Tips on Selling Your Motorcycle

So it’s time to get rid of your old motorcycle and you could use some tips on how to sell your bike safely and do so as quickly and easily as possible. Selling a motorcycle yourself can be a rewarding experience that, when done correctly, will almost always generate more income for you on the sale than selling it through a dealership or used vehicle lot.

You will, however, need to protect yourself and think ahead in order to avoid any “dangerous” situations. In this article, we’ve come up with 5 important tips to remember when selling your motorcycle…

1. When initially talking to a potential buyer over email, text or phone, ensure that you interview them. Don’t waste yours or the potential buyers time showing them the motorcycle if it’s not anything like what they’re looking for.  This is also a good time to try to weed out those unsavory people that prey on those selling vehicles online and through classifieds.
2. Never show your motorcycle alone and always meet in a public place. Always think safety first as there are those who are more than happy to take advantage of people personally selling vehicles and other high value items.
3. Beware of professional buyers who “flip” their purchases. Not saying that this is always the case, however, if you’re selling to someone who is in turn going to re-sell it, what type of offer do you think you will receive? Most likely the lowest of low ball offers.
4. If you are allowing the potential buyer to go on a test drive, ask to see their motorcycle drivers license and refuse them a test drive if they don’t have one or refuse to show it to you. Always try to keep the test drive restricted to a specific area such as a large empty parking lot and try to avoid letting your bike out of your site.
5. If you have successfully negotiated a price you are happy to sell your motorcycle for, ensure you don’t sign or hand over your pink slip until you receive the full amount you have agreed upon. It is also a good idea to file a “release of liability” with motor vehicles so if your bike is ever used in a crime or driven criminally, you will not be held responsible.

This is just a short list of tips that focuses on your safety as a seller. In our next article we will provide some tips on purchasing a used motorcycle. If you are looking for a place to list your motorcycle for free, please visit our Motorcycle Classifieds section.