Whether it’s your first motorbike or your 3rd or 4th, buying a new motorbike is a big deal. It might be for a landmark birthday, or maybe fulfilling a lifetime ambition to own your dream motorbike. Regardless of the reason, you’re going to want to get it right – and to help with this, there are some simple rules you need to follow when you are buying a motorbike online
#1 Do you research
You might already have some clear ideas about what you want, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your homework first. You need to check out the availability of whatever model it is you want to buy, as well as seek out the latest news on any common faults so you know what to look for.
You might think that doing research is boring, and not as much fun as checking out the latest listings online, but it is necessary to make sure you don’t make a costly mistake.
#2 Work out your budget
This is normally the heartbreaker, as knowing what you want and knowing what you can afford are very different things. If you are planning on buying out of your savings, you already have your budget defined. On the other hand, if you are considering seeking financing for your purchase, you should definitely make sure that you have all of your paperwork in order so sourcing alone is easy, including checking out your credit score.
#3 Know what to look for when buying online
Now you’ve reached the fun stage of actually sourcing your new ride. You are likely to spend many happy hours scrolling through pages and pages of listings, and when you do, you’ll need to bear these three things in mind.
Lots of photos
When you see a bike you like, ask the seller for more photos – especially focusing in on areas where you might think there might be a problem, or to make sure that model has all of the features you were looking for.
Get the best deals on shipping
One of the benefits of paying online is that you are not just limited to looking within a 20 to 50 mile radius for what you want. The slight downside is that you need to pay for the motorcycle transport to get it to you. This puts a lot of people off, but it needn’t, as seeking out a reasonably priced specialist motorcycle transport company is not as hard as you might think, and increases your options drastically.
Ask lots of questions
People love talking about bikes, so your seller should have no problem at all answering any questions you have. So, don’t be afraid to keep asking them until you are happy that this is the right bike for you. If a seller seems reluctant to discuss what they have for sale, it might be a red flag and you might want to steer clear.
To wrap everything up
Buying a new motorbike might be an experience that you have looked forward to for many years, but that doesn’t mean you should just dive in with both feet and get started without doing the basics first. These include doing your homework, working out your budget, and tackling some of the knotty issues involved with buying online like getting the best shipping deals; and by taking all these boxes you should have the best experience possible.
