Tyre kickers and test rides

[mynameis]

Right how do you deal with this? Say if your insurance has expired and you're not renewing or if it does not cover anyone else but you.

How do you sort the genuine out from the test pilots and deal with them? You'd get a general feeling about how genuine someone is about buying your machine.

But what you don't want to do is put off genuine buyers by not giving them a test ride or having too many terms and conditions like, proof of funds or getting them to sign a note ect.

Again there are some genuine ones who will not have full and would be looking at upgrading so do you just take a little bit of risk and let them?

[cs363]

Right how do you deal with this? Say if your insurance has expired and you're not renewing or if it does not cover anyone else but you.

How do you sort the genuine out from the test pilots and deal with them? You'd get a general feeling about how genuine someone is about buying your machine.

But what you don't want to do is put off genuine buyers by not giving them a test ride or having too many terms and conditions like, proof of funds or getting them to sign a note ect.

Again there are some genuine ones who will not have full and would be looking at upgrading so do you just take a little bit of risk and let them?


Personally I would re-insure the bike and do it on a pay by the month basis. That way you are covered for all eventualities and when the bike is sold you can just cancel the insurance. Private sale is a high risk for theft and accident damage.

[mynameis]

Personally I would re-insure the bike and do it on a pay by the month basis. That way you are covered for all eventualities and when the bike is sold you can just cancel the insurance. Private sale is a high risk for theft and accident damage.

Yeah what about the guys on restricted licence who are also genuine buyers?

And what if your insurance company DOES NOT cover anyone else but you.

[CookMySock]

No one rides or drives anything of mine, unless I have the keys to something of theirs thats more expensive in my hot hand. No exceptions. None.

Steve

[Headbanger]

Condition of a test ride is you get to hold their money. If they crash her then the deal is done. Personally I'd do it just to make sure they come back with the bike.

[AllanB]

What he said.

Either way I'd ask for their licence and if you are allowing them to ride alone keep it with you - if they get pulled over they can always escort the cop back to yours.....:laugh:

Or just tell them you'll take them for a spin on the back and that you are happy for any bike shop of their choice to look it over at their expense. If they are on a restricted NO solo ride - insurance will not cover you as they are not legally allowed to ride it.

Or trade it in on a nice new HONDA. :love:

[cs363]

Yeah what about the guys on restricted licence who are also genuine buyers?

'If' they are genuine buyers but on a restricted licence then I would think that the onus is on them to supply a fully licenced test rider.

[Wenier]

I have them also sign a letter saying any damage, fines, etc will be paid by them while they are riding the bike. It also has their driver licence number recorded on it so they cant hide. And if they cant handle that then they can bugger off.

[mynameis]

No one rides or drives anything of mine, unless I have the keys to something of theirs thats more expensive in my hot hand. No exceptions. None.

Steve

But then again you're just a dangerous Bastard aye ;)


Condition of a test ride is you get to hold their money. If they crash her then the deal is done. Personally I'd do it just to make sure they come back with the bike.

So if you're selling a 15 g machine you ask them to get 15g cash and you hold it .... eeheem.

[AllanB]

Mind you if she looks like your avatar image let her ride anything.....:lol:

[cs363]

I have them also sign a letter saying any damage, fines, etc will be paid by them while they are riding the bike. It also has their driver licence number recorded on it so they cant hide. And if they cant handle that then they can bugger off.



All good providing that the info they give you is genuine and the licence is not forged. May sound far fetched to some of you, but the scum that steal bikes and cars will stop at nothing. As most everyone knows now NZ drivers licences are very easy to forge. Promises to pay etc are not worth the paper they are written on IMO, as at the very least you have to go through the painful process of actually getting them to pay etc.
Work on the worse case scenario and plan for it - that way you will not get any unpleasant surprises or experiences.

[cs363]

Or trade it in on a nice new HONDA. :love:


Or....do that! :rofl:

[FROSTY]

Doesn't work for the private guy but I never let them ride a bike without me being with them on another bike.
As for restricted licence holders dude that one is down to you.
But think worst case senario. He stacks the bike so its fucked --and kills himself -sorry to be blunt but thats worst case

[Little Miss Trouble]

'If' they are genuine buyers but on a restricted licence then I would think that the onus is on them to supply a fully licenced test rider.

