There’s a right and a wrong way to do just about anything. Here at KodaKey, we’ve compiled a list of the 4 most important things to consider when buying your dream motorcycle, if you’ve never bought or ridden one before. In this special two-part article, we bring you the results of experience in purchasing large investments, to help you in your goal. For the other top 2 things to consider, take a look at Part 2 of this two-part special: https://kodakey.com/the-motorcycle-life/2015/02/buying-your-dream-motorcycle-part2/
1) Make a plan – What kind of motorcycle are trying to purchase? What size are you looking for? How fast does it need to be? Where do you want to drive it? Most importantly (and we’re not kidding about this, trust us), what do you want it to sound, look and feel like? The answers to these kinds of questions are important to sit down and figure out before you even start calling places or looking at postings on online classifieds like Craigslist. After all, this is a big investment and it will take a lot of time and effort to make the right decision. Doesn’t it make sense to start with the end in mind and figure out what it is you need to know before you start going to all the effort?
Along with this plan, look at all the other steps you need to consider before you can really ride the motorcycle to work tomorrow, or ask that girl down the street if she’d like a ride. First, what about you? Do you have a motorcycle license? This is a big deal in some states, perhaps more intense than a normal car driving license, so do the research to find out what you have to do before you start looking for bikes. Imagine being out the money and having a great bike you can’t ride for a few days. Also look into insurance, registration and license plates (if the bike is brand new), good bike or mechanic shops you can go to if you need pre-riding maintenance and gas stations (if you’ve been biking or walking for a while, do you even know where the gas stations are in your town?).
2) Talk to lots of places and people, and be a smart negotiator – The first step is to talk to lots of places. For example, when my roommate was buying his motorcycle a couple months ago, he found his dream bike in one day (which is kind of amazing – your mileage may vary, if you get my drift), but he was calling and texting a TON of people all day long. There are a number of reasons to reach out to lots of people. One is that most of these contacts will go nowhere. Some online ads will be scams (for that matter, some dealers will be scams too; buyer beware), some will be already sold, and the seller is just too lazy or busy to take down the ad and some will have motorcycles for sale that are absolutely nothing like what you’re looking for, but you won’t know that until you’ve met them in person and tested the bike out a bit.
Don’t freak out about that word negotiate. All negotiation really is, is coming to a win/win agreement between you and the person selling the bike. Be fair, but stick to your dream. That’s why Step 1 has to come first: you need that dream burned into your brain to keep you on the right path when you’re negotiating with a hardball dude on Craigslist, who is trying to scam you on an almost-perfect motorcycle. He just wants your money, so stick by your dream. Even well-meaning people don’t know what it is you’re looking for, so be true to your dream; but more on that in the 2nd part of this article…
For the other top 2 things to consider, take a look at Part 2 of this two-part special: https://kodakey.com/the-motorcycle-life/2015/02/buying-your-dream-motorcycle-part2/