Selling my bike to a geezer, any geezer

[JodieWodie]

Now, I got this phone call today from a bloke, he could hardly speak english.

He wants to look at my bike tomorrow.
He asked if Warwickshire was near London. I explained no.
I said it was 2 hours away. He said that is fine.
Ok.

Then he asked the price, I said what it was..he said fine really quickly.

I will be there tomorrow at 3pm. I will call back in 20 minutes for your address.
OK.

He called back and my partner told him the address. He said he would be by at 3pm tomorrow for the bike.

Does this sound like an odd phone call to you ?
I mean..this geezer wants to drive 2-3 hours each way to look at a bike..he doesn't seem bothered about the price or damage to it..is it normal ?

Maybe I am just stressing over nothing..but this man has my ADDRESS !! He may want to steal my bike ? Does this happen ?

My partner thinks I am being a knob....but I think it's dodgy.

Also...on a non-freaked out note>>> if he wants a test ride, what shall I do ?

JO
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[NickD]

It does happen.....be wary.

Full asking price in hand or NO test ride. No exceptions.
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I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[JodieWodie]

What if he drops the bike.. or crashes it and then says he wants a refund ?

All this is SO new to me

Also what paperwork do I need to do ??
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[NickD]

Full price in your hand. Test ride rules 'you bend it, and it's yours'.......make this clear! In an ideal world you would ask for proof of insurance, but if he lies and says yes you are not liable (if he says no, just pretend you heard yes......and stick to it). If you look on the log book it clearly tells you which bits you keep and send off, and which you give to the new owner.
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I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[Jrod]

Just fill in the V5 it's pretty simple, he takes the small bit (V5.2?) to say he now owns the bike. You send the rest off to the DVLA saying he has bought the bike. You will recieve a letter from them to say the bike is now registered to him.

[tgabber]

[Retro-Man]

make sure your bikes secure tonight, it's quite common practice to phone for the address then arrive in the night and simply remove the bike.

but try not to panic, I,ve just sold my CG to a 55ish chap who proceeded to ride it the 2 hours home

Cheers
Retro
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https://domharnessphotography.webs.com

[Fortuna]

Watch out for this too.
Today, <date> I, JodieWodie, being the legal owner of the motorcycle <registration number> sold it for <amount> to <DodgyBloke>. Paid in full with <Dodgy> cash, sold as seen.

Signed <you>

Acknowledged <DodgyBloke>

[gsxrboy]

I think you should not be too worried.... give him the benefit of the doubt. Imagine if; you cant speak very good english, you have a set amount of cash to buy a bike, you spotted one and have decided you want it and then he rang you. What do you think the conversation would have been like?

secondly..... lock the bugger up tight!! make sure you have asking price in your hand before ride and have a friend with you for back up throughout the deal, as always.

YOU ARE IN CHARGE, YOU CALL THE SHOTS!! If your not happy with something don't do it. At any point in the deal you can call it all off, tell him to sod off and shut the door.

You are quite within your rights to ask for his passport as well as his money before he takes the bike for a ride, if he disagrees tell him to keep walking south till his feet get wet.....

[mchaggis]

[The Tot]

Seeing that i've sold 2 bikes privately, it's often a good measure to make sure that he comes with you to the bank to deposit. It maybe ott, but can be a definate measure against fraudulent cash. You can insist on him being present at the back when you deposit the cash.

The friend on a bike following him on his ride idea is a very good one. The presence of ones parents (if like me you're still a teen) also shows that that you the buyer is in a psychologically commanding position. Luckily for me i had no test riders when selling my NRG and also my neighbour's Aerox. It's also a good bet to have as many of your friends around as well in case mr Non english speaker turns up with a "breakdown" van with 4 burly blokes on it!


But anyway, i hope the bike sells, and as for mr dodgy geezer, I'd feel bloody unlucky if i had to ride from Warwickshire to London in THIS weather, but then, if it's a good day, i can take the scenic route through Oxfordshire.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[hustler]

Sounds dodgy if you ask me.
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As I said to that guy with the crutches and full camouflage gear, you can hide but you can't run.

[Ste]

Does sound slightly dodgy, but (IMO) if someone was going to go to that hassle for nicking a bike surely they wouldn't nick something like a CG125, they'd nick something where they can easily make a lot more profit easily.

With regards to asking to see proof of insurance, you are quite entitled to ask to see this as if he gets pulled over by the cops you also get done the same as him because as the owner of a vehicle it is your legal responsiblity to ensure that a rider of it has valid insurance.

Have a look at this thread I posted about selling a bike.

[Annabella]

Chain your bike up tonight.

Keep it locked up for the next few weeks if he doesn't turn up. If he does, make sure there is someone else with you.


Make sure he pays by cash. Don't let him go for a test ride unless he shows you his license and insurance documents for his current bike (assuming he has one). If not, then it could be you who has to take partial blame if he is involved in an accident on your bike.

When I took my current bike for a test ride, I left my car keys and dad as a deposit
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Avast! Pirates ahoy!
I did Cadwell!
www.bikepics.com/members/bella

[Kye]

Claim the fuckers just bought it if he has an accident, you have the cash in your hand, hes on the bike, who's the police going to belive? You with cash and a V5 all signed by you ready for him, or some one who cant speak english on a crash uninsured motorbike?

[Ste]

I don't believe the V5 means anything unless it has their signature (or something which looks like their signature on it) and if you had the V5 it would have the new keepers bit on it rather than being in his wallet.

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

[flat spot]

It does sound a little weird, but there are weird people out there. As for the poor English, well that goes without saying coming from London nowadays doesn't it? Errr, in a good way of coarse, with it's vibrant multi-culteral society

As for the test ride, definately no cash, no ride. Gone are the days when you could trust people to ride it around the block and not disappear into the distance. It also gives you chance to check the cash is not counter-fit while he's gone.

Not wanting to sound patronising have a bloke with you!!!

And when it comes to the log book, look now to see which bits you have to send off. Sounds like the guy might not know anyway. In years gone by the buyer would send the whole thing off as a favour to the seller, but nowadays always send your section off yourself so the bike won't be in your name when it's used on a bank job. Them CG's are a common getaway bike you know

[Gazdaman]

On the counterfeight note (no pun intended).

£50 notes, the bit at the top where it says fifty pounds, if you run your fingers along it, you should feel it's indented.

Also the bright red triangle near the bottom, if you rub that on some paper, some of the red should come off.

There's also a silver strip running through the paper, give it a little tear make sure it is inside.

What gets me is, why would the bloke phone back 20 minutes later to get your address?

Gaz

[Barker-CBR 600]

[Annabella]

[Bendy]

[mattsmith95]

I would of simply said, "sorry it's sold", I wouldn't feel happy
dealing with someone who can't speak english properly.

But that's just me!

I can understand why JodieWodie is worried.

[Craggles]

Not being experienced or anything... but chances are he's not likley to try to steal the bike - basically because its a CG125 - not exactly likley to attract the attention of any organized criminal, which i'd agree he'd sound like if it were an R1 for example.

Just be cautious, but not over cautious - you can find a reason to be suspicious about everyone who sees your bike - and who is trying to sell a bike!

Craig
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If this signature is blue, you're riding too fast

[Barker-CBR 600]

Might just not have a clue... which will work to your advantage.

Best tip (as stated) is stay in control, the situation should be you've got what he wants... so use it.

Dont feel comfortable, then your not inclined to do anything.

either that or sit on the porch with a shotgun pointed at anyone within 20 yards of the bike.
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