When it comes time to sell your Harley how is the safest way to handle the issue of a test ride ??? Do they Buy and pay for it before they ride ?? Does anyone ever let another person ride their scooter before they have the cash in hand ??? Personally I don't want anybody to ride my scooter, but on the other hand I would have trouble buying a bike that I have never ridden. I have bought many bikes in the past and was able to test ride all of them but to me there is a big difference between them letting me test ride versus me letting them test ride my Harley .
Here is kinda my train of thought for when the time does come. When a prospective buyer lets me know that they are definitely wanting to purchase the bike, I start it up, tack it up and let it idle in place for as long as they want. If they agree that there is no unusual noise or leaks or smoke then we go to phase two of the deal where they give me a deposit of $100 and I start the bike and they get in their car and follow along side me as I ride it on the dual lane going thru the gears as fast as they want to go as far as they want to go.
Once they see that there are no visible issues with the bike I would give them two choices, #1 Is for them to follow me to the Harley shop where we set up a check out on the bike with them paying up front for the check out before the check out is done. If the check out is clean then they can pay me for the ballance less the $100 down payment and buy the bike as is/ where is. If something is found in need of repair I will have the option of fixing the issue or returning the $100 deposit and will pay for one half of the cost of the check out.
Option #2 would be for them to pay me the balance in cash . If they elect to pay by Cashiers check then we go to my bank and deposit it into my account and wait until the check clears the process and then they can pick up the bike and title.
There are alot of scammers and hustlers out there and I was always taught to "Trust everybody at the table, but ALWAYS cut the cards".
The bottom line on my post is, what procedures would you go thru if you were selling your Harley ?

 

Most of my bikes have been traded in. However, I have sold two Harleys on craigslist. The first was my 08 FLHTC and I let the guy test ride it. He drove all the way from Michigan to NE Ohio to see it. Turned out great, thankfully. The second time with my 02 FLHR I did the rider to rider program through Harley. That is probably the safest route to go. Basically you are selling your bike to a Harley dealership, they check it over, and sell it to the new owner (for a fee, of course).

 

 

get cash in hand plus collateral if they want a test ride (collateral being something they cant leave behind, car keys, wallet, firstborn, dog, etc)

 

The safest is to trade it in. But, that has a cost.

 

I understand your desire to protect yourself but let me tell you what I thought when I read your post.
I thought, "Damn, there are too many bikes for sale out there to jump through all those hoops..."
I like my bike but I'm not **** about being the only one to ride it. I have let friends ride mine and I've ridden theirs. My insurance is paid up so why not?
When I'm ready to sell I'll likely decide at the time if they can ride. If I'm comfortable and it's a deal breaker then with collateral (keys, drivers license) in hand then sure, they can test ride. Again, the insurance is paid up.
If you're not comfortable with someone test riding then use a service like rider to rider or understand you may limit your options in an already flooded and depressed market.

 

Not sure I understand your question. When I bought my 2nd Harley, I kept the 1st. Hopefully I can add a 3rd or 4th later.

I sold my first motorcycle on craigslist and I did follow sort of your first option. A new rider was interested. He brought his friend who showed up on a bike. I rode my bike around and he followed on his bike just so he could see everything worked OK. It was only $1200 bike though.

 

this

do I eat the cost? yep. is it worth it it? yep.

 

Sorry, but I would actively avoid buying a bike in person from a seller who's that ****. Better you sell it on E-Bay, where both buyer and seller are protected. Good pics, good write-up, good description, set a realistic price and it will sell.

 

I've sold a lot of bikes over the last 50 years, all of them cash transactions, I don't take checks. I don't think anyone actually ever test rode any of them, I don't even remember anyone even asking to. I show, and tell them what maintenance I've done and point out anything that might need attention, or that's not working, dings and dents before they buy, that way there's no question as to what their getting for their money.