ALL of the cash in my hands, or no test rides

 

Perhaps your question could best be answered be the OP?
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...-together.html

 

I went across a state line , bought a bike with personal check, put it in my pickup and brought it home .
This was after talking to the seller for about 30 minutes.(never met him before )
he offered a test ride .and I did a round the block check
BTW both the bike and the check was good .
guess the world aint all bad

 

Had 2 guys dump bikes on me during a test ride, but this was back in the day when I actually liked & trusted people, and they bought the bikes anyway.
Nowadays, here's the deal. No test ride; you like the bike & if all that stands in your way is a test ride...buy the bike cash, NO BANK CHECKS, and if you find something wrong, bring it back in an hour for a full refund. But they never do; my bikes are always perfect.

Dickey don't trust NOBODY

 

From a different perspective....as a BUYER, I would NEVER ask for a test ride unless it was an INSANELY expensive bike and some very serious coin was going to change hands.....even then I would feel stupid. When I buy a bike I ask questions. The first question is where he had it serviced and what he had done. I then call the place and speak to the person or dealership that'd the work. If he says "I do all of my own work".....I get a bit nervous. Yes I know that if you can wrench then you can do as good a job, if not a better job, then the guy in the shop. BUT....usually the guy you buy a bike from is a stranger. How do I know he knows what he's doing????? SO I ask to see his records then I inspect the hell out of it myself. I then ask him to start it up and go for a ride and change gears. If it check out and we have a price in mind I give him my cash.

As a seller, if a guy comes to me, wants to buy my bike, asks few questions....then NOPE....No dice. I would NEVER let a person test ride a bike I am selling unless I know him well.

 

Not any smart buyers! if a car dealership lets you test drive a 40-50K vehicle then it would be expected that a used asking 10K Harley should be test rode, No im not riding on the back & No im not following you in my car while you ride it. I figure my vehicle (Bike or pickup) is worth just as much, I leave it, I show you my License, I pretrip the bike & then I ride it testing brakes, gears, lights, handling, etc. - I am respectful to the bike not there to abuse it. the test ride is just what it says - testing the bike in case some blow hard has doctored it up & is trying to pass it on - ran in to a few of those & funny cause they said no to test ride - well you don't have to test ride a bike to find its short comings & I only test ride when interested in buying.

this is not the waiting years, there are many bikes / garage queens out there & sellers who recognize a serious buyer or rider and permit a test ride. tell me No on a test ride - see ya, theres many more to see & ride.

Me too, I think many who are selling think because their bike is 2 years old & has 10k worth of add ons that test rides are a no no, news to those guys - there are a ton of bikes just like yours that the seller will let you ride, I mean Im not letting the 18 year old fresh outta high school with a learners permit test ride it or the guy who pulls up in a 80`s chevy celebrity with bungee cords holding the doors shut either - most have been around this game long enough to get a gut feel for the serious legit buyers.

 

I'm really surprised at the number of successful "cash in hand" sales reported here. I would NEVER, EVER show up to meet a stranger with $10 - 20K cash in hand. I've been called stupid but I've never been that stupid.

 

That question has lots of answers, here's mine.
I've bought several bikes I've not ridden, 3 or 4 just from a picture and knowing if they ran or not. But on those bikes I also left room for repairs and rebuilds.
Newer, higher $$ bikes I'll ride or pass. Lots of difference in someone who rides a bike all the time running through he gears and feeling the clutch and shift yourself, as well as any sounds, handling issues, and feel.
I've never seen a bike I had to have or had to sell so badly that I couldn't deal fairly.
Only bikes on my Sig pics I didn't ride before I bought were the FXB (shipped from AZ) and the FLSTN that was running really badly - but I did ride it home.

 

It's hard to resist calling you stupid. But it's such a layup I won't.

I agree with using some common sense about how much cash to carry.

This isn't that hard people. Size up the other party and handle the transaction accordingly.
Google the person...check them and their phone number out.
Ask them questions so you can figure them out. Read between the lines.

 

Yeah what Dickey said.