How To Buy A Motorcycle From A Private Seller

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If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for your next motorcycle. If you’ve got space in your garage and some cash in your pocket, there’s nothing better to do than browse the classifieds, look at helmets, lace up motorcycle boots, or take a walk around your local dealership. ‘q. It becomes addictive. Soon you’ll have 12 browser tabs open and five salespeople calling you at any time of the day.

How To Buy A Motorcycle From A Private Seller

With so many options to find the perfect used motorcycle, where do you start? Today’s online landscape has made buying a used motorcycle easier, but there are still some pitfalls you need to be aware of so you don’t end up with two wheels with a locked engine and a smoking clutch.

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To serve you in your legendary quest for wind in your eyes, bugs in your teeth, rain in your pants, and good old American freedom, I’ve put together this guide to the best places to buy a used motorcycle. I have also left everything you need to pay attention to. Welcome, Internet. Let’s get into it before I go down another Ducati Hypermotard rabbit hole.

While there are 500 to million options for used cars, motorcycles are still a hobby/commitment, so you only need to know a few outlets when buying a used motorcycle. These are your local motorcycle dealers, eBay, (the killer’s favorite) Craigslist, Cycle Trader, and Facebook Marketplace. Each has advantages and disadvantages, so we will talk about each in more detail.

Your local motorcycle dealer is the easiest and most common way to find your next used motorcycle. There are thousands of motorcycle dealers across the country to choose from. The good thing about these dealerships is that they often have a wide selection of used motorcycles, there’s no messing around with private parties online or scheduling viewings, and best of all, the dealership makes it super easy to finance your purchase.

Dealerships regularly have finance departments where you can fast-track your loan and drive off with your new pride and joy, which means going to the bank, talking to a loan officer, your super-trusty friend Jimmy, and they tell everything about the motorcycle they say. no. Local merchants are all in one place, reducing the hassle of shopping.

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But there are some problems here, including the same credit section. If you’re not looking for a loan, you may be dealing with bad terms, including six- to eight-year loans, high interest rates, and predatory loans. Be sure to read the fine print and read the terms and conditions yourself. You can also use an online rate calculator to find out how much you’re willing to put down and how much it will cost you each month. Be armed with information.

There is also the issue of higher prices compared to a private seller. Sure, the dealer will offer below market value for your trade-in, but they won’t sell below market value. Dealers can charge higher prices than private sellers because they need to make a healthy profit.

I may be dating, but eBay still feels like online shopping. I know, I know: Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are much better candidates for such a moniker, but eBay is always the last place I look. It shouldn’t be, because the motorcycle listings on the site are among the best.

With auctions and Buy It Now options, and everything from sportbikes to cruisers, the eBay interface lets you choose exactly what you want in your next motorcycle. Then narrow down the field with a handy set of drop-down menus. You can find the perfect car not just in your zip code, but across the country. The site even has financing and shipping options, so you can complete the entire transaction without any hassle. But it comes at a price.

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Without ever seeing this motorcycle, you lose the ability to identify its mechanical and cosmetic issues. You’re missing out on an opportunity to try it out and see if it’s the right motorcycle for you. You lose that personal experience that many of us rely on to make purchasing decisions.

Not just for swingers and cannibals with no links, Craigslist is a valuable tool to use on your next motorcycle purchase. Defined by geographic region, Craigslist gives you the opportunity to shop in your local community and see the motorcycle in person before you exchange cash.

The site offers similar drop-down menus to narrow your search and find the right motorcycle for your needs, including year, price, make, model, and more. It also gives you an idea of ​​what the market is like in your area, whether it is high demand with high prices or low demand and low prices.

The good thing about Craigslist is that it can be careless—very careless. And you don’t get any financial support like you get from a dealership or eBay. There is also the issue of doing the mechanical inspection yourself, and the seller will not always allow you to take the motorcycle to a licensed mechanic for a full diagnostic inspection.

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While Facebook—I mean Meta—is where your Great Aunt Edna might post nonsense from all parts of the intellectual dark web, Facebook Marketplace is also a satisfying way to find engines that are local and very local to you.

With the ability to schedule these offers within a 5, 10 or more mile radius, Marketplace offers much of the same information as Craigslist, but does so in a more tactical way. Motorcycles can be found in your neighborhood, city, or neighborhood, making viewings, mechanical inspections, and test rides easy. It also reduces the chance of encountering flat tires across the country.

However, like Craigslist, there is no financing option and you will have to look it up yourself. In my experience with the service, it’s less obscure than Craigslist, people respond more quickly, and fewer killers use it to catch their latest victim. Now, Meta, right? Who knows.

One of the oldest used motorcycle classifieds is Cycle Trader. What started as print (yes, on real paper in the real world that anyone can touch) has since transformed those classified ads into a Web2.0 design for all to see.

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Cycle Trader’s current setup is very similar to eBay in its interface, and you can choose motorcycles from private and commercial customers all over the country. But while eBay may be a broker and lender, Cycle Trader is just a broker and offers no financing or shipping add-ons. These are classified ads only. This means that you will have the same problems as eBay, but with none of the benefits.

Cons: No personal inspections, financing, or shipping options for cosmetic or mechanical parts problems and defects.

Now that you know where to find a used motorcycle and have discussed with your doctor whether a used motorcycle is right for you, we can begin to understand what to look for when buying.

Maintenance records are a look into the past of your future motorcycle. They tell you part of its story, part of its life, and whether the last owner or owners really cared about the car’s health and well-being. You can get away without them, but you’re doing yourself a disservice when body repair becomes a pocket-pulling headache.

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If the engine you’re looking for doesn’t have any records, or only has one oil change record from five years ago, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

The wheels turn. It happens. While not all crashes are noteworthy—some—like the author’s Volvo after his father-in-law decided to move his Ducati—some crashes break and damage motorcycles in real ways, resulting in the previous owner may not have properly maintained or provided professional assistance. title.

When looking at a motorcycle, consider all aspects of it. Look for mismatched mirrors, scratches along the ends of the steering wheel, chipped trim or questionable interior parts. It’s up to you to do your due diligence, so bring a flashlight when you’re looking.

Folks, one of the most important things on any car is the tires. And if the motorcycle has been sitting idle for some time, its tires may not only be flat, but also not have technical characteristics and are not suitable for use on the road.

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All tires are stamped with the date of manufacture, which is a way of knowing that they are safe to use on public roads. Such as

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