Whosthedaddy]

80 miles, all others have been localish to me. An hour and a bit on an unfamiliar bike on unfamiliar roads is not good.
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[BanditsHigh]

280 miles ... twice ... both times for a 1200 Bandit ... first was old style, second was new style ... both found on FleaBay.

Went down both times by train ... each time the trains broke down

[Mr.Everready]

Both of my last 2 bikes were a 570 mile round trip.
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the undemocratically unelected mod of the Scottish section

[Jayy]

Very first bike was from a local dealer about 3 miles away. Second bike was from Blackburn about 25 miles away and my current bike was from Garswood which is about 10 miles away.

I don't plan on going any further than 30 miles for any bike unless I was after something that was quite hard to find.

[Ste]

Reading to Manchester

Flew from Heathrow to Manchester, flight was delayed cos of snow. Riding back was 'interesting' cos of snow.

Then shortly after getting the bike, the gearbox decided to eat itself.

[LustyLew]

I bought my current bike in Newcastle. Was one of the last few '08 Tenere's left and was a great deal. Live in South London, so a fair old trek. Especially when it was the weekend we had all the snow in Feb!
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Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls

[Kickstart]

Hi

Think it was the Bimota, bought from South London. Rode it from there to my mothers that night (when it decided to snow lightly for a while) then home the next day.

All the best

Keith
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[Faldo]

Bought one from Swansea (190 miles from Stoke) and one from Gravesend (also 190 miles from Stoke).

The DRZ I bought from Swansea was a wickedly hot day, drove down in the cabrio with a mate and we raced all the way back swapping seats half way . Excellent day out.
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Current: ZZR1400
Previous: ZXR 400 L9, ZX-7R P5, ZZR 400, ZX-7R P6, Bandit 600, GSXR 750 Slingshot, DRZ400, DR650, ZX10R C1H, ZXR 750 L1, ZXR 750 L3, '99 ZX7R P4, KTM 300 EXC, ZX-9R E1, TDM850

[Dom]

120ish miles. Got the train(s) there and rode the bike back. If it turned out to be a shitter I would not have been best pleased.
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Photos and that

[Mr Hammers]

Liverpool (from Oxford) for a Triumph Trophy chop. Never forget walking round some real dodgy parts of Liverpool with £800 shoved down me pants.
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[Handsome]

Eminem...
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[the grim reaper]

Southampton to Preston, Lancashire and back again, to buy a 99 Blade. Rode it back in 4 hours, give or take, as the ex was off to the doctors for a scan and I wanted to get back in time.

Within the speed limits at all times of course

Cheers

Grim
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[wizzzard]

230 miles and I've always taken the other guys word as a biker on long distance sales rather than seeing it beforehand. Happily I've not been stitched up as yet.
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Zeitgeist / Addendum / Moving forward

[leeclissett]

Done a 356 mile round trip to view a bike then another 356 miles to go and collect it. Was all a bit messy but involved my dad trading in his bike and 3 of us all buying bikes at the same time. Meant we got a cracking deal and a great price for the trade in but we had to search across the country for someone who had the 3 bikes we were after in stock. Was winter time too, chilly!

[Azonicben]

Left Nottingham this morning heading for Bradford/Leeds way to pick new one up, trains just leaving Sheffield change at Leeds hoping it's not a shitter!!
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[Gazz]

Bought my first bike from Newcastle.



I had only just done my CBT and had never been on a bike before. I couldn't use motorways since I only had a CBT. It was thick with snow (mid January). The snow was literally a few inches high in some areas (no bullshit) and it was pitch black as well. I was fucking shitting myself. The girlfriend was driving her car in front of me so I could get some extra light. She had sat -nav in her car and it took us up through the Northhumberland National Park, high up into the hills when we crossed the border. No street lights, fucking freezing and travelling at roughly an average speed of about 20mph for about 120miles. Took us over 5 hours to get home.

Anyway, we eventually made it home with no mishaps.

We always reminisce about this story from time to time and can laugh at it just now, but at the time tears were being shed. lol

[Azonicben]

Left Nottingham this morning heading for Bradford/Leeds way to pick new one up, trains just leaving Sheffield change at Leeds hoping it's not a shitter!!
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[NotPamGrier]

I have had mixed luck with ebay.....

Won a YBR125 (at a great price) from a guy in Southampton - as soon as I won the auction he disappeared off the face of the planet - never replied to any of my attempts to contact him. Strangely enough a very similar bike appeared back on ebay a few days later...

Tried again for a YBR and this time successfully got one from a guy in East Dulwich (40miles from Bracknell). Fantastic bike, although as I had only just passed my CBT a friend rode it back for me (with insurance but without L-plates on the M3!)...I'm sure he enjoyed it really!

As I was buying it unseen I called and talked to the owner before hitting "Buy Now" - dont know why but talking to him I just knew that he was sound and the bike would be too.

Looking for my next bike (which I hope to get when I pass my test in the next few weeks) I am trying to keep within a 30mile radius
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only a ninja can sneak up on another ninja
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YBR125 (sold) --> GS400E (sold) --> SV650s (my silver baby!)

[njd27]

Having bought and sold several cars/bikes on ebay over the last few years I have a number of stories like this:

1) Bought an absolutely tank of an old Audi 100 from Huddersfield (I live in Southampton) for £70. Took train up, drove it back, no problem.

1a) this Audi was bought by a Scottish bloke who flew all the way down from Glasgow then drove it back.

2) Bought another old Audi from Norwich for £700. Got a lift up with my mate, exhaust started falling off half way round the M25, still made it back though. Car later turned out to be a bit of a lemon (fuel tank started leaking, massive wobble on front end suspension, dead alternator) and flogged it to a Polish dude two years later for £420.

3) Bought a Volvo for £50. No V5, registered as a disabled vehicle, drove it back from St Albans pretending to be going to MOT, sat in driveway for 4 months then sold to banger racer.

4) viewed CB500 (MCN ad) near Folkestone, just about to do the deal then fuel tank started leaking. Didn't fancy putting in the back of a hired Transit in August

5) CB500 near Birmingham, MCN ad, rode it back. Bike turned out to have been crashed despite seller denying this was so (radiator is bent, forks repainted, V5 says green and bike is black) (yes, should have noticed this at the time). GF still has it, hardly ridden though

6) bought CB500 from dealer in Nottingham via ebay. Very good deal, still riding it. Hired trailer, went up and back in one evening, but got back very late due to 60mph restriction on trailers

7) Bought fazer 600 on ebay by mistake from Brighton for £800, picked up in box trailer, kept it for 3 months then sold for £920.

So a bit of a mix. Insurance/tax/MOT can be a bastard. I reckon the best bet is to hire/borrow a van if you can because then you side step all of this. Or get a bike trailer.

Also, I never broke down on the way back: of course careful inspection can help you here but a couple I know bought a VW camper which broke down on the way home and has since required 2x new engines.