If only I lived closer…..

[Stiffler]

My penny worth,
Whenever i`ve travelled to see a car or bike i`ve always been disappointed. A seller that tells porkie pies , gets you there & then is amazed that you think it`s rubbish or in the case of cars, its been in a shunt mate! Usually after a huge trip, one turns up 12 mile away( which has happened twice)

After 40 years of buying vehicles i don`t travel far now but never say never.......

I always test the missis with "found one!....do you fancy an ice cream?" she knows then it`s far far away

 

[Neil W]

My penny worth,
Whenever i`ve travelled to see a car or bike i`ve always been disappointed. A seller that tells porkie pies , gets you there & then is amazed that you think it`s rubbish or in the case of cars, its been in a shunt mate! Usually after a huge trip, one turns up 12 mile away( which has happened twice)

After 40 years of buying vehicles i don`t travel far now but never say never.......

I always test the missis with "found one!....do you fancy an ice cream?" she knows then it`s far far away

Snap , in the past I have travelled to see cars and bikes that were not as described , went to see a MK1 Golf GTI which was described as immaculate and in the adverts looked decent ,got there and it had obviously been on its roof with A, B and C pillars containing copious amounts of filler , that was private but on numerous occasions dealers have been as bad .
A couple of years ago of years ago when I was looking for another R1150Gs there was a one at a large used bike dealers near York , asked all of the right questions and got the right answers so drove down (over 110 miles) , bike was a complete and utter sh*tter (every rubber part crumbling including wiring loom ,heated grips etc, tyres were old and cracked , brakes seized , poor paint and no battery , dealer refused to get it out from the back of the large industrial unit and put a battery on it to try and start it unless I put down a deposit , worse was it was a place where viewings have to be pre arranged so it should have been at least moved to where I could actually reach it .
They had basically lied about every question I asked .
Similarly went down to a dealers in Bradford to view a TDM 900 which again when asked was described as immaculate and ready to go , tyres were illegal , it would not start due to a buggered battery , silencers dented , mismatched and badly painted bodywork . These clowns wanted a deposit and then said there was a 4 week waiting list for preparation , when asked would it include new tyres and a new battery as well as an MOT and service , reply was NO .
Got upset when I asked "so just WTF will you be doing to it that takes 4 weeks to prepare it ?"
Eventually got my current 1150 in a private sale from near Manchester . Less that 2/3 of the mileage of the one from the dealer ,£1000 cheaper and in much better condition.
Very wary about travelling the length of the country , with the 1150 I bought I took the trailer and had every intention of turning round and coming home if it was not as described

 

[dub 24]

OK so feel free to take the piss when I'm finished. You know how I said I get confused with fuel gauges.
My 1st 1150gsa was bought off here ,chap in Whitby. Approached fellow biker in work asking did he fancy a two day bike trip to England all expenses paid. He say yes.
So we left work early one morning to catch ferry to Holyhead bare in mind it was June.
Arrived in Holyhead 2 up on Pan European 1300 headed across England. It started to rain and never stopped. We found ourselves in the middle of the Yorkshire moors with no signal and a postcode.
Lucky chap I was buying the bike from happened to be passing by. We followed him down a country lane for ages and while doing this I told Dave my mate I don't like gimp balls.

We were fcuking soaked and freezing when we got there and we warmed up with tae and sambiches.
Seller said fuel gauge can be temperamental I said OK. We set off at about 7pm again in the rain. I left my spectacles off because of the rain.
Anyway I was concentrating So much on keeping up with mate I was vaguely checking fuel gauge.
Guess what bike ran out of fuel on Motorway halfway to Hotel. So Dave heads off to get fuel in can ,meanwhile my phone just died and I'd not brought any cables. Dave finds me and we fill bike and he says your golden for a while I say fuel gauge is fcuked it hasn't moved. Next thing I'm recovering from a punch in the head and told put on your fcuking glasses you fuckwit and point to fuel gauge. So I did except I was looking at the temperature gauge all the time

Arrived at Hotel very late had to ate crips and coke and chocolate for dinner as no where open. Followed by beer and scampi fries.

