I found an ad a few weeks ago for a Fatboy that was supposed to be from a town about 20 miles from me. It was an '02 model with 27k miles and the price was $6200 (see attached pictures). The number listed on the ad was no longer in service. When I contacted the website hosting the ad, they pulled it because they require a valid phone number and email address.
I had already emailed the seller prior to the ad being pulled and I just received a reply, quoted below --

Hello,
>
> The bike is still for sale. Never had any mechanical problems. I must
> tell you that I had to move to Italy, Rome one month ago with my work
> and I took the bike with me hoping to drive it here as well. I work in
> Public relations department at a hotel here and because of this job I
> change my home quite often. Here I had an unpleasant surprise because
> the bike is an US model and to pay the registration here in Europe, to
> pass all the emissions and standards and many other would be quite
> expensive and nobody would do it. I have tried to sell it locally but it
> was not successfully. That is why I am trying to sell the bike back in
> USA, there will be no further problems because the bike passes US
> emissions standards and DOT & EPA as long as it has been purchased in US
> space.
> If interested please reply asap. Shipping takes 8-10 days.
> Thank you for your time.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> P.S. I have attached more pictures with my bike

I replied with --

Hello,

Thanks for the reply...I was wondering about a few things...First, what is the selling price of the bike?? The ad has been removed from **** because the phone number was invalid and I don't remember the listed price. Also from your email I believe the bike is now in Europe..What would shipping charges be back to the states??? Since you plan on selling in the US anyway, do you have plans to send it back in advance of a sale??

As you can imagine, I would prefer to purchase a motorcycle after seeing and riding it first. Also how would a financial transaction take place to insure security for both the buyer and seller??

Looking forward to your reply...

In my opinion, this appears to be a very questionable deal...The price seems way too good, the phone number was disconnected, the seller has "moved" to Europe since placing the ad...What do you think???

Whaddaya think he'll reply with???

 

There is no question it is a scam. You can either walk away or have some fun with him, as I like to do with these ads. Here is my latest reply to a scammer who with a Nightrain ad.


Hello Robert,


If you want to be a successful scammer you need to separate yourself from the pack. Your scam reads like a carbon copy of all the rest of them. How in the world do you expect me to fall for it if you can't be a little more creative? How about this? Go back and try really, really hard to convince me that you actually have a bike and that for only $8900.00 it can be mine. When you've come up with a better approach, email me again and I will let you know if I would like to send you the funds. But remember, you must dig deep and make me believe. Think you can do it? Good luck and Godspeed..........


Oh, and BTW......


"3,568 miles,650 cc,Cruiser bike,"...


A 2007 Harley Davidson Softail Night Train has a 1573 cc engine, not 650 cc. That was your biggest mistake, but certainly not your only one..

 

Like you, I would be very suspicious. If you are the adventurous type, see what happens. I wouldn't even make an offer until the bike was right in front of me and I saw it run and hopefully he'd let me ride it or give me a ride. The paperwork better be in order too. Anything I didn't understand, I'd check with the DMV before promising anything.
I don't think it's worth it to go too far out of the way to see it so he'd have to bring it back, at the least, to the town he was originally selling it from.
If you make the jump, I hope ya don't get burned.

 

Yup.. same scam that runs from time to time. Had one last night on Craigslist for an 06 SE Ultra for 8 grand. Same old, same old.

It's fun to play with them via email though. They will go to no lengths to keep you on the hook.

 

OMG. I'm surprised you have to ask. Horrible scam. Don't waste any time or effort on anything remotely similar. If you do, you will be sorry.

 

Scam, Scam....

 

SCAM
Obvious 'cause reply is computer generated, bike is always somewhere else, shipping would cost a fortune. Google the email address and the ad will probably show up in a dozen cities.

 

Don't get me wrong - I would NEVER put down money on anything sight unseen. That's why I asked him if he planned to ship it back stateside...Seemed fishy right from the start. Phone number didn't look local, wasn't connected when I called it, etc...
Since I've been bored without a bike to work on or ride, maybe I'll play around with him for a while in my spare time. Nuttin' better to do right now...

 

s c a m .......

 

Walk away from that deal, don't even look back!