Test Rides when Selling a Bike??

[Burque73]

I've test ridden most bikes before I purchased them, but two or three I did not. Brand new KLR 650 went straight into my truck from the dealer and two were not running. On the road worthy ones there was no distrust from the seller and I was prepared with gear in hand usually because I showed up on a bike.

I've sold a few bikes and all but one of the buyers I allowed to test ride. We had long conversation before letting them ride and I felt comfortable enough to allow it. A couple of them showed up on bikes and another with a helmet and gear to ride. It's totally a judgement call. If someone like my 20 year old son showed up to buy, I'd most likely just let them observe while I rode up and down the street. I'm sure some twenty year olds are better riders than others but I'd be more nervous with a new rider is all.

I understand that no matter how careful or scrutinizing we are there's always a possibility of theft, injury or whatever but am just thankful none of that has happened.

 

[Guest]

Many of the bikes I've bought came from eBay, so no road test for me. When it comes to me selling, I will start the bike, run it in front of the prospective buyer and if they want, I will take it to their mechanic. That way they will open a repair order for the inspection and if they crash it they pay for it. I always let the prospective buyer know this in advance so there are no surprises when they arrive. I don't need to hear: "I came all the way here and you will not let me ride the bike?!!!"
I will never take the risk on the liability of a rider crashing with one of my bikes injuring itself or others. If they don't like it then they can walk away. No money in my hand? no bike!
But hey, that's me, I'm old.

 

[limeex2]

I like the idea of a picture and a drivers license. You can check for a cycle endorsement. I ask for $500 which is my deductible also weeds out the tire kickers and squids. I insure my bike for more than its worth, so ill make money if they crash it. I don't have medical ins. coverage. And no, if they crash it they don't get to buy it. Ill buy the salvage keep all the good stuff,put it on the next one. One again, I come out head

 

[earlfor]

My worst experience was buying a used FZR1000, seller wasn't happy to let me test ride but said he'd take me pillion... big mistake, guy was a nut case and I've never been so scared. I'd rather buy untested than have that experience again.

But on the whole I think most of the bikes (but not all) I've bought I'd been allowed to test ride. I've not been so keen to hand over the keys when I sell though, I guess I have double standards.

A bit amusing. heh I decided long time ago to be cautious about riding pillion. Unless I know someone, I probably will not be a passenger on their bike. I've been on GSR rides and there were some that no way would I want to be on a bike with. LOL

 

[glib]

If they don't like it then they can walk away. No money in my hand? no bike!

That would be my position. Even good people turn selfish quick when money is involved. Somewhat related: When a friend went for a track day and some new Ducatis were available to test, they made it clear that if you brought it back with even a scratch, you bought it.

 

[Redman]

What I have done when unknown person is looking at my bike for sale:
- chat with them about their riding experience
- decide how much you trust them, how much they are interested, and verify if they have the cash
- if do decide to let them take a ride, ask to see their licence, then stick it in your pocket har har har (and maybe make copy/photo of it), tell them where you will allow them to ride and when to be back.




What I have done with selling any vehicle:
- make up something of a bill-of-sale, but is more of a document for YOU to keep, that THEY sign that says they took possession of such-and-so vehicle at such-and-such time and place. That way you have something in your possession, perchance they never get registration xfered to their name, and they do something with the vehicle that is still in your name.

 

[Boriqua]

Last two bikes I sold privately I allowed a test ride and shat myself the whole time. Both were expensive enough that they would most likely need a loan so I couldn't ask for money up front. Most guys just arent going to show up with $7000+ in hand.

Its a sick gut check and a personal feelings about a person and you take your chances. Except for the bike I have now and a couple very early on in my riding all my bikes new or used came from dealers so I never test rode and hoped the warranty had me covered.

The bike I own now came to me via Tow and not running so .. no test ride.

