ibilintuc said:
How easy and how common is it to alter the odometer of a later model softail? I’ve not formally introduced myself yet because I don’t yet have a scoot to present.
I am looking though, and I find sometimes three or four-year-olds with less than 1000 miles. Since many of these are listed on internet services, I don’t have the opportunity to see and touch them.
So, my question is… is internet buying too risky? Is it just a matter of unplugging the odometer and riding mileage-racking free? Your thoughts and opinions would be appreciated. I’ve already learned a lot on this board.
Well, I am a little old fashioned on things like used vehicle purchases in that I dont buy unless I can examine the vehicle myself. I like to check the plugs, do a quick compression check, look for hidden damage, replaced parts, that kind of thing.
as for the suspiciously low mileage on bikes that are 3 or 4 yers old, well, that isnt really all that uncommon. check out
www.craigslist.com for the bay area. we have decent riding weather almost year round (well, for me its year round, but thats an opinion), and you will find lots of harleys with less than 1k miles on them, and most with less than 5k miles.
i figure they are just folks that love the brand, and the image, or have some bizarre idea that they can buy patriotism, or just got caught in the hype. ultimately, they dont love to ride, but they might love the bike, abstractly. so they buy it lots of chrome bolt on trinkets, cover themselves in HD logo lifestyle accessories, and maybe maybe maybe, pry themselves out of their pickup truck (with oblig HD sticker in the window) occasionally to ride the bike somewhere on a weekend. they definitly are not using the bike as a daily rider.
youve seen them scowl at you while paddling the bike off the line at a stoplight. they might be trying to be a badass, or they might just be at the ragged limit of their riding ability and the stress is showing. after all, riding in traffic can be difficult if you dont do it much.
after a few years, they realize they need to refinance the house, or clear out the garage or, most bizarrely, buy a new HD to not ride, so they sell it with 800 to 3k miles on the odo, and try to recoup the cost of their bike and its dubious cosmetic molestations. sometimes they do. i think the market for barely used bikes is softer than it once was, but they will usually get a decent chunk of their original purchase price. their loss is not bad in percentage, but would prob be enough to buy my bike outright. youve seen the ads for bikes with $25k in them that are selling for $17, which is still more than MSRP, but barged out.
they are not bad people, and can be a good source of used bikes for cheap.
but never buy a bike you cant inspect. seriously.
-dogtown max :cheers: