Automotive Blog

After winning the bid and scheduling the pick up (detailed in Parts 1, 2, and 3), it was time to get down to business and check out the 2002 Magna, a motorcycle whose history I was still unable to totally track down. Still, it was time to go.

Ideally, I would have preferred to register the bike and just ride it. This would allow me to get a better feel for the bike over the long haul. But there were two reasons why this couldn't happen:

1. A salvage bike cannot be registered in New York State (NYS) until it goes through a special inspection by the NYS Anti-Theft and Salvage Unit. At best, you can apply for a five-day temporary transport pass, but that's only so you can drive the vehicle to its inspection.

2. The bike is a rebuilt salvage with a relatively unknown history. Trying it out for the first time on the NYS Thruway (I-90) for about 250 miles was not where I wanted to get a feel for it. Granted, I would have to drive 40 miles on some beautifully windy back roads before I made it to the Thruway, but being by myself on this trip and not being able to get a transport pass until the DMV schedules my inspection appointment (somewhere between two weeks and three months) made all of this a moot point anyway.

Lesson #3: If a seller's listed location is vague (in this case, "Western, NY"), just ask what town they live in.

When I was bidding on the bike, I set mileage parameters (as I normally do) because I wasn't going to drive to Virginia or fly to Utah to pick it up. My motivation for buying a bike is mostly economics – an alternative to the thirsty 4.7 Magnum V8 in my Dodge Ram. Driving 2000 miles or even 1200 miles round-trip would be a serious added expense. Since the point of buying a rebuilt salvage was to get a better bike than my regular budget would allow, such travel would be counterproductive. Money spent on gas came directly out of "The Bike Fund", which already would have to absorb the $205 inspection fee (by NYS Anti-Theft and Salvage).

Needless to say, I didn't check-in with the buyer since I assumed that "Western, NY" meant Rochester or Buffalo. But I was wrong. South Dayton, the town where I was to pick up the bike, was 325 miles away. Towing a trailer that far would kill my gas mileage! But because this was an oversight on my part, there was little that I could do about it. With gas prices soaring, the seller had little interest in meeting me for an exchange unless I was willing to pay for his mileage.

Lesson #4: Corporate mileage reimbursement is a good thing.

Luckily, I was able to coordinate pick-up with a work meeting that my wife had in Syracuse. There was also a family member in that area with a flatbed trailer, so I knew I could save some fuel costs and avoid a serious hit to the gas budget on the trip. My wife would be reimbursed for my taking her to and from her meeting, and I could avoid towing for the first 125 miles.

My Hypermiling Experiment

I had wanted to put hypermiling to the test, so I thought this was a good opportunity. Generally, I can get about 300-325 miles per tank in my truck, totally unloaded (with myself as the only passenger) and exclusively on the highway. By observing some of the essential beliefs of hypermiling (slow acceleration, plan-ahead vision to reduce braking, clearing out unnecessary weight from the vehicle, avoid towing as much as possible), I was able to make it over 300 miles, towing a 5' x 12' single-axle trailer for the last 200 miles of the trip.

Checking Out the Bike

So, somewhere deep in the heart of partially-Amish South Dayton, NY, I finally found the owners and inspected the bike. I went over it with all of the advice I received after posting a question on CR4's Automotive Forum. I checked glass for water damage, looked over the paint in hard-to-see places, checked the forks and braked hard to see if there was any pull with the handlebars. From my limited knowledge, the bike was immaculate.

Checking Out the Owner

When I asked questions about the bike, Sue (one owner) gave the same ones that Keith (the other owner) had given over the phone earlier. But their answers weren't so similar that they sounded rehearsed. Sue explained that rehabbing salvage bikes was their hobby, and showed off several projects that were in various stages of completion.

I don't know a lot about bikes, but I do feel that I know people fairly well. I spent as much time studying Sue as I did the bike. She gave off a sincere, honest persona and when I had questions about the process, she surprised me by having all of the paperwork that I would need from the DMV already printed out, filled out, and ready to go. All I had to do was fill in my info.

Sue then walked me through the process of getting it inspected and registered, making sure that I had her e-mail and cell phone number in case I had any questions. She also noted that the last two of their salvage sale bikes had been registered in NYS in just one month from submission of the application. I was excited to hear this, as I had heard it could take up to five months, a time frame which meant I might not be able to ride my new bike until next spring!

Loading and Securing

The simplicity of securing a motorcycle on a trailer astounds me. I drove the bike up the ramp to the front of the trailer. Using two ratchet straps, I fished each around one of the forks, between the fork and the front wheel, and then hooked both ends to the tie-down loop directly forward. This held the bike secure to the front of the trailer and minimized movement of the front wheel, limiting the risk of the handlebars whipping back and forth. I ratcheted the front wheel until I notice some compression from the front shocks.

Because the bike is relatively heavy (550 lbs) and was listing slightly to the left (where I had it supported by the kick stand since I was loading it by myself), I also used one strap to bring the bike back upright so I could put the kickstand up. This also helped limit any chance of the back end hopping around, but previous experience suggested that this wouldn't be much of an issue. Later in the trip, as a precaution, I added a fourth strap and doubled up over the saddle (just to keep everything pressing down on the trailer), but that was probably unnecessary.

Despite hitting some gnarly pot holes on my way out of South Dayton, the bike stayed secure and transported beautifully. Particularly gratifying was how the highly-polished chrome on the speedometer caught the sun and flashed continually in the rear-view mirror, catching my attention for the entire return trip. So far, this has been a great process and I eagerly wanted to complete the next step, an application for inspection, so I could get this baby on the road!

Related Readings:

Part 1 - The Salvaged Motorcycle Odyssey
Part 2 - Good Economics or a Midlife Crisis?
Part 3 - Taking the Plunge is Not for Everyone
Part 5 - Show Me the Money
Part 6 - Series in Review
Part 7 - The Anti-Theft and Salvage Inspect Unit
Part 8 - The Final Odyssey