Can be fun, but it can also be incredibly frustrating. After making up a short list of “possibles” during the week, Paul and I went to Sydney today to look at them. Some observations, then.
1. Success depends entirely on supply. Last time I was in the market, the chance of finding a suitable bike seemed almost nil. I scoured every ad, ebay, and tapped out every favour from friends and acquaintances that I could think of, and it seemed fruitless. Eventually, the BlueBayou turned up on the forum as a part of a completely coincidental advertisement for a CBR250R! Looking back on it now, the main reason was probably that the search was taking place at the peak of Summer time, prime bike-riding (and buying) weather.
Looking for a bike now, in the dead of Winter (well, near the end of Winter) has highlighted what we all know and that is that it’s better to buy when people aren’t riding much. From the ads at which I looked, there was a list of 8 bikes that I could have looked at (although some were in Victoria).
2. Advertisements rarely ever tell the whole story. D’uh! While some of the bikes we looked at today promised a lot (and asked a lot in terms of price, too), several of them failed to deliver when the bike was seen in the metal. Owners nearly always tend to think that there bike is better than it really is. We all do this, often becoming semi-blind to our bike’s faults and failings. And some advertisements actually downplay how GOOD a bike is too. Owners sometimes have no idea really, of how to price their bikes.
3. Inspecting a bike pre-sale, is so much easier than when buying a car. D’uh, again. With a few, simple checks it is pretty easy to determine whether a bike is the grain or the chaff. Because a bike is really “up front”, it’s hard to disguise faults, even if you want to. Faired bikes do present a little more of a challenge, obviously, but there’s not that much in it, really.
4. It’s really worth travelling if you’re serious about getting the best deal. It took us most of the day on the road today to look at our candidates, but there is no substitute for it. There’s simply no other way of ensuring that you are getting the deal you want.
5. There’s safety in numbers. Mostly I’ve bought bikes entirely by myself, and mostly it’s been OK. But there is definitely something to be said for taking someone with you who knows the subject so that there are two sets of eyes doing the examination. And, there’s also a considerable advantage to having someone with whom you can sit down and discuss the pros and cons of what is on offer. Having someone with you who isn’t laying down any money on the deal can provide you with a dispassionate opinion that can mean that you’re buying with your head and not just with your heart.
6. Be open to other possibilities. There will always be bikes.
It was a tiring day, but a necessary one. Bike shopping CAN be frustrating, but it CAN be fun, too.
