How to Find Your Next Project Bike

Finding the right motorcycle paint for your bike can be challenging enough - but finding a whole new bike can be even harder. Especially when the bike you want is something like an old CT70 or cool Sportster Iron 883.

Where do you even start? 

We are here to help.

Finding your new old bike

The first step in finding your new old bike is figuring out which Make, Model, and year of motorcycle you like the most. Spend some time just browsing sites like motorcycle.com. It can be easy to go “down the rabbit hole” on a site this extensive, but it can really help you narrow down which type of motorcycle gets you fired up. At this point in the search, things like Motorcycle paint or custom handlebars isn’t important - what matters at this stage is choosing the right bike for you.

Once you have settled on a motorcycle, the real search begins! A great place to start searching for your specific motorcycle is craigslist. You can search for something like “Honda CT70” and see results in your area as well as expanding your search into areas nearby. You can actually look all over the US and World if you have that one specific bike that you just have to get your hands on, and because craigslist is pretty much the classifieds for the entire world, you can actually find some good deals!

If craigslist isn’t working out for you, there are other options. A great way to find both motorcycles and parts for sale is to join a group on Facebook. There are seriously THOUSANDS of Facebook groups specifically set up to be buy/sell groups that connect riders from everywhere. Simply type your make of bike (some groups are set up around specific models as well, so be sure to try that out as well) and take a look through the results for groups. Even groups that are not specifically focused on being a buy/sell group can be a great place to ask around, but the buy/sell groups are definitely the best bet when looking for a new old bike.

If facebook groups are still not turning up with good results, you can go a step further and look at joining some of the make-specific forums out there. To find these, you just google “(Make) forum” - of course putting your make like Harley-Davidson or Honda where I have the (Make). There are tons of these forums out there, and almost all of them will have a “marketplace” or “classifieds” section on the forum. This can be another great way to track down just about any kind of bike, but these forums can be a difficult place to bargain with so many veteran riders being on the same forum.

Once you track down your new old bike, here are a couple tips to help you make sure you get a good deal:

• Never send money to someone without having some kind of protection. Using Paypal gives you the chance to get your money back, but a lot of legitimate sellers will not use it out of fear that they will get ripped off after actually selling the motorcycle.
• You can use services like escrow.com to help you protect the seller and buyer from getting scammed. There is definitely a fee (see image - captured on the date of publication and subject to change) but the few hundred extra might be worth it if you are buying a motorcycle sight unseen from another part of the country/world and can’t verify anything up front.
• Always be safe - go with a buddy to check out the bike, avoid hauling lots of cash around, and just be smart.

Now get out there and find that new old bike you have been looking for!