Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: bike prices, safe bikes, mechanical website, japanese bikes

Question
I know that this is mostly a mechanical website.But I thought that maybe someone could help me.I was wondering why there are some motorcycles on e-bay that are almost new for thousands less than they should be.Like a 10,000 bike for 3,000.There are several of them.What is the deal?These bikes are way more valueable that the price.mostly 2004 model Honda's CBR 1000 RR Thanks, Dane

Answer
Hi Dane,

Thanks for the question.

I've been buying and selling bikes on ebay for almost ten years.

Most people list their bike on ebay with a low starting price. If they are selling the bike in the "auction" format (where buyers must place a bid), a low starting price usually gets a lot of people bidding, thinking they will get a great deal, as if no one else is looking.

Wrong.

In almost all auctions, the main bidding takes place in the last 30 minutes of the auction. It's then that the price rises to the true value of the bike.

If someone is selling a $10K bike on ebay with a $3K price and it's a "Buy It Now" auction or "Best Offer" auction, there's probably a problem with the bike. Usually it's been crashed or blown up. If the seller does not disclose problems with the bike in their auction, they can be sued for misrepresentation. So MOST people are pretty straight up when they sell on ebay. Always check feedback.

Lastly, keep in mind that bikes that were $10,000 three years ago, especially Japanese bikes, lose a lot of value unless they are really sought after. The CBR1000RR is not very sought after, it got luke-warm reviews and the Kawi ZX-10R plain kicked its butt in every comparison. That's not to say it's a bad bike (it's a fine bike), but in the cut-throat world or liter-sized sport bikes, it's not the hottest thing going. So while its worth way more than $3000, it probably will sell for only about $7000.

On ebay, it's important to trust your instincts. A deal that looks too good to be true probably is. Also, the real price of a bike is not known until the end of the auction. If you see an expensive bike with a low price and you put in a low bid, you're not going to get it. ebay is a "market will bear" trading model- everything listed on it sells for what most people think it's worth. That applies to velvet Elvis paintings and vintage Ducatis. If you see a hot bike with a low price, something is either wrong with the bike or it won't be a low price for long once people start bidding on it.

Good luck!

Bill Roberson
on ebay: GreatOldBikes