Just exactly how does one find an Ascot?
Well... They're not easy to find at times. Of course you might get lucky & just run into one for sale, or already know someone that has one that you might buy. There is also eBay, but there are problems with location, shipping & usually buying sight unseen.
The best way that I have found to locate Ascots is Craigslist (CL) . There are basically a couple of ways to go about this. Of course there is the CL "Search" feature. The search terms that you want to try are the following:
Ascot
Ascott
FT500
FT 500
VT500
VT 500
VT500FT (and variations of VT500FT with spaces)
I have located Ascots under each of those search terms.
The other way to use Craigslist, is to place a "WANTED" or "WTB" (Want To Buy) Ad in the Motorcycle For Sale By Owner section.
That is how I located my Ascots. There are several advantages to placing a WANTED Ad. Most of the time when someone is considering selling their bike, they check CL to see if there are comparable bikes to get an idea of value. If they find your Ad, they most likely will contact you directly instead of placing a For Sale Ad & having to deal with flakes. Plus you get the first shot at the bike. When you type up your Ad, make sure you copy those search terms that I listed & place them at the bottom of your Ad as key words for the search feature to find.
It is also a good idea to list your phone number. Do NOT just type in the direct numbers of your phone number. If you have any zeros in your number, instead of using a zero, use the letter"O". Its also a good idea to spell out at least one or two of the numbers. For example: 555-5 five 5- 5O5O. I spelled one number & used the letter "O" instead of zero. The reason that you want to do this, is to avoid telemarketers from bothering you. They have programs that search out phone numbers.
There are a couple of drawbacks to a WANTED Ad. Be prepared to hear from someone who thinks that their bike is worth a lot more than it really is. Plus, it's hard to bargain, without the seller deciding to try their luck at placing a For Sale Ad instead.
Of course you want to look at the "Penny-Saver" type of Ads if those are still available in your area. And don't forget about the Newspaper Classifieds. There are still a few Ole Timers out there that don't use CL.
Good luck in your search & please let us know how you do
J.
