Top Five Motorcycle Auction Tips

Auctions can be a great place to pick up the bike you lust after, but it’s easy to pay over the odds on a rotter. Our simple tips help you on the way to auction happiness.

1. Know what you want. Auctions sell a huge variety of machinery, and it's easy to stick your hand in the air and buy something on a whim. If you're not after an individual machine, keep in mind what you're looking for and don't bid on anything if you're not absolutely sure of what you're getting yourself into.
2. Familiarise yourself with the bike beforehand. Auction catalogues are available pre-auction, so study the description, and then do further research. Often auction houses will have more images than they print they may be able to supply you with these so you can make s more informed decision on the bike's vakue.
3. Check the bike over beforehand. Usually, you won't be able to hear it running, but you can closely inspect the bikes before the auction starts. Knowing the lot number helps too you don't want to stand for four hours waiting for your bike to arrive if you can help it, and it also means you're less likely to miss it if you know roughly what time the bike is selling.
4. Set a maximum price. If you see the bike you really, really want, it's easy to convince yourself to bid a few hundred (or even thousand) quid over your budget, when you could easily have picked up a more similar bike for a more reasonable price elsewhere.
5. Make sure you know the other costs and fees that winning bids incur. Auction fees and tax are the usual costs factor this in when deciding your budget.