We woke next morning and left, halfway to Holyhead I was going through where I'd put stuff in my new panniers. Had to tell dave to pull over to check for passport ferry tickets etc.
Yep fuckwit here had been checking stuff, paperwork while sitting on bed. When I got dressed I threw covers back over bed and covered all the documents with the duvet. Rang Hotel which promised to post everything and when we arrived at the ferry port I explained to girl in booth what had happened and she very kindly let us on.

Needless to say Dave politely told me to go forth and multiply and never ask him to do this again.
We are still good friends

This is why I let Hatcho plan our trips and even then I still run out of fuel

Now in saying that I've bought all my cars and bikes in the UK in the past and the journey is half the fun as long as there is no fuck ups by me

 

[Larry Langford]

The longest trip to buy that I know of .... I was working with a fellow at DIA who was selling his harley at the time and in the early 90's harleys were in demand. A fellow from Germany bought it for 10000 US and shipped it home to Germany. I'm pretty sure it was an Evo ...

When I was shopping for a GS last year I wanted one with the full ride modes and all that. Turns out, a fair number of bikes are ordered without these farkles it seems. But in Feb. I went with one at the shop. The cool thing about that, I also bought roadside, and major drivetrain/electronics warranty, and wheels/tire coverage too. So that is the point, buying a decent priced bike from the shop had some big advantages, like a perfectly safe exchange of money, And being able to buy a warranty and all that.....

I have often thought of a scheme to buy old GS's from big western cities in the US and ship them to the UK in empty shipping containers. You can get very very nice older GS's, and other makes as well, over here as the corrosion isn't as bad here, for the most part. And there seems to be strong interest in those machines in the UK and other places ... If you could pull it off, one might make some series coin .....

 

[karlp]

Easily the most ridiculous statement made on this site.

If it’s the right bike, go and get it.

With apols to The Inbetweeners……

could always say - no worries i will bring it to you

then I wonder what they will say

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Snap , in the past I have travelled to see cars and bikes that were not as described , went to see a MK1 Golf GTI which was described as immaculate and in the adverts looked decent ,got there and it had obviously been on its roof with A, B and C pillars containing copious amounts of filler , that was private but on numerous occasions dealers have been as bad .
A couple of years ago of years ago when I was looking for another R1150Gs there was a one at a large used bike dealers near York , asked all of the right questions and got the right answers so drove down (over 110 miles) , bike was a complete and utter sh*tter (every rubber part crumbling including wiring loom ,heated grips etc, tyres were old and cracked , brakes seized , poor paint and no battery , dealer refused to get it out from the back of the large industrial unit and put a battery on it to try and start it unless I put down a deposit , worse was it was a place where viewings have to be pre arranged so it should have been at least moved to where I could actually reach it .
They had basically lied about every question I asked .
Similarly went down to a dealers in Bradford to view a TDM 900 which again when asked was described as immaculate and ready to go , tyres were illegal , it would not start due to a buggered battery , silencers dented , mismatched and badly painted bodywork . These clowns wanted a deposit and then said there was a 4 week waiting list for preparation , when asked would it include new tyres and a new battery as well as an MOT and service , reply was NO .
Got upset when I asked "so just WTF will you be doing to it that takes 4 weeks to prepare it ?"
Eventually got my current 1150 in a private sale from near Manchester . Less that 2/3 of the mileage of the one from the dealer ,£1000 cheaper and in much better condition.
Very wary about travelling the length of the country , with the 1150 I bought I took the trailer and had every intention of turning round and coming home if it was not as described

Indeed
I have bought 50% of the vehicles (Mainly bikes) that I have travelled to view (cash in pocket) and walked away from the other 50%

