Asking the sages at 24hcf for a few tips on selling a motorcycle on Craigslist. Have sold lots of guns online so know all the stuff about good pictures, honest description etc. I know about the Craigslist scams, bad check artists and so forth so for the price (thinking around $4000-4500) I was going to ask for cash.

What I'm not sure of is how would you handle someone wanting to take it for a test ride? You want a prospective buyer to know what he's getting but in a car you can ride along with them, on a cycle they pretty much have it on their own. Can't ask prospects to bring full price in cash to let me hold but don't want to get stuck with someone who might drop it, say "oops" and just walk away with little recourse for me except to shoot them (just kidding, mostly).

Anyway, all you wheeliers and dealers, I'm all ears...

Make sure you have full coverage insurance and the looker leaves his car with you.

Size them up by what they ride in on, or drive. What kind of bike? A heavy dresser Gold Wing, or a tall dirt bike, or fast, things that a rider unfamiliar with it would have a learning curve.

I have seen ads where it stated no rides

Test rides?
Cars yes, motorcycles no,
Money in my hand then you can ride it.
If your not happy, come back in a few minutes with a undamaged bike, is one thing, some one talking my motorcycle for a free test ride isn't gonna happen.

Big +1.

He can sit on the seat, turn the throttle, look all he likes...but no free rides, unless he's a good friend buying it.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ THIS^ ^ ^

My dad advertised a boat on craigslist and several people wanted to "drive by and see it". He gave out his address. Couple nights later someone stole the Mercury outboard off it.

good luck with it.

i hope the pinheads stay away from you.
last one i sold a "buyer" wanted it, but
insisted we go to his "law-rers" orfice
to have him look it over and notarize it.
i told him that was completely unnecessary
and who would be paying for that?
"way-yul i figgurt yew'd a be-a paying ferrit"


don't sell it alone. have a friend with you. btdt

I sold my ZRX a couple weeks ago.

In the ad I stated, "Bring Cash, I'll hold it while you test ride the bike"

I had a bunch of responses to the ad but the only guy that actually came by had cash, had me hold it while he rode and bought the bike.

Don't post your address, there's time for that if they're serious.

Don't know why not, that's exactly what I would do. If they are seriously interested they would have the cash in their pocket when they show up. The only thing that bothers me in this day and age is if the cash is legit! Since crooks have gotten so good at forging even the verifying of cash is getting to be problematic. They even forge that plastic strip in the bills. FWIW

^ ^ ^ last one i bought i had cash

Expect a lot of people to call, schedule appointments, and then never show up. A lot Craigslist buyers are tire kickers without any intent to buy and the opportunity to ride a $4,000+ motorcycle might bring out the worst of them.

If they are serious, they will bring $$ and a valid operator's license to the test ride.

Google "Allstate mayhem motorcycle test drive".

EDIT: I recently had a guy come by to test drive an old car that I had on CL. He was dropped off and wouldn't let me make a copy of his operator's permit, so I told him to go ahead and call his ride back, 'cause there was no way that I was going to give him the keys to that car with him leaving some sort of collateral. He was actually offended that I didn't trust him!

This was my policy when I owned bikes and it always worked out well.

Full cash payment, up front (with receipt), before test ride. Sold my last Harley that way ($8k).

sure you can. it's done all the time

I sold a nice Harley for $9,200.

Four guys showed up the next morning with a bike trailer on their van. I wasn't sure how to handle the "test drive" thing but I sure didn't want them riding it.

This was a really nice bike, not a scratch on it and 3,400 miles!
These guys just cranked it up and revved it up twice, honked the horn, and switched it off. They paid the cash and loaded the bike up on the trailer.

No, I wouldn't let someone test drive a bike, way too risky.

You can buy one of those yellow pens at Staples that will test bills to see if they are legit.
It doesn't catch all counterfeits but will catch most.

Do not leave it in your buddy's barn long enough for it to burn down completely to the ground. True story.

Meet them someplace neutral to look at bike.

With a car or a motorcycle I size up the individual and find out a few things about them, then decide how to proceed.

If I do decide to let them drive the car or ride the bike, I make them hand over their drivers license, and maybe their car keys, too, for me to hold until they get back. I figure they are less likely to speed if they don't have their license on them.

If they don't trust me with their license and keys, I don't trust them with the car or bike. I have never had any bad experiences, other than turning a couple of flakes away that were probably druggies.

With a car sale it is a simple matter to ride with them. A bike is another story.

It may be different in your area, but around here the ratio of scammers, lo-ballers and tire kickers to legitimate inquiries is 100 to 1...in other words I'm prepared for a lot of inquiries that will waste my time if I let them...so I don't.

I try to feel out any potential "buyers" with subtle but poignant questions before I even decide to meet them somewhere, but even then you can't really tell in this day and age. I am more wary of the female scammers.

I will get offers of 10% of what I am asking by text or on the phone regardless of the item or price.

They are just low ballers that seem to populate Craigs List and probably the same group every time.

Then there are the "I'm out of town, but I'll send you a Cashiers Check for $1000 over, or 3x the amount...you keep half and give the change and the item to my cousin when he picks the item up..."

That's a well known counterfeit CC con and I get a few of those with every item I list regardless of category.

