Prospective Owner, Have Concerns

[JDAZ]

Hey all,

So I've been looking for a Hayabusa for a long time now, but so far no luck, as every single one i found either had something wrong with it, or dealer fees killed the deal. I don't really care much about which generation it is either, as long as it's mechanically sound. There has been one seller that i have been going back and forth with, and he just lowered his price from 6900 to whopping low of 4500, which means i could do cash for it, instead of finance it. Here is his Craigslist add for a 2006 Busa with 7000 miles:

"
- Aftermarket upgrades include- chain and sprocket setup, Power Commander V with the Tiforce tune on it, TiForce Full Performance exhaust, adjustable brake and clutch levers, raised handlebars for more comfortable cruising, custom made gel seats (very comfortable), Upgraded fork springs (so wheelies and the weight of the bike do not blow the seals all the time) which makes the bike handle so much better, swing arm spools, and a speedometer corrector.

- New (as of January/2017) Ford Spirit Blue Paint Job- it had a dragon theme on it before and it just wasn't for me so i had it painted.

-New oil, chain, sprockets, fork fluid, fork seals, upgraded fork springs, brake pads, tires, spark plugs, and a new tune on the power commander V (as of December/2016) "

After i expressed some concerns (about fork seals and paint especially) he shot me an email:


"The first owner of this bike had a weird paint job on it of dragons and scales that he used to take to bike shows and i did not like it and at the time i worked at a body shop so paint was cheap for me. It is painted because i fell in love with the new Ford Spirit Blue that i constantly saw at my job. The first gen hayabusa had underrated fork springs from factory so to increase maneuverability and weight limits (i ride 2 up with my fiance) i upgraded them. This bike has never been dropped, wrecked or rebuilt. if you give me a number to text you i will send a picture of the title with original miles actual reading and clean title. Honestly the only reason why i am selling the bike is so that i have a car for the intense heat in the summer as the bike is my daily driver. 4500 is very low and i have only had it up for 1 day at that price so im sure someone will want it for that. It pains me to sell it but hard times demand desperate measures. I completely understand all concerns as do i when purchasing used. The speedometer is corrected because of the change in sprockets therefore making the mileage correct. I have nothing to hide with this bike and would be more than happy to show it to you. I believe the only thing that i would do if i were to keep the bike is replace the rear tire probably in June and replace the chain but i have one in my garage because i was planning on doing that soon but i will throw it in with the bike."

Honestly, i've never owned a bike, i am more into sport cars, but i know that guys out there are reverting mileage, and do funky stuff with their bikes, so i thought i'd ask for your opinion on this one. It just seems like so much has happened on a bike with only 7k miles, and he is already suggesting new tire in June and another chain replacement in June! Should i pass on this one as well?

Thanks!

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

(so wheelies and the weight of the bike do not blow the seals all the time)

That alone would give me pause. That being said it's really tough to find a bike that hasn't been wheelied at some point. It's like buying a sports car and expecting it to have never been rodded around. Very rare. Most people are going to lie anyway.

Usually new paint job means bike was wrecked but that isn't always the case. I think for the price it's worth at least taking a look. There's a bit of money in just the extras. When looking over a bike you can generally tell how well it was taken care of.

What the hell do I know though. I just bought a bike that was in really nice condition with super low miles and I ran across a sticky note in the owners manual showing the oil hasn't been changed in the last 6 years.

 

[Mathewrussell52]

I would be over concerned about the wheelie thing. These bikes are torque monsters and a warmed up tire and the throttle wide open it will pull the front end up even if you don't want it to.

Look at the bike close if your concerned it it has ever been down. Get behind it and see if subframe is straight look over the front fairing see if that's straight. Look at all the fairing bolts are they there?

And if the bike is painted well and looks good. Seen a lot of bikes painted that looked really bad.

Even if the bike was dropped at one time who cares. Every purchase is a gamble your talking about a 10 year old machine but price sounds good and from the little I have read doesn't sound like seller is not trying to hide anything.

 

[prg]

If in doubt, do now't. Another one will always come along.

 

[Jedi23]

Im with prg these bikes are machines any worries and dont do it

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

Well...that statement about why, in under 7,000 miles, on an eleven year old bike, that's already been painted twice, he changed the fork springs (primarily) to stiffen it up to prevent future fork seals from blowing due to wheelies, and only (secondarily) to upgrade the suspension did give me pause (and) made me laugh out loud! He's got to be very young or I don't know why anyone would mention wheelies in a for sale ad. My 06 has over 60,000 miles and only twice have I wheelied unexpectedly from a standing start where the front end slammed down harder than I wanted. I don't count going into second or third, those mini wheelies come down real soft. As for the chain, sprkts and the tire. It doubtful anyone got 7,000 out of an OEM rear so the tire he's recommending be replaced would be the (third) rear in just 7,000 miles. If the upgrades included new sprkts and a chain and they already need replacing, it has to have been raced hard IMO. Until you give it a very close inspection you won't know how much it's worth. What color is the oil in the sight glass? That's what I'd do before giving anyone thousands of dollars no matter what I was buying. Good luck! Here's a recent pic of my eleven year old with original

OEM plastics. It has over 60,000 miles.