Generally you know from 20-30 yards away whether you’re buying it or not …and more often than not you also interviewing the seller too

Buy on condition and originality is my maxim

Beware of careless home mechanics, who are mostly well meaning, but ham fisted

 

[Bravo]

OK so feel free to take the piss when I'm finished. You know how I said I get confused with fuel gauges.
My 1st 1150gsa was bought off here ,chap in Whitby. Approached fellow biker in work asking did he fancy a two day bike trip to England all expenses paid. He say yes.
So we left work early one morning to catch ferry to Holyhead bare in mind it was June.
Arrived in Holyhead 2 up on Pan European 1300 headed across England. It started to rain and never stopped. We found ourselves in the middle of the Yorkshire moors with no signal and a postcode.
Lucky chap I was buying the bike from happened to be passing by. We followed him down a country lane for ages and while doing this I told Dave my mate I don't like gimp balls.

We were fcuking soaked and freezing when we got there and we warmed up with tae and sambiches.
Seller said fuel gauge can be temperamental I said OK. We set off at about 7pm again in the rain. I left my spectacles off because of the rain.
Anyway I was concentrating So much on keeping up with mate I was vaguely checking fuel gauge.
Guess what bike ran out of fuel on Motorway halfway to Hotel. So Dave heads off to get fuel in can ,meanwhile my phone just died and I'd not brought any cables. Dave finds me and we fill bike and he says your golden for a while I say fuel gauge is fcuked it hasn't moved. Next thing I'm recovering from a punch in the head and told put on your fcuking glasses you fuckwit and point to fuel gauge. So I did except I was looking at the temperature gauge all the time

Arrived at Hotel very late had to ate crips and coke and chocolate for dinner as no where open. Followed by beer and scampi fries.

We woke next morning and left, halfway to Holyhead I was going through where I'd put stuff in my new panniers. Had to tell dave to pull over to check for passport ferry tickets etc.
Yep fuckwit here had been checking stuff, paperwork while sitting on bed. When I got dressed I threw covers back over bed and covered all the documents with the duvet. Rang Hotel which promised to post everything and when we arrived at the ferry port I explained to girl in booth what had happened and she very kindly let us on.

Needless to say Dave politely told me to go forth and multiply and never ask him to do this again.
We are still good friends

This is why I let Hatcho plan our trips and even then I still run out of fuel

Now in saying that I've bought all my cars and bikes in the UK in the past and the journey is half the fun as long as there is no fuck ups by me

I always buy a packet of scampi fries when I'm up the road and missing the Mrs.

 

[Neil W]

Brother in law due to persistent issues with his right knee following a replacement sold his bike last Wednesday to a dealer in Yorkshire , the bike was a 2017 model R1200R , good condition but not immaculate , 17,500 miles and a full BMW service history .

When said dealer agreed to buy it for £5000 they were told it is good condition (not perfect but no major cosmetic issues ) with new tyres and luggage , so dealers rep turns up and of course spends over an hour going over it with a fine toothcomb and then knocks £150 from the offer because it is in their opinion only in "fair" condition due to three small stone ships and a very small amount of corrosion on the rear shock spring (saying they will have to strip it and have the spring powder coated ).

Anyhow looking today and the bike is advertised on the dealers website , the pics show it hasn't even been cleaned or washed and it is for sale at £6500 and is described as "SUPERB CONDITION", they obviously have a magic collection van that cosmetically improves a bikes condition whilst in transit .

Someone will travel to see the bike expecting superb as new condition or buy it sight unseen online and have it delivered , oddly enough it is the same bunch of tw*ts from Bradford who tried to sell me the P.O.S TDM 900 a few years ago

 

[Stiffler]

Last year i drove an hour & a half to see a Triumph Stag, yeah ok don`t laugh,,,

Anyhow we got the biggest sob story of why it`s for sale , must have took 40 mins. Politely we asked to see the car .... in the time it took to get it out the garage say 8 seconds, well that was long enough for me to decline the car! Turns out the photo`s in the add were 10 years old at least.

