Selling a bike - testrides?

[Dracan]

I've advertised my bike on Ebay. It's the first time I've sold a bike, and I bought my bike via a dealer, so I've no experience in private sales of bikes.

What happens regarding testrides? Obviously with a car, I can sit in the passenger seat. And a car can't be 'dropped'. Also, what precautions should be made to make sure they don't steal the bike?

Do I have to allow testrides - or is it perfectly normal to not allow people to take the bike out before committing to a sale?

Thank for any info,
Dan.
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Honda CBR600RR - 2004

[veeeffarr]

You let them have a test ride with a FULL cash deposit, on presenting you with proof of insurance.

Take down their name and address so you can send the V5 if they don't come back

[Itchy]

my 2 cents are:

A fat deposit

Proof of insurance

A second bike to follow them

A signed and witnessed document which says you damage = you buy

And probably their driver number off their licence incase they decide to go through a few GATSOs too fast get caught and try wing it onto you.

[Bendy]

I've been given a testride on trust before... left the person I'd gone with and my car keys with the owner while I took the bike out.

Personally, I'd want a big pile of cash.

[Barry_M2]

As long as they hand over the asking price in cash they can do what they want with the bike on the test ride. If they dont hand over the cash, they dont get to ride it.

I'm not fussed if they have insurance or not, if they crash it they keep the bike as it is and I keep the cash.

If they get caught without insurance that's their problem, not mine.

[dainesefreak]

Put on the bottom of the ad that test rides are with the full cash price only, driving licence and insurance must be shown. If they don't like it or haven't got it hard luck, trust no one even if they turn up in a Priest uniform.

Take a note of their address and driver number of the license.

[veeeffarr]

[Ant]

and if they havnt got the money, then they cant be all that serious about buying it!
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04 ZX10R ~

[tatters]

Just take the full amount in cash as a deposit, don,t bother with this proof of insurance bollocks if people pull that most buyers will walk away beacuse you have to be mad to buy a bike without test ride. getting inurance out to test ride one a bike is stupid and near impossable.


If the bloke looks doggey or just looks like a pratt don,t let him on it, its trust manliy as well as the deposit. and there only taking it for a 5min ride around the block not for a blast down camber sands.
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[byke95]

If someone is serious about getting the bike them they will usually come with the money, as people are saying, just ask for it before you give them the keys.

I wouldn't be happy with being left keys to a car, you wouldn't know if it's even theirs.

If they're over 25 and already have a bike, then they'll probably have third party cover on other bikes (so legal obligation sorted). Just make it clear that if they damage the bike them they bought the bike.

Either way it's be a nerve wracking 5-10 minutes for you!

[Barry_M2]

[Dracan]

Toby's right. If you let someone ride your bike (or car) knowing that they're not insured (or not checking that they're insured), then you're as liable as they are.
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Honda CBR600RR - 2004

[veeeffarr]

Unfortunately.

I'd probably ask a friend to bring his bike round so they can ride together, along with a full deposit and insurance cert.

[Rob W]

If they're really interested they wont mind leaving you the FULL asking price before they take it out for a ride. Then when they get back they can haggle a bit. That's what we did when I got my ZXR.


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[snuff2005]

im bout to go thru this my self as ill of fixed my cpi soon what m inteding to do is get a full cash deposit, and follow them on my mbk and the wont et away coz the mbk is faster and has a bigger tank lol, hows that for planing
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[Method]

What happened with my bike is that i was taken out pillion to see what the bike was like.

I hadnt got insurance you see, and had only passed my test about a week before, so the guy took me pillion so i got a feel for the bike. Very good idea

Of course the guy i was selling the bike off was a mate

Although when i sold my NSR the guy who bought it off me was also taken pillion. He wanted to test ride it :

"Ive ridden bikes before mate, i know how to ride them"

i was like

"Yeah but its my bike still mate, and you dont have insurance"

"Yeah but im not going to crash it"

"Mate im the only one riding it until i see proof of insurance from you"

Ended up me taking him for a quick blast around the local streets pillion. I had passed my full test by then though so it was perfectly legal

Thinking about it now, he was a bit of an idiot, and it was pretty trusting of me to let him behind me... god knows what he could have done
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[bish777]

I took their licence, passport and a deposit on the bike, then let em ride.

That should be enough. Make sure to specify "you crash it you buy it!"
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GSXR1100J

[G]

[Method]

[G]

Lets say the insurance cert they had was fake?

Surely then very similar? I don't think you're expected to go to the trouble of calling the insurance company to confirm.


Personally, I usually say something along the lines of "If you get caught, you didn't have my specific permission to take it, though I won't prosecute for this".
If it's to someone selling it, then I would request that they agreed to say they had already bought it (especially if I have a full value deposit sitting there).

[colin1]

Id say cash deposit for the full asking price but on the insurance thing if you try to make sure you are safe, you might lose a sale.

I test rode a few bikes before i bought one, but I wasnt going to buy one i couldnt test ride. My insurance wouldnt cover me for other bikes.

If someone is looking at two similar bikes and they can test ride one without insurance, but the other guy wont let them test ride, guess which one will get bought.

If you dont need a quick sale and wouldnt mind keeping it you can afford to be as picky as you like.

Have a look at similar bikes and see what they are going for too rather than just relying on parkers or whatever.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[feef]

new bike's being delivered tomorow.. last weekend I went to look at it.

tok it for a test-ride with the gf pillion following the seller, who was riding his new bike.

no deposit, no hasle.

althogh my car was parked in his drive, so it was unlikely i'd have legged it

a
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[Ric]

i didnt have a full liecence at the time time so took a mate to test ride

ended up leavin my mate with the money and me goin on the test ride after being talked into it

[zaknafien]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not likely they will have the full amount as a deposit. Rather takes away any way of haggling, and would you really want to turn up to someone you have never met before with several thousand quid in your pocket. For all you know the add could be a scam to allow their friends to mug you. However some deposit would be reasonable and definatly a clause that if they bend it then they have bought it.

Insurance wise you need to know that they are covered. Personally I would take their word for it on the insurance, or just say that the test ride is conditional on them being insured (ie, if they turn out not to be insured then you have not given permission).

Another vehicle as a deposit is not much use (they could have pulled the same trick to steal that vehicle). I would say you want something like their passport or photo driving licence.

All the best

Keith
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