would you guys buy a bike from anyone online?
theres not a whole lot of selection around here, especially b/c im kinda specific on the bike i want but im also kind of leary about buying a bike i cant see in person. would you guys buy one you havent been able to see first hand? or any of you that have done this before, how did it turn out or what did u do to ensure that you didnt get ripped off? thanks.

 

Ebay - Overall positive experience on a good deal...

I bought an F4i (Relatively reliable bike) which lowered my risk a little. - All OEM fairings, so if it was dropped, it wasn't hard enough to destroy them, and if it was repaired, they spent lots of $ on replacement fairings, which says something about anything else that was damaged underneath.

I wouldn't buy online or sight unseen unless it was pretty much stock - no funky paintjobs. - A PowerCommander, Pipe, and lighting changes are acceptable - Beyond that, upgrades could be a result of damage or abuse.

Good Luck!

 

Personally I would never make online purchases from individuals on big ticket items like m/c's. New TV's, computers etc... from a big company with refund policies is much different than m/c's that can have so many issues not disclosed by the owner. I use it as another valuable research tool but would never actually buy it online. It's difficult enough not getting ripped off in person much less without ever visually inspecting it, taking it for a test ride (and/or having the owner start it up and take it around the block) or meeting the person you're buying from. I know there are many that have done it successfully but you can also find many that have been screwed over in the process .. not worth it imo. If it's that difficult to find one near you, either research and make the drive to the closest one you're interested in (a few hundred miles is worth saving the possible headaches) or buy from a reputable used/new dealer like the big one in Chattanooga and pay the few hundred for shipping to save you possible thousands as a loss. just my .02 though

 

i found my bike thru craigs list- im in northern nj and it was located in rhode island. there were 2 bikes i wanted to check out in the same area so i contacted the seller of both and made arrangements to check them both out. the trip might have been 3 or so hours, i was ok with it because i knew id be coming home with one bike. if i were you id look for bikes online but wouldnt buy or make any commitments until i saw the bike and test rode it, or at least started it up in person... that's just my opinion, good luck with getting the bike you want.

 

If you pick it up in person and pay for it in person,. you can find some good deals.

 

Bought my bike off ebay. I search my area for the year model I wanted and found mine and made an offer. A hour later paid a deposit. 2 days later dude n his dad deleivered it to my house. But you do have to use you head n watch for scammers. Which isnt hard really.

MY bike has been great the seller took very good pix of the damage it had and describe it purdy close to how it was when I took possesion of it. And no it didnt look as good as it does now lol.

 

bike seems definitely like a 'try before buy' item, even 'inspect at shop' before buy. The 2 I was involved with both needed 150-200 mi drives to the seller, (craigslist) but the bikes were worth it... as long as you dont feel compelled to buy after the long drive.

 

i would with the try before you buy method or atleast inspect the bike before you get it. i had an experience on craigslist where the guy placed the ad and posted pics but the pics were far-away shots of the whole bike. i was about to paypal the guy the money but i decided to go w/ my gut instinct and make the trip to check out the bike. it was a yellow 04 f4i and the funny thing was that the guy downed the bike and sed in the ad he replaced the left fairing. turns out that when i saw the bike it was a different color yellow than the rest of the bike. seller tried to scam me out of the deal... so make the trips necessary and do losts of research cuz just like Kewl Breeze says you wanna do all that to try to avoid all the headaches as much as you can if you dont do your homework. well that's just my .02

 

hi
I bought 02 cbr600f4i on craigslist. there is a lot of shady people out there, I took the risk, met with the guy half way. he brought the bike, it was rebuild bike I checked the frame and everything else, and he rode it for me to show. the bike started right away so it was cool. I got the bike and I am happy.

on the other hand, I went to see a 01 Cbr black week before and the guy told me the bike was damaged while being transported. I went to see the bike, had truble starting, food pegs were broken. I said I get back to him, did Carfax and BUM...... red flags all over.

use carfax,read theseller if he is telling you everything. everyone will try to bul..it you but you will see through and follow your gut, it works.

I am in sales and able to feel people out..........but still make mistakes though on ocations.

GOOD LUCK

 

For big-ticket, long distance purchases, I would also recommendverifying the seller's address online as tax records are public information. Of course, this only applies if the seller is a home owner. If things don't match up, I would be really wary from buying from this person, which would probablythen require you tovisit the sellerand the item in person. This verification doesn't completely protect you from scammers or false ads, but it gives a bit of peace of mind knowing the seller cannot just get up and go once a payment is received.

I live in Cali and purchased a bike in NV. I basically interviewed the guy, googled his name, checked out tax records, had him provide me with close up pictures. At the end, I got lucky; I'm happy with my purchase without actually checking out the bike in person.

BTW, Carfax is only as good as incidents are reported by the insurance or individual.