Where to look

[nls2299]

Guys and Gals;
I have been looking for a while for a new bike for my son. Trying to find a nice RM85 - preferably 2006 or newer. Craigslist is obviously my first option when looking however I have become very frustrated with A)people trying to get rich off a ragged out bike or B) scammers. Ebay is nice, but I don't have the time to drive half way across the country to pick up a bike.
Son doesn't race, all I want is a stock lightly used RM. Are there other sites on the web that are better to look at?

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I have bought a few bikes via Craigslist. I have learned to recognize a few warning signs that help avoid total wastes of time.

1) when they provide a phone number, I will enter that number as a search. If the search pops up dozens of ads for various things, or variations of the same thing, or the same thing in different areas, it is probably a scam.

2) No pictures, no interest. Move on.

3) Ask questions. If the seller won't or can't answer them, move on. Questions to ask include ) How long have you owned the bike? ) who rode the bike? ) when was the last oil change? )

4) If you are looking for a specific model or year, learn how to recognize it from a picture. A while back I was looking for a "big wheel" version of a TT-R125 , and was getting frustrated that I would get out to possibly buy a bike and discover it was a small wheel version. Then a light bulb moment: the big wheel has a rear disk, small wheel drum brake, easy to spot in a picture!

5) If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you contact the seller and they start giving you a story about the bike is somewhere else, but he will deliver, or anything at all seems just wrong then forget it.

There are a lot of honest people out there trying to sell a good bike for a reasonable cost.

I have also tried cycletrader.com but I have never had a good experience from there. It seems to be mostly dealers and people wanting way too much for their bike. I do know people who have sold bikes on that web site, however, so I know there are some legitimate deals there.

Rod

 

[nls2299]

FINALLY! Found the boy a 2005 RM85 big wheel and he's been running the wheels off the thing!
Now I'd like to buy a service manual or even an owners manual, any links to sites I can download a pdf?

 

[Dirtjunkie85]

I don't know about any sites that you could go to download either of them. I would definitely check Ebay though you can usually find either manual on there for a decent price!