As an aside, it wouldn't hurt several posters around here to edit their replies before (or) after they've been posted...It would certainly make them easier to understand. Jus sayin.

PS. Don't know why two pics showed up...?

 

[VIPER]

I'm with CB here. BTW i can not understand a damn word of any other poster on this thread. Repainted 2 times in that low of miles tells me wrecked for sure. I can pretty much guarantee not from wheelies usually though. When one of these girls goes down on her side from a wheelie, motors blocks have a tendency to crack. Please don't ask how i know this. I guess its possible repaint was due to preference but i highly doubt it. That being said, 4500.00 for an 06 seems like a decent deal. i would inspect it closely, take plastics off if you have to, easy on the 1st gen. Inspect frame and sub frame, pay close attention to the neck and swing arm. Been my experience if a seller doesn't want plastics off, they are hiding something.

 

[JDAZ]

I want to thank you all for your replies. I think you are right: if it feels wrong it must be wrong. It's been for sale for a long time now, and price keeps dropping. I am assuming that more experienced riders have looked at it before me and have decided to pass on it. So i will do the same.
It's just that my patience is running out, it's been more than 2 years since i started looking. There is just not too many of them here in Phoenix!
Once again, thank you all! Hopefully one of these days i will return here with pictures.

 

[VIPER]

I want to thank you all for your replies. I think you are right: if it feels wrong it must be wrong. It's been for sale for a long time now, and price keeps dropping. I am assuming that more experienced riders have looked at it before me and have decided to pass on it. So i will do the same.
It's just that my patience is running out, it's been more than 2 years since i started looking. There is just not too many of them here in Phoenix!
Once again, thank you all! Hopefully one of these days i will return here with pictures.

I wouldnt pass on it so fast. Take a good long look at it. If everything is straight find a close bike mechanic and have them peek. If the owner really wants to sell he will not mind it being taken there. A repaint isnt for sure a no go, other than 3 bikes i have not purchased a bike that was stock on color honestly.

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

Like I said; paint doesn't necessarily mean it was wrecked. In my younger years I worked in a body shop and repainted lots of bikes. It's a cheap upgrade to set your bike apart from the other 8 million stock ones out there. Let's be honest; Suzuki doesn't have the best paint/graphic schemes.

Time costs you nothing. Take the advice from those in this thread and do a thorough investigation. It's pretty easy to tell if a bike has been wrecked or majorly abused. You won't catch everything but you could also purchase a bike that looks mint and end up having issues with it. They are all machines, and they do break. Hell, I've had brand new bikes have catastrophic failures before (cough* RC8 *cough).

I've also seen bikes that have been abused like there is no tomorrow keep running, and running.............

 

[twotonevert]

I am curious about the previous paint, does he have a picture? Sounds like a bike I used to know.

 

[1busa]

The miles in the odometer means absolutely nothing..... for less than $300 you can buy a gen1 speedo off eBay with low miles swap it out and you'll never know the difference

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

The miles in the odometer means absolutely nothing..... for less than $300 you can buy a gen1 speedo off eBay with low miles swap it out and you'll never know the difference

In my state the miles are listed on the title when the new owner purchases it. It's pretty easy to spot an odometer rollback when the miles on the bike are close to, or less than, when the seller purchased it.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

The miles in the odometer means absolutely nothing..... for less than $300 you can buy a gen1 speedo off eBay with low miles swap it out and you'll never know the difference

Well, you have to figure that in on (any) purchase, same as plastics. Along with tires, chains and sprkts, all can be easily changed. A complete service history is about as important as any thing else, maybe more.

 

[MBMCprez]

I think for 45, it may be worth the gamble. Push come to shove, say you have to drop a few bucks to get it right. It still may be worth it. Find a bike mechanic that you trust. A lot of the guys on here are. I just ride em, can't fix em (other than minor repairs). See if he will let your mechanic look it over. Like a lit of the other guys said. Shouldn't be a problem if there is nothing to hide.

 

[PADEROLIS]

I am curious about the previous paint, does he have a picture? Sounds like a bike I used to know.

I was thinking the same thing! lol!