I recently got the green light from my better half to get another bike (lucky me!). I have been kicking around the idea of trying to find a used Sportster for a project bike. My problem is that I'm on a shoe string budget. Where is the best place to find a solid bike on the cheap? I know I can cruise Craigslist like a maniac, but I'm kind of leery of all the scammers that populate that site. I'm also not against traveling a bit to get the right bike. I'm open to any suggestions.

Thanks in a advance. Hopefully I'll be around this section of the forum a bit more.

 

You cant ignore CL if you are looking for a deal. I am not sure what you exactly mean by scammers. You either know how to inspect the bike yourself or take it to have it done by someone else.

Scammers are everywhere. It's not like they populate CL specially.

Create a free Yahoo email just for your search online. If that's the other type of scam you are worried about.

 

I'm not ignoring CL by any means. I've been searching multiple cities around me pretty religiously. I've got a decent handle on inspecting a bike, but driving a few hundred miles to come back empty handed also doesn't appeal to me.

I'm debating throwing out a feeler to my local dealership to see if they have any bikes that may not be good enough to hit their showroom floor and will be sent to auction. Have any of you tried this?

 

I love cl. Thats where my bike came from. 187 original miles on 2007 in 2012!

Cold cuts!

Ickey Shuffle: Did You Know - GEICO:

 

i agree with OddJack, Craigslist doesn't have any more scammers than anywhere else. you'll have people on eBay, private sellers, or even at the dealership who will try to scam/ exploit you.
theres the classified section here on the forum as well, but CL will probably have the best options. its not your first bike so you'll be able to tell if the bike is a total lemon or not.

 

I've never done it personally, but i was under the impression (for where i live at least) the only things that get sent to the auctions are insurance salvages and accident recoveries

 

You can also look in your local news paper, you may have some luck doing that. Good luck in finding you a project bike, hope you will keep us updated

Kelsey

 

CL is your best bet. I think it's important that the seller have an actual phone number. I like to call and talk to a person, and I like the same when I'm selling. If it requires an e-mail inquiry, I won't respond to those anymore. I also wanna see the bike, so it has to be local to me. It has to have a clear title. Y'know, the usual stuff.

And if a deal seems too good to be true.... it usually is. I responded to ads for a couple of bikes that had really low selling prices, and the reply was nearly identical on both. "I'm stationed overseas, the bike is actually in texas. Send the money via pay pal and I will ship it." (paraphrased version, but very close to that)

 

Posted this in another thread about craigslist. I NEVER list my number or email. Craigslist provides a "reply" button for a reason...........use it.

 

If you want to go that route try Copart. It's risky but it's for real. It's dealers only but there are many dealers who will buy for you for a small fee.
Look and see if it's available close to you.