A bike sells on its paperwork. The photographs get somebody to message you; the registration certificate, the insurance and the transfer are what turn a message into money, and they are also the part that can follow you around for years if it is done carelessly.
Get the documents in front of you first
Before you write the listing, put your hands on the registration certificate, the insurance policy, the pollution certificate and — if the bike was ever financed — the release letter from the lender. A serious buyer asks for all four. Discovering that one is missing after you have agreed a price costs you the buyer, because the delay reads as evasion whether or not it is.
If there is still a lien on the registration, say so in the listing. It is not a defect and it does not stop the sale; it is a step, and it is much worse discovered late.
Describe the bike the way an inspector would
Model year, kilometres on the odometer, how long you have owned it, how many owners before you, when the last service was and what was done. Then the honest paragraph: what is not right. The clutch that needs adjusting, the tyre that is close to needing replacement, the dent in the tank. A buyer finds all of this in ten minutes with the bike in front of them. Writing it down first is what makes the rest of the description believable.
Photograph what a buyer will kneel down to look at
Both sides in daylight, front and back, the odometer, the chain and sprocket, both tyres including the tread, the engine casing, and the registration plate. Then the damage, in close-up. A listing with twelve photographs and one visible scratch gets more serious enquiries than a listing with three flattering ones, because the second kind is what somebody hiding something also posts.
Let the buyer ride it, on your terms
Meet somewhere public and busy. Hold something of theirs while they ride — a licence, not a deposit. Go with them if you can. A buyer who refuses a public meeting point is telling you something useful, and a buyer who takes the test ride seriously is usually the one who buys.
Do not stop at the money
The transfer of ownership is the part that protects you, and it happens after you have been paid, which is exactly when it is easiest to let slide. Until it is done the vehicle is still yours on paper, and so is anything done with it. Agree in writing, before the sale, who is filing the transfer and by when, and keep a copy of the signed forms and the buyer's identity and address details. Follow it up until you have confirmation.
Where this site fits
Listing is free and there is no commission. Your number stays off the page until you and the buyer both confirm the deal, which is worth more here than in most categories: a bike listing attracts a lot of first messages and only a few real buyers, and you can do the whole filtering conversation before anybody has your phone number.
Post it in For Sale › Motorcycles, or in Bikes if it is a bicycle. Start from a new listing.