Yeah I would think that is pretty standard, it sucks big time to be so close yet so far, especially when your watching good deals slip away three weeks too soon but anyone who is in this situation should understand that you obviously can't allow them to test ride it themselves.

If the test riders have current bike insurance they may very well be covered under that, the wording on my policy is something like "insured to ride this motorcycle or any other where you have been given permission by the owner" (within license conditions if any apply)

[mynameis]

I have them also sign a letter saying any damage, fines, etc will be paid by them while they are riding the bike. It also has their driver licence number recorded on it so they cant hide. And if they cant handle that then they can bugger off.







All good providing that the info they give you is genuine and the licence is not forged. May sound far fetched to some of you, but the scum that steal bikes and cars will stop at nothing. As most everyone knows now NZ drivers licences are very easy to forge. Promises to pay etc are not worth the paper they are written on IMO, as at the very least you have to go through the painful process of actually getting them to pay etc.
Work on the worse case scenario and plan for it - that way you will not get any unpleasant surprises or experiences.



What he said at the end of the day you can get them to sign anything you want and show you whatever, licence ect..ect. But if they take you bike out and write it off then it's going to be a case of $10 per week for the next few years.

So you say work on the worst case scenario and plan for it? How would you deal with it ???




Mind you if she looks like your avatar image let her ride anything.....:lol:



She does ;)

[cs363]

What he said at the end of the day you can get them to sign anything you want and show you whatever, licence ect..ect. But if they take you bike out and write it off then it's going to be a case of $10 per week for the next few years.

So you say work on the worst case scenario and plan for it? How would you deal with it ???

If you must sell privately then insure the bike, full licence holders only, be happy with ID (ideally two forms of ID such as drivers licence plus a recent phone/power bill showing their address) and if possible accompany them on the test ride on another bike or whatever.

Personally I would prefer to sell OBO at a dealer if you can find one that you can strike a good deal with or trade the bike, that way you avoid all that hassle.
The other thing that is probably worth pointing out is that if you sell on Trademe, often people will buy the bike sight unseen with no test rides.
Another suggestion is don't offer test rides but offer a 24 hour money back guarantee or something.

I think test rides are over rated - most people know what they are buying as they have researched it, probably ridden a mates in the past etc. The only real thing that is in question is the mechanical state of the bike, so you could preempt this by having the bike checked obver by a reputable dealer and getting a written valuation & inspection report.

[mynameis]

Doesn't work for the private guy but I never let them ride a bike without me being with them on another bike.
As for restricted licence holders dude that one is down to you.
But think worst case senario. He stacks the bike so its fucked --and kills himself -sorry to be blunt but thats worst case



Ok so if he's wrekced the bike and himself then they are both history 10 15 20 g whatever it is goes down the drain and so does he/she.

If you're following someone from behind then ensures the bike isn't stolen, but if they were to bin it then you'd be just watching from behind. Won't be able to do anything.

[cs363]

The golden rule is that ultimately you have the power - if you don't feel comfortable about letting someone ride the bike, say no. Walk away, there will always be another opportunity to sell/trade whatever. If it becomes a matter of having to sell then take the loss and sell it to a bikeshop if you have to, I's rather take a bit of a loss than have a total loss.

[FROSTY]

Ok so if he's wrekced the bike and himself then they are both history 10 15 20 g whatever it is goes down the drain and so does he/she.

If you're following someone from behind then ensures the bike isn't stolen, but if they were to bin it then you'd be just watching from behind. Won't be able to do anything.
Sorry mate but er -doesn't happen. Me following/leading seems to rope in the lunatic a bit. I still encourage a decent ride--its a test ride after all but if they look out of their depth we stop and have a chat Its all freindly like -after all Im sellin a bike but I also don't want em cleaning themselves up in a crash.

[blossomsowner]

Right how do you deal with this? Say if your insurance has expired and you're not renewing or if it does not cover anyone else but you.

How do you sort the genuine out from the test pilots and deal with them? You'd get a general feeling about how genuine someone is about buying your machine.

