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Coronavirus advice for bike buyers

Find out how you can buy or sell a bike during the coronavirus lockdown.

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Auto Trader

Additional words by: Auto Trader

Last updated on 29 December 2021 | 0 min read

Can I buy a bike right now?
Yes, dealerships are now open in England, Wales and Scotland. You can also buy online via Home Delivery and Click and Collect services.
UK dealerships can remain open. Under the latest Government guidelines, issued in November 2021, masks are required in retail settings. Further measures have been introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Please confirm the rules and any exemptions to mask wearing with your local authority before visiting a dealership. Here is the current government guidance for England, Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland. As the rules are very different per area, it is always best to check the advice on the area you live in.
How to buy a bike online
We’ve introduced new features to all Auto Trader Bikes adverts, each of which will help you do more of your research and bike buying from home.
These features are highlighted on the ads themselves and show the ways retailers are helping keep you safe, observe social distancing, and keep bike buying easy during the lockdown.
Home Delivery
Vehicles advertised with ‘Home Delivery’ mean you can get it delivered to your address - no need to leave the house!
If a dealership offers Home Delivery, you can also see this on their adverts. Note that some dealerships may offer this service for free, others may charge an additional fee. Click here to search for bikes which can be delivered to you.
Click and Collect
Some dealerships may also offer Click and Collect services. Whether this is available will depend on the guidance in your region.
If a dealership offers Click and Collect services, you can see this on their adverts. Contact the dealership, using the contact details provided on Auto Trader adverts, to arrange this. Click here to search for bikes you can buy on click and collect.
Live Video Viewing
The Live Video Viewing icon on a bike advert will show you whether the retailer can offer you this service.
Live Video Viewing can be arranged directly with the retailer. These virtual vehicle walkarounds go some way to replace a forecourt visit and give you time to ask any questions, just like they would in person.
Are bike dealerships open to the public?
For those who want to visit a dealership in person before buying, you'll be able to in Scotland from 5th April, and in England and Wales from 12th April. In Northern Ireland, non-essential retailers will remain closed but Click and Collect orders can resume from 12th April.
All dates are subject to change. Here is the government guidance for England, Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland. As the rules are very different per area, it is best to check the advice on the area you live in. We’re keeping an eye on any changes to the above and updating each time we have new government guidance so check back in whenever you need to know what’s possible with bike buying during this time.
When they are open, what are dealerships doing to help you feel safe when buying a bike?
When dealerships are permitted to open (once their government allows them to and they have social distancing and sanitisation measures in place), we’re helping them show via their adverts on Auto Trader Bikes the measures they may be taking to make it easier for customers to visit showrooms and forecourts.
Retailers across the UK are determined to keep you safe and healthy throughout the bike buying process, so this dedicated space in each ad will highlight the measures they’ve adopted. Such measures may include:
  • Operating by appointment only (to make an appointment on use the email, call or chat buttons on the ad).
  • Click and collect services, allowing you to stay safe while picking up your bike yourself.
  • Adhering to two metres social distancing on forecourts.
  • Complete sanitisation of vehicles.
  • Using staff personal protection equipment (PPE), sneeze screens and other health and safety measures.
  • Making PPE and hand sanitisers available to customers.
Can I still sell my bike right now?
You can still list your old bike on Auto Trader. You can create your advert and upload your bike in just three steps and there are still millions of prospective bike buyers who visit the site every month.
Please remember to clean and disinfect your bike if you are selling it. Whilst there are no guarantees it will remove of all risks, it’s a sensible step to take and shows you are being responsible. Looking after each other at this time is essential, so if you can’t disinfect your bike properly, consider delaying listing it until you can.
Frequently asked questions:
1. Can I ride my motorbike durning lockdown?
In England you are allowed to leave the house and ride your motorbike for the following:
- Travelling to work where this cannot be done from home - Travelling to education and for caring responsibilities - Hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health - Visiting venues that are open, including essential retail - Exercise, if you need to make a short journey to do so If you want to ride your motorbike for leisure purposes, the government guidance for England is that you should not leave or be outside of the place where they are living without a reasonable excuse. In Wales and Scotland the rules are different depending on where you live. Please check the government guidance for For advice relating to the UK’s response in any other areas, please visit the government guidanceWales here or Scotland hereYou should avoid entering England unless you have a ‘reasonable excuse.’
