Would you buy a bike without a test ride?

[Jacko]

Get the one that's best, I find that girlfriends/wives start talking to you again eventually, and you'll have bought the bike you want not the one that makes her happy.

[Woogie]

Indeed, Normally that would be my stance but its her birthday in 2 weeks and we are supposed to be saving for a wedding so she is overly sensitive about money at the moment.

[Jacko]

She gets a wedding, you get a bike, what's wrong with that?

[Woogie]

I personally think nothing, She on the other hand thinks very differently

[geekay]

well, tell her she'll never make that 'promotion' (use that term) if she doesn't re-consider her flexibility in fiscal policy!

then run.

[Fatbelly]

I would point out that the registry office fee for a marriage is £35 each = £70.

If she can have pointless expensive stuff on a silly whim why can't you?










yes, I am single

[Abercol]

Ahh Fatbelly...you old romantic!  


I married my third wife in Las Vegas...I'm buggered if I'm paying for other folk to have fun.  

First two wives were via the Aberdeen Registry Office. Who said I wasn't Scottish?

[Juvecu]

Have to show her it's not a dictatorship, she doesn't get to make all the rules. If she doesn't get it early on then you're forever going to do what she wants instead of what you both want. I love my good lady, but she knows better than to try to tell me what not to do when bikes are involved  

[Locky]

This threads turning into a marriage guidance thread and the poor blokes not even married yet  
Lets help him get a bike  

[Jacko]

Have to show her it's not a dictatorship, she doesn't get to make all the rules. If she doesn't get it early on then you're forever going to do what she wants instead of what you both want. I love my good lady, but she knows better than to try to tell me what not to do when bikes are involved  

+1 You have to let them know early on that its a partnership, you're not her 5 year old son, I mean this with the upmost respect. The garden centres of Britain are full of miserable old duffers trudging around looking at crap wondering where their life went, don't be that old man.

[JRS81]

I bought my wee without a test ride (it was a week before my mod 2 and I didn't want it to be sold before I had a chance!). I saw it and it looked like new, sat on it and fired it up and it sounded good and smooth. It was the right price, and the dealer I bought it from has a good reputation amongst a few friends and acquaintances, so I went for it! It has been brilliant so far and I have no regrets but I can't help feeling I was a bit lucky. I wouldn't buy another bike without a test ride, and definitely wouldn't buy it if the seller won't even fire it up. If it's a fixable problem then they should fix it before they try to sell it!

[Descolada]

I would always try and test ride a bike I was thinking about buying. But sometimes it's just not practical. I test rode a couple of bikes late last year, in doing so I had to decide to swallow the the £3000 excess on the retailers insurance should I damage the bike. I can tell you that I didn't enjoy that ride as much as I might because of my fear of damaging it. I know other blokes who have tried to test ride a bike only to be told that they hadn't held their full licence for long enough to be covered by the insurance.

So ideally yes, I think you should always try to test ride the bike, but sometimes, while it is owned by someone else that just isn't possible.

[frez]

It is not always possible, but at the very least you should be able to hear it start from cold and listen to it running.

I'm also in the market for a bike for my daughter. The last muppet I contacted on ebay with a question on his sv650 that had done 22k miles of "Has the bike ever had its valve clearances checked or adjusted?" replied "That would imply the bike had been thrashed". I pointed out that it "should be" checked every 14k miles and I simply needed to know so that I could factor in the cost/time of doing it if it had not been done.

[Juvecu]

You might want to steer clear of that one

[Jacko]

It always surprises me that bike owners don't have a clue what clearance checks are and don't know that they're part of the service schedule. A workmate was selling his Thunderace last year, 24k miles, he told me a bloke had rang him the previous night asking about the bike and asked when the valve clearances were last done, he replied 'I don't know mate, I bought it from a dealer at 10,000 miles and just ride it'. It turned out he didn't even know what valve clearances are, or their importance.

[frez]

The other reason I won't be pursuing that bike is that that there were photos of all parts of the bike except the left hand side. I had to rely on his assurances that the left hand side was every bit as good as the right hand side, but 10 photos uploaded and none of a particular part of the bike gives cause for concern.

I've bought the following off ebay over the last few years; RS50, NSR125, CBR125, ZXR400, ZZR600, GSXR600, CBR600F, and VFR800Fi, all without issue. I've also walked away from just as many.

What I have learned is to read as much into what isn't said or shown as to what is. To carefully check every photo, zooming in where possible, looking for accident damage/repairs, mismatched fairings, wrong parts for the year etc. To get the registration number before you go and waste a trip to see the bike so you can do a vehicle check and make sure its not stolen or written off. To check the sellers feedback to see what he has bought and sold recently.

What I am looking for is a feeling that the seller is honest, through their advert, description, history and communication, and that the bike is kosher. If something smells wrong I just pass on it, another bike will come along before long.

Also when comparing similar bikes make a note of how much it is going to cost to put on the road. Does it have tax/mot? Has it stood in a garage for 3 years, if so it is likely to need new tyres, the fuel system flushing, a new battery, fluids changed and brakes serviced? Will it need new tyres, chain, sprockets, brake pads soon? Is it due an expensive/time consuming valve service soon?

[geekay]

interesting post above - on that line of thought - you actually have FAR MORE information on the validity and honesty (or otherwise) of the seller than you would through autotrader or any other classified.

[Penfold]

Ideally not but sometimes you have to take a chance. If buying anything of value through ebay I always ask questions just to gauge the sellers response. Some come across as genuine people others as complete numpties.

[Descolada]

Frez makes a very important point here. You have to go with your 'gut' reaction to the description of the bike, the response you get from the current owner of the information provide on an HPI or service log record. If you are in any doubt walk away.

A mate of mine was looking for a V-Strom earlier this year. Many of the people he contacted to express an interest in their bike responded with "All the information was in the advert" and wouldn't offer anything else. That tells you all you need to know. They can't be bothered to engage in the potential sale process so they probably treat their ride the same way.