Sight unseen?

[Clydeman]

After 50 years of riding and racing, and having owned 40+ motorcycles, I can honestly say that I've never purchased a used bike seen unseen. Just seemed a bit too risky.  I've currently got my eye on 2 or 3 very low mile, near new machines and I can't get away to look at them.  They're all out of state. Anyone here ever buy a bike without seeing or riding it?  If so, how did that experience turn out for you?  Common sense is telling me no but there's some great deals out there right now.  Thanks

[Bisbonian]

My 1200 Sport, of course it was new but I never got a chance to ride one before I purchased it from Moto International. I still have it.

On the other hand, I did a long distance fly-n-ride for a KTM 640 Adventure, I wanted one very badly. The experience soured me on KTM to this day.

[guzzi4me]

Ask Dusty how his buying experience went with his Jackal.

Every deal is different. It all depends on the "gut feeling" when talking to the seller.

I may be a bit biased but I would feel very comfortable buying any brand of bike from a member of this board. Other places maybe not so much.
Maybe a board member is close to the bikes you are looking at and could go take a look for you?

Jeff

[ray bear]

Yes its a concern and has always left me with a knot in my gut until they arrive on your door, fortunately I have never been burnt and have imported into Australia a 68 CBX1000 from Belgium, A 68 CBX1000 from Kentucky, two Moto Guzzi from the States, my Eldorado from Illinois and my V7 Sport from Warne, NC. and a Velocette  from New Zealand and many others from various Australian states that were too far to travel to and all from pictures sent via internet or Ebay and a phone call and have been happy with all those purchases, I have always worked on the assumption that if they are not as I would have expected  I could easily re coup my money by breaking them and selling the parts and that's been my only insurance and never had to use it. Im sure there will be some chime in with some horror stories . But been buying silly motorcycles since the late 60s and its time to stop so hopefully Im safe now.   Cheers Bill

[Rebochi]

   I Bought multiple bikes out of state with no problems but I the bike is not paid for until I see the bike. I made it clear that if it is not as described the deal is off. So far it has worked. You just have to go back home without the bike if it doesn't work out.

[malik]

Yep. The 1100 Sport in NZ. Paid for before I flew out of Australia. The general consensus was that there should be no trouble with a Guzzi in NZ - the community is small. The V11 in the UK, but a mate went to check it out, & I got an email back saying he was so impressed he put down a deposit for me. Again paid the dealer for it before flying out . And the V7S in Tassie committed to buy (a very good deal), but the owner didn't want the money up front, just said bring your chequebook. No problems with any of them, but then I didn't expect any either.

[Shorty]

 I have bought bikes online but I have seen a video of the bikes running, and also questioned the owners. The last Guzzi I bought was from a classic bike dealer who was unfamiliar with Guzzi. I feel he gave me an honest representation of the bike up to his knowledge level.  Then again, I do not risk a lot of cash on my bikes as compared to some.  In today's world, a video is the very least I'd expect from a seller, outside our little Guzzi collective.

[wymple]

"I may be a bit biased but I would feel very comfortable buying any brand of bike from a member of this board."

BINGO....always your best odds.

[ITSec]

I have bought bikes I have never seen (both my Stelvio and my Griso), but I have always been able to find help from others who could at least do a basic look-over of the bike on my behalf. If you want to share where the bikes you are considering might be, there may be a forum member who can go take a look for you, or who may already know the bike.

[Huzo]

I bought my Norge new in '08 and I'd only ridden one Guzzi for 10 minutes prior.
Was a deal over the phone and had never even sat on one.
Surely some bugger nearby can do an appraisal, as long as they don't back door you..!

[Doug McLaren]

Bought my Stelvio sight unseen from a Honda dealer 300 miles away. The vendor answered any questions that I emailed him with straightaway. When I asked if it had been rollerised he sent me frame and engine numbers and took the valve covers off to take photos. I asked about delivery and he said he'd cover the cost if I paid the sticker price, which incidentally was a bit lower than others I'd seen.

He was prompt and courteous and willing to help so I reckoned he was OK and I bought the bike.

[Huzo]

Bought my Stelvio sight unseen from a Honda dealer 300 miles away. The vendor answered any questions that I emailed him with straightaway. When I asked if it had been rollerised he sent me frame and engine numbers and took the valve covers off to take photos. I asked about delivery and he said he'd cover the cost if I paid the sticker price, which incidentally was a bit lower than others I'd seen.

