Route 66 trip

Yes the more I hear about route 66 the less appealing it seams, but its going to happen with four strapping young Southern Men haha, But on a more serious note I have found a bike but the deal seams odd, Like the guy is over seas, well working on a cruse boat and the advert is in Lakeland Fl but the bike is in Portland OR at Vastimpex auto movers and the deal is to be done through them with freight already paid in the USA. $2100. need some advice or another bike to buy?. Thanks


http://us.yakaz.com/posts/000ecki4nmlhof6k

http://lakelandfl.global-free-classifie ... 72736.html

2100 dollars! Is the bike available for viewing? That is well below typical market value for a running bike. So I am a bit (OK a lot) skeptical. We have some forum members in that area that might be able to look at the bike for you, but I suspect a phone call to the transport company might be it all it takes. I notice a google search for "Vastimpex auto movers" doesn't yield a lot of results. You got a phone number for the company? If you don't want to dial international, send me the number I will call it for you. If the bike is not available for viewing, then shop somewhere else. If it is we might be able to find somebody to put some eyes on it for you.

Russ

kiwi46 said:

Yes the more I hear about route 66 the less appealing it seams, but its going to happen with four strapping young Southern Men haha, But on a more serious note I have found a bike but the deal seams odd, Like the guy is over seas, well working on a cruse boat and the advert is in Lakeland Fl but the bike is in Portland OR at Vastimpex auto movers and the deal is to be done through them with freight already paid in the USA. $2100. need some advice or another bike to buy?. Thanks


http://us.yakaz.com/posts/000ecki4nmlhof6k

http://lakelandfl.global-free-classifie ... 72736.html

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There are a lot of scams out there and this would be a perfect example of one.

Yes your right about scams and don't want my trip buggered up but someone with less moral fibre than the rest of us, im biting my tongue here. and I have emailed and asked questions but they have not really answered them, well to good to be true so I will forget that bike. So anyone got a good robust Commando up for the task as I want to show up my Harley loving friends on the trip. Thanks Jeff.

The scams often involve the seller being on a ship somewhere far away from the bike/car. The offer usually is for a shipped bike which you can send back for a full refund if for any reason you don't want it. Once the deposit is wired thru they will be gone . The scammers use photos of real bikes and cars that have recently sold on ebay, Barret Jackson Auctions etc.
I have called on several low priced collector cars, all followed this method. I did not send funds of course, but the plan was pretty obvious.

Glen

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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When I did my cross country on my 63 Atlas, I picked up two BMW guys in Nevada and we decided to ride together. They were trying to break me down, wanting to cruise at 100. Somewhere in Colorado, we were strung out about 1/4 mile apart, with me in the middle. I looked ahead and saw the first guy lean the R69 over, straighten, lean, straighten, etc. When I got where he was doing this, I found a Colorado rockslide all over the road. I just leaned the Norton over, let the front wheel dance over the rocks, and negotiated the turn with no heart palpitations or other fuss. The other R60 guy, seeing me, tried to do the same, and slud (past tense of slid) the Beemer dang near over the edge. He ground down his rocker cover and wiped out the headlight. Later, when pulling up Berthoud pass, the R69 guy had a carb fall apart. Two hours of searching produced no parts. They both had to side trip to Colorado Springs to find a BMW dealer, while the Atlas and I headed across Kansas on my own.

Well WornTorn you are bang on the money that's everything that's happened but I haven't sent any money. So is Vastimpax Auto Shippers a fake as well ? texasSlick that's great to hear that the Atlas made you proud. Well its back to shopping for a Commando.

Just found out that EBay is blocking New Zealand web sites due to the number of scams and dodgy deals on and complaint's on bikes and cars. Now this is second hand news but would explain why I cant search the site, Has anyone in counted this before.

So your actual intention is to buy a (old) bike site unseen then ride off into the sunset.

When you see something like a Mk3 Commando for $2100,hit the back button immediately,if you havn't done your homework (monitored prices over a reasonable period) already you will be a prime target for being ripped off.
If in doubt reverse the situation,it is no different to a thread in another forum here,naval officers on cruise ships,oil rigs,out of town etc etc and other rubbish,people willing to trust (you the buyer) and send you a bike or ship freight at their expense or whatever,would you do that,of course not yet people fall for these scams daily because they are stupid,greedy (bargain) or simply ignorant to market values,most common is greed.

If a for sale ad reads like bullshit that is what it is or the actual seller is a drongo.
It is the same world wide,seller and buyer perception is different especially when it comes to a sale.

If you find a mechanically reliable 40 year old bike that is owned by a actual skilled enthusiast or someone with the money to get a professional to maintain said bike and is then selling it at a good price,good luck,anything is possible.
What is more realistic is getting a low end bike that will give you drama's,regard anything a seller says with caution regarding condition unless you were able to pick up a known bike off this website from a member with a reputation for being up to speed in general.
The safe option if it is only a few week trip is getting a rental.

