Selling a bike -test rides Yes/No?

**Omega1** · 23rd July 2004, 15:32

Hi Everyone,

Just need your collective advice,I was wondering what everyones attitude was to prospective buyers taking their bike out for a test ride? e.g is it wrong to say "No test ride until you agree to buy it and front up with the $$ then I'll allow you to take her out, if you dont like it I'll hand back the cheque? or just handover the keys and let em go? maybe grab their car keys or Something as security? I have heard of people takin photo's?
I'd just like to know the fairest and most secure way of doing this without coming across as a prick so to speak,

Many Thanks

**riffer** · 23rd July 2004, 15:42

I wouldn't let them. Even if they give you their keys, you still don't know what they are doing.

I made the mistake of doing this with my GT-B, and the guy came back and told me the turbos were stuffed, as they were growling, and refused to buy it.

Turns out, after I checked it out, there wass no problem with the turbos. This clown had managed to twist the mainshaft in the gearbox - no idea how...

Ended up costing $4000 for a new gearbox...

Never again.

If I had a 1999 ZX7R I sure as hell wouldn't let anyone play test pilot.

**kerryg** · 23rd July 2004, 15:49

Originally Posted by Omega1

Hi Everyone,

Just need your collective advice,I was wondering what everyones attitude was to prospective buyers taking their bike out for a test ride? e.g is it wrong to say "No test ride until you agree to buy it and front up with the $$ then I'll allow you to take her out, if you dont like it I'll hand back the cheque? or just handover the keys and let em go? maybe grab their car keys or Something as security? I have heard of people takin photo's?
I'd just like to know the fairest and most secure way of doing this without coming across as a prick so to speak,

Many Thanks

It's tricky ' cos you need to be helpful and cooperative etc etc and it's not that easy to sell a motorbike....so I am very amenable to letting a genuinely interested prospective buyer have a ride BUT....

Last weekend this f*****g Pommy

tosser on a little Suzuki cruiser took my precious gleaming FZR1000 for a 1 hour (I kid you not) ride and after coming back told me it needed gas (had plenty of gas in it when he left), what a wonderful bike it is and thanks for the ride......and that was it. Buggered off, muttering about having to sell his (poxy) bike first and thanks a lot and have a nice day. Didn't even offer half what it's worth or anything. I was, well.....taken aback :spudwhat: . I didn't know I was offering free rides on my bike to all comers. Silly me. I just hope the wanker didn't get a speed camera ticket while he was out

So in future I'll not let anyone ride my bike until I've established that they're genuinely interested, have the money and that the ride is the last (not first) part of the process. I reckon that's reasonable.

Suppose it beats hiring a bike for a ride......

Actually, just thinking about, it probably is very sensible to get some details of the guy (eg at least sight his licence and note the number and name) to establish he is who he says he is, in case he does get a speed camera ticket or even worse bugger off on your bike and leave you with his (probably stolen) crappy little cruiser.... . IN FACT I WILL DO EXACTLY THAT IN FUTURE

**FROSTY:Me** · 23rd July 2004, 16:04

Originally Posted by Omega1

Hi Everyone,

Just need your collective advice,I was wondering what everyones attitude was to prospective buyers taking their bike out for a test ride? e.g is it wrong to say "No test ride until you agree to buy it and front up with the $$ then I'll allow you to take her out, if you dont like it I'll hand back the cheque? or just handover the keys and let em go? maybe grab their car keys or Something as security? I have heard of people takin photo's?
I'd just like to know the fairest and most secure way of doing this without coming across as a prick so to speak,

Many Thanks

Dude Ive been in this vehicle sales game for a few years and I still don't always make the right call all the time.
U can usually suss out the genuine buyer from the test driver within a couple of minutes.
The serious guy is asking a shit load of questions about you,your maintainence etc.
The BS artist is busy selling himself and overkeen to go for a test ride.
You will NEVER get it 100% right but like if the guy turns up in a 10k car and is happy to leave you the keys you're probably pretty safe .
Watch their reaction to the money questions and thats a dead givaway too.

**bungbung** · 23rd July 2004, 16:16

Frosty is right, you'll have to make a call on the guys character minutes after meeting him/her. The car key approach is pretty good when possible.

On the other hand, I'm not about to buy a bike I can't ride first (mostly).

