Just to let the forum know, I tried to buy a used Super Tenere...

[HoebSTer]

I second this notion of Rod's!!! While I was living in Ohio, i found a Honda ST1100 I wanted to by in Denver area. A friend of Rod's and ST Owner club member went and looked at it for me, test rode it and gave me the thumbs up to purchase without seeing. I trusted this person, because like most from Forums like this, we mostly all have the same respect and consideration for a bike as the next guy does. We don't want to be screwed over, nor does the next guy in this close knit group of motorcyclists. It worked well, and I flew to purchase it, then drove it home 1200 miles away.

 

[elizilla]

I have had forum members check out bikes for me several times (various forums). Once, it didn't work out so well - the guy who went to look at it for me, crashed it.

I still think it's worth doing - you can find out a lot of things that sellers don't say, and determine whether to waste your time on that distant machine. But I wouldn't ask forum people to test ride on my behalf, unless I knew them fairly well.