2. Can I do a CBT test?
Following the recent announcement by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the UK government, motorcycle training in England has been ordered to stop for everyone (including key workers & delivery drivers) as the country is in a national lockdown.
CBT is suspended in Scotland too, because of the temporary lockdown. In Wales CBT is suspended because it’s in alert level 4. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will contact you if your test is affected by local restrictions and tell you what you need to do. If you have an existing test booked, please contact the training provider to reschedule. If you want to book a test for a future date after restrictions have lifted, you can join RideTo's priority list here. For the most up to date guidance please visit the DVLA website here..
3. What do I do if my CBT runs out in lockdown?
As it stands, there is no grace period if you are not allowed to do training at the moment and your CBT runs out. This means you will no longer be able to ride your bike during the period where you are not covered by your CBT.
We would advise booking on to a CBT course at the nearest opportunity. If you want to book a test for a future date after restrictions have lifted, you can join RideTo's priority list here.
4. Will my bike battery die if I don't ride my bike?
There’s a chance your bike battery will go flat if you don’t use it often. The average bike battery will die after 2–4 months if left in the garage. Newer batteries can last a little longer (3–5 months).
Letting your bike’s battery-run flat can cause permanent damage, as your battery loses some of its ability to charge fully. If you can’t get out to charge the battery, try using a battery charger to stop it from going completely flat if you need to leave it for a long time.
5. What happens if my bike lease contract is due to expire/start while I’m self-isolating?
As with most business sectors, the answer is likely to vary from company to company. Contact your lease provider, who should be able to arrange a solution with you.
6. What do I do if my bike breaks down?
Breakdown services are available, but it’s important to remember they’re having to adapt and so response times may vary.
When we spoke the AA, they said they’d still attend to customers having problem on the road. The AA recently updated their app and have briefed telephone-based customer service staff, to help identify anyone who has a problem who has coronavirus symptoms or is in self-isolation. This should reduce the risk of exposure for both customers and their staff. The AA CEO Simon Breakwell has explained that they’ve “already taken a range of steps to maintain our service to you, but you may experience a longer wait than usual when contacting us on the telephone while the COVID-19 situation continues.”
7. Can I refuel my bike?
This depends on whether you have symptoms of COVID-19 coronavirus or not, please check the NHS website.
The NHS is advising that people with no symptoms, should still practice ‘social distancing’. In this situation, use self-service pumps (lots of supermarket filling stations have these) and use disposable gloves when handling the pump and paying, pay by contactless where possible. When you fill-up, avoid any human contact. There are now app-based payment systems (e.g. Shell’s Fill Up & Go) which allow you to pay for your fuel on your phone. If you use an app, wash, and or disinfect your hands afterwards. If you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone with coronavirus, follow NHS advice and self-isolate.
8. What happens if I struggle to make my monthly finance payments due to losses incurred by the coronavirus?
Finance companies have teams within their customer services division, who can assist customers experiencing financial difficulties. Ask them about options such as payment plans to assist, which will depend on individual situations. Contact the customer services department of the specific finance company your agreement is with, not the dealer you bought the bike from.
Not all finance providers will have the ability to offer payment holidays, if your leasing company doesn’t offer a payment holiday, explore other creditors you may have to see if they do offer payment holidays – but at the same time, it’s important to maintain payments on priority bills. For independent advice on finance contracts, contact Citizens Advice or, for general financial concerns, you can try the Money Advice Service, who are independent and can provide web chat services and more.
9. I was due to attend a speed awareness course, what should I do?
Drivers can attended digital speed awareness courses. Check the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) website for the latest information.
Where can I find more information?
This article aims to help answer the key questions on how motorbike riders are being affected as coronavirus lockdown continues. We will endeavor to keep this article up to date as more information is released.
For medical advice please make sure you visit the NHS website. For advice relating to the UK’s response in any other areas, please visit the UK Government’s website. To keep up to date with all our latest content, or ask us a question, visit our social channels — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

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