He was prompt and courteous and willing to help so I reckoned he was OK and I bought the bike.

Newcastle on Tyne ?

[Clydeman]

Wow!  I'm surprised to hear that so many of you have taken the risk. Great feedback on ways to improve the odds of getting a good bike. Thank you. All of the bikes that I'm looking at are at dealerships. Two of those are shops that I used to frequent when I lived in New England. Pretty reputable places that have been in business for some time. None of them are Guzzi dealers, however. These bikes were obviously traded in.

[Guzzi Gal]

I purchased Anni from Moto International and had her shipped.  I had the opportunity to sit on a Stone and Special but I hadn't ridden one before she arrived.  Basically, I fell in love and that was it. 

[JACoH]

I wanted a Ducati 450 Mk3 Desmo in 1970, but could only find one in Canada, so had a friend drive me up to Burnaby, purchased it and rode it home to Oregon. Had it for 9 years. Also, traveled and bought 2 different Kawasakis based on price and looks, but not seen in person. No problems.

[stonelover]

Ordered and paid for my 2016 Stone II in 2015-sight unseen.  Waiting for CARB approval before shipping.  Very satisfied. 

[davevv]

I've purchased three sight unseen.  The only problem was with a '99 BMW R1100GS that I bought in an Ebay auction from Manhattan BMW.  After flying to New York to pick it up, it turned out that it needed a new clutch among other things.  But the purchase included a 90 day warranty, so it was their problem.  They sent me to Max BMW in New Hampshire to have it repaired and Max sent Manhattan a bill for $1600 for the clutch, rear brakes, and final drive bearings.  Only cost to me was a couple of days of my planned trip.

The other two were a Honda PC800 and Triumph Tiger 1050.  Both of those were as described.  The Triumph was a steal and my son still rides it.  He loves that bike.

[toma nova]

I bought my first Guzzi, a 1200 Sport, sight unseen.  Never even rode a CARC bike but took Mike Haven's recommendation on the model and the seller was a WG member.  Email, one phone call, some photos, and a personal check in the mail.  No issues.

I sold the same bike across the country.  Same deal:  couple of phone calls, photos, and a personal check.  Mailed the title after the check cleared.

I trust (certain) people....

Tom

[Tusayan]

I don't think it's a matter of trust, it's more often a matter of competence of the seller, and that includes dealers. Often the seller knows there's a few minor things wrong with the bike, more than they can handle perhaps, but they don't know that the bike has more serious issues.  I think the only thing you can do is listen to the seller, try to make a judgment about their competence and the bike, and factor your perceived risk into any offer.   And there is always some level of risk when buying a bike for a fraction of its original price.

A little while ago I bought a 20 year old, low mile, very clean bike and rode it home 400 miles in a half day.  That was great but it's now in pieces (heads off, completely stripped down) due to various issues that came with time and lack of owner knowledge.  It'll be about $1500 in parts and many hours of labor to get it where it needs to be.  The one before that took almost nothing... a few little odds and ends and it was ready to go for many years.  Some models handle incompetence better than others, there is an element of luck involved and none of that has much to do with the human interactions.

[Clydeman]

I sure appreciate all of the responses. I think my confidence has risen a bit after reading about all of your experiences. There are a couple of bikes of interest in my area as well but the prices aren't quite in my comfort zone yet. Again, all at reputable dealers. No real hurry, however now that the sale of the Super Tenere is in the final stages, I am getting that old, familiar itch.

[JohninVT]

I've bought a couple but it depends on what kind of bike it is, whether I trust the seller, how much money is changing hands and very importantly...the typical type of rider for the bike.  I've bought a couple of Honda Passport's and a CT90 without inspecting them ahead of time.  There's nothing on one that can't be fixed for short money so if the seller's description isn't 100% accurate it doesn't really matter.  On the other hand, I'd NEVER buy a Japanese sportbike(or a Ducati) without inspecting it.  If it was a Guzzi I'd reach out here to see if anyone is familiar with the bike.  There are so few Guzzi's that you've got a good chance of finding someone who either knows the seller or is familiar with the bike in question. 

