Buying a Used Harley? Read This!

If you’ve been considering buying a used Harley Davidson there are some things you will want to consider first. Getting a used Harley is a great way to save some money over buying one new. If you aren’t careful, though, it could be your ticket into Harley Hell if you find yourself with a two-wheeled money pit. Proper research and preparation will help to keep you from that trap.

Know What Harley is Best for You

Not every Harley is a good fit for every rider. The first step you should take before buying any bike is to figure out what type of bike is the right one for you. If you are an inexperienced rider you probably don’t want to get the biggest Harley out there. Even if you are experienced, but are built on the smaller side you might want to stick closer to a smaller model. Give some careful consideration to the models available and your particular skills and capabilities and then decide what type of Harley Davidson will be the best fit for your needs.

Unknowns Can Be Very Bad

If you are buying a used
Harley Davidson the seller generally won’t be giving you a warranty like
you would get if you bought new from authorized Harley Davidson
sellers. For this reason you should find out everything you can about
the bike you are considering buying. Unknowns can spell disaster and are
to be avoided whenever possible. Ask to see maintenance records and
expect the seller to give them to you with the motorcycle if you
purchase. It is a good idea to have a mechanic inspect the bike for you.
While they will charge you to do so, it might save you buying a
motorcycle that will require expensive repairs. If the seller doesn’t
want to allow you to have the bike inspected (or if they want to provide
you with an inspection report or have “their” inspector do it) it might
be a red flag. You should probably take that as a good sign you should
look elsewhere for your Harley Davidson purchase.

Know Values

You
should familiarize yourself with the used Harley Davidson values for
the models and years you are interested in purchasing. If you don’t know
how much an average bike like this costs you are putting yourself in a
position to pay too much money.

Consider Buying From A Dealer

If
you go into your local Harley Davidson seller you will likely find that
they have used Harleys available that were trade ins. There is a
certain level of reliability that goes with one of these bikes. In
general a dealer doesn’t want a reputation for selling a lemon Harley.
That means they’ll have their mechanic check over the bikes and make any
repairs that are needed before they put it up for sale. Sure, you will
probably pay a little more for the bike if you buy it from a dealer, but
you are getting a bit of an anti-lemon insurance policy with it.

Other Sources

If you’d rather buy your used Harley Davidson from somewhere other than a
dealer you can start by looking in the classifieds in your local
newspaper. Most regions have special publications devoted to motorcycle
ads. Those are a great resource. Don’t forget about online sites like
eBay, but remember that you run additional risks if you are buying any
type of vehicle from a distance without seeing it in person first.

Getting a Harley Davidson is always exciting. Buying used can be an
excellent way to save money. Just make sure that you do enough homework
so that you don’t wind up regretting the purchase later.