5k For An 08 With 2k Miles.. ???

[Sirsdg]

Ive gathered my duckets.. worked it down... and will be driving with a very good pal 533 miles one way to pick up a hayabusa on friday...

Ive POURED over pricing, craigslist, et al trying to work out the sticking points and make sure im getting a solid deal all around ( my experience in bike purchasing is typically buying older HD bikes and moving them, which to date ive not taken a loss on knock on wood. on new bikes its easy with just checking dealer cost and seeing how much you can work them off MSRP ( ie a new street glide is 18.4k in my area for what dealers pay, getting one at 20k or around that out the door would be a good deal. my old zx7 I talked down 3k off listed price, paid cash and rode forever) BUT street bikes typically have horrible resale value. so i dont typically move in the market because its tough to find a good flip, Ive actually not looked at street bike used pricing in over a decade because of it.

im flat out nervous to go pick up the bike because its not an area im well versed in purchasing. on top of its MUCH easier to abuse a street bike than a HD.. its easy to tell if an HD has been abused and rode hard, because i know them well. not having a clue what to look for on this bike has me freaking out a bit.

I know to check the oil, coolant, brake fluids. sniff test the oil to see if its burnt, look for sediment/discoloration in the cooling overflow tank. inspect the brake lines for any leaks or cracking. run through the gears to make sure transmission engages well. inspect battery for corrosion and signs of grounding.

what else am I missing?

 

[Mathewrussell52]

That's cheap as long as it's real. You nailed most of it I'd look at fork seals are they leaking? But at that price your not gonna get a new bike. As far as abuse they bikes are made to hit the redline all day. Yes change oil but 2k it's barely broke in.

Other things to look at is everything straight.

 

[Sirsdg]

the story behind it.. the guy is in his 70s.. bought it new for a bucket list. rode it a bit and put it up. he lives WAY the hell out away from any metro area. has had offers, but everyone wants HIM to drive to THEM.. thankfully for me. ( I love road trips) Ive spoke with him a few times via the phone and made rapport ( we're both vets, love guns, and hate politicians) and I started with 4k to play with to replace my dead ninja. hes consistantly gone down in price as ive been adding to my pool. ( I as a rule wont take out a loan on a sport bike, the insurance is beyond rediculous for theft and all, so unless I have cash, I dont have a bike)

Im nervous due to the increased amount of stunters basically, IMO no quicker way to trash a bike than by wheelies and trying to LEARN to do stunts..
because if this ive passed by some potential deals due to the age and demeanor of current owners and flat out crossed off buying anything from a second owner. ( guy with his hat turned backwards, wearing motorcross pants while getting out his truck, yea five seconds of that conversation and seeing his OTHER bikes, of course you NEVER wheelied the poop out of your "nice" bike, fork seals just blow for no reason ever 2k miles.)
I got the vin and did a check on it, no recorded damage. first owner.

Ill fondle the hell out of it to find any fluids and look over the frame and neck, check for movement in the triple trees.. etc..
just nervous about it in general, not being something I typically deal with..
Ie Ill drop money in a heartbeat on a HD engine or clean titled frame, I know the values well in that area. this is like walking in to a casino and measuring your odds on a bet... what MAY look like 100 to 1 in your favor but your reading glasses are at home so your not quite sure what the sign says kinda thing..

 

[Sirsdg]

the story behind it.. the guy is in his 70s.. bought it new for a bucket list. rode it a bit and put it up. he lives WAY the hell out away from any metro area. has had offers, but everyone wants HIM to drive to THEM.. thankfully for me. ( I love road trips) Ive spoke with him a few times via the phone and made rapport ( we're both vets, love guns, and hate politicians) and I started with 4k to play with to replace my dead ninja. hes consistantly gone down in price as ive been adding to my pool. ( I as a rule wont take out a loan on a sport bike, the insurance is beyond rediculous for theft and all, so unless I have cash, I dont have a bike)

Im nervous due to the increased amount of stunters basically, IMO no quicker way to trash a bike than by wheelies and trying to LEARN to do stunts..
because if this ive passed by some potential deals due to the age and demeanor of current owners and flat out crossed off buying anything from a second owner. ( guy with his hat turned backwards, wearing motorcross pants while getting out his truck, yea five seconds of that conversation and seeing his OTHER bikes, of course you NEVER wheelied the poop out of your "nice" bike, fork seals just blow for no reason ever 2k miles.)
I got the vin and did a check on it, no recorded damage. first owner.

