Deciphering the Craiglist Motorcyle Ads

[KontoBoy]

I'm venting I guess--after years of reading bike ads I posted this on craiglists:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/ ... 66776.html

I'm not sure how long it will stay up before it get's flagged, so here it is:

Kontoboy



I love the Craiglist and have bought three bikes off the site. To help the potential buyer I wanted to offer this guide on interpreting the Craigslist Motorcycle Ads:

“Must Sell”

My bike payment is past due or my credit card is past due and I need cash.

“Fixed Price”

My bike payment is past due and I have negative equity in the bike.

“Must Sell, Fixed Price”

I’m an idiot that doesn’t have the first clue about the laws of supply and demand.

“No Title” or “Lost Title”

I’m too lazy to look for it or go to the DMV to get a replacement. At best it’s a parts bike because the hassle of titling it will not make it work the trouble. At worst it is stolen.

“Salvage Title”

I crashed it and bought it back from the insurance company for a third of what I’m charging you. You should treat it as a parts or potential track bike since you’ll never get it legally registered for the street.

“Must See”

I want to get you in front of me so I can convince you that this bike is worth the outrageous asking price.

“Carbs Need Adjusting”

I left it outside uncovered with old gas in it all winter and now the carbs are gummed up and it won’t start or run properly. Be prepared to remove and disassemble the carbs, clean them thoroughly, reassemble, and adjust. Multiply this fun by four for multi-cylinder bikes.

“Project Bike”

I bought it thinking it was an easy fix but it is too hard, too expensive or parts no longer available and I’m giving up. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

“Classic”

It’s old, but not old enough or to be a true collectible.

“Rare”

Nobody liked them enough to buy them when they came out.

“Chromed Out” or “Chromed Wheels”

I’m a poser. I’d rather spend money on having my bike look good standing still than spend it on gas, oil and tires I'd need if I actually rode it.

“Custom Paint”

I crash the bike and wrecked the plastics. But instead of getting it fixed right I found it cheaper to have it painted to hide the damage. Now in addition to the insurance settlement I kept I’m passing my “custom” paint costs off on you.

“Good Beginner Bike”

It’s been dropped and crashed plenty and the plastics and case are scratched/cracked and pedals and levers are bent.

“Never Dropped”

I'm a liar or I never or rarely ride it, or my pockets are so deep I was able to repair it so you can’t tell.

“Never Seen Rain”

I’m not a real biker.

[UnFazed]

Let me add one more to that.

"Street Fighter"

Been wrecked several times and I'm too lazy or too cheap to put the correct plastics back on it, or they are too hard to find for this really old bike, so I'm going to try to cash in on the trend Ducati started and attempt to charge you more than the bike is really worth with no body on it........