buying from craigslist

spanglaz

Registered
Hi org,
Ok, so im finally ready to buy a busa! To give you guys some background i've been a member of this site for the longest even though i didnt own a hayabusa. My first bike was a TL1000r which i didnt have much time to ride(less than 6 mths) before someone hit in a mcdonalds parking lot. So its now been two years, finished school and evere since the day i graduated the busa has been on my mind. Now I've found a guy selling his bike on craigslist and wanted some advice. When i go to meet and review the bike in person what quesions should i ask? what should i keep in mind when i'm looking the bike over? Any and all advice its welcomed. thanks guys!
 
Ask to see maintenance records. Check the chain for lube and see how clean it is. Check the oil and see how clean it is. Ask when the brake pads have been replaced and check the tires. If maintenance was neglected, so was the bike.
 
Look for a after market stator cover and bar ends, signs that she's been down before. Ask of they are the original owner. Will they let you test ride?
 
touch the forks near the seals for leaks, rounded teeth on the rear sprocket, run the bike for several minutes to smell burning oil, and steam from a leaky radiator. that should be a decent checklist to avoid future costly repair. go with someone and meet at a public place for safety reasons. some guy around here got jumped and robbed by 4 dudes over a phone sale on craigslist.
 
hi all. Thanks for the feedback. im go;nna keep it all in mind when i go to look the bike over. If all goes well i'll post pics!
 
Any chance you're near the Chattanooga area? This one just went on the market yesterday. Click Me

It has been well cared for, and the seller is a highly reputable member (moderator) here on the org.

Good luck with whatever you decide. :thumbsup:
 
Take a buddy,he holds the bike upright(or the owner) grab the forks,check for play in the steering head bearing.Same with the wheels. (wheelies are hard on these parts)

Check for mismatched paint(its been down)

Start,pull clutch, put in gear,hold breaks on,let clutch out,it should stall it as soon as the clutch grabs. Or put in third or 4th,find a steep hill and crack it.(clutch check)

Check chain for rust and how tired it is by grabing the chain at the furthest point from the motor,(middle of rear sprocket)it should not pull very far off the sprocket.

Take a flashlite and look in the fuel tank for rust/debris.

Remove oil fill plug and have a sniff.(sometimes you can smell a burnt clutch.)

Rotors should be smooth,if not,(circular gouges)someone let the breaks go too long.(rotors toast)

On test ride,light to medium force on lever for at least a 100 feet. (plusing sensation thru lever? rotors warped)

Check break pads with yer flashlite,see if that little gap in the middle still exsists.

2 bolts to pop the seat off,stick a volt meter to it. 12 volt systems like the Busa actually have 13.2v in a batt if its good.(or close to)

Then start bike,give a little rev,voltage should climb,but not too high (stator/reg check)

Start bike,let warm up,about half way on the temp guage you should hear the fan come on.

Flashlite to the oil site glass. Is it low? To high? How dirty? Milky in color? Milky is bad.(blown head gasket,cracked head,etc.) Coolant is reaching the oil,or bike has sat a long time...condensation,can be hard on the tranny.

Exhaust...blue on start up,valve seals.Blue after warmed,rings. Black smoke,running rich. White smoke,head gasket etc.

A little cam chain noise is normal,but have a listen.Right side of motor.

Sit on bike,roll forward or rock and hammer front brake,clunking noises can mean fork innards are toast.Slow to rebound? Forks out of adjustment or springs are sacked,or there is binding.

Could go on,but dont want to bore you.LOL

But I have to mention the fun part. The intimidation factor. If yer a big mean looking dude,most guys will come up with an excuse not to sell it to you.Take some mean looking big bastids with you. Nobody talks to the seller but you.They imediately start looking the bike over.They nod or grunt at you and point things out.If they dont know what they are doing,then have them just stand around and smoke. LOL.Everybody ignore your cell phones,dont even twitch if they go off.Yer focused on the bike right now.
Now it gets even more fun. With an' excited squid like tone in your voice you ask,"How long can you wheelie,this mutha #*^*'er for." If he says "All day". Shop somewhere else. Ask "What have you had her up too?" "Is the rev limiter working good?" "I'll bet this thing kicks azz at the track?" "Does it do good burnout?" "I've heard these are too heavy to stunt,can you get a stoppie outa the thing." "Who's done the service and repairs?" Hope for an' answer that doesn't include "His Uncle Goober,who knows everything about bikes,especially harleys." If you can, show up with a pack of sportbikes only,and nothing under 600cc. Helmets,gloves,jeans and "wife-beaters" look the best. LOL.

Walk the walk,and talk the talk,but dont over do it. If yer not confident,let a buddy pretend to be the buyer. Pick the bike apart a little,but dont be a dik about it.

If he's asking 7 grand,phone him from someone elses number(in case you already made contact) tell him you only have 59 hundred,and ask if there is even any point in looking at it. If he hesitates,thats good. If he says,"No worries,come on over." Then you should be skeptical.

