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Buy a Motorcycle
Online? You Bet!
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More and more riders are using the power of the Internet to find the motorcycle they want on the virtual superhighway, so they can get out on the open road.
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by Tom Lankard
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Sage advice for those considering the Web to snag the motorcycle of their dreams . . .
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 | | Although finding a classic, mint Harley online may be a pipe dream, you may still find the bike that takes you back. | | | advertisement | | |
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It's an auction. But unlike traditional, bricks-and-mortar auctions, with online auctions you don't touch or even really see the merchandise in a tactile sense until you've agreed to buy it. In some ways, it's more like a flea market. You visit the Web site. You "virtually" view the bike. You bid, and maybe bid again and again. Then you wait and see. There are some safeguards, but they're still only e-phemeral. Nothing tangible happens until a delivery/shipping company deposits a motorcycle in your driveway.
Is this the way to buy a bike? You bet. A growing number of riders are employing the Internet to find the bikes they really want. Through the power of your computer, you may be able to find that special bike you won't find in your local newspaper's classifieds or on a local dealer's lot.
"It was one I had back then," says Joe Evans, 56, of LaMarque, Texas, about the 1970 Honda CB750 on which he was bidding.
Shopping
Accessing auction Web sites is fairly routine, although on most there's a wrinkle or two. So before you fill in the blanks, window shop. It's free (save for the cookies, but you knew that, right?).
On some sites, you have to dig a bit. If there's no motorcycle link on the home page, click the automotive link. If this doesn't deliver a page with a bike link, do the search thing with a brand name. This should take you either to a motorcycle page or to a page with a motorcycle link in the menu line.
Then browse until you find the bike you want. Now comes a wrinkle. Before you can bid you have to sign up/register, which usually means a few pages of name/address/preference particulars. Some fields may be optional—until you get to the e-mail address box.
If the e-mail address you're using is hosted by an ISP allowing anonymity (that is, you may use an alias that can't be traced), reputable auction sites may require a credit card number. Don't panic. You shouldn't be charged for bidding; read the small print, though. Reputable sites merely want to verify your identity for purposes of screening shills: faux bidders conspiring with a seller to drive up the price of your dream bike.
One more thing: Check the feedbacks, where buyers and sellers rate each other regarding quality of product, timeliness of delivery and payment promptness. While individual sellers aren't likely to be regular players on a motorcycle site, seller services are. They're kind of the virtual version of used bike lots. And buyers' evaluations can be very telling.
Screen, too, the e-mail addresses of buyers filing feedbacks. A number of ratings with the same ISP address or clustered around the same date may indicate an attempt to stack a seller's rating, either positively or negatively.
The big sites also flag newbies, whether seller or buyer. Usually, a registrant who's signed on with the site or changed a username in the previous month is identified with some sort of icon, such as a pair of dark glasses. By noting this the site is saying these registrants haven't been around long enough to build a reputation; so it's your choice regarding level of trust.
Buying
Found it. Want it. So buy it. Not so fast. What? You've done all the e-checking. Nothing popped up on the radar. Why not do the deal?
Remember, this is a motorcycle. When you park it and walk away, it falls over if you haven't put down the kickstand. And if it's ever encountered a patch of gravel on a Sunday morning ride, it's likely scuffed something on the pavement. And no matter the degree of definition your monitor delivers, you're not going to see everything there is to be seen. So ask.
What you work out with the seller is your business, and it is your responsibility as a buyer to make sure all your concerns are adequately addressed before you place your bid.
"I always e-mail if I have any questions," Evans says. "I'll get their phone number and call them."
Questions range from mileage (most sites require sellers to list ranges, but you should always ask) to tire sizes and types (some are street-legal versions of racing rubber, which should tell you something about the rider) to accessory equipment brands (not every fairing that looks like a Vetter or factory-dress is) to age of rider ('nuff said).
Depending on where the seller lives, there may also be a vehicle inspection service you can buy. "You develop a bit of a feel about the people," Evans says. What about those who don't reply with telephone numbers? "That would make me a little leery," he says.
And no matter the filters, "I guess you're leaving a lot to trust," Evans says, who adds, "I've sold several cars [through online auction sites]," all without problems.
Paying
Be careful here. "This is not the real world," cautions Evans. Reputable sites have links to or contain in-house, escrow-type services. These let you personally inspect the merchandise before releasing to the seller your previously authorized payment.
It's like buying a house. You write a check for the amount of the purchase and hand it to the escrow company. You examine the property/title. The escrow company verifies the availability of the funds. If everything's OK, the escrow company cashes the check and pays the seller and you get the house.
Only with a bike, you send the payment to escrow. The seller ships you the bike. If it's as you expected and agreed, you tell the escrow company to pay the seller.
Despite Evans' experience with the cars he's sold, we wouldn't do it any other way. Remember, you're trusting life and limb to this machine.
Final Thoughts . . .
This isn't like buying a house or a car. Still, you may find a bike you really, really want—one that means more to you than the logo on the tank.
Go for it, but caveat e-mptor.
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