How to buy a motorcycle

Buying an old sports car is not for the faint of heart. The act of sitting down to contemplate the entire internet is much like finding yourself in a two thousand year old cave with a crusty old knight, and being asked to select which of the hundreds of cups in front of you happens to be the Holy Grail. Choose poorly, and a grisly, desiccated fate will surely await.

And I can say this with some confidence, not just because I have visited that cave of truth many times, but because I know you have too. Our recent subscriber survey showed that over half of Ti subscribers currently own at least two aged sporting classics.

That daunting crusade then: first you have to find the right example; cue much traipsing round the country. Or in some cases, globe. Then you have to navigate the price-peril spectrum of whoever or whatever happens to be selling it. Is it at a main dealer, independent, shady private punter or online auction?