You are right Time Warp and I know I wont fall in to the trap as my age and the hard earned money wont be going to some scammer. When the questions don't match the answers the deal is to good to be true alarm bells are going off. The rental deal was very good at $3600 US that's about $4400 kiwi dollars but that was for four bikes, Now that my mates are buying bikes to ride and bring home, I don't want to bring a Harley back as I am selling my 07 Speedmaster to partly fund the trip and if I bring back a bike another Norton would be nice .

Any advice I have is likely to fall short of what you want unless you have lots of money or lots of time, or maybe both.

If my main priority was getting a Commando to ship home. I would rent a car from an online site at some low rate (Good deals abound) and I would tour looking for a bike. It could be a great trip.

I would consider shopping for a bike of any make you choose that is up to making the trip with a plan to resell it and use the money for a Commando.

Or, I would be ready to spend a premium price for a Commando from someplace like this forum that had already been gone through and make the trip with my buds. Expecting to find a Commando on the cheap that will make the trip is likely to lead to a lot of disappointment and probably expense that you might have spent more wisely somewhere else.

I suspect that there are a lot of guys who have completely gone through their bikes who would be afraid to make a trip of a few thousand miles as their first outing on their bikes. It's kind of asking a lot of anything that somebody else is selling.

Are your friends willing to go an a Commando hunt? It might be a great way to see the USA.

Russ

You can buy quite a decent bike for around 3,000 bucks, I bought a 1995 Harley 883 Sportster for 1500 a while ago with the intention of doing a similar trip, which I had to postpone due to illness. I had to put tyres on it and a few other bits and pieces, but the eventual cost of a roadworthy bike was less than 2500. It was a challenge finding someone to insure a rider with an international licence and I needed a US based address both for insurance and for registering the bike in my name. Make sure that the bike comes with all of it's relevant paperwork and in some cases (California) if it is currently out of registration this needs to be logged at the DMV and a certificate issued by the DMV, if you don't have this you may have to pay a fine and back taxes to register the bike. In my case the relevant paperwork including the off the road stuff was done correctly and I used my sister in law's house in The Bay Area as my correspondence address for all of the necessary communication. Now I just need to find the appropriate time slot and I am off.

I will be doing my trip from Providence Rhode Island to Los Angeles and was also intending to travel Route 66, but I am being swayed into considering other routes by some of the comments on here by people who have done cross country trips before.

Yes the comments and advice is not falling on deaf ear's trust me,I hadn't thought of the US address for insurance, I will sent a link to the site I have found these bikes on when I get home from work. And we still cant access ebay from a NZ web address for cars and motorcycles but we can for parts, GREAT.

Look at the these sites and sort out in your own mind the scam adds and if you know one that isn't let me know.
http://motorcycles.oodle.com/norton/for-sale/

http://motorcycles.yakaz.com/850-norton ... r-sale-usa

A cheapish Commando is not a good prospect for this trip. The aforementioned Harley, or other more modern bike would be a much better solution for you. I would shy away from buying a bike sight unseen from an individual. A brick and mortar dealer is a better way to go. You'll need to also look into insurance. It can be a pain.

I've bought bikes in Australia and toured on them for awhile with the agreement to buy back at the dealer. This is a much better way to go about it. It ends up being much cheaper too than renting.

If you do want to go with a Norton, I suggest you buy one and then find a shop local to the seller to 'fettle it'. Next, spend a few days riding the crap out of it in the town of origin, and then start your trip.

I think the Route 66 trip is a good one. A lot of we Americans don't realize how 'American' the route is and what kind of diversity and nostalgia you can see on the trip. As a foreigner, you'll see stuff you won't see on a lot of other trips. They are definately more exciting roads for testing your riding skills, but it's a classic route.

Good used Sportsters are a dime a dozen in the US. Maybe not suitable for 2 up touring but fine solo and the newer ones are as reliable as anvils. Plus a dealer in about everytown. I've toured on mine. A few upgrades help, better seat, better rear shocks, removable windshield, throw over saddle bags, tail bag. I would go for a 1200 over an 883. Still have plenty of vibes for that vintage feel.

Thanks guys for the advice, a more modern bike is the path I will follow. So much choice :wink: Its like a box of chocolates.

But very disappointed in the scam bikes. look at the links and see the scams

Maybe they have a Thruxton with some bags?? Looks like insurance is included too. You could still buy a good bike should you be lucky enough to find one while you're traveling.
http://www.thelostadventure.com/project ... bonneville

Yeah snorton74 that was a good link. I will start looking at the Triumph as a possible ride after all I have a Speedmaster here in NZ and I have dished out so much shit to the Harley boys down my way (only light hearted banter only) I would never hear the end of it, funny how some behaviour comes to bite you in the arse. Thanks guys.

Some locals from hearabouts did something like this trip a while back - and hired their Triumphs.
Said it worked out quite well, got their bikes when and where they agreed,
cost wasn't too bad, knew what they were up for up front.