Would you buy a used bike you couldn't test ride?

kawi_girl

kawi_girl

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So my boyfriend is looking at getting into riding and we were going to check out a Ninja 250 some time this week. When texting the guy he said 'no test drives, insurance won't cover it'. Personally, any time I've gone to buy a bike (I've bought two now) I've always been allowed to test ride them, and when I sold my bike, I allowed someone to test ride it. It just sounds weird and I think....'would I buy a car without test driving it??? HELL NO.' So why would anyone buy a used bike and not test drive it?

Thoughts?
 
kawi_girl said:
So my boyfriend is looking at getting into riding and we were going to check out a Ninja 250 some time this week. When texting the guy he said 'no test drives, insurance won't cover it'. Personally, any time I've gone to buy a bike (I've bought two now) I've always been allowed to test ride them, and when I sold my bike, I allowed someone to test ride it. It just sounds weird and I think....'would I buy a car without test driving it??? HELL NO.' So why would anyone buy a used bike and not test drive it?

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've bought/sold bikes without test rides.
 
I have sold without test rides and bought as well (the one time I bought without a test was a bike with 400k on it).
 
kawi_girl said:
So my boyfriend is looking at getting into riding and we were going to check out a Ninja 250 some time this week. When texting the guy he said 'no test drives, insurance won't cover it'. Personally, any time I've gone to buy a bike (I've bought two now) I've always been allowed to test ride them, and when I sold my bike, I allowed someone to test ride it. It just sounds weird and I think....'would I buy a car without test driving it??? HELL NO.' So why would anyone buy a used bike and not test drive it?

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

As you stated your BF hasn't even started riding yet, so realistically he wouldn't know if the bike was a gem or a dud.

Maybe it's not the right bike for him, even though it might be for you.
 
My first bike I never rode, I sat on it, reved it a bit and bought it. Second bike since it was a little more money had the owner ride up and down the street engine, tranny all sounded fine so I bought it.

When I sold my bike the guy asked me to do the same I rode it up and down the street, him and his buddy looked everything over for leaks, etc and bought it.

That said most people will let you ride it as long as you put the cash in their hands first, but most who do that will probably be already quite honest about the bike.

Edit:
Its just a 250, check for wear of the chain/sprockets, has it been dropped. does the KM on the ODO reflect the age/shape of the bike? When it runs does it sound good, any knocking, etc.... Also be carefull with bikes too quiet :P 250's get quieter when they need valve adjust. If the weather is good get the owner to ride the bike, that pretty much will show you it works to some degree.....
 
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Having purchased most my bikes in the winter and in the north yup not an issue buying without a test ride.
 
I have both bought and sold used bikes.

I can tell you that in my experience I would not let someone "test ride" my bike and I can appreciate a seller withholding that option as well.

If your insurance doesnt cover other riders, or if you dont want to share the responsibility then you simply say no test rides. Remember this is somone you do not know and you are willing to put your trust in them? Insurance usually will cover liability but what about collision? Many riders will opt to not take collision for cost reasons.

The last bike I bought (2007 CBR600RR) I was not allowed to test ride it either. I did however have the seller ride it up and down the street for me so I could see that it actually worked and that there were no strange noises or anything else like that.

The other thing you have to consider is the bike you are selling and the buyers riding ability.

You are looking to buy a 250 Ninja which by most riders would be considered a learners bike. (regardless of who will be the test rider) and you also mentioned that your BF is looking to get into riding. As a seller that is where I draw the line..

What happens if you dump the bike causing damage? Who is responsible and liable to pay for the damage? You really dont have any way of getting that money out of the buyer...

If the buyer showed up with full asking price in cash - placed it in my hand with the agreement that you break it you buy it then I would be more inclined to allow reconsider.

If you managed to find 2 sellers that let you test ride a bike before buying consider yourself lucky.

just my 2cents
 
bikermahn said:
My first bike I never rode, I sat on it, reved it a bit and bought it. Second bike since it was a little more money had the owner ride up and down the street engine, tranny all sounded fine so I bought it.

When I sold my bike the guy asked me to do the same I rode it up and down the street, him and his buddy looked everything over for leaks, etc and bought it.

That said most people will let you ride it as long as you put the cash in their hands first, but most who do that will probably be already quite honest about the bike.
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Also, you can't compare test riding a motorcycle with test driving a car. The skillset required to ride a bike is much more involved than with a car test drive.

I've bought bikes with and without a test ride. All depends on the feel of the owner and how they answer questions, condition of the bike, etc.
I've also let people test ride bikes I had for sale, but they at least put the asking price for the bike (in cash) in my hand. We had an understanding, you crash it you bought it.

Good luck.
 
I bought my bike without a test ride.... test rides usually only happen if you have cash in hand, in case you dump it. It's too risky otherwise for the seller
 
I can see some of your points...I guess I've just been lucky with good experiences from buying/selling with test rides that I never really thought that it would even be an option to buy a bike without test riding it. I've had a Ninja 250 before and completely tore it down and put it back together so I feel pretty confident in my ability to judge the condition of the bike, but I'd just be worried about not catching odd things like sounds only at certain speeds, tire/wheel issues, etc. if I don't test ride the bike before he buys it.
 
For liability reasons I accept the fact that some sellers and I'll be on the same boat will not allow test rides unless of course I know you. You can either drop the bike and damage it or hurt your self and I/seller could be liable for the injuries.
 
I bought both my bikes without a test ride. The first was a private sale and the seller rode it to my house to deliver it, it was perfect. The second was from a dealer and it was at the bike show, so I didn't expect one. Both both times I have zero worries. I look at the seller more than what they are selling for feedback on the condition on the bike etc.

If you feel uneasy about the seller, or if anything raises a red flag walk away. No shortage of 250's out there.
 
jampy00 said:
i bought both my bikes without a test ride. The first was a private sale and the seller rode it to my house to deliver it, it was perfect. The second was from a dealer and it was at the bike show, so i didn't expect one. Both both times i have zero worries. I look at the seller more than what they are selling for feedback on the condition on the bike etc.

if you feel uneasy about the seller, or if anything raises a red flag walk away. No shortage of bike's out there.
Click to expand...

ftfy
 
I haven't test rode any of my bikes or my sled. I do a very thorough inspection, so I'll catch any issues and when the seller sees you competently checking the bike out they will be less likely to bs you.
Obviously start the bike and check it out, have the owner ride it and you should be fine.

I wouldn't let anyone I don't know operate anything I own.
 
I don't think it's an absolute red flag if the dude doesn't let you ride it.
That said I wouldn't buy a bike from someone I didn't know unless they let me ride it.
I'd rather move on to a seller who'll let me ride the bike for sale.
 
I've only test rode 1 out of the 3 bikes I've bought. I did some research, gave them a thorough look-over, checked the vehicle's history and questioned the owner before buying. Once I had the owner test ride it for me so I could see that the gearbox worked (he got pulled over for not wearing his helmet lol).

I allowed the buyer of my old bike to test ride it but I can understand the hesitation sellers feel about test rides especially for 250s which tend to attract a lot of first timers.
 
I would never buy a bike without riding it first. If i want to get a bike i show up with the cash and ask for a test ride, have never been denied and always ended up getting the bike. One time this practice saved me 500 off the price, since after the test ride i noticed one of the fork seals was leaking.

Also every bike i have sold i have let the person test ride it. The ones i sold to friends obviously wasnt a problem, the other ones i took the cash before the ride. Guys came back, and ended up taking the bike.
 
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