Craigslist Rant!!

I've got to bitch! I look at the Mpls, MN Craigslist for motorcycles, every day. I can't believe what I see there. Who are these people that list their motorcycles for sale? Do they even know anything about the bikes they're trying to sell? 
Here's a few suggestions....

1. Use a spell-checker. Nothing says, "this bike was owned and maintained by an idiot", more than someone who can't spell. Of course, everyone makes mistakes, but you could, at the very least, try to spell the MAKE of your motorcycle correctly. It's on the gas tank, copy it down!

2. Use pictures. I want to see what condition the bike is in, so post the allowed 4 pictures. Used clear, in-focus pictures, not some crappy cell phone camera pics!

3. Describe the bike. Year, make, model, mileage, condition, are a must, but you can even go further, and list  specific things such as tires, accessories. Do your homework. If you don't know what year your bike is, it makes me wonder what else you don't know about, like changing the oil, or using a clutch.

4. Price, I don't want to see... "make an offer"....We all know what that means, you're just fishing, and you have no real intention to sell the bike. If you're not sure what the price should be, do a little research, look at similar listings on craigslist, use kbb. com, see what the dealers are selling it for. Don't think that just because you spent $4,000.00 on chrome that your price should be $4,000.00 more than someone else's identical bike!

5. Title, this is a huge gripe for me. If you're trying to sell a motorcycle that could be licensed and driven on the street, PLEASE have a title to go with the bike!  At least this guy has a clue. This was taken from today's craigslist... I didn't change the punctuation or capitalization in the ad. They must think that the first word in every line should be capitalized. This is the way it was posted...
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"1993 FZR600R Parts Bike - $499"
"We dont have a Title for the Bike,It isnt in our name and dont know
Who its registered to We can write up a bill of sale.14,000 miles
Have the key dont know if it runs or drives.Looks like a honda tank
Is on the bike Thanks for looking And have a great day."
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If you own the motorcycle, and you've lost your title, you can get a duplicate title from the state. If you try and sell a working street bike without a title, it looks as if you don't own it. A "bill of sale" will only get a person so far when they try to register a motorcycle that was purchased without a title.
Also, it would be nice to know if you still owe someone for the motorcycle you're selling. If you still owe a bank or lender money, and I buy your motorcycle, and you don't pay off your loan... I may never get a title and true ownership. Try to be honest about it.

6. Lets not forget, please don't use all capital letters like this clown did... I took out his phone number and web site url. All caps makes it hard to read.
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"HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET THE STREET GLIDE OF YOUR DREAMS AT A SEASON BLOW OUT WITH ONLY 10,000 MILES!!! LOTS OF EXTRAS FROM CHROME FORKS, RHINEHARTS TRUE DUAL, K&N AIR INTAKE, POWER COMMANDER, DYNO TUNED, STAGE 1 KIT, CHROME CONTROL COVERS AND CHROME LEVERS, AFTERMARKET BLACK-CHROME SPOKE 21" WHEEL FRONT-18" REAR ($1,999) 2-WINDSHIELDS, HARLEY STORAGE COVER, LED ACCENT LIGHTS (BLUE) LEATHER HARD BAG COVERS, QUICK DETACH REAR BACK REST WITH LUGGAGE RACK ($350) CUSTOM HEADLIGHT BEZEL, ALL LIGHTS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO CLEAR SMOKED, WITH INTEGRATED TURN SIGNALS IN REAR, HIDDEN ANTENNA, CHROME WINDSHIELD STRIP, TOO MANY EXTRAS TO LIST.....THIS BIKE HAS OVER $5,000 IN EXTRAS ADDED....CALL AND ASK FOR BRAD AT 612. WE HAVE FINANCING AND EXTENDED WARRANTIES AVAILABLE."
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Sorry, I just had to get this out in the open!

Added, 1-31-2011... OK, Here's another example of how not to list your motorcycle on Craigslist.... cut and pasted direct from Craigslist. ______________________________________________________________________________
05 suzki 800 - $800
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Date: 2011-01-29, 4:48PM EST
Reply to: sale-77rbe-2187197727@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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05 suzki run good and it a lt 80 and it gotlots of new parts call or tex 937 725 9345 _______________________________________________________________________________

Unbelieveable!!!!! suzki???