**gav** · 23rd July 2004, 16:19

Offer to take the guy as a passenger around the bloke. Check the car out too, had a guy throw me the keys, and when I looked in the back seat, had a car sales window card sitting there,

There was a tale going around the traps awhile ago about a sales man going out on a ride with a keen young guy looking at a RC45, the last the salesman saw was the RC45 slowly pulling away from him at 200km/h on his borrowed bike. RC45 never seen again.....not sure if its just a legend or what?

**Devil** · 23rd July 2004, 16:22

Originally Posted by XJ/FROSTY

Dude Ive been in this vehicle sales game for a few years and I still don't always make the right call all the time.
U can usually suss out the genuine buyer from the test driver within a couple of minutes.
The serious guy is asking a shit load of questions about you,your maintainence etc.
The BS artist is busy selling himself and overkeen to go for a test ride.
You will NEVER get it 100% right but like if the guy turns up in a 10k car and is happy to leave you the keys you're probably pretty safe .
Watch their reaction to the money questions and thats a dead givaway too.

Heh, it'd be twice now that ive come onto a car yard with the sole intent to Tyre Kick, having the sales person TELL me to take X car for a drive then ending up buying the thing heh. mmm impulse buy!

**Posh Tourer :P** · 23rd July 2004, 16:26

He can agree to buy it conditional on a test ride of it.... I wouldnt let anyone go for a test ride unless I knew they were serious, and the car/bike wasnt 1) not worth testing ie a cheap dunger - not worth taking risk on - or 2) very expensive. There are risks, get security from them possibly? but you still dont have legal standing in that case. Or if you are really cheeky, offer to follow them round on their bike/car with them in yours...

**Hoon** · 23rd July 2004, 16:41

I've never had a problem when buying bikes with people giving me a test ride....but then again I've always been genuinely interested with cash in back pocket. If I plan on taking it for a test ride I will either ask the guy on the phone first or turn up with the cash.

What I really hate is when you are real keen on buying a bike and oozing excitement, but after you take it for a test ride, it's a real lemon and you come back all disappointed and have to tell the guy "sorry pal".

**750Y** · 23rd July 2004, 16:56

my last 3 bikes i bought without ever riding them.
I advertise & sell my bikes around my bottom line so i get more bites & it sells quicker. I had one pommy git come round to tyre kick my nice but cheap bike trying to knock a bargain down to a giveaway, imagine my suprise 2 years later when selling my next bike (cheap again) i get a call from the same dickhead wanting to test ride it. he didn't remember me but i remembered him. i told him if he wanted a test ride to go find a shop with one then come back to me if he liked it. never heard from him again.

**bros400** · 23rd July 2004, 17:30

as subject says...

But i also understand the atraction in going looking for a bike to take for a cain... and i did look(and test drove) at bikes at bike shops before buying my bros, but wasnt particular intresting in buying from a shop as aposed to privotly.

Most time's ive test driven veicals was when helping a friened find a car.

**FROSTY:Me** · 23rd July 2004, 17:37

one advantage ive go is I can do a hook/ownership check in under a minute.
a demo is a strict nono if the cage he turned up in torns out to belong to someone with a different name

**aff-man** · 23rd July 2004, 18:15

well hand over the keys to his vehicle is a must as well as showing a bike licence ect.

p.s. if you looking at selling a zx7 talk to CK

**Wenier** · 23rd July 2004, 18:47

Wut i was doin is they have to agree on a price b4 a test ride and sign a contract with me and a flatmate as a witness (this had their licence number on it so no hiding), and it said that they unconditional accepted all liability to damages and speed tickets while on my bike test riding.

**Bob** · 23rd July 2004, 20:27

My view? Vehicle keys are all well and good - but as more than one person says, they could be keys for a stolen vehicle.

IF it is a serious buyer, then they're going to have the cash to buy the bike, are they not? So, if they want a test ride, they have to hand over the FULL AMOUNT. If they haven't got it on them that day, then OK, hand over a reserve/holding fee and you'll hold it until they can come back the next day with the full sum (always offer a receipt for the holding fee). And it is made clear that if it doesn't come back in the same condition it left, it is considered sold - again, worth putting that on any receipt for the money.

That will stop the tyre-kickers who just want a play on a bike they've never ridden before.