Say Hello to Scarlet!

By: Jeanette Tran

I now have a lovely new-to-me bike sitting in the garage! I am so excited to have a set of 2 wheels again, and I cannot stop thinking about all of the rides and adventures I have to look forward to. Not to mention how easier life will be now that I can continue taking advantage of all the wonderful things motorcycle - carpool lane, great gas mileage, great parking etc.

So a few weeks ago I was contemplating whether or not to hold out for that perfect Ducati Monster but in the end, I guess it was not meant to be (for now anyways). My friend ended up offering me an amazing deal on his SV650S that I just could not pass up. And just for kicks I ended up keeping the original name as well. Yes, this is not my dream bike, but it is up there on my list of bikes I would love to own. The only disappointing thing is that I have had her for almost a week now, and I still have not been able to take her for a spin.

It is not because of the fact that I do not want to take the bike out for a ride; it is more due to the fact that I do not even own her yet because I still have no title in hand. My friend still had a lien on the bike and so what we ended up doing was make a quick draft of an agreement between the two of us on the spot. I had agreed to pay for the bike upfront so that he could pay off the rest of the loan to get the title, and in the mean time I could take the bike home. I understand that some transactions between friends and family can seem like a blessing, but they could also get a little tricky if you are careless. If you are careless in your transactions, unnecessary tensions can form between you and that other friend or family member. Some people would think that I am crazy to have agreed paying for the bike upfront without the title, but at the same time, he and I are friends, so I would love to think that I can trust my friends, right?

Sure I could be crazy, but when it comes down to it, but I still find that buying any used or 'new' item from some random person off of a classified listing to be a lot more stressful because those people are complete strangers, and they have no loyalties or special relations with you. There will always be that 'what if' factor when you are dealing with strangers. In my opinion, buying and selling things between friends and family can give you some piece of mind because usually they will not be trying to rip you off, and everyone is usually looking out for the best interest of the other person. So in this case, I guess I am pretty fortunate that I happened to have a friend who wanted to sell his bike, and offer it to me at a great price. So in regards to the delay in paperwork and a lingering transaction, I guess I am willing to take that risk and just have faith that things will go smoothly.

Published: Sep 06, 2009

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