Best Place for Bike Adverts These Days?

NeverAgain · Nova Slayer Joined: 29 Oct 2016 Karma :

I'm in the market for a new motorcycle, the first one I'll have bought for 10 years. It seems like the motorbike market has changed a lot since I was last in it. I'm unsure if there's just a lot fewer motorcycles out there for sale or if Autotrader/MCN are no longer the place to look.

Where should I be searching for bikes?

rpsmith79 · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 Jan 2017 Karma :

eBay and Facebook Market place are ok places to look, be sure to view in person before handing any money over though

But if you are after something with no visible VIN and where the owner has "lost the V5" then try Gumtree Laughing

It also seems that Superbikefactory been sweeping up all the dregs from the recent "webuyonlyoldcrap" revolution
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Current Bike: ~~Honda CG125 ES4~~ // ~~Honda CB600FS Hornet~~ // Triumph Street Triple R

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

Are you looking for a dealer to buy a new bike from or are you looking for a secondhand bike?

eBay is the answer if you're looking for a secondhand bike. Thumbs Up

Ayrton · World Chat Champion Joined: 02 Sep 2010 Karma :

Facebook is where I usually look and has the most quantity of ads, but people usually put zero effort into writing them half the time. Ebay is good too, but most of the ads seem to be by dealers/ traders.

adam277 · Spanner Monkey Joined: 28 Jul 2012 Karma :

Guess it depends on your budget.
And your skills with a spanner.

Generally speaking. For me. Any bike over £5000 I buy from a dealer that has a good warranty and good rep. That being said exceptions are made if its a very specific bike I am after Razz

.

Bikes under £5000 from a dealer tend to be overpriced and they dont seem to come with as good aftercare, so I just go private and find a bike cheap.
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Bikes: Previous Bikes: Piaggio x8 125: 2012/2013, YBR 125: 2013/2013 BMW R1150GS 2013/2017, Honda CBR600RR 2017/2017, Honda CB500 2018/2018, Suzuiki Address 110cc 2019/2020, BMW R1200GS 2021-2023
Current Bike: Honda CBF 125: current

A100man · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 Aug 2013 Karma :

Feasty · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Karma :

I'm selling my bike at the moment, I've had it just under a year but fancy a change to something a bit lighter.

I put it on Fb yesterday, I'll leave it on there for a few days to see if there's any quick interest as it's free to sell - before using Ebay or Autotrader and paying a fee. I've also bought through all of these before, I like buying through Fb as you can message the owner and see their profile. I was interested in one recently but when I viewed the guys recent posts it wasn't someone I'd want to touch with a bargepole, plus the bike photos were giving me a bad gut feeling - definitely avoid!

I don't think it matters where it's advertised though, what's important to me is the content. If someone bothers to put the effort into listing details of the bike, history etc I'd like to think they'd also take the effort to keep a bike in decent condition. If it's just mileage, age and a couple of pic's I'll just avoid - it's worked well for me so far! Laughing

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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

I always used to go to ebay for 2nd hand bikes. It seemed a decent balance between quality and price whereas autotrader, MCN and the like were overpriced or mainly dealers.

Ebay now seems to have gone that way with way more dealers using it as a selling platform and privaste sales have risen in price in conjunction with that. I have never bought from gumtree or FB market place because, rightly or wrongly, I think of them as places the unscroupulous populate.

Anyway, I'm lucky enough that if I wanted another bike I can afford dealer premiums so would go there as long as it was a dealer I trusted.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

NeverAgain · Nova Slayer Joined: 29 Oct 2016 Karma :

Thanks for the responses. Bikes I'm looking for need to have cruise control so I'm looking at the £5k+ bracket. I'm looking for something like the BMW F750 or Yamaha Tracer GT.

I can't use Facebook, probably too young for it (my parents love it and I'm the wrong side of 30) or something but I find it a hateful site and I'm too old and too fussy to be bothered with it.

I'm kind of glad that I'm looking in mostly the right places, but damn it just goes to show how bikers are a dying breed.