UTMC

This was just going to be a response to RC26's post in Groovemonkeys CL thread...... but I got to rambling............ some of this has been posted here before somewhere.

On swapping bikes and Craigslist postings and the like...........

Bad thing. Or so I'm told.

I often list my phone number, it's never been an issue, however I agree about using a secondary email acct. to minimized spambot spiders. Of course I've also listed my phone number, address and had open invite parties with bold strangers showing up ..... never a hassle. With an endorsement I often let people test ride bikes. My routine is to have two bikes and either swap with them if they rode over, or lead them on a ride as I usually have two bikes. Occasionally I just let them go for a ride, including a mature for 18 kid, and a guy who just passed the MSF (we went over to the school parking lot). The kid wanted to live longer and was looking for something a little slower, our SV650. I also suggested he ride my KLR650 even tho it wasn't for sale just to open up some options/ideas. I regularly loan bikes to people I know when I'm comfortable with it, and through TABS, here and ADVR sometimes to people I don't know. Now it all comes with the condition that in talking to people I am comfortable making the call whether or not they actually have a clue about MC's and riding in general.

I should add that you should be comfortable with risk. Should something happen it can and will cost you something. Down time, money, insurance rates, whatever. I also make damn sure my insurance covers for persons riding with permission as some don't. I also try to make sure the bikes loaned are spot on as bike failure and subsequent injury could come back in the form of liability. Even worse, someone could get hurt or killed. Of course I've loaned out a few less than stellar bikes when I know people can deal with the idiosyncratic details..... the R90/? and the CB360 come to mind.......... but tank did get damn good at changing fouled plugs and cleaning carbs............

I always see some people that treat everyone like a potential criminal rather than a potential riding buddy. From them I've heard .......

Don't give them your address and meet at a neutral location. If they have your address their friends will steal you stuff while looking at your bike elsewhere. Don't let them in your garage they'll be casing it. NO test rides, ever. NO test rides W/O cash in hand. And loads of other silly shit.

I won't generally buy a used bike without riding it, I don't expect the same from others. Granted most of my buying selling has been under the 6-7K range. Maybe I'd be touchy about more expensive bikes, or just more picky about the people. I know damn well of course how many times as a grubby punk kid sales were lost cause the seller absolutely wouldn't have guessed I had more than the asking price in my pocket and couldn't get the time of day...................

I break all the conventional paranoid sales rules, and have made at least one good riding buddy (ironbrewer). A few people I still see around and have ridden with, and good contacts for other stuff. Hell, technically it's how I met mouse too. At least 3 sales to borderline tire kickers were made and all it took was a short ride around the hood. Only once did I feel like my time was wasted, and I got a laugh out of that kid.

YMMV but I still prefer to trust my instincts and that people in general are good and do the right thing when given the chance. Of course I've been burned on that one quite a few times but only really once in the buying and selling of motorcycles. And only a few times outside of that.

*end ramble*

I'm with MTNE on this one, for the most part at least.

One thing I don't do is put my phone# on the CL ads. However, what I do is say in the ad, "Please leave a phone# if you are serious." This seems to cut down on bullshit emails, and also allows me to do a quick character assesment over the phone. I've talked to some real winners out there.
While not foolproof, (one guy who souned like an idiot on the phone turned out to be an OK guy), the guy who calls and yaks for 5 minutes about his ex-wife and his legal troubles can be quickly eliminated.

My 2/100ths of a dollar.

Good tips, mtne.

I have a dedicated email address that I use only for CL that only contains my first name in the ID. I never list my phone number, but I will email it to a seller/buyer on the first contact email. I try to have a phone conversation before actually meeting someone in person, but am also OK with a few email exchanges if they seem legit. I also always try to meet people in a public place. If that is not an option (say if I'm buying/selling a large item or a non-running bike), I always bring a friend--usually a man--along.

I've let people ride my bikes if they have a class M and proof of insurance, and can give me the full asking price of the bike up front. I've been in situations where the person has a friend along and gives the money to their friend to hold while riding, and I've generally been OK with that, too. Of course, I haven't come upon any people I've thought were too sketchy in motorcycle-related transactions, so I've been lucky.

Truthfully, other than a couple times that my spider senses perked up, I've never had a bad experience with CL.