Surely, if you’re just starting out, you will find sites like Craigslist your primary source for finding motorcycles for sale. The problem with Craigslist is that it’s full of crap quite frankly. But, great bikes and deals can be found with a little work. Hopefully you can manage to find both in the same place.
I’ve purchased three motorcycles from Craigslist now. It’s the only place I’ve ever purchased a motorcycle. I can’t afford a brand new bike and my personal taste in motorcycle aesthetics is a few years behind anyways. Craigslist is the perfect place for me to find my ride, as I think that dealer fees and overpriced bikes are something to be avoided, unless you feel the strong urge to be the first owner. Otherwise, finding a one or two-owner bike in good shape for a good price is certainly doable thanks to Craigslist, if you know what you’re doing.
Let’s get started.
1. Determine What Kind of Bike You Want
Have any brand loyalty? Jealous of a friend with a Honda CBR or have you owned a Yamaha R6 previously and want another? Maybe you’re just looking for any sportbike?
The first step in searching the myriad of bikes on Craigslist is to first determine what you want to buy. From there, you can use the search function to find specific makes and models, or help you pick out the sportbikes from the cruisers.
As a whole, Craigslist places off-road vehicles alongside motorcycles in the motorcycle area of the site. Sifting through the dirt bikes and 4-wheelers is a bit annoying and time consuming, but it makes finding the diamond in the rough that much sweeter.
2. Examine the Post Itself for Possible Clues to the Motorcycle’s Condition
I tend to avoid posts that don’t include a picture of the motorcycle in the post. You can easily tell if the post contains a picture by viewing the word “pic” in yellow at the end of the post link as you’re scrolling down through the list. If it’s there, a picture (or more!) of the motorcycle will be included. If it’s missing, there is just text in the post. Look as deep at the picture as you can. Notice anything broken that’s not mentioned in the post?
Taking a look at the quality of the post itself can lend some basic inside information about the product beyond what’s actually listed in the post. For example, does the post have numerous spelling errors or incorrect grammar? This one might be a little nitpicky, but in my opinion, if the poster doesn’t care enough to correct his or her grammar, they might take the same approach to care for their possessions. This can be useful if you’re the one selling on Craigslist. Have a friend read through the post and see if there are any mistakes or any information that’s missing.
Does it list aftermarket parts installed? How about the condition of expensive regularly replaced parts like tires, chain, and the sprockets? These are all sources of information that are necessary knowledge for a potential buyer of a motorcycle. Considering a set of tires runs roughly $250 depending on what kind you get and a new chain and sprockets usually runs around $150 again depending on what kind, having to purchase those can turn a $5000 purchase into a $5400 purchase in a hurry.
Which brings me to my next point:
3. Get As Much Information You Can From The Owner As Possible
There are never too many questions to ask when you’re spending thousands on something. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Craigslist, it’s that people lie to make their stuff sound better and differentiate themselves from other posts. They’ll go out of their way to include useless information about the bike or even blatantly lie about the condition it’s in.
Usually the post will have a phone number to text or call to get more information. I would prefer to call because you can get information quicker and faster and it’s harder to lie on the run when you’re speaking over the phone than when you’re texting.
Here are some basic questions to ask a typical owner that should be general knowledge about the motorcycle. They should be able to recite the answer quickly and without issue. If they can’t, it might be a sign they’re lying or don’t know, which would infer that they don’t take great care of the bike. Even if the post already lists the answer, ask anyway.
Has it ever been in a wreck? How many miles are on it? What kind of oil do you use (really cheap oil or even car oil might indicate how well they care for the bike)? Do you change it yourself or take it to a shop? How are the tires? When were they installed/How many miles are on them? Ask about the brakes, fluids, chain and sprocket condition,
4. Avoid “R” Titles
If you’ve ever purchased something that comes with a title, you might already know the pain that is an “R” title. These titles are placed on motorcycles that have been totaled in one fashion or another and repurposed as street-legal machines.
R titled motorcycles might have frame damage, bent forks, bent rims, and who knows what the concussive force of a wreck might have done to the internals of the motor. I would stay stay stay away from R titles if at all possible.
Not only have R titles been involved in a heavy crash, they’re a pain to obtain. Traditional title transfer is a fairly simple process. In my home state, you must have the title notarized from one party to another, but I know that in some states, it’s as simple as signing the title to the new owner, who ends in the signed title and applies for a new title with his or her name on it.
5a. Take Cash…
Any sane person won’t let you hop on their machine and zip off towards oblivion unless you have some sort of payment in hand. In my experience, I had to go a few hours away to find a good bike/good price combo. That means you can’t just take a quick jaunt a couple towns over, check it out, and go back the next day to pick it up. You should go to the first meeting fully prepared to buy. I recommend paying with cash because it speaks louder than almost any other form of payment. Sure that bank check is worth the same amount, but if he can see the stacks and sniff the green goodness, there’s a chance you can get him down a couple hundred bucks and save that money for taxes and notary fees when transferring the title.
When paying with cash, it’s also extremely wise to find some sort of bill of sale for both parties to sign. You can find one quickly using Google. Print two out and fill in your name where necessary. Have the person you’re buying from fill out their portion and both of you need to sign both copies. Cash is great, but it doesn’t leave an official paper trail, which opens the door for the seller to come after you post-sale saying you didn’t pay all the money that was agreed to. If he takes you to court, there’s a chance you’ll have to give him or her even more money. With a bill of sale, the selling amount is listed and both parties have signed the paperwork, each person keeps a copy and everyone’s happy. A banker’s check leaves an official paper trail, but you can’t break $300 off the seller’s price when you’re there haggling so I prefer cash.
5b. …And A Buddy
Take someone who knows about motorcycles, preferably the specific type you’re interested in. There are quite a few good reasons to take a friend. First, it gives you another pair of eyes to see anything funky going on with the bike, whether it be a gunked up chain or a missing bar end. Second, they will (hopefully) have motorcycle knowledge and can test ride it for you if you’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. Let me tell you from experience, even if you’ve ridden dirt bikes all your life, hopping on a sportbike for the first ride can be unnerving and extremely challenging. The clutch on sportbikes is so sensitive that it might take you 5 good minutes of embarrassment before getting it into first. I took my dad (a Harley owner) to check out my first sportbike and he did a great job of hopping on and going for a spin. He made sure everything worked mechanically, going through the gears and using the clutch thoroughly. The bike was in good mechanical shape but needed some cosmetic work. I didn’t really know at the time, but it was a learning experience that I used when purchasing my next bikes.