Buying a Motorcycle - Ten Great Tips

By Alan Liptrot

It easy to rush into things once you've decided to buy a new motorbike, but have a little patience and save yourself a little grief and a lot of money.

DECIDE WHICH BIKE IS BEST FOR YOU

Notice here, I avoided the word 'want', because what you want, and what suits you best are totally different animals. It's all very well finally aspiring to the bike of your dreams only to find that you fall off at every junction because your legs are too short, or it's so fast that it scares you to death, so retain a modicum of common sense when making your purchase. There's also the question of what you can afford. You may scrape together the money to buy the bike in the first place, but can you really afford to run it. Don't forget; fast bikes are costly to insure, especially if you are young or have no 'no claims' bonus.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Right, you've decided which bike to buy and you're off to get your eager hands upon the beauty, but wait, hold on a minute. Before you jump in, ought you not to test the water? It's time to survey the market. This is an important point, because it could save you a lot of money. You're going to have to decide whether you're going to buy privately or from a dealer. Of course, buying privately is cheaper, but if you go down this route, make sure you know what you're doing. Buying from a dealer will offer more protection should there be a problem with the machine after you've owned it for a week or two. Shop around and see who's offering the best deal. If necessary, hold back and wait until the bike you want is available.

BE METICULOUS WITH THE PAPERWORK

You may find a motorcycle that is just the thing for you, suits you down to the ground and is reasonably priced, but that price won't look so good if you buy the bike, only to discover a few weeks later that the person who sold the motorbike didn't actually own it. If the seller cannot provide the documentation for the motorbike, don't touch it. Make sure that the address on the registration document is the same as the sellers.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Alright, we've ascertained that the person who's selling the motorcycle is the rightful owner; well he thinks he is anyway. The fact is that if the motorcycle was bought on finance by someone who overstretched themselves and failed to keep up with the payments, the bike could well be the property of the money lenders. Firstly, ask the seller if the bike is paid for; unless he's an out and out liar, he's going to come clean and save you a lot of hassle. If he seems to be a decent chap and you believe him...don't. Invest in a vehicle check. It could be the best money you ever spent.

THE VIEWING

Never, ever, ever, ever view a vehicle at any other place than the seller's home. Believe me; even if you have to travel a long distance to see the motorcycle, it's worth going that extra mile or two. Don't be tempted by offers to meet half way at a road side cafe or some such place. I hardly need to say this, but don't go at night. All vehicles look better under street lights. Now here's a really good idea; if you're not too hot on the mechanical side of things, take someone along who knows about bikes.

DOES IT GO

And more to the point, is it going to keep going? I refer back to the point about taking someone along who is knows about motorbikes. If you don't have a friend who fits into this category, it may be well worth paying someone who does. In the grand scheme of things a little extra on the price of the bike isn't too much to bear. The alternative could be unthinkable.

BARGAIN?

The motorcycle is a few years old, but according to the clock it must have been sitting in a garage, but hold on a minute, it looks a little worn in places. Watch out for 'clocking'. Ask the seller to produce test certificates from previous years and check to se if they tally with the recorded mileage.

VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

Check it. It's not only humans that suffer from identity theft. Make sure you're not buying a ringer. Every vehicle carries a unique number; do your utmost to ensure that the number hasn't been changed.

THE TEST RIDE

Before you take the bike out for a ride, explain to the owner that you're going to be gone for at least half an hour. It's no good just going down the road and back and hoping to get a feel for a bike that you're going to be living with for a while. Take more care choosing your bike than your partner (most people do).

SOMETHING FISHY

If something doesn't seem right, if there's a little niggle in the back of your mind, go home and think about it... no, just go home, leave it. Another bike will come along in due course. Now... about partners...

Alan Liptrot is the founder of the motorcycle tour company Motorbike Tours. Fancy a good read? Check out Motorbike Books

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Buying a Used Moped on eBay

By Jeremy Conlin

Mopeds and scooters are selling like hot cakes as fuel prices have reached all time highs. USA Today reported in August that dealerships across the country are often sold out of moped lines or have only a few models and styles available to choose from. If you are having a difficult time finding the model and style options locally you might try looking on ebay for a used moped. Ebay is the largest internet auction site online. They often have hundreds of listings for used mopeds and scooters posted by individual owners from across the country.

When buying a used moped on ebay you want to keep a couple of things in mind. First of all you want to get yourself a great deal if not at least a fair deal. There are several key factors to analyze when looking at ebay listings to insure you get a good deal. Lets take a look at them one by one. If you are new to ebay you can register as a new user with ebay in a matter of a few minutes, and begin searching the auction listings for terms such as "used mopeds" or "used scooters". As you click on the individual auction listings, take note of the sellers rank. Are they ranked by ebay with a good sellers standing? Are they new and have only conducted a few transactions or are they an established seller with thousands of transactions. I would advise not purchasing a high priced item such as a moped from a new seller with under fifty transactions to be on the safe side. As you analyze the auction listings jot down any pertinent information about each one that catches your eye. Select "watch this item" on the individual item pages to easily get back to the deals that are most attractive.

When you have a list of your favorite auction items choose one to bid on that comes out on top. Some factors to weigh in for making this choice are brand reputation, color and style, miles per gallon rating (70-90 is good), miles on the odometer, wear and tear on the frame, recent servicing, previous ownership, and current location of the moped. If these items are not addressed in the auction listing you can easily "ask the seller a question" on the right sidebar under "meet the seller".

The next thing to factor in before you place bids on your favorite listing is the cost of getting your moped delivered if you win the auction. If it is located far away from you geographically the clear option will likely be to have it shipped to you. Some sellers offer free shipping and this can make it a great deal, but if not you will want to get a shipping estimate from ebay. The cost will likely be about four to six hundred dollars to ship directly to you. If you can win the item for a good bid price then this would be the most convenient and time saving way to have it delivered. A second option for the more budget conscious is to use the "advanced search" option located to the right side of the ebay search tool. Here you can select mopeds & scooters under "powersports" in the drop down menu. Then select listings within five hundred miles from your zip code or from the nearest big city to you. From my recent search of San Francisco, Ca I got back sixty five listings to comb through which is a great selection of deals. If I were to bid on and win an auction I would set up a time to pick up the moped with the seller, and then tow a small Uhaul trailer to go pick it up. Even with the current cost of gas this would save a pretty penny in shipping and might be the best option if you find a great listing in your area.

Now that you have some ideas on buying a used moped on ebay its time to start bidding on your top choice. I would most importantly only bid on one item at a time since you don't want to risk the possibility of winning two auctions simultaneously. Generally it is best to bid on one item at a time, set good bid increments, and know when the auction ends so you can up your bid near the end if you feel you could go higher. For some good ballpark bidding advice you can visit kelly blue book for a value estimation on used mopeds you want to set bids for. Ebay is continuously posting new items so if at first you are outbid, don't despair there will likely be more used mopeds listed for your bidding pleasure in a matter of days. That pretty much sums it up for buying a used moped or scooter on ebay. If you do your due diligence as a buyer, know what your bidding on, and bid accordingly you can get a great deal on ebay for a moped.

For more information on moped brands, gas saving tips and for current moped auctions visit the authors website at http://used-moped-auctions.com

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