As far as the traditional newspapers go - including their on-line classifieds - the writing is on the wall. Fewer and fewer ads appear in overpriced classifieds sections in both print and on-line versions. So it's become much more "miss" in the hit or miss world of vintage motorcycles. I rarely bother with them anymore!
Regarding cycletrader.com, I know that lots of folks like them - but my experience is that it's so heavy with dealer ads and paid search results from dealers that you rarely get anything close to what you're looking for within a reasonable distance.Walnecks.com is another site that I used to check in my vintage search, but the recent search results there looked identical to what I get at Cycletrader. Not sure if that's just one company now, but why bother if both give you the same results.
Either way, I do like that these sites let you put in your zip code and give an search 'distance' so that you can limit your results to something close to where you live. That's important! Remember - distance = dollars in your search. The farther away that old bike is, the more money you'll spend just getting up there and getting home - and that's lost money if the seller forgot to tell you that it's missing a transmission or title and you go home empty handed. Still, your mileage may vary - so at least try the classifieds to see what might work for you.
The ideal situation is finding a private seller, local, who knows the history - at least recent history - of the motorcycle. Next time, we'll talk more about how Craiglist changed the world, and how it can help you find a good old motorcycle.
