A coworker of mine told me today that his brother found a great deal on a Ducati Scrambler online and traveled all the way to Houston, Texas to pick it up. While I think this bike is a great buy, I tend to be leery about purchasing motorcycles without seeing them in person, even new motorcycles.
Many times, a picture will not make an accurate representation.
That's why going to motorcycle shows like the one I attended earlier this month can be extremely beneficial. A case in point was the Moto Guzzi MGX-21 that was at the show this year. My dad read an article about this bike in Motorcyclist magazine and was strongly considering one of these for his next motorcycle. After seeing it in person and sitting on it, he quickly realized that it didn't look as good as the photos and was quite uncomfortable.
You also never really know how comfortable a motorcycle is until you ride it. I used to dislike Harley Davidson Heritage Softails. However, after I rode one, I quickly discovered that it was the most comfortable motorcycle I had ever been on (I'm still not sold on the looks of that one, though). I recommend traveling to dealerships that allow you to demo new motorcycles. I discovered that my current bike was the one for me during a demo ride.
If you find a steal online and are 90% sure it's the right bike for you, I'd say buy it. If nothing else, you should be able to keep or make money on a resale. But, if the deal isn't that great, pass on it until you see the motorcycle in person.
"Necessity never made a good bargain." - Benjamin Franklin
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