Buying from a distance

[ScaredyCat]

What questions would you be asking if you were looking at getting a bike that's some distance from where you live, before travelling to see it?

What photos would you want to see?

Would you buy unseen?

(From a dealer, if it matters and not a brand new bike)
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Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

[thx1138]

reputation would go a long way

I'd theoretically buy a bike from one garage/off road rally specialist I know without seeing it, but that's about it. It's only about 30 miles away though.

[MahatmaAndhi]

Depends on how much the bike is worth, relative to how big my budget is. And also how well I know that model of bike.
I wouldn't buy something that I've never so much as sat on... unless it was a real bargain. (But then I'd be suspicious as to why it's such a bargain anyway.)
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2008 Aprilia Sportcity 250

[NJD]

Keeping in mind it's a dealer..

.. Can ask all the questions you want, their only going to tell you what you want to hear. They've one thing in mind, getting cash in the till and getting paid at the end of the month.

Likewise you could ask for as many photo's as you want but every bike gets a bucket of soapy water over it before it gets posted for an advert, or did at the one I visited.

I P/X'd my Lexmoto Arrow for a low price and the dealer ended up selling it for just over double what I let it go for after claiming "best I can do," just an insight, I didn't give a monkies.

Dealers sell bikes for a living and therefore, IMO, are pro's at covering up faults with the cheapest bodge jobs possible.

What you have to ask yourself is do you have the: tools, funds and time to fix anything that may occur. I walked out the shop I got the Kwak from knowing full well I was on my own henceforth and that the "warranty" the shop offered was pointless. Mechanically I've picked well, so far, but there's been things to pay for to sort out.

I'd expect to budget some extra monies and time to give the bike the once over once you've got it back home.

Buying a bike from far distance isn't an issue, you just need to weigh up the cost of the trip vs the potential that it might not be what you want. I wouldn't put extra pressure on yourself to return with a bike just because you've travelled x more miles than down the road to have a quick gander at a bike and then got home within ten minutes.

Be prepared, as above, to do some work and you'll be alright. But yeah, on the whole I'd want to visually inspect the bike for as long as I want before investing. I wouldn't buy unseen. Checking things like tyre condition and depth could probably save you a small investment short-term, that's just an example.

So yeah, s'about it really IMO.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[chickenstrip]

On two separate occasions, I've travelled a fair distance to see bikes at dealers. What decided me on making the journeys was that the dealers in question had more than one example of the model I was interested in which sounded like they'd fit the bill, so I thought there was a bit more chance one of them would be ok. Worked out both times, but there were never any guarantees it would.

I don't think I'd ever buy without seeing the bike in the flesh first.
Dealer or private sale makes no difference to that. Both can be dodgy feckers.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[linuxyeti]

I've bought bikes at a distance before, never had an issue, infact, The Enfield, RX3, V-Raptor, CF650 were all bought without actaully seeing the bikes in person, and I had them delivered.

Again ask the right questions, and if you can, as the same questions, but differently, if that makes sense, and see if the answers you get marry up.

Ultimately though, it's your choice and your decision alone.
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Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them

[Rogerborg]

I wouldn't waste my time asking a dealer anything. They lie for a living, like Adam Aarons.

Decide whether it's worth the trip based on the pictures, the information that they do give (but don't assume that it's true), and what you can look up online about write offs and MOT history.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[UnknownStuntm...]

Don't do it, it's a mess when it goes wrong. And it will.

[Bonnie Lad]

[Pie-Roe]

Have bought blind privately a fair few times.
I would probably get someone local to go look, on here generally there are established members spread around.
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Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[thx1138]

[bacon]

I bought my first zx7r from Doncaster when I lived in Exeter.

Luckily a well known member on redmonkey.com/7r went to look at it for me, said it was as far as he could tell a good one and said to go for it.

I travelled up on the train with a pocket full of cash, got picked up by the owner, looked it over, it was spot on. Off I went on my merry way.




Buying completely blind though is another matter, one person's "yeah it's mint mate", is anothers "you've got to be kidding me?".

[Wonko The Sane]

[monty9120]

i once saw an advert for a nexus 300 in the highest high in scotland. as i was in london at the time. i spoke on the phone about everything.

studied the pics paid a courier and paid for it. first time i saw it was when it come off the lorry.

as pronounced it was as mint as possible and did me good service

if people are sketchy about questions walk away

[Blah blah]

Bought mine unseen from a private seller 300 odd miles away via another forum. I asked lots of questions, got photos of some more bits (tyres, sprockets, down pipes etc) pictures of him with copies of various documents, got a land line number and rung them on it and their mobile, a couple of times.

Studied all of the photos, asked questions about all the things you'd check then paid by bank transfer (sent £100 first, then with him on the phone asked him if he'd got it, then transferred the rest). Organised a courier and then a week later it turned up, and was as described.

A friend bought a car from a dealer in Liverpool (we're in deepest, darkest Cornwall) and they did a video of the car for them, again bought unseen and couriered down.

If you're serious a dealer should also put some effort in if they want to sell it and they'll put up with reasonable requests and understand why you're asking for certain stuff. If they aren't prepared to offer more than a mobile number and some general photos then I'd be worried about spending more than a hundred quid.

[Kentol750]

Dealer,
Get them to deliver. Check it over and make decision.
Simple.
If they want your money they'll do the deal at your home.
Or, use the trip as a nicey for other half!
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Some bikes.

[linuxyeti]

[Kentol750]

Bought a bike from Grahams motorcycles (bradford). Agreed price over phone and they delivered. A deposit (refundable) was paid. I checked bike over before transferring funds. Shop received funds, deal done.

Seems like a good way to do business.
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Some bikes.

[gorillaonabik...]

I bought a BMW K1300GT from up North. 200 mile distance. It was an absolute bargain.

What was most important to me was the dealer's reputation and size. Came in handy when the bike blew up in 10 different ways because the dealer sorted it all out. They had the option of taking my vehicle up North because they regularly had a transport vehicle moving to and from London.

Their reputation was confirmed on a BMW forum where everyone talked positively about them. And that's a bunch of cynical bikers!

I bought a bargain, it was great and when things went badly, they sorted it all out quickly.
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FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.

[Rogerborg]