Test riding a privately sold bike?

I live in California. If I have a bike for sale (not a dealer, private sale), and someone looks at it and wants to test drive it, what legal documentation should I look for before letting him/her ride it?

In the last state I lived in, if a person wanted to test drive a bike I had for sale, I was required to make sure they had a motorcycle endorsement on their license, and were fully insured before they could test ride it.

Same here?

I think it would be the same here in Calif

i have never test rode a bike , nor asked to,nor been offered,it seems a rookie move and starts a proccess of suspicion imo...

i mean it is a kz900 (for instance) i tell you it's quirks and strong and weak points...i fire it up and "I" rip up and down the street pull back into the driveway and shut it off.....that is as close to riding it as no cash will get ya....

someone rides my bike and i am prepared to see it crashed everytime...imo

Sit on it, no problem...
Start it, no problem...
Raise the rear, run the engine through the gears, no problem...

Ride it, hand me the full payment first, you wreck it, you own it... End of story...

OMR

the only place you'll ever see test rides done are at dealer demo rides. if you got the cash and it's in my hand you can test ride my stuff to your hearts content. no cash no testride i have seen to many ride off's to let that happen to me.you don't know this persons skill level and also you don't know his intentions either i know this is an extreme case but a guy showed up at freind of mine's place to test ride a bike he had for sale he took the guy's i'd the guy took off with the bike and about 2 hours later the swat team showed up at john's door apperently the guy that took the bike used it in a bank hold-up. by the way the i'd was faked.

leave the money there and ill sign the title and you can test ride off into the sunset! :laugh:

I got to test-ride the bike I just bought. The guy offered and I took it. Now I showed him the cash, left my truck behind as collateral, showed him my motorcycle endorsement, and assured him if the worst did happen I would obviously buy the bike.

There are problems a bike can have that are not apparent until you get up to riding speeds. It is taking a lot of faith in someone's word if you cannot see for yourself it runs like they say it does. On the buying side, I have no problem looking at my license, no problem leaving collateral, and no problem signing a waiver or even clause to purchase if I damage. If someone would not let me test ride, I would want something in writing stating that the bike is exactly as described (beyond just the bill of sale), with a list of issues, and a money-back guarantee if it is not as they say. With sums of money like this you cannot just go on trust.

I had a buddy that was selling a Ducati 900SS. The guy wanted to test ride it, my buddy said sure, but pay me first. He paid for the bike, then dumped it leaving the driveway :ohmy: It can happen....protect yourself

porchev914's post covers the basic problem. When you sell a bike, particularly a big powerful bike, many of the prespective buyers that show up are young, new riders, with little motorcycle experience or experience in buying vehicles in general, and rarely with an M endorsement or with insurance. They want to ride it which is, of course, understandable. Many new riders, and even experienced riders approach buying a new bike as they would buying a car, but it is different, which is partly why most bike shops don't allow test rides.

The chance a new rider may damage it in a test ride can be high. gte105u points out the problem from the buyers point of view, and he makes some good points. Yet the seller has to have some protection as well. This may sound like harsh critism, but the idea of signing a waiver in lue of cash, or leaving another vehicle as collateral while testing often ends in a court date, if an accident does happen, because those with little buying experience are often reluctant to honor such agreements. I know as I've been through it, which prompted me to ask this question.

I think, bluntly, that Old Man Rock has the only simple, logical answer here.

Old Man Rock wrote:

Sit on it, no problem...
Start it, no problem...
Raise the rear, run the engine through the gears, no problem...

Ride it, hand me the full payment first, you wreck it, you own it... End of story...

OMR

+1 and done.

I trust the man I can't put a hole through, and that aint none of you! :laugh:

TeK9iNe wrote:

Old Man Rock wrote:

Sit on it, no problem...
Start it, no problem...
Raise the rear, run the engine through the gears, no problem...

Ride it, hand me the full payment first, you wreck it, you own it... End of story...

OMR

+1 and done.

I trust the man I can't put a hole through, and that aint none of you! :laugh:

what happens if he/they put a hole thru u first?It MAY be one of us,u dont know for sure.BJ

When I bought mine. I was offered a test ride after I had heard it run and declined. No plate and an admission from the owner that he was having issues with the charging system. I was actually suprised that he offered due to the fact that he had said that he had a lot of youngsters wanting to test ride. I was happy with what I saw, handed him 12 crisp benjamins and loaded it into my buddy's truck. I have been offered to ride a lot of peoples bikes and unless I am test riding to diagnose a problem I usually pass because you never know what can happen on an unfaliar bike. I've seen bikes totaled in parking lots because someone wasn't the rider they made them self out to be. Ask questions, hear it run but the only way your riding my bike is with a signed title and bill of sale.