Ill fondle the hell out of it to find any fluids and look over the frame and neck, check for movement in the triple trees.. etc..
just nervous about it in general, not being something I typically deal with..
Ie Ill drop money in a heartbeat on a HD engine or clean titled frame, I know the values well in that area. this is like walking in to a casino and measuring your odds on a bet... what MAY look like 100 to 1 in your favor but your reading glasses are at home so your not quite sure what the sign says kinda thing..

the other addendum. this is intended to be my 15+ years bike.. with my current cruiser, the two together I should be able to pull 100k plus on both before I need to look again for personal use. so im overtly cautious since I dont suspect Ill be buying another sport bike in my lifetime. ( basically im 44, im lookin to ride this til im 65, then depending on what my body can handle, either store it away for grandkids or give it to my nephew ( or daughter if shes inclined, shes holding out for my chopper that never sees the sun)

 

[Cantab]

I think when you rock up to the 70y old fellas place and see everything around spic an span
your worries will dissappear, sounds as tho you've got it pretty well sussed what to look for
and your've got a mate with you so a second set of eyes to look over it.
Enjoy the ride home

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

That's a heck of a deal. I was stoked when I paid 6k for my 08 with 4,500 a few months ago. These bikes are pretty bullet proof. I'd love to have bought mine from an older gent. I think it's safe to say it hasn't been abused any.

 

[Mathewrussell52]

Forks seals are easy to replace. Not many people would ever call a busa a stunt bike. But have seen YouTube videos of HDs stuning it up also.

And a fan of doing a few wheelies on a Busa it is easy to blow some form seals. Second gear grab that cluth and the front end floats right up and little feathig of the throttle she pulls and pulls and pulls them bam out of nowhere rev limiter. And she comes crashing down.

Again remover what a machine is built for. You keep ref a HD those are crusisers and are made for cursing and lots of breakdowns lol jk kinda.

 

[Sirsdg]

Forks seals are easy to replace. Not many people would ever call a busa a stunt bike. But have seen YouTube videos of HDs stuning it up also.

And a fan of doing a few wheelies on a Busa it is easy to blow some form seals. Second gear grab that cluth and the front end floats right up and little feathig of the throttle she pulls and pulls and pulls them bam out of nowhere rev limiter. And she comes crashing down.

Again remover what a machine is built for. You keep ref a HD those are crusisers and are made for cursing and lots of breakdowns lol jk kinda.

true enough on HD stunting, but it sure isnt as common ( only time you get a proper wheelie on a street glide is due to hitting something big in the road at 80mph) and from 1969 to 1984 youd be right on harleys being a gret source of cursing and breakdowns.. oddly enough those same model years are what I look for now to pick up cheap and resale ( just last month I had a nice 1979 FLHC with 36k original miles, I got it for 2k in 90% original condition. posted it on Craigslist for 5k, let it sit for a month.. walked it to 4k, and had Seven calls in the same day about it sold it two days later for a SIG 226 new pistol and 3.5k point being keeping an eye out for old harleys is a great way to flip money fast, just dont touch sportsters, youll have that thing forever like herps

 

[sixpack577]

Busa stunting is uncommon...you should see the looks I've gotten, like I do the impossible, lol. When in reality, the Busa wheelies and stunts no different than any other sportbike.
It just feels a little heavier, and flicks around a little slower.
You Can wheelie a bike all day and harm nothing, if you do it right. I can tote a wheelie a couple miles, and then set it down softly, no slam, no bounce, no damage.
17k miles later, my 08 had one damp fork.
New oem seals, and just over a qt of 7w, and a couple hours later, good as new.
Now, if you go around power wheelieing and just dropping the front all day, rims bend, triple clamps get tweaked and forks out of line, seals leak bad, and steering head bearings suffer.

 

[sixpack577]

Forks seals are easy to replace. Not many people would ever call a busa a stunt bike. But have seen YouTube videos of HDs stuning it up also.

And a fan of doing a few wheelies on a Busa it is easy to blow some form seals. Second gear grab that cluth and the front end floats right up and little feathig of the throttle she pulls and pulls and pulls them bam out of nowhere rev limiter. And she comes crashing down.

Again remover what a machine is built for. You keep ref a HD those are crusisers and are made for cursing and lots of breakdowns lol jk kinda.

Catch it in a balance point.
Roll back outta the gas as you get into that spot. Then you'll stay out of the rev limiter, and the wheelie will remain until you ease back off. If you're coming down too fast, nail it, it'll sit down much easier!

 

[bigdev]

That's a heck of a deal. I was stoked when I paid 6k for my 08 with 4,500 a few months ago. These bikes are pretty bullet proof. I'd love to have bought mine from an older gent. I think it's safe to say it hasn't been abused any.

Haha I'm 66 next month and I'm so don't think that just because the guys in his 70's it hasn't been ridden hard but 2000 miles!!! what could go wrong lol.