 

[Guru Gora]

could always say - no worries i will bring it to you

then I wonder what they will say

They’ll fold

 

[SBD]

OK so feel free to take the piss when I'm finished. You know how I said I get confused with fuel gauges.
My 1st 1150gsa was bought off here ,chap in Whitby. Approached fellow biker in work asking did he fancy a two day bike trip to England all expenses paid. He say yes.
So we left work early one morning to catch ferry to Holyhead bare in mind it was June.
Arrived in Holyhead 2 up on Pan European 1300 headed across England. It started to rain and never stopped. We found ourselves in the middle of the Yorkshire moors with no signal and a postcode.
Lucky chap I was buying the bike from happened to be passing by. We followed him down a country lane for ages and while doing this I told Dave my mate I don't like gimp balls.

We were fcuking soaked and freezing when we got there and we warmed up with tae and sambiches.
Seller said fuel gauge can be temperamental I said OK. We set off at about 7pm again in the rain. I left my spectacles off because of the rain.
Anyway I was concentrating So much on keeping up with mate I was vaguely checking fuel gauge.
Guess what bike ran out of fuel on Motorway halfway to Hotel. So Dave heads off to get fuel in can ,meanwhile my phone just died and I'd not brought any cables. Dave finds me and we fill bike and he says your golden for a while I say fuel gauge is fcuked it hasn't moved. Next thing I'm recovering from a punch in the head and told put on your fcuking glasses you fuckwit and point to fuel gauge. So I did except I was looking at the temperature gauge all the time

Arrived at Hotel very late had to ate crips and coke and chocolate for dinner as no where open. Followed by beer and scampi fries.

We woke next morning and left, halfway to Holyhead I was going through where I'd put stuff in my new panniers. Had to tell dave to pull over to check for passport ferry tickets etc.
Yep fuckwit here had been checking stuff, paperwork while sitting on bed. When I got dressed I threw covers back over bed and covered all the documents with the duvet. Rang Hotel which promised to post everything and when we arrived at the ferry port I explained to girl in booth what had happened and she very kindly let us on.

Needless to say Dave politely told me to go forth and multiply and never ask him to do this again.
We are still good friends

This is why I let Hatcho plan our trips and even then I still run out of fuel

Now in saying that I've bought all my cars and bikes in the UK in the past and the journey is half the fun as long as there is no fuck ups by me

It’s probably why they’re introducing eyesight tests …

 

[Guru Gora]

Update.

Well worth the trip.

Top man to buy off.

The bike is brilliant, and now farkled as required.

I wanted a TFC but couldn’t get over the bits of gold on it so blackened this one up a bit.

Definitely a keeper, and off to Alps on her in July

 

[Guru Gora]

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[Santa-2512]

My First GS was London, 2nd Plymouth, 3rd was delivered & the wing was Darlington

If you want, you go get, simple!

 

[Guru Gora]

Yes indeed.

It’s all part of the “new bike” day thing


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[Robbi]

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That is SO pretty

 

[Guru Gora]

Thanks. She’s a bit darker now ….


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[Udders]

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If I was to buy another bike it would most definitely be one of these. I think they’re a great looking bike and I’d certainly like the torque.

 

[Guru Gora]

It’s a great engine for sure.

I’ve ridden it loads over last 3 months.

Mainly B roads and it’s been fantastic.

I cannot recommend these highly enough, a bit like Stelvio, it has to be done at some stage


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[Arsey]

I sold a Harley to a guy in Utrecht and rode it there. Bastards at Halifax gave me a crap exchange rate

I sold my MV Agusta to a guy in Norway. He flew to LHR then train to Southampton to meet me and I got ferry then rode to Southampton .
He then took the tunnel and rode it back to northern Norway.
If you want the bike ……