Buyer/Seller

You can always tell

Inexperienced used motorcycle buyers

By the questions that they ask

When they call you

To inquire about

The Moto Guzzi or Ducati that you have for sale

“How many miles are on it”

“Does it need anything?”

“Is the title clear?”

All of these are acceptable questions that

Cut to the heart of the matter

That is,

What condition the machine is in

And what troubles one can expect from it

In the near term

“Why are you selling it?”

“Are you the original owner?”

“How long have you had it?”

These are queries

From the ignorant and inexperienced

Who fear the unknown mechanism

Who shy from mechanical matters

Who pay other people to ponder their bikes

Why dally.

If you really want to know

The hidden history of the mount

That you consider for purchase

Ask directly, then.

“What is the farthest wheelie you have done with it?”

“How many beers have you consumed whilst riding upon it?”

“How many times has your Brother-in-Law Bob, that sod, dropped it?”

“Have the police ever chased this machine?”

“Further, have they caught it?”

Be bold.

And perhaps

I will tell

you a story

About the bike

that you are about to buy