Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Arthur Pint Motor wrote:Looks like a specialist courier/pick up job is the way to go.
Tranny + fuel is likely to be £100+ for 350 miles/one day.

Here's another question:
Would you risk buying a very low mileage bike unseen, based on an add + a phone call???

(seems a bit of a pain to drive 350 miles round trip to view and then have to pay £100+ for delivery).

No I always deal face to face unless I know them already.

If your existing bike insurance covers you to ride someone else's bike you could be ok.
I guess it's not yours until the docs hit Swansea.

LWB Hi-roof Connect seems very popular, or a SWBHi-roof Transit; the guys who bring their trail bikes to where we depart from on our trail rides seem to use these

Thinking aloud....

1) I need to see the bike! Therefore need to travel there.
2) Might as well risk £50 on hiring one of PaulinBont's suggested vans - fuel cost probably not too much more than my 50MPG car. Worst case, bike is crap and I spent an extra £70 and have a less comfy journey. Best case - happy as an ABR in mud!

Yep, I think you need to see the bike first, rather than paying for it plus delivery.

My view on these things is skewed after travelling in the past to see immaculate heaps of poo, Once to the IOW! Got off ferry, met vendor, walk up to van, turn round without a word , back on same ferry.

I had similar issues when looking for second hand vans. One described as "very clean and tidy" was mullered all down one side as if it had been mashed along a wall or maybe even been over on it's side. It also had all the door locks missing. My mate Steve put together a list of descriptions used in adverts and their meanings based on his experiences of buying many bikes

Well looked after...........I washed it yesterday.
Good Tyres..................Well, they've got some tread left, just.
New chain and sprockets.....They were new when I fitted them.
Regularly serviced..........I sprayed some munk on the chain after I washed it.
Low hours/miles.............Just reconnected the speedo.
Never Raced.................Weston twice doesn't really count, does it?
A few scratches.............Looks like it's been thrown into a quarry
Loads of spares.............A box of warn out bits from various bikes I've owned.
Very reliable...............I hope it will start when you turn up.

I'm afraid that I go a bit the other way. I don't want my time wasted or to waste someone else's. I list and photograph all defects, however small.

I was lucky when I bought my DRZ "E" years ago. The chap was perfectly honest.

He was in his late sixties and proud of the fact that the bike did a day's hard trail-riding every week and a time-card enduro every month or so.

He had a really tidy little workshop at the bottom of his garden and a diary of all the work he had done to the bike since he bought it new. It listed what he did after every ride and had notes as to what was expected to next need attention for instance "rear bearings just OK, change before race on the 19th"

The kit of spares that came with the bike included brand new air filters plus used, cleaned and oiled ones. A couple of full sets of pads and new pins. Wheel bearing and seal kits. Output shaft seals. New front sprockets and lock washers. Brake, clutch and gear levers; new and a few serviceable but used ones. A complete set of new replacement plastics. The used and scratched original ones were on the bike.

For the test-ride, he said "take it for a spin. I won't start to panic for half an hour or so"

It was over my budget but I didn't haggle.

I would never buy anything significant without giving it a very good looking over. Hire a van and go and look. Worst case, you have a nice day out.