I haven’t bought a used bike in YEARS. All of my recent bikes have come from dealers, so there has been no need to worry about certification and registration. Just show up and ride away. Wondering how people LEGALLY buy a used bike these days. Do you handover cash, get the registration and have it trailered to a shop for certification? Assuming certified, do you trailer it home and then head to the MTO to switch the registration and get a plate?
How do you buy a used bike?
- Thread starter mixedup
- Start date
There's good information on this stickied thread in the Beginner Rider's Section:
See Step 5: Buying a bike
See Step 5: Buying a bike
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Im in the same boat as you, in the past I would:
Ask the seller to get it safetied ( I would pay for it of course)
When I was a new rider I would ask an experienced rider to come along with me to give the bike a look-over, and also to possibly transport it on their truck
I have heard that some people also pay the cash, get a bill of sale, ownership, insurance (once you have the vin #), safety, and just ride the bike over to MTO and get it transferred to your name
There's good information on this stickied thread in the Beginner Rider's Section:
See Step 5: Buying a bike
I guess I need to review the “Beginner Rider’s Section”!
Thanks….trying to do this as above board as possible. I’ve had people buy bikes from me, slap a friend’s plate on and off they went. I’m a bit more risk-averse than that
Is DriveON required for motorcycle safeties now? If so, the closer to stock the better. It would be easy to fail for lights/fenders/plate location and I'm not sure if muffler gives you grief. Shops have almost no wiggle room with DriveON. Converting a modded bike back to stock to pass safety can be very expensive. It's always safer to get the safety certificate in hand before buying the bike (give the seller the money to get the safety done). If it can't pass, you probably lost a few hundred but at least you aren't stuck with a useless bike.
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bigpoppa
Well-known member
Call and ask Justin trudeau for permission, need it for everything else in this countryThanks….trying to do this as above board as possible. I’ve had people buy bikes from me, slap a friend’s plate on and off they went. I’m a bit more risk-averse than that
He’s busy with KatyCall and ask Justin trudeau for permission, need it for everything else in this country
Excellent feedback….absolutely DriveON could be a concern!!!
I try to get a number and call them. I always feel it's more serious if you speak to them directly.
Never ask about price on the phone if you want to try and negotiate it down. You can easily do that if you show up with cash and trailer.
You need to be able to determine whether the bike is worthy of the price. Will it pass a safety? What will it take? Most of that can be checked easily in the driveway if you know to look at. Good rubber? Some brake pad still left? Chain and sprockets? All the lights, blinkers and horn work? Everything seem nice and tight when trying to tug the wheels sideways? Steering notchy? etc. If you can't tell bring a friend who can. If you ask on this thread I guarantee folks will offer to come with.
Now with newer Japanese stuff I rarely look at more than one bike. Decide the model, find a decent one not too far from home, head out with my trailer and come home with another toy.
Never ask about price on the phone if you want to try and negotiate it down. You can easily do that if you show up with cash and trailer.
You need to be able to determine whether the bike is worthy of the price. Will it pass a safety? What will it take? Most of that can be checked easily in the driveway if you know to look at. Good rubber? Some brake pad still left? Chain and sprockets? All the lights, blinkers and horn work? Everything seem nice and tight when trying to tug the wheels sideways? Steering notchy? etc. If you can't tell bring a friend who can. If you ask on this thread I guarantee folks will offer to come with.
Now with newer Japanese stuff I rarely look at more than one bike. Decide the model, find a decent one not too far from home, head out with my trailer and come home with another toy.
justride
Well-known member
If you don't have to access to a trailer and want to ride the bike home the same day of purchase. You need a buddy to drive your car home and the car to run around.
1. Get the VIN and km and with them get the UVIP yourself
2.Contact your insurance (if ok with quote proceed to point 3)
3.Find out the nearest Service Ontario of the seller house
4. Find out nearest store that can recieve fax (Insurance paper) Digital copy of insurance papers with Service Ontario might be ok but double check.
5. Go to seller house to check the bike. You buy it go to point 6
6. Call your insurance company from the "fax store" get your Insurance papers.
7. Go to Service Ontario get your papers plate and permit.
8. If the bike is not have a Safety get a temporary license
9. Get your plate " don't forget your tools for that.
10. Go back to the sellers house and get your bike.
11. Ride your bike home
It's gonna be a long day, so start in the morning
Thats how I got my first bike. I rode it all the way from Barrie to Mississauga. Buddy drove my car down
1. Get the VIN and km and with them get the UVIP yourself
2.Contact your insurance (if ok with quote proceed to point 3)
3.Find out the nearest Service Ontario of the seller house
4. Find out nearest store that can recieve fax (Insurance paper) Digital copy of insurance papers with Service Ontario might be ok but double check.
5. Go to seller house to check the bike. You buy it go to point 6
6. Call your insurance company from the "fax store" get your Insurance papers.
7. Go to Service Ontario get your papers plate and permit.
8. If the bike is not have a Safety get a temporary license
9. Get your plate " don't forget your tools for that.
10. Go back to the sellers house and get your bike.
11. Ride your bike home
It's gonna be a long day, so start in the morning
Thats how I got my first bike. I rode it all the way from Barrie to Mississauga. Buddy drove my car down
PacoT
Well-known member
I've only bought one used bike and it was in late 2024. Motorcycles are my only motor vehicles. I explained this situation to the seller and he was kind enough to offer using one of his CAA tow calls to get the bike delivered to my address. In my case it was something like this.
I checked the bike on a Thursday, I made my offer but let him know that the earliest I could close the deal was on Saturday, to which he agreed.
On Saturday, I arrived to his place with money on hand, we signed UVIP and then he called CAA. I waited for the tow truck to load the bike into the flatbed. Once done, I rode my other bike back home. The tow truck arrived like 30-60 min later.
The following week I went to Service Ontario to transfer the ownership and get temporary plates. A few days later I took the bike to get it safetied, and went back to Service Ontario on a different date to prove the certificate.
Yes, it might sound like too much hassle (because it is) and wasted time (mainly waiting in Service Ontario), but it can be done.
I checked the bike on a Thursday, I made my offer but let him know that the earliest I could close the deal was on Saturday, to which he agreed.
On Saturday, I arrived to his place with money on hand, we signed UVIP and then he called CAA. I waited for the tow truck to load the bike into the flatbed. Once done, I rode my other bike back home. The tow truck arrived like 30-60 min later.
The following week I went to Service Ontario to transfer the ownership and get temporary plates. A few days later I took the bike to get it safetied, and went back to Service Ontario on a different date to prove the certificate.
Yes, it might sound like too much hassle (because it is) and wasted time (mainly waiting in Service Ontario), but it can be done.
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This^
And Depending on location and day, I’ve gone to ServiceOn with proof of insurance and signed UVIP and got temp plate and rode the bike back home. Then of course, get it safetied and back to ServiceOn to have it registered as fit.
ServiceOn system does seem to validate if the vehicle is insured or not. Desjardins emailed me the liability slip after I called to add coverage.
If you do business with a shop that does safeties, they will tell you what they expect. If you call random places, you will likely get some responses that give you the impression they don’t want your business. Don’t have time, don’t do certain types of bike etc.