But what you don't want to do is put off genuine buyers by not giving them a test ride or having too many terms and conditions like, proof of funds or getting them to sign a note ect.

Again there are some genuine ones who will not have full and would be looking at upgrading so do you just take a little bit of risk and let them?

good questions asked...........i have read through all the posts in reply and they also make sense. Frosty probably has the best approach but obviously only works if you have 2 bikes.

however i share your concern for losing a sale due to making it too hard for the prospective buyer. My current bike was bought from a dealer even though i tried to get a private deal on a different bike.

First the private guy flat out rejected my offer telling me he had been offered more by others.........this was without a test ride too. I say don't worry about it then.

A day later he texts me back that i can buy at my offer price. So I want to test ride...........he demands cash first. Doesn't impress me at all as my plan is test ride.....stop at bank...........get cash........buy bike.

Anyway i agree to this but in the meantime do an online vin check thing to discover that wof and reg nearly expired. I contact him and say for him to update these with new ones.

He refuses saying there is a little left so all good.

Stuff you then mate. I go to bike shop and test ride and buy bike with new wof etc. Easy as.

So try and make life a little easy for prospective buyers (i actually liked the private bike more). If I was buying now i would like a seller to let me have a ride.........have a written mechanical check..........new wof.

Good luck.
when i have sold bikes privately i let buyers ride and leave me their car and keys etc as security. As long as its a good car!

[raftn]

Its a hard call but i just dont let one test ride it full stop. Never seemed to stop me selling them though.

[Ixion]

I've bought a good many bikes over the years (100 ?) and looked at a lot lot more (1000?).

I VERY seldom bother with a test ride.

Why? I think it actually is a non productive exercise.

Firstly : Assume you are not familiar with the model. What is a test ride going to tell you? You won't know if it's "typical" for that model, or a bit down on power or whatever. And if you don't feel "comfortable" on it, that may just be a matter of getting used to an unfamiliar bike

Secondly: Assume you are familiar with the bike. Very seldom will you be able to test ride a bike of any size hard enough to pick up any performance shortfall. Are you *really* going to tap it out to 200kph down his street?

Thirdly: The inherent stress of a test ride (riding an unfamilar bike, that's not yours, etc), distracts your attention. And means you may miss seeing or hearing important stuff. My father was a car salesman at one time. One trick he used, was always to get the prospective buyer to drive. The punter would be so distracted by having to drive an unfamiliar vehicle, with my father prattling away next to him, that he'd hardly notice anything. And any issues could be explained away as his unfamiliarity.

Fourthly: A lot of significant signs (eg smoking) are best seen when following a bike, or from the side. When you're riding you either can't see them, or are too busy to take proper note.

My routine is first to suss out the seller. What sort of person is he? Any sort is OK, but determines what and how hard I'll examine.

Then check for any signs of abuse. Fairing damage, graunched bolts etc. Check tyres, and generally give it the equivalent of a through WoF check (I ignore whether it's got a WoF or not, I reckon I'm at least as fussy as most inspectors, and many bike WoFs aren't worth the paper they're printed on). Be *very* suspicious of anything with signs of crash damage.

Then I get the owner to start it up (make sure it's cold to start with. If not be *very* suspicious). Listen/look for noises, smoke etc. Rev it up, usual stuff. Check the odo reading. Then get the *owner* to take it for a ride, while I watch. Up the road, hard (he should be willing to ride it harder than I would be); back again, past me, and back. And watch , closely and carefully. Smoke? Sounds 'clean', no misfiring (tell him you want to hear it revved out in the gears - is it) ? Watch his gear changes, are they all neat? Any bad sounds? Then round a decent block, him riding, me following. Look and listen.

Back, turn off. Restart. Look and listen.

By now I usually have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking at. At this point I *might* ask for a ride. But probably only if its a cheap old clunker with numerous issues , and I'm trying to determine how bad they are; or a model with a known propensity for gearbox problems or such like; or I'm suspicious based on what I've seen so far.

Bear in mind, the expensive stuff to fix on a bike is things like fairings, tyres, chains and internal engine problems. Which by and large have little relevance to a test ride. I always budget a few hundred into a bike price to cover a new battery or such like

I don't think people should use a test ride on a 'for sale' bike to try to work out if they think the model is suitable for them.