 

[Sirsdg]

yea im in no danger of needing fork seals. not a fan of 3 oclock damn sure not 12 this bike is destined for a tank bag and lunch runs during the day, around town rides, and busting out on the weekend on some desolate roads north of vegas. figure ill get on it maybe once a couple weeks and move past 90, for the most part its enjoying some hp and offsetting high miles on a 15 hd with 25k on it already in a year and a half of ownership. ideally the goal is to keep the hd as long as possible road worthy by having the hayabusa to tool about with in and around town.
oh and just called the owner, we are agreed to meet up in the morning 530 miles away to do the deal. ( im on a night awake schedule so driving 9 hrs, with a bro, im debating riding it back, only thing against doing so is changing the fluids and doing basic maintenance on it, holding 5k cash in vegas is the model of discipline

 

[sixpack577]

530 miles in a new riding position.
Someone's gonna be sore!

 

[dadofthree]

One issue could be the fuel system if it's been stored for years. Possible tank rust, bad fuel, fuel lines and injectors full of crap, fuel filters full of crap. Hopefully he stored it right and the battery is in decent shape and you can drain and refuel. Best of luck.

 

[Sirsdg]

yea. im already on potential rusting. he did say he kept it on a tender in winter when stored. and kept the tank drained . but thats the first thing ill check just due to it being the most common.

its normally MUCH worse on old harleys. seems HD didnt line tanks in the amf years ( ive shown up to look at a bike, it be bone dry in the tank, put in a gallon and watched it drain right back out via pin holes all along the bottom)

 

[bigdev]

yea im in no danger of needing fork seals. not a fan of 3 oclock damn sure not 12 this bike is destined for a tank bag and lunch runs during the day, around town rides, and busting out on the weekend on some desolate roads north of vegas. figure ill get on it maybe once a couple weeks and move past 90, for the most part its enjoying some hp and offsetting high miles on a 15 hd with 25k on it already in a year and a half of ownership. ideally the goal is to keep the hd as long as possible road worthy by having the hayabusa to tool about with in and around town.
oh and just called the owner, we are agreed to meet up in the morning 530 miles away to do the deal. ( im on a night awake schedule so driving 9 hrs, with a bro, im debating riding it back, only thing against doing so is changing the fluids and doing basic maintenance on it, holding 5k cash in vegas is the model of discipline

Good luck and drive/ride safe

 

[Sirsdg]

Drove 16 hours with 2 hours dealing with the purchase/loading and picked it up yesterday.

as you may notice there is quite a few scratches on the right side, Im thinking its probably easier/cheaper to replace all the fairing than to repair. plus im not fond of blue anyhow. so if anyone has a source of good complete bodywork that comes in a base white id appriciate it.

 

[mabupa]

Drove 16 hours with 2 hours dealing with the purchase/loading and picked it up yesterday. View attachment 1573606 as you may notice there is quite a few scratches on the right side, Im thinking its probably easier/cheaper to replace all the fairing than to repair. plus im not fond of blue anyhow. so if anyone has a source of good complete bodywork that comes in a base white id appriciate it.

That's a good deal. I personally find that color scheme real nice. You might want to be sitting down when you pull up new fairing prices, so that you don't hit your head too hard when you look at the prices and pass out. Lol! Aftermarket is hit or miss (mostly miss). If you do a search on aftermarket fairings on the forum you'll find plenty of ugly stories about them.

 

[Sirsdg]

Its the right side lower fairing with the scratches. So I technically only need to replace the front and rear section of that right lower. the blue doesnt bother me too much, my wife is superstitious so it does bother her plus Ive always had the idea to put a base white or red on a hayabusa, pinstripe accenting in gold/white on red or gold/red on white then get some artwork akin to Drew Brophy's work on it. The undertail section bothers me on a primal level so the first project will be removing that and relocating the tag to a side holder and modifying one I currently own ( and just rewired) to fit on the passenger peg mount. the peg height seems as though I could do something to help that out, but not sure if I just need different pegs or to adjust them lower, I wear workboots often so its tough on my already modified ankle to up shift, im not sure if different footwear is the answer or possibly just adjusting the lever. Im 5' 11" so overall seat height isnt a huge issue but im debating lowering the rear just to have solid full foot contact, or as much as possible, due to the Vegas heat pooling oil at lights.


but overall im pleased with the purchase, its a welcome change to my big dresser and feels vastly better than my old kawa zx-7. Im still in awe of the raw power and ive not really gotten on it yet. the only thing I was disappointed with was being told there was full service records, manuals, wheel stands and such only to show up after 9 hours one way and be told " oh yea its all availible online." had it not already been a smoking deal that bit of misinformation would have been enough for me to walk. so I chaulked that up to miscommunication. ( im real big on no bSing...)

the micron mufflers are rather mild sounding, which suits me, I often listen to music while riding.

It did come with OEM mufflers, which ill sell as soon as possible ( if possible) since i have zero need of them.

 

[sixpack577]

Those Micron mufflers are liked by a lot of people...and nearly impossible to find.