Forum posts could affect the value of your bike.

It's a general issue on nearly all forums. Lots of people go there to find out stuff if their bike goes wrong and this tends to create a 'negative' atmosphere with people bitching about their bikes and issues they have had. Prospective buyers will pick on this and it sometimes persuades them not to join the club (or even not buy a specific bike as in your case).

A large majority of owners will either never visit these sites, or fail to post, as they are happy with their bike. This results in the often skewed feel. The Aprilia Tuono forum I was an active member of was the same.

I'd just like to say that although I've had a few issues with my bike, they have all been fixed and I'm still pleased I bought it.

Some people will buy a bike without any research and then sell quickly (after moaning) when they realise it wasn't what they expected. (Not saying this is you Richard). Manufacturers also market and promote bikes to create emotion and excitement which can further exacerbate the application of heart over head.

Buying a bike is an emotional choice and sometimes your new partner doesn't live up to expectations, but sometimes you take a chance, are led by your heart and are surprised and delighted, that's life...

 

You never see many if any forum posts where people praise how good the bike is, most like me use forums to find friends with the same interests, ride outs, craic and obviously any issues I may have or may be able to assist in resolving which is where the perception of how bad the product is.

Likewise I assume other bike specific forums must exist, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph etc etc and I guess they are full of issues also so if I were to go to the dark side I would certainly be looking first and depending on the issues I uncover could sway my decision.

 

Best to go anonymous methinks... change your forum name, delete all old negative posts & NEVER show your reg plate :wink:

At the end of the day it wasnt your sale you lost so all good :biggrin:

 

My bike is the best one I have ever. I cover it in cotton wool and polish it daily, I service it every 3 months. its never been anwhere near a track

 

Forums can be a source of useful information but if people base their buying on negative reports then nobody would buy anything, a good example is Toyota recalls run into the hundreds of thousands but people still buy Toyota's. The answer is to buy what you want, life is a learning curve and you will only appreciate something from your own experiences not by reading someones negative experience.

 

what about rain or down the road ?

I think it is to late for me then but then again I do not care when buying or selling. At the end I buy by emotion if I was sensible I would get small electric car. All of this is just an excuse to get a deal.

 

My Ducati is amazing.

It is red and nice.

It has never given me any grief or had anything fall off it.

The only reason I rebuilt the engine is that I was curious as to what all the whizzy bits inside looked like.

It does not leak oil, this is an intentional anti-corrosion measure by Ducati.

I like the fact it make my righthand go dead on long rides, it means I can have some rampant "was'nt me!" self-love sessions later, even better when my old boy & happysack goes numb against the tank.

I have a team of trained squirrels which groom and polish my Scarlet Thunderbus every morning in exchange for pistachios.

(Sorted) :biggrin:

 

Pah! - Well I wrap mine up in the lightest feathery down of the youngest orphan chicks found only on the rarest and soon-to-be-extinct birds known to man. Then I put mine to bed before it's got up. In fact every atom of my bike has been blessed personally by god. - That is how well looked after my bike is.

........But you try telling the young people of today that, and they won't believe you.

 

Nooo, its a lie ,it never happened:tongue:

 

It crossed my mind when I started posting my whinges that I could be devaluing my bike , but ive decided to be bloody minded and tell it like it is on the grounds that I might do some folk a favour and Ducati some damage ..... I recall a guy in the late 70s that was seriously fed up with his Benelli Sei , MCN actually commented on the fact that he had placed a ad that said .....................Someone make me a offer for this corroding unreliable heap of junk ! , Now I take my hat off to him ,

 

Bollocks to 'em. I thrash the spuds off my bikes, ride 'em in the wet, buy cheap tat for 'em and generally abuse them. If you don't like it, sod off and buy another bike, there'll be another punter along in a minute.

 

Well, let's go the other way... my bike, S879 XNE a 98 900ss ie (not for sale) has been superb - totally reliable. My Yamasaki YM125 (KX57 CGG, will accept reasonable offer) has also been totally reliable.

 

Pfft.... the guy sounds like a right wuss and was just using that as an excuse not to buy it.
If I bought a bike new or second hand I'd expect it to have some faults otherwise I'd be thinking something was wrong ...rofl

 

and the bearings never shit themselves!

 

I've just completed 3502 kilometres in 22 days (12 actual riding) and it ran like clockwork. Psycho clockwork & loud clockwork...Quat-D's...
Electronic fuel cap had a mind of its own though. Aside from cap and that's only a nit pick; perfect.