[fireliv]

Some good advice here.

When phoenix and I looked at the ZX6R, tris only had a restricted, so didnt even bother asking for a test ride. We felt that it wasnt worth it because if he crashed it, we would be screwed. Just got the guy to start it and run it for a while.

When we brought the bandit, the guy was nice enough to let Phoenix ride it (I was only on my learners and was happy to trust Phoenix's opinion). Phoenix had his full, and pulled up on the ZX6R so the guy knew he wasnt a time waster. The test ride was just around his street.

I'll be selling the Bandit in a few months when I get my full. I will probably allow test rides around our crescent. I will want to see a licence just to ensure that they have one, and will probably follow them on th 6R so they cant escape!!

Good luck with what ever you decide!

[Headbanger]

So if you're selling a 15 g machine you ask them to get 15g cash and you hold it .... eeheem.

No, They simply don't get a test ride. Been there, done that.

[CookMySock]

I've bought a good many bikes over the years (100 ?) and looked at a lot lot more (1000?). [....]

My routine is [.....]Thanks for posting that. Great to hear how the experienced folks are doing it.

Steve

[MarkH]

-lots of really sensible stuff-

Colour me fuckin' impressed mate!

My new procedure for buying a bike is now this:
PM Ixion and see if I can bribe him with booze/money/whatever to check out the bike for me - buy it if he says it is OK. :not: :2thumbsup

[**R1**]

man I havnt trashed sumone elses bike for ages, thanks for all the tips I'm off to fool sum sucker out of a tank of gas and the rubber from his tyres:devil2:

[ynot slow]

I am sussing out a new bike,might be a bandit1250 or gsx650f or katana750 if a suzuki,only reason I will take for a test is to see how comfortable it is 2 up,as the suzuki fest gives great bargains for new bikes.Also looking at a couple of others private and dealers,will test mostly for 2 up,i.e how does she who must ok the bike feel on the back,no sense buying a f1,gsxr,cbrr etc if she aint comfy.


Oh by the way if anyone is selling on tardme,a guy had his bike for sale,someone got the rego off the bike,found who was selling it and rang the seller,deal done.Seller emailed tardme and said the bike was totalled in a bin so the fees were refunded,he got back $39 plus highlighted listing fees as well,nifty dude.

[mctshirt]

I've bought a good many bikes over the years (100 ?) and looked at a lot lot more (1000?).

I VERY seldom bother with a test ride.

Why? I think it actually is a non productive exercise.



True - by the time I get to a test ride (or drive) it's pretty much a done deal for me.

But when I go for a ride (or drive) I head straight to a mate's place who I can count on for a brutally honest unbiased appraisal of whatever machine I consider so good I can't live without it. Saved me buying a bike with a worn timing chain last time - same thing as a bike shop appraisal I guess with more cuss words and "you're gonna die!" chants (one also gets an uncensored full appraisal on the bike to rider ability ratio) :laugh:

It's a handy reality check :)

[Crazy Steve]

The last five bikes ive sold..3 of which were newish GSXR's...

No one even asked to ride them....They just looked/offered and paid.....

Then they rode them away....

Crazy Steve..

[mynameis]

Yeap some very good valid points made there, I especially like the idea of giving them a 24 hour period.

Thanks.

[EgliHonda]

Nice advice on this tricky issue here. About to put a $15k bike up for private sale so hope no-one minds if I steal some phrases for the test ride policy bit on my advertisement...

[Trudes]

When we were selling the Gixxer, all interested potential buyers wanted ti gave a test ride, our insurance doesn't cover others so we said no. Kendog is a soft touch and let one guy ride it while he followed on my bike, and a lady was interested and was sorting insurance through her insurance company, but in the meantime a guy bought it just from the pics on trademe. So yeah, I don't necessarily think test rides are necessary.

[Sidewinder]

its called show me the money, its easyer selling a car because you can go with them if they want a test drive

[FROSTY]

I must say you get a pretty good sense of whois genuine and whose a test driver pretty fast in my line of work.
With bikes and sports cars if the first thing out of their mouth is --"can we go for a drive" then its a clear indication of their intention.
Generally a genuine buyer will look the bike over and ask a whole heap of questions about the bike

[avgas]

License, wallet, partner and balls.
They leave these with me and I give back when I get the bike back

[Sidewinder]

License, wallet, partner and balls.
They leave these with me and I give back when I get the bike back

you didnt ask for them when carver test rode ya fz1

[BMWST?]

