Buyer Beware (2011)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Norton-8 ... 4aa89964f8

Thought I would post this since this guy (whizbangbingo) really has to talk about how he has been cheated by other eBayer's and says he won't cheat a buyer.

Long story short, I have a bike in my shop right now that was purchased from him...$4,500 USD for a bike that supposedly had been through top to bottom. The bike made it a total of 1 mile before breaking down and ending up in my shop for a complete rebuild. My client paid about $3,500 too much for this bike, he's now got $10k+ in parts in the rebuild.

Bent frame, cracked and hogged out mounting holes on the engine, wrong/junk parts in the primary, original bearings throughout when advertised as new. mismatched incorrect body work, mismatched incorrect header pipes and mufflers, the list goes on. Basically a junk parts bike that photographed really well.

This guy has a reputaion of buying junk and reselling as restored. He'll tell you names of people he has been "cheated" by and then turn right around and buy parts from them again under another eBay id.

I haven't bought or sold parts from/to this guy, but know others that have...guys that I have bought, sold, and traded parts with in the past and have always had fair deals. I'm in Minnesota, but a couple hundred miles from the seller, he is infamous in the area.

Just a tell tale sign of how this guy operates. In his ad he says, "Very fun to ride, handles great, and turns heads everywhere I go." I know the guy that sold the Interstate tank that is on this bike to him...and he just shipped it to him a couple weeks ago. We've had temps well below zero degrees F here...I'm sure he's turing heads riding any motorcycle at -20dF.

I don't like to post negative stuff like this, and I won't be offened if a moderator deletes it, but as I'm finishing up a bike that my client got screwed on by this seller, I feel somewhat compelled to at least give a fair warning to others that are out there looking at eBay regularly and think this might be a good deal. Also not an attempt to somehow bolster business for myself...not actively seeking additional projects and the current project will be my last for anyone other than myself.

I've had one bad buy on eBay but lots of good sells, I guess it goes without saying that you should always be aware of buying on eBay.

Good luck to all...

yeah, I asked him last year what made his EZpull clutch so special or what he did to it, and he mailed me back some flippant remark like that's my secret.

941 ebay transactions and 100% positive feedback.
Doesn't look like he's screwed too many people.

That is a pretty different looking bike in the ad, an attention getter for sure!
Buying a vehicle from a couple of pictures is a crap shoot a best.
Caveat Emptor!

pelican -

Intersting to see your location as North Carolina. The bike I am working on was purchased by a gentleman in NC from whizbang, and he ended up bringing it all the way back to Minnesota for the rebuild. Heck it looked good to me in the photos that I was sent before I accepted the work, when he delivered it to me and I saw the bike in person I sort of discouraged him from restoring it as I didn't feel it was a worthy donor...that's how bad it was.

Mark said:

941 ebay transactions and 100% positive feedback.
Doesn't look like he's screwed too many people.

That is a pretty different looking bike in the ad, an attention getter for sure!
Buying a vehicle from a couple of pictures is a crap shoot a best.
Caveat Emptor!

Click to expand...

Yeah I know the 100% feedback...I'm just giving a "fair warning". The guy that bought the bike I am working on was happy with it also and left positive feedback when he picked it up, which is when he did the 1 mile test ride. It never ran again when he got it home...needless to say he should have waited on the feedback.

My client didn't know the "ins and outs" of a Commando...he's a biker and knows motorcycles, but I think he may have purchased this machine on impulse. Live and learn.

I copy'd this from the add

Our shop specializes in restoring vintage bikes---
Harley, BMW, Norton, Triumph,
BSA, Matchless, AJS, Ariel, Indian Brave,
Royal Enfield, Indian Enfield,
many, many more---

Tell's me he is whore with a tool box

It's always good to get a heads up about crooked vendors and sellers, but a lot of time that seems to backfire on the person that tries to pass along negative experiences. I've tried to give people heads up on different dealers that are at best crooks and been severely ridiculed for daring say something bad about so and so's friend. Seems weird it's ok to give praise, but not the negatives. At any rate thanks for the heads up. FWIW I bought a "total restore" from a guy I kind of know and paid about 3k more than it was worth. I rode it a mile before the trouble began and I'm still trying to undo the bad build and will be lucky to get the bike on the rode for another 3K on top of the 6k I paid. I think it's hit and miss no matter who you buy from anymore.

Yes it can be difficult, even when you think you have seen it all before... I have a seriuos problem with my recent purchase. The previous owner ( an Ebayer who is buying supposedly low K bikes from The States and is "doing everything that needs doing" ) has offered to fix,at no cost to me. How ever... The more I stripped this motor the more I found. It is not going back to him. Buyer beware, take as many mates with you as you can WHEN YOU LOOK at an investment... I am not a fool, but on this occasion my money seemed to be easily parted. I saw photos of the bottom end apart, no probs there, I didn't see photos of the rust mark half way up the bore. The fact that the top end came off in one, as you can do with 750's, a quick hone from bottom up, and new rings. Bloody amazing really, had good compression, but for how long ?. Any way, as Ned Kelly (Aussie bushranger) said as he was dying.. "Such is life"... Merry Xmas.