 

[tkent02]

A bit amusing. heh I decided long time ago to be cautious about riding pillion. Unless I know someone, I probably will not be a passenger on their bike. I've been on GSR rides and there were some that no way would I want to be on a bike with. LOL

It's just not going to happen. For any reason. Nope.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Great topic. I always wondered what I'd do when selling a bike.
I only sold one bike, a '79 RD400 in perfect condition, nine months old, that I had bought new. I was only 22 and with hindsight, pretty stupid and trusting. Two young guys showed up on a bike. I let the guy take my bike for a ride with his buddy following. Much to my surprise they left my street and were gone. I was about freaking when they returned about 20 minutes later. I don't remember what I said first but I tried to stay cool as I didn't want a 2 on 1 fight. I said "what do you think" and the guy actually said "well, the rear tire is worn" and didn't want to buy it. I quickly checked the bike and it looked fine. However, I've always wondered if they may have had an RD and swapped out a failing part?? Maybe nothing happened. I'll never let that happen again.
As for the day I sell my GS or my ZX14, I'll show the bike and ride it for them so they can hear the motor is good. I seriously doubt I'd let anyone ride the GS, even if the cash was in my hand. No way I'd let anyone ride the 14. At my 14 forum, almost no one allows a test ride without the money in their hand first. It's too possible that someone could show up that has plenty of riding experience but has no idea how a 14 will accelerate. Even the GS could be more bike than the guy was expecting. I can just see the bike flipping or going down the road without the guy still on it.
If nothing changes, both my bikes will be in excellent condition, priced fair and hearing the motor and letting them twist the throttle/feel the clutch and shifter will have to be enough. If that doesn't work for them, then they've lost out on a good bike.

 

[wacky941]

In the mid eighties, I was looking to sell my GS1100E. I posted an ad in the local paper and a guy called about it. I asked if he had cash and he said yes so, he came by. When he arrived, he was driving a truck and had a buddy with him. The very first comment out of his mouth when he arrived was can I test ride it? I didn't get a good feeling from him to begin with anyway so I said sure as long as you have cash and leave it with me until you return and if there are any damages to the bike then I'll deduct from the money I'm holding. He told me that he wouldn't do that so then I told him that he could hand me the keys to his truck and sign a piece of paper that says that it is collateral for the motorcycle, he wasn't willing to do that either instead, he handed his keys to his buddy and kept insisting that I let him take it for a test ride. In the end, I insisted no test ride without his cash in my hand and he insisted that he would not hand me his cash until after a test ride. The whole time, he never sat on the bike and never even asked to start it, I even offered to put him on the back and take him for a ride but he didn't want that either. Needless to say, I didn't sell the bike to him. There is no doubt in my mind that had I of let him test ride that bike, I would have never seen it again.

As for me, thinking about it, I don't recall ever test riding any of my bikes before buying them. My current daily rider GS1100EZ, my wife bought it for me as a birthday present from a guy in Oregon and had it shipped to our house in Texas so, that one is kinda obvious.

 

[GSXR7ED]

In the mid eighties, I was looking to sell my GS1100E. I posted an ad in the local paper and a guy called about it. I asked if he had cash and he said yes so, he came by. When he arrived, he was driving a truck and had a buddy with him. The very first comment out of his mouth when he arrived was can I test ride it? I didn't get a good feeling from him to begin with anyway so I said sure as long as you have cash and leave it with me until you return and if there are any damages to the bike then I'll deduct from the money I'm holding. He told me that he wouldn't do that so then I told him that he could hand me the keys to his truck and sign a piece of paper that says that it is collateral for the motorcycle, he wasn't willing to do that either instead, he handed his keys to his buddy and kept insisting that I let him take it for a test ride. In the end, I insisted no test ride without his cash in my hand and he insisted that he would not hand me his cash until after a test ride. The whole time, he never sat on the bike and never even asked to start it, I even offered to put him on the back and take him for a ride but he didn't want that either. Needless to say, I didn't sell the bike to him. There is no doubt in my mind that had I of let him test ride that bike, I would have never seen it again.

As for me, thinking about it, I don't recall ever test riding any of my bikes before buying them. My current daily rider GS1100EZ, my wife bought it for me as a birthday present from a guy in Oregon and had it shipped to our house in Texas so, that one is kinda obvious.

What a douchebag! All kinds of red lights were going on in your mind. At least he made it easy for you to decline the sale.

When I bought my gixxer, the guy evaluated me and expressed he had no problems selling the bike to me because I was older than most of the people interested. I also didn't project craziness in our conversation. I had $3K (100 bills) in a sealed envelope and he didn't even count the money because of how prepared I was to take possession.

It's sad that I did not screen the guy that I sold the bike to in the same manner. He died racing away from Law Enforcement within 2 weeks of buying the bike from me.


Ed

 

[mhobryan]

I concur with the general consensus, that it depends on the person who shows up.

I've let people take unsupervised rides w/o cash in hand, I've ridden bikes home for folks that did not have an endorsement, and I've done something in between where we took the bike to an empty lot so they could do figure eights etc. (guy hadn't ridden in years, and didn't want to buy unless he was comfortable....of course that came with caveat you drop it you bought it. He did not drop it, and he did buy it, we drove it home for him).

 

[jibledso]

Interesting story, that guy sounded super sketchy.

I've never had any bad experiences with people wanting to ride, or test riding, sometimes without money in the hand, maybe I have a trusting face?

I do have a friend who got screwed over on a newer WR450. Mathias went to the "bad" side of town to meet a guy about seeing the WR Mathias was selling. The guy showed up by himself on foot, wanted to test ride it. Mathias asked for the money first, so he handed over a bundle of $100 dollar bills with a rubber band holding them together. Mathias stood there for awhile and began to wonder what happened to the guy. He started thumbing through the money and realized the top few bills were $100s and the rest were $1s. I think it was a total of $300, well well below the thousands it was worth.

 

[bwringer]

My policy is they stand and watch as I run it up and down my street for them to see its solid.

Yep, one way around the dilemma is to demonstrate the bike you're selling. The buyer can drive or ride alongside.

Usually once I get to talk to the buyer, or it's someone I know, I'll let them take it for a ride. I had two VX800s, and they're such easy, friendly bikes to ride I didn't worry too much about letting the buyers take them for a spin. On something like a V-Strom or GS850, they're big and top-heavy, so someone would have to show up on a full-size bike for me to be comfortable with them.

I've been offered test rides many times without asking. Show up at a dealer or seller's place on a full size bike with a reasonable amount of bug guts on your jacket, and the "no test rides" rules become rather flexible.

When I bought my current KLR650, I was still hobbling around with a walker following the accident that finished off my first KLR650. I asked the seller to start it up cold, then run it up and down the block a few times for me. I saw and heard what I needed.

 

[dorkburger]

I've test ridden one bike, my former 1150e which I bought from an independent shop where it was on consignment. It was nice to have a ride, and oull over in a parking lot alone to really scrutinize it.
It was sold to my brother so a test ride there was unnecessary. The other three went to family as well.
My next of kin will likely have to deal with selling of my ES......

 

[Gorminrider]

The buyer can drive or ride alongside

I dunno! If I don't trust them to ride the bike, I don't think I want them alongside me riding. Kind of distracting for both of us....maybe you mean fourlane roads...or I'm not comprehending.. I can only see this working at pretty slow speeds and they still won't know if I'm stifling the bad alignment, balance or what-all from the accident my bike was in...

 

[jimfj]

I'm enjoying this!

My personal experience is most of the bikes I've purchased were non runners and everything I've sold has been running. I could care less about a test ride. Start it and let it warm up rev it and I can tell you what it needs for the most part. I always carry an electrical meter and see if the battery is charging or overcharging. I always try and see if the head bearings are shot. I have taken a couple test rides my self but usually around or up and down the block. I've never been burned. I think the key is letting it run or watching it start for the first time. I always appreciate cold starts as well. Love the "it takes awhile to warm up" comment as well as "it will idle better when its warmer outside"

When selling, its always about the person who is standing in front of me. I have been offered wives, trucks and trailers, kids, cash and even a dog when someone is asking for a test ride. I guess I am a profiler when it comes to that and I have only had one person tell me they needed to take a bike on the highway for a test drive. They handed me cash which I counted in front of them and I made it clear that it was mine if the bike came back in any different condition than it left. I also have ridden the bike for them any didn't hold back. Its not fair to judge a book by its cover and I certainly try not to.

All in all, good experiences....