Helps or tips on getting a 2nd hand bike

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some_guy

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Hi it's my first time getting a bike and any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at a 250 ninja, how are my situation:

1. If the owner is not willing/ don't have insurance to ride off their lot to a shop and safety the bike, what can i do or suggest?
2. Even if i have the used car info package, what area should i be reading carefully?
3. Do people tell the ministry that they got the bike at a lower price so they don't get nail by a lot of tax?

Thanks
Ricky
 
some_guy said:
Hi it's my first time getting a bike and any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at a 250 ninja, how are my situation:

1. If the owner is not willing/ don't have insurance to ride off their lot to a shop and safety the bike, what can i do or suggest?

No choices. Buy or do not buy without having ridden it. Negotiate the safety into the sale. You will most likely only get a ride on the passenger seat of most bikes, no test rides.

2. Even if i have the used car info package, what area should i be reading carefully?

Where has it been registered? Does it have a bank lien?

3. Do people tell the ministry that they got the bike at a lower price so they don't get nail by a lot of tax?

You really want to say that you are going to lie on a government form on an open forum about money and taxation? Really?

Thanks
Ricky
Click to expand...

Read the red above.
 
some_guy said:
Hi it's my first time getting a bike and any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at a 250 ninja, how are my situation:

1. If the owner is not willing/ don't have insurance to ride off their lot to a shop and safety the bike, what can i do or suggest?
2. Even if i have the used car info package, what area should i be reading carefully?
3. Do people tell the ministry that they got the bike at a lower price so they don't get nail by a lot of tax?

Thanks
Ricky
Click to expand...

First off, don't buy the bike if it hasn't been safetied. Or at least I wouldn't. You will need that document when you go to the ministry and you are taking a BIG chance if you buy the bike without it and try to do it yourself and it fails the safety requirements. Then basically it's your headache to have it repaired (if it can been repaired that is.)

Second, check there is no Lien on the bikes. That information is in the UVIP. Make sure the owner's name on the bike matches and the VIN # on the UVIP matches the VIN on the bike.

Third, check the bike for cracks and scratches very carefully. Don't trust the seller as they will lie when they need to. I bought a bike from another forum member here who brought the bike to me in a very dusty state and I missed a big crack on it and he chose to not tell me about it. So make sure you take your time checking the body of the bike properly. check the fairings where all the screws are tightened because over tightening a screw can crack the fairings.

Lastly, about the taxes. The seller fills out the "Sale" amount in the UVIP. When you go to the ministry for the transfer of ownership they will ask you how much you bought the bike for. It should be the same as the "Sale Price" on the UVIP. They will ask you to write down the price you paid and sign it. They will charge you taxes on that amount. Now what you and the seller decide is the "Sale Price" on the UVIP is between you two.

Hope that helps.
If you have more questions for a fellow newb who recently bought a Ninja 250 (and got screwed by a fellow GTAMer) then feel free to ask!
 
If you're new to bikes, I would not advise that you buy a bike without a safety. Personally, I'm comfortable doing so, but I know what to look for, and I always bring a friend who also knows what to look for, just as a second set of eyes. But there are plenty of bikes out there that HAVE been safetied, so keep looking.

Get the UVIP before buying the bike. If the seller doesn't have the UVIP handy, get the vin and pay for it yourself. As others have said it give you information that you should have before buying.

Do people submit receipts for less than the actual price of the bike? Yes, they do. I don't advise that you do this, but it absolutely does happen. The MTO charges tax only on the receipt value, there's no "book" value to compare.
 
I made one sale conditional to the bike passing a safety. Had the bike towed (no plate) to the nearest dealer where it was kept and I gave the owner a deposit to secure the bike. When the dealer let me know the bike had passed safety I did the paperwork with the owner and picked up the bike myself from the dealer.

Small scratches aren't a problem, a static tip over isn't usually a problem either, check the bar ends for scratches and that should let you know if the bike has been down unless the bar ends have been changed. A spill at speed might mean that some things might be bent and the plastics may not be in good condition etc. Personally I wouldn't have too much of a problem if the bike looks like it's been over at a standstill (as long as the price is right) but I'd walk away from a bike that's been down at speed. Check the engine to see if it's warm before the owner starts it, doesn't necessarily mean anything but a start from cold is more likely to tell you if the bike has been looked after or not. One that's warmed up already might be hiding something but it could just be a drained battery from standing unused.
 
Definitely have someone with you who knows bikes. Whether it's from a private sale or a dealer, there's always a chance to get screwed if you don't know what to look for. I found this out the hard way recently.
 
Hey guys, Thanks for all the great info, tips, and spending the time to do all the write ups for me, as a newbie i'm very happy in this forum, it's you guys made this forum awesome.

for some of the bad stories i hope everything get sort out! Cheers!
 
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