so, thing is, the seller owes the bank money. and he wants me to send a wire to his bank to clear off the loan amount and give the difference in sale price to him.
he'll give me a bill of sale, but is the title will be sent to him from his bank.
is this common practice? he told me it is, but i'm feeling it might be a little dodgy.
any advice here?
No, not at all, you go to the bank with him, pay the bank off, and they give you the title, or the form that shows the bike is free and clear and that they will send you the title. I would pass on this bike just on that fact he is trying to get you to pay him instead of the bank. For that matter if he is just trying to get rid of it for what he owes and you have good credit, you should be able to go to the bank with him, and just take over the loan, no money exchanges hands at all and the bank gives you a payment book, they transfer the title to your name, and they keep it until you pay it off.