Trouble is when you buy a running motor, it's really hard to tell what is in there unless you have personally seen it, or can trust the person that did it (unlikely), maybe CNW. Personally I would never give top dollar because you can always get a ratter that runs and if you want it right, build it from the bottom up.

I knew what mine was like and it was still completely rebuilt, every nut and bolt. That's the only way you can tell. There are still some things I would have done differently.

Dave
69S

My PO insisted that I could just fly up to Chicago and ride my '74 850 home..

He had some EXTREMELY shoddy work done at a vintage Honda shop (I'm not even sure they know how to work on THOSE, let alone Nortons).. Everything was out of whack and it was a grease-soaked, extremely dangerous, PIG. I had agreed to pay $4,500 for it before heading up to Chicago, but we settled on $4,000 because dad insisted it was in no way worth $4,500. He was trying to get him down to $3,500.

Anyway, long story short, we've torn it completely down and it's no longer a greasy pig. I'll have ~$7000 in it, fully restored and prettied up. I'm OK with that. But my point is simply that people are liars, and other people are clueless. It seems uncommon at best that sellers are neither a liar nor clueless anymore, especially with these old Brit bikes. I'll probably always buy under the assumption that the work probably sucked and that I'll have to go through and redo a good portion of it. Then it's a nice surprise if I don't have to..

-Jordan

It's an odd bike too be sure. Kind of a Frankenbike... Wouldn't appeal to "most" Norton types here, I would wager... Certainly not my cup of tea. But considering the bidding is already just short of $6K, maybe I'm missing the boat. Wonder what the reserve is??

I have a question, though. Looking closely at one of the photos of the right side, doesn't it look like a good kick on the starter would run you right into the footpeg? Those don't look like the kind of pegs that could fold up and out of the way. Seems a bit suspect.

Spaulding said:

Looking closely at one of the photos of the right side, doesn't it look like a good kick on the starter would run you right into the footpeg? Those don't look like the kind of pegs that could fold up and out of the way. Seems a bit suspect.

Click to expand...

Good eye :wink: Maybe he is such a skilled mechanic it will start with only 1/3 of a kick :roll:

When I bought my bike, I walked up to it, look it over to make sure it had almost all of the parts (you know, metal tank, real clocks, registration, etc.), that the numbers matched, and said "I'll take it". You have to rebuild anything Norton you buy. The PO insisted on starting it up. I didn't even care to hear it run.

You guys are making me feel better about the basket case I got

Some friends looked at me funny when they saw what I had bought. I said the same thing - I would most likely have to do a bunch of work on any one that I got no matter how it looked, so I didn't want to spend a lot up front and then even more later. I guess I just admitted that from the get-go it was going to cost what it was going to cost so might as well start off cheap. Plus it's more rewarding to me to take a rough bike and get it running well.

With all the mods that've been done to this bike, I wonder what the reserve is?

The more I learn about classic bikes and shoddy "restorations," the more I want to limit my future purchases to basket cases.

It looks like a basket case job. This is not necessary a bad thing but the Yamaha looking wheels kind of hang me up. There are very few people I would trust to combine Norton with metric hardware and make it work right.

The bike reminds me of a bike I built back in the early 90s. I purchased two bikes from the same guy (for $500.) One was a MKIII that was locked up from sitting and the other was in boxes with a bent frame. I got the MKIII unstuck and running and built a second bike from bits I had. That's why it looks a bit daft with the clipons, rearsets, SS pipes and Interstate tank. There are lots of little short cuts on it to save money. The speedo was destroyed in the wreck so I designed a single instrument shell with a place for idiot lights that bolted in place of the handlebar mounts. It was a good bike just not very correct.

After my last bad purchase I will no longer buy anything remotely claiming to be restored, historic, one of a kind, etc, etc.

Diablouph said:

When I bought my bike, I walked up to it, look it over to make sure it had almost all of the parts (you know, metal tank, real clocks, registration, etc.), that the numbers matched, and said "I'll take it". You have to rebuild anything Norton you buy. The PO insisted on starting it up. I didn't even care to hear it run.

Click to expand...

Almost a year ago I purchased a '72 in Connecticut, we circled at $2200; every fastener was rounded, but it was all there, even if the PO had tried to turn it into a Harley; it was sitting in a puddle of oil and reeked of gasoline. I gently put the kicker to work to see that it would go through 720 degrees without binding; it did. The seller (not the PO) said that it would start and approached it to do the deed. I stopped him and told him that I would deduct $100 for every kick he put into it, but he said that two kicks would get it going. I paid him $1900, I got a basket case that was still glued together. You will see the re-birth of this machine within the next 3 months as a Long Range Fastback.

Although I'd be reluctant to call anyone a liar without absolute proof**, a basket case is the most honest way to purchase any motorcycle: bones can't lie!!!

RS

** I have been to parts of Texas and Alabama where if you call someone a liar you better be a good shot!!

Bidding at $7100 and reserve still not met... Wow.

$8400.... I can't believe it went for twice the price of that cool purple bike when it's only half as cool :lol:

Anyway it'd be funny if we get a post in a week or two... hey, I just bought a commando, I'm new to the forum and.... :lol: