Bargaining for a Used Motorcycle

There's an art to good bargaining, and wading straight in with an insulting offer isn't part of it. As with everything knowledge is power. The best bargaining starts long before you're seen the motorcycle. Gather as much information over the phone as you can: a motorcycle's history, recent work, faults, how it rides, how easily it starts. Find out the market price, even down to fuel economics and build year, and take the figures with you when you go to see the potential interesting motorcycle.

If you're viewing a used motorcycle you're interested in and you're not familiar with the model, take someone who is an expert, to spot the things you may not otherwise notice.

Make a list

Take your time. Look round the motorcycle. Check it is as the seller has told you, and find anything that you can beat the price down with; scratches, dents, perished hoses, worn bearings and other stuff. List the faults you've found, and back them up with a figure for how much they'll cost to fix. Most sellers want to get it over with, so let them know you've got cash on you and have brought a pickup truck.

Telling the seller you've got another motorcycle to see in the area, when he knows you're ready to buy, can seal the deal.

Ask how often they ride the motorcycle, and if they service it. The less clued-up they are, the easier it is to bargain.

Make Motorcycle Seller sweat

A long inspection, followed by a period of chin rubbing and silence can be enough to rattle some sellers into dropping their price before you've made a bid. If you make a bid, make it low, but not too low. Open the window of negotiation as wide as possible.

Be prepared to walk away. Without this there can be no proper bargaining...