Never look excited,look almost bored. If its mint,buy it. If its not,and you still want it,leave and come back later. Once or twice, walk away out of ear shot and have a chit chat with buddies,look back at the bike a couple times. When you come back,let him say the first words.


I've had guys go in the house and come out with a lame excuse that its not forsale anymore.(they dont want you and the "Boyz in the Hood" returning it the next day because its a POS) This stratagy can sometimes back fire a bit with some bike owners.Some wont sell a Busa to a squid. No worries,send a different buddy to buy it later.

I should write a book on this shi7. :laugh:

RSD.
 
What year? Miles? Price? I would look for a low miles bike as that will save you alot of headaches due to a clapped out bike. Good deals are out there, I absolutely stole my 09 with 3K miles. Keep us posted.
 
Good tutorial RSD ! Yes, you should write a book. The only thing I would add is look how the guy lives if your at his place. What else does he drive and how does his house, old lady, and other possessions look. Your looking for consistantcy in overall maintenance / appearance.

My favorite question is to ask, how come your selling it? Look him right in the eye when you ask and see where his eyes go before and as he speaks. I won't go through all the "tells" with you about what everything you

might notice and how it plays into the truth factor. Just a couple tips, if his eyes go up and to the right ( his right ) that generally means he is recreating ( fabricating some fiction ) what he wants you to hear and could

be hiding something. If he has a bit of a sob story like the other half is pressuring him to sell it and he is glancing downward ( into his emotions ) he is probably telling the truth. This comes from NLP ( nural linguistic

programming ) and is taught in many fields for truth detecting and also for sales professionals. I like to ask this question ( why are you selling it ) when I have been asking a few others in an unrelated subject area to

see how quickly he changes his body posture, tone of voice, and other clues their is something being hidden from your inspection.

The deals are out there if you look for a while. With the economy still recovery mode the odds of finding a desparate seller with good merchandice is excellent. Find at least 3 Busas to look at so you don't get hung up on

any paticular one. Chances are after you look at several you will intuitively "know" when you have found the right bike after assessing everything around it. The last one I bought was owned by a gentleman what owned 4

sport bikes and a DB 9 Aston Martin. He had the service manual ( big plus ) and records of services performed. He was needing money and after looking the bike over i said, " the only thing left to do now is talk about

the price. You could practically see him shrink in his shoes and that told me he was desparate for money even though his lifestyle appeared to be in order. It was an 05 with 7400 miles on it and didn't have 1 flaw that I

could find. I started at 5K and we met well under 6. I didn't steal it but I didn't overpay for a problematic bike. Good luck with your search !
 
We think alike Zee-Max.:laugh: I do a couple of the things that you mentioned aswell. (but forgot to bore folks with them in my small novel up there LOL)

I look at the guys garage. If its neat and orderly and he can go to a shelf and produce a nice bound copy of service records etc thats always sweet.Some guys enjoy looking after their bikes even more than riding them. I'm 50/50.I like doing both.

I like the part about looking at his house,ol' lady etc. If she is over 200 pounds you know yer buying a bike with sacked rear suspension and possible scrapes to the exhaust,worn out brakes,a seat that will need the foam replaced......

:laugh:

All of the "Jedi Mind Krap" and "Vulcan-Mind-Meld" stuff was very informative aswell. :thumbsup:

I'm surprized you just dont take the faster approach and beat the truth outa them. :rofl:

You and I should start a bike buying consulting business....we'd make a fortune. :beerchug:

RSD.
 
If you are interested I have a 2007 Hayabusa:
Like New Condition
Never Been Down
Garage Kept
About 5400 miles.
Power Commander
Brock's ShortMeg Full Exhaust w/ Modded Airbox
SporTech Skull Windscreen
Powdercoated Wheels, brake lever, clutch lever, shift lever, rear brake lever, driver and passenger foot pegs, driver heel guards, Rear passenger foot peg/ exhaust hanger (Kanji Plugs in exhaust hangers)
Never driven in rain
Frame plugs
New Image Seats
New Metzeler Sportec M5 Interact Tires
New Immortal Graphix Tankpad
Thompson's Custom Cycles 6" fixed extended swingarm w/ Chain Guard
New Vortex Sprockets 16T(front) 42T(rear)
New RK Chain
New Galfer Wave Rotors and Pads
Kuraykyn Chrome Iso Grips
New LED Integrated Taillight ang Turn Signals
1400lb Heavy Duty Spring for shock
Newly Installed Fairing Screens
Battery tender connection hard wired in(Battery Tender NOT included)
Powrerbronze Undertail
New Yana Shiki Tag Relocator
Also still have the OEM Manual, OEM Pipes, Swingarm, Windscreen, Bar Ends, Black Wheels w/ slightly driven tires and a few other things.

$8500
 
Picture is on my profile for viewing. PM me if so. It's a great bike just want to get a gen 2.
 
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