I have a 52' Pan that I am selling.I need advice on making a safe sell.What advice to you all have?

 

Ebay has an escrow system that is nice. The buyer puts money into that account first for "good faith" Once the transaction is done, the account is turned over to you. The money has to be paid in full. Ebay has some other protection systems too but Ebay will take as much as %15 off the top for their fees.

Craig's List is free to use with photos. I'd ask for cash, no checks or money orders or bank checks as these can be forged...cash only, in full on the spot. Don't take a partial payment either or a direct deposit. You can also arrange to meet the buyer in a public place so they do not come to your home. Walmart and stores like them have security cameras if something should go wrong.

Have your title on hand, remove your tag after the purchase, give them a receipt and you keep a copy of it.

I've sold 2 bikes and a truck through Craig's List and have had good luck.

 

Pictures,price,location. ?

 

post it on here. I'm looking for a pan right now

 

Hey all,thank you for the advice.The bike right now needs to be torn down.The running gear is in an 80's Paughco chassis that developed a stress crack right behind the steering neck,that needs to be repaired.My other and better option is to place the running gear in a true Harley wishbone chassis,in which I will do.Until then,the bike is off of the market until it's safe to ride.

 

Won't comment on your original post but I am trying to figure out why you posted it and then made the retraction after this post. You saying that you now just realized the frame was fubar? Makes me wonder how long you have owned it and how familiar you are with older iron because a a stress crack like you are describing is gonna make for some serious, very serious handling problems....and you just discovered it when?

Oh... and good luck finding an OEM 52 frame. Cherry can run about 3K plus. You might be better off parting the bike out (if the parts are original) because you will make batter bank than trying to piece together the original parts and then trying to cash in on your investment.

 

I made the post because times have changed in dealing with the public and fyi,there is bondo around the neck area and once I ground off a little more I could see more damage.It's not my everyday rider,that is why I didn't see how bad it was.The bike is still rideable,but for how long safely?That is why I haven't put the bike up for sale because it isn't safe to ride as someone might be tempted to do.

 

You have a couple of options...

1. Take it down to the frame and have an indie with a frame jig do the repairs for you.

2. Sell it as is with an upfront ad that the bike starts fine but is not safe to ride.

3. Locate a correct frame foir the year of bike. Problem is that most frames you find on ebay will need work so even if you can score one at a decent price you will still need the frame fixed (the price we pay for all the stuff we cut off in the 70s)

4. Buy a 'replica' frame from Tawain Ted (aka V-Twin) for almost 2K. Problem is that you WILL have problems with these (almost universally understood in the old bike world). Worked on three and all had problems in different areas...tranny mount too low and off angle, front motor mounts too high and not aligned to case bolts holes, tank mounts angled to one side and not aligned to tank bolt holes.

As far as tips on selling...sold two shovels, two pans and a chopped Sporty over the years. Only one pan and one shovel were in the era of ebay and Craiglist. The 76 shovel I had actually went to an overseas buyer. Used my bank to set up a seperate bank account strictly for the sale and once I knew the money was there I closed the account when the buyer had the bike picked up. The Craiglist add was on one of the pans. Buyer came by my house (actually doesn't bother me...not saying I wasn't cautious but I had the pan in the driveway with my garage door closed) and knew what to look for and asked the right questions and after about ten minutes I could tell he was serious and not just a tire kicker trying to get something for free.

As has been mentioned meeting in a public place is also an option, just means you have to truck or trailer it to the location. The only one that brings her to life is you. The last thing you want is someone flooding out the carb becuase they do not understand the unique starting sequence for your pan (for some reason each pan seems to have its own sequence). The decision to ride it around the lot rests with you but it should only be you. No one gets on the bike unless they have the cash in your hand at which time you give them the pink and they now own it and not you. All sales are final.

In todays market the values of old bikes seems to be determined by how close to original condition the bike is. The term 'restored' is the most over-used and abused term out there. An original condition pan (and yes some are ugly) will always command more money than a correctly restored one provided the former is still a runner. With the economy the way it is pans and shovels have lost values that were available prior to about '08. Knuckles and pre-war iron have not suffered the same fate. Priced right your bike should sell quickly. Biggest issue I have seen is that some folks think they are sitting on a gold mine and want original/correct restored prices on something that will only be just a good rider because it is so far from original that to ever get it back to correct would cost way more than it could ever be worth.

 

Not if sold as a vehicle...the cap is $125 for a "successful listing fee" in ebay motors.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/motorfees.html

 

Safe Sell??? I find cash in hand works well. Craigslist works best. Just put local sale only. No checks.... Cash Only.