If you must sell privately then insure the bike, full licence holders only, be happy with ID (ideally two forms of ID such as drivers licence plus a recent phone/power bill showing their address) and if possible accompany them on the test ride on another bike or whatever.

Personally I would prefer to sell OBO at a dealer if you can find one that you can strike a good deal with or trade the bike, that way you avoid all that hassle.
The other thing that is probably worth pointing out is that if you sell on Trademe, often people will buy the bike sight unseen with no test rides.
Another suggestion is don't offer test rides but offer a 24 hour money back guarantee or something.

I think test rides are over rated - most people know what they are buying as they have researched it, probably ridden a mates in the past etc. The only real thing that is in question is the mechanical state of the bike, so you could preempt this by having the bike checked obver by a reputable dealer and getting a written valuation & inspection report.

i will never ever buy a bike without riding it.Not one like it...the actual bike.If i cant ride it and take it for at least 1/2 hour forget it

[no_8wire]

mmm

When I sold my bike, I sold it like I sell my cars.

1st you can see what sort of person they are.
2nd If they want to have a ride/drive sure no problems - if you leave wallet and keys here thank you very much.

I was actually surprised when a guy came and gave me cash in hand before he took it for a ride...

If the seller wanted cash upfront prior to a test ride and wouldnt be happy with my keys, I think I would just look elsewhere tbh. No test ride no buy....

[crazyhorse]

I sold my SV650 2 months ago, and the insurance had not long lapsed. I told them that the onis was on them

You drop it - you own it. That's what I was taught in the motorcycle world, you don't take anyones bike for a ride, unless you can afford to buy it if dropped.

[SMOKEU]

You drop it - you own it.

Nice theory, but in reality you'll most likely end up getting $10 a week for the next 5 years after you've taken them to court.

[crazyhorse]

Nice theory, but in reality you'll most likely end up getting $10 a week for the next 5 years after you've taken them to court.

yeah.... but I do no of a case that they have bought it when dropped.

And if I ride someone else's bike, its only because I can afford to buy it, or replace it.

Golden Rule no.1 :2thumbsup

[bsasuper]

Last bike I sold I used the yanks system of, you buy the bike subject to a test ride, That is they give you cash for the asking price, go for a test ride, if they dont like it you give the cash back.serious buyers will have no problem with it, otherwise I take them for a spin on the back.

[crazyhorse]

Last bike I sold I used the yanks system of, you buy the bike subject to a test ride, That is they give you cash for the asking price, go for a test ride, if they dont like it you give the cash back.serious buyers will have no problem with it, otherwise I take them for a spin on the back.

Actually that sounds like a great idea too :)

[JimO]

But then again you're just a dangerous Bastard aye ;)



.

only around small children

[SMOKEU]

And if I ride someone else's bike, its only because I can afford to buy it, or replace it.

Golden Rule no.1 :2thumbsup

It would be great if everyone was as honest as you, but we live in a very fucked up world.

[Tank]

No one rides or drives anything of mine, unless I have the keys to something of theirs thats more expensive in my hot hand. No exceptions. None.

Steve

On the bright side - you have a ho'bag - so they only have to leave you with a Mc Donalds Happy meal. :clap:

Secondly - if they left you with keys to their car and they crash - you have no recall on their car anyway.

Try keeping it and they will call the police (those folk whom you love so much) and you will be charged with theft.

[Tank]

It would be great if everyone was as honest as you, but we live in a very fucked up world.

Indeed - its great to hear that there are people as honest as that out there.

Big ups to you.

[breakaway]

I never ask for a test ride ever without my money in the sellers hand. I expect the same from others.

[Shadows]

Bikes don't need to be test ridden if you know what you want and what you're looking for.

If somebody thinks it's absolutely necessary to be a test pilot, then no cash no ride.

I quick count has me at ten bikes. I test rode only one of them before I bought it.