Buying a motorcycle from interstate

One of the joys of motorcycle shopping online is that you can, in theory, buy something from anywhere in the world. While international purchases have complications and additional expenses, interstate purchases – such as the thousands available through bikesales – are viable and open up a whole range of possibilities.

Having been through the exercise numerous times over recent years, I can say it’s reasonably straightforward. Sure, you need to apply a bit of caution, but the problems are surmountable.

Working in a national market also opens many more opportunities.

Here’s an example: I was recently in the market for a Yamaha GTS1000 with the James Parker RADD front end – a fairly rare bike. There was one for sale in my hometown of Melbourne, at a price that seemed way too optimistic.

Open up the search interstate and sure enough there’s a good example in Queensland, via bikesales, at about the right money – or two-thirds of the local offering.

A long interview was conducted with the owner, the deal was done, and the bike is on its way south as this story is being written. Happy days.

Getting the best out of an interstate buy is, I reckon, all about the phone call with the seller. I want to get to know them and their situation. Some of things we’re looking for are:

• What their motorcycle knowledge is like (whether or not their opinions are qualified by experience)
• What they know about this model
• Their ownership story – why they bought it, what they did with it, what servicing has been done
• Who they bought it from and what was their story;
• Why is it being sold?

To achieve all of that might even take a couple of calls, or at least one long one. Settle down with your list of questions and be prepared to listen carefully, as the conversation will inevitably raise questions you won’t have thought of.

One of the risks of buying any used motorcycle is the owner by definition is losing interest in it. Regardless of why it’s being sold, they will (perhaps unwittingly) have already moved on. In most cases they have developed target fixation and see the sale as an end in itself. That means that even with the best intentions in the world, little things will slip through the net.

An example is a Kawasaki ZX-12R I bought in Brisbane and rode home to Melbourne. The seller knew his motorcycles, had owned this one from new, but failed to mention until the last minute (as I was getting on to ride it away!) that the front brakes had just started to bind a little. Not great news, but we got it home okay and rebuilt the calipers at our leisure.

Knowledge of the model you’re targeting can be invaluable. For example, I bought a 1989 BMW K1200 LT out of northern NSW some time ago. This series, including all the K100, K1100, and K1200s, all have rear main seals go at around 25 years. Note it’s time rather than mileage which usually dictates this.

That in turn drops oil on the dry clutch, which also needs replacement. The giveaway that it’s on the way out is two-fold: clutch slip under load; plus an oil weep under the seam between the motor and clutch housing.

My K1200 LT had this problem, but I’d already worked out that its low price meant that even with the substantial cost of fixing the issue, it was a viable purchase.

With a lot of models, fixing mechanical issues isn’t such a problem, but replacing bodywork can be. If in doubt, there are lots of factory parts catalogues online these days, so you can often find out what you’re up against.

Online owner forums are often good sources of info on what to look for.

An issue you’ll sometimes discover is what you describe as ‘good’ doesn’t necessarily line up with someone else’s perception. This is where lots of well-lit photos are important. Don’t be afraid to ask for extras, looking at engine details, rear chain and sprockets, handlebar fittings – those sorts of areas.

Overall photos show up some useful info, such as panel fit and general condition, but it’s the detail that is often telling. Is there corrosion around the handlebar fittings? If so, does that mean it’s been left out in the elements?

Service records from back when the bike was a puppy are great to have, if they’re available. However, they simply aren’t in existence for many if not most older machines, so you need to concentrate on its existing condition and recent work.

Has it been through a roadworthy check? While these vary from state to state, they represent at least a basic standard that can provide peace of mind. If it hasn’t, ask what the owner reckons is required.

In the end, you should make your own judgement on this. Basics include decent tyres, an oil-tight engine, a seat with no tears or cracks, plus a full set of working lights and horn. Safety nets such as ABS also need to be operational.

An area of increasing contention is aftermarket exhausts. There is a general clamping down on these, so be aware that an original exhaust, even if it’s not fitted, is worth having. Or an aftermarket unit with good street baffling.

If the bike is reasonably valuable and located in a capital city, it might make financial sense to grab a discount airfare and fly in to see it.

Otherwise, do you have a friend who lives nearby who can eyeball it for you? They don’t necessarily have to be a motorcycle expert (though that would help!). Even a report on what they saw and what they sensed about the owner can be useful.

What’s a grey import? Anything brought in by someone other than the manufacturer. There have been a lot of them over time, and these days there is a steady stream of would-be classics coming over the docks.

The key thing to look for is, has the motorcycle previously been on full registration in Australia? If it has, then it will already be on the national database and you should have no great problem, other than getting it through a roadworthy check.

If not, as a minimum you will need a copy of the federal import approval. These days, you would expect that to include a new Australian VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). From there, any bike bult after June 1975 may require inspection by an engineer (about $500 to $700) to be registered.

There are exceptions to this, such as Queensland, which will currently register on the basis of an import approval and roadworthy certificate.

So the moral to that story is, do your research carefully on anything that hasn’t been previously registered in Australia.

For me, one of the delights of buying interstate is flying in, picking up the motorcycle, and riding it home. The full fly-buy-ride experience.

What got me on to this particular lurk was the offer of a newly restored first-model Kawasaki GPz900R at a favourable price. The catch? It was in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. If we could find a willing and reliable transporter, it was going to cost a fortune.

Why the favourable price? Being in Alice Springs, there are only so many motorcycle buyers, very few of whom would have been interested in an old classic like this. So it was going to have to be flogged at a little less than you might pay for the same machine in, say, Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne. The catch was of course that whoever bought it had to figure out a way of getting it home.

That meant an airfare, several nights of accommodation, plus of course the fuel at outback prices. Oh, and the time off to ride it! All of which meant it was no longer a bargain, but a reasonably priced motorcycle, maybe a bit over the odds, with a really good holiday thrown in.

Now you don’t have to do this at remote locations. I’ve done it several times from Brisbane, the NSW north coast, and other less exotic places. The joy is you get to go for a proper road trip on your new toy. That is a very special thing to do.

One hot tip: get roadside breakdown cover, just in case!

In reality, riding it home is often more costly than just getting a transport company to ship it for you, but where’s the fun in that?

There’s no great mystery in getting your purchase shipped interstate. There are several companies out there who do it and the one I’ve recently used a few times with good results is Bikes Only.

Most operators provide a door-to-door service, which means your bike will often end up travelling on three trucks. Let’s say you’ve bought something on the Gold Coast and want it in Melbourne. The first trip is from the seller to the shipper’s depot or warehouse, the second is from the (probably) Brisbane warehouse to Melbourne, and the third is to the actual delivery address.

This takes time – a couple of weeks is common at the moment – and it works best if you’re flexible with dates and organise well in advance.

Generally, the shippers want the minimum fuss. That means a seller with the bike ready to go on the appointed date, with some flexibility on times, and a buyer with similar virtues.

While people understandably worry about their ‘baby’ being handled by strangers, my experience with several shippers over the years has generally been good. As with anything else, look for an experienced and knowledgeable operator.

For
• Much bigger choice
• Excuse for a trip

Against
• Potentially more expensive
• Easier to make a mistake

• Transport costs for you and/or the bike
• What have you seen and what are the risks?
• Reputable selling platform
• Owner/seller can be properly identified
• Consistent story
• Any documentation
• Import approval if required
• Evidence of previous/existing registration
• Do you have roadside breakdown cover?