I research potential issues and weaknesses on bikes I'm interested in before deciding and assume a worst case scenario.  Then I decide whether the money changing hands makes sense if it turns out the bike is a heap when it arrives and I have to invest the money in order to address the issues. I no longer collect or have a bunch of bikes sitting in the garage I can alternate between so I also consider things like how long it would take to get parts or how involved fixing problems would be when I buy sight unseen.  I buy motorcycles to ride so potential down time is a factor.   

[not-fishing]

Sight unseen?

I've bought a new bamboo fly rod from an obscure manufacturer "sight unseen" - great purchase.
New single rowing shell, obscure manufacturer, sizeable deposit and took a year to get,- great purchase.
Custom bicycle frame, obscure manufacturer, sizeable deposit and took a year to get, - great purchase.

All of these I prepaid before even seeing the "goods".

Three Guzzis, each a different owner, never even a test ride - good purchases because I knew there would be known and unknown things to fix.  One didn't run when picked up.

You pays your money and takes your chances dealer, manufacturer or private party.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Just the same, if it is a long time WG member, not just some dweeb that registers to sell a bike, I wouldn't have any real qualms.

[Roebling3]

Unbelievable? Yes.
For my Master in Industrial Design (1963, 12 yrs. of night school, +3 yr. interruption by the Air Force). For the final crunch and running out of time I illustrated a 'new' motorcycle (24x36" 1/2" foam core. Grey surface). One of 3 projects was elective.
To save time the mc was doing a wheelie out of a cloud. Assume steam.
It was my attempt at full coverage body work, integrated mirrors and turn signals, nearly disc wheels AND a single sided frt. fork.
When the Paso came out I felt justified. When the Gilera CX (liquid cooled 125cc 2 stroke), was shown in 1990 It blew my mind. I had to have one. They were only sold in certain countries of Europe. 2 years ago a close friend in CA found one in Japan. The bike then turned up on ebay here. No one bid on it. Scary, no? It was shipped to my door from SF. Nearly as new condition. Perhaps the Japanese gov't. does not let vehicles out of Japan w/out being in top shape?
The cosmetics looked great excepting several hairline cracks in the STYRENE! Surprise. The tires were fresh as were oils, coolant, brake fluid and battery. 2279. Km's. Key on. Press button. Zoom! 
 Huge fun. 29 hp. 13 ft.#. 270#'s wet.

BTW: The bike likely put Gilera out of business.  It's always timing.
Gilera is owned by Piaggio.  R3~ 

[bigbikerrick]

I bought my 73 eldo from the original owner in Oklahoma sight unseen. I spoke with the owner over the phone a few times, and I could tell the 75 year old gent was honest about the bike, and it was even better than described when it arrived on the truck. The old gent didnt own a computer, but his grand daughter put an add for the bike on the MGNOC classifieds. There was no picture, and that probably helped in that it allowed me some time to work the deal. I was a little suspicious at first, as the phone number listed on the add was a California number, and the bike was in OK. The California number was his daughters, and she knew nothing about the bike, other than her dad cherished it, and even though he had not ridden it in years, he would go out to the garage, and start it up every couple of weeks.  I sent a cashiers check for the full amount of the bike, and it wasnt picked up for shipping until 2 weeks later. Once I spoke to the old man on the phone, I knew I had nothing to worry about. He was a machinist in the oil industry, and had owned 3 other Guzzis.
Rick.

[Clydeman]

Some amazing stories out there!  Thank you for the education.  I've gone from-absolutely no way I'm going to buy anything out of state that I haven't seen or ridden, to-with the right questions and research I think I'm OK with this. Shipping is another can of worms and is also new to me.  The Super10 is a great bike but it can't disappear from my garage fast enough.

[alanp]

I purchased a number of used bikes sight unseen and never had an issue.  However, a few things I have done to limit the risk.
1. Talk to the seller at length.  Ask about their experience, when did they buy, why are they selling, what issues have they had, what maintenance, etc. This is as much to get to know them as anything, but it is important that you get a good feeling about them.
2.  This is VERY IMPORTANT.  Ask them to tell you everything that is wrong with the bike; every little scratch, the tiniest dent, everything.  You explain that you are considering buying sight unseen, and you want to know what the bike is like in detail.  The good sellers always have complied with this completely.  I have gotten pictures of tiny flaws that I had a hard time even finding when I arrived to look at the bike, and I knew they were there!  Again, the important thing here is to establish honesty.  The things that get pointed out usually haven’t mattered, but I knew I was dealing with an honest person who wasn’t hiding anything.