What always makes me laugh is that at the top of the ad copy I have highlighted in bold all caps that:

"If you can still see this ad the item is still for sale. I will remove the listing within 5 minutes of the item being sold!!"

The first call or text everyone still asks if the item is still available...:)

But I don't worry about it, it's just a conversational thing.

Other than that I don't waste my time or tolerate any crap, I will politely say no, but a serious buyer will be treated with extreme courtesy.

I wouldn't let anyone ride off with a car or bike. If he crashes and hurts himself or others you are out the damages and have liability. I just tell them I'm not insured for that and a serious buyer will make the deal happen.

That's the guy you really want to deal with.

I sold my bike on Craigslist.

It didn't happen but if some idiot showed up that I didn't trust to ride it, I just would have started it up and rode it to the corner and back for him, then told him , cash in my hand before he touches it.

Luckily a guy showed up that knew more about the bike than I did, plus his wife was hot so I let him ride it as long as he wanted while she stayed there talking to me.

Like above, I get the usual low ballers by text. I just ignore them. Sometimes they want to convince me why my item isn't worth what I'm asking and why I should sell it to them for half , I ignore them too. I know what its worth.

No matter what you put in the ad, chances are they going to do that to you. Its just part of Craigslist.

The guy I sold mine to asked if I'd ride it home for him...he wanted a harley, but was scared to ride it home...he said he'd only ridden dirt bikes when he was a kid...

First, absolutely ask for cash only. Second, I wouldn't let them test ride it unless they had that cash. I'm not a bike owner, but my neighbor has a good pile of them. He says when you're dealing with used bikes, you don't get a test ride. You get to hear it run. If you ride you hand over cash first. He said he's never had anyone question that, as it's fairly common knowledge when dealing with used bikes.

BIG #2!!!

Cash is King !

Why not? That's the way bike sales work around here. I've only been looking at Harley's, but if you want a test drive, you better have the full payment in cash on hand.

I've bought and sold several motorcycles on Craigslist in Boise. I've always dealt only with cash either way. I have always gotten a test ride when buying a motorcycle, without paying up front. Maybe I look honest. Maybe because I show up with truck and trailer. I don't know, but people have been very open about letting me ride prior to buying.

Conversely, I have, more times than not, let people buying take it for a ride. Not everytime, as I do judge a book by it's cover when someone shows up. I have yet, knock wood, to have any problems.

Best thing to do is to take decent pictures and try to be as honest with respect to the condition as possible.

Jim, I've sold 3 Harleys online. I tried Craigslist but the Spam was out of control. Every Nigerian prince in Nigeria seems to be in the market for a Harley .
I had much better luck listing my bikes on eBay local.
No, I didn't allow test drives, and everybody was understanding of that.
The last one I sold was bought by a farmer in Iowa- he brought cash- $15,000 in $10s, $20s and $50s- I swear it took me an hour to count it.

I never had so much of my time wasted as when I sold my late brother in laws motorcycle....
It had 3 k miles and still under warranty....she needed 10 k to pay the note at the bank and that was a deal as it was worth around 13k..
Couldn't believe the morons that wasted my time low balling...one guy offered 3 cash in hundred dollar bills....big deal...
The guy that bought it said I'll take it a soon as I opened the garage door...
Didn't ride it or even start it...

I appreciate everybody’s responses and advice. As I said, I’ve never sold a motorcycle on an on-line site (never sold one at all to someone not in the family) so didn’t know what was customary, but cash in hand it is.

I just sold my 98 FXDL this past Sunday. Had it listed on Craigslist with contact info ... not one bite. Also had it listed on Cycletrader.com and had dozens of contacts. They verify emails and all contacts are via email first. Best $45 I ever spent. This isn't

I've got a nice Dyna I'd like to sell but it's not worth the trouble. I'll probably just keep it and put 150 miles a year on it.

I have sold cars ,trucks,motorcycles and boats on Craigslist.I only answer to people who give me their name and a hardline phone number.I also state cash only and scammers don`t waste my time.I give them directions to the gas station in town and meet them there.I have had no problems.

Selling a bike, or a car, on craigslist is not as dangerous as buying one.

Two years ago a there was a guy up north of Atlanta, a Vietnam vet. When he went to 'Nam in 1967, he had a brand new Camaro. His parents had to sell the car while he was in the war.

So, several years ago he began digging around for that same model car.
He ran an ad on craigslist and a guy from south Georgia responded, said, Yes, he had that very car, would sell for $15,500 cash only.

So the guy and his wife drove down to south Georgia.
But, there was no Camaro. A tall, good looking blonde 26 year old Georgia country boy met them at a spot out in the country, shot them both in the head, took their cash, and drove their car into a pond.

It is a sweetheart deal for the Psycho, you know the buyer is showing up with a bunch of cash.

They caught the Psycho Boy in a day. The genius had driven 20 miles to the next town to buy a dollar phone at the dollar store, one of those phones that you pay twenty bucks and get an hour of talking. Paid cash for it.
He only used the phone to lure this couple.
However, there is an ID number with each phone. GBI tracked the phone to that dollar store, and got the video that showed the tall blonde guy buying that phone.

Last time I bought a car off Craigslist, I had the seller meet me at my house, and we drove together to my credit union and had him watch them cut a cashier's check. Check for title, deal done, no $25,000 in cash in my pocket while roaming around town.