Hands up who has bought a bike sight unseen? I have bought 7 so far, will be 8 by this Christmas. Out of the 7, one was a total lemon (pun intended) and I sent it back to the guy in Wellie for a refund and got it- lost $620 in freight though but it was such a shitter that I bit the bullet because it was a better oprion than keeping the bike. He later relisted it on TM and used the photos I sent him of what made me and dropped the price as well. That was a good thing, but he did not mention in the ad about the compression test results I sent him. So the bike met reserve a fortnight later and bidding went $300 over what I paid him for it. I never put any comments on the auction about the fact that the engine was knackered, and felt guilty about it for ages afterwards. Jump forward 4 months and I get a friend to check out a bike for me. He does a comression test and it comes up knackered again. I pass on it and it goes in without meeting reserve. The dude relists it with the same description "...strong runner...good motor..." After feeling so bad the last time I put a comment on his auction to the fact that his description was dishonest and he knew all too well the condition of the engine. The auction closed and he never answered the question, but the next time it was relisted he made mention that the compression was 'down a little' and someone bought it. Sweet, I felt that my intervention had made a difference- some dork bought it knowingly that the engine might be a bit suspect. Now it has happended again.
I tend to expect any bike or car thirty years old to need a rebuild, and approach it from that perspective regardless of what the owner says. Often the seller is blissfully unaware of the true condition, occasionally the seller is being deliberately deceptive. Either way, I tend to consider it a bonus if a thirty year old bike DOESN'T need it's rebuild immediately . . . . It sucks when you know that the owner is being deceptive though. Unfortunately nobody appointed us TradeMe Sherriff" otherwise we'd run that varmint outta town . . . .
Yes I am not wanting to be some sort of watchdog. But we know that honesty has deserted the general population -bikers included. When someone buys a bike off me they get a factual explanation of everything as I know it- good and bad. And 9 times out of ten I have got the 'bad' sorted before I sell on. The bike I sent back was carefully photographed so that dents in the tank did not show etc etc. And the blown fork seals were blamed on the transport company when clearly there was evidence of the leaking oil blown all over the front end which only happens over time and riding, not transporting. Blatent dishonesty. I expect to have issues to remedy when buying an old bike- for sure. But saying an engine needs a tune up when they know it needs a full reco is a $4,000 lie. That's not chump change. The other thing I worry about is what if someone I know buys it sight unseen in a last minute bidding session and I don't get the chance to ring or email to warn them. Then I see them at the Guzzi rally or they ring me later for parts...
I have been blacklisted by a few traders for asking those akward questions that are more of a statement. You can try checking the bidders profile to see if they have an auction and ask/tell them what's happening there. Also if you are certain that the trader is being deliberately dishonest with the description you can complain to Tardme. Link at bottom of each auction for that purpose.
I'd only buy a Guzzi if that bloke on TM Guzzinut came with me....he knows people....good people....
Dodgy mate, this post could not have come at a better time. A guy I work with asked me if I knew anything about guzzis. My answer was "no, but I can ask someone who does" Guess which bike he was looking at So if it makes you feel any better you have prevented one person from being shafted.........
Glad to have helped S, Why it bothers me is exactly your post- NZ is small, and the Guzzi community even smaller. Odds on I would most likely know the buyer if they already have a Guzzi. It would be like a mate chats up a lady down the pub while your there. You have just got rid of the crabs she gave you last week, do you tell him or let him enjoy the seafood?
it depends on what you are buying...i bought the XJ550 sight unseen because it was very cheap and i was planning to rebuild it anyway....
Originally Posted by a Guzzi nut The other thing I worry about is what if someone I know buys it sight unseen in a last minute bidding session and I don't get the chance to ring or email to warn them. Originally Posted by a Ducati nut I'd only buy a Guzzi if that bloke on TM Guzzinut came with me....he knows people....good people.... It may seem a bit harsh, but anyone who buys a specialised bike or car without checking with a marque specialist almost deserves any consequences . . . . because whether it's TradeMe or Loot or Trade&Exchange, you're still dealing with *people*, folk who want to get rid of something they don't want any more. They are often selling because they either know for certain or strongly suspect that the bike or car will cost them big money if they don't dump it quick. The challenge is to find a seller who has a more attractive reason (to the purchaser) for selling something that has genuinely been well maintained and still has some life left in it, with factors such as a divorce, bereavement, redundancy or other significant change in circumstances. For any other situation, it needs to be real cheap in order to balance the risk . . . .
cmoore it depends on what you are buying...i bought the XJ550 sight unseen because it was very cheap and i was planning to rebuild it anyway.... Oh for sure cmoore, not a big initial outlay, you planned to do it up and that is sweet. It makes the risk higher for every extra $ you pay originally. The bike I sent back was 3K, to me that is a lot of money and I was very upset, so much so I really feel for other people who have, or about to come into the same grief. In other news, a bike on it's way to me was collected a few days early so the seller mailed me a cheque for the rego he didn't have time to get but wanted to honour his word. didn't tell me, it just arrived in the post.
Originally Posted by Dodgy In other news, a bike on it's way to me was collected a few days early so the seller mailed me a cheque for the rego he didn't have time to get but wanted to honour his word. didn't tell me, it just arrived in the post. That's the kinda guy you want to deal with.
I see the compresion on the Guzzi has been revealed.... only a 10% imbalance. Must have tipped some Bolognase Sauce in the pots.
My mate did the test and got 135 and 80, I know him, I trust him.
WOW italianics.....you must be trying to make a point. Its an auction, you really do take your chances.... thats very subtle....moreso than slit your throat you bastard....that I lurned on KB today.
I didn't call him a bastard
