Hayabusa Purchase

[mattymatt716]

Hey- just joined the site, and looking forward to getting to know the community.

I have a question for some of the site members. I'm looking to purchase a 2004 busa this week. It has 38,000 miles, looks really good. The left fork seal needs replaced, and the rear tire definitely needs replaced (not holding air). The seller is asking $5,500 (from a dealer). Is this a lot for this kind of mileage? What do I need to be looking out for in a bike with this many miles? I do not know the previous rider(s), but it really looks like a clean bike.

Any advice you can give would be sincerely appreciated! BTW- I test rode it last week and I'm still smiling. It ran great, didn't hear anything that shouldn't have been there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[1busa]

I'd pass.... too much $$$ too many miles

There's busa's that's been on here 4 sale with a 1/4 of those miles with Zero issues 4 the same asking price..... Save your $$$ be patient and look 4 a better deal

 

[PeteZ06]

Yup.... miles WAY too high for that kind of money, and especially since it needs maintenance work right off the bat. I wouldnt pay more than 3500 for that bike.

 

[twotonevert]

Check the chain and sprockets and see if there is significant wear, miles are high but it sounds like the previous owner rode her. As long as it was maintained she will run for that many and more miles. Does it smoke? Start right up? How does the oil look? Have the valves been adjusted? Make an offer and see what they say. I hope to be able ride as much as the previous owner rode that one.

 

[Rocketmn]

Too much money...Don't jump the gun.:no:

 

[1busa]

With those kinda miles and the condition he described I doubt that he really got on it and ran thru the gears. How much U wanna bet the tranny slips in 2nd....

 

[Flicka]

That mileage isn't terrible, but you can find much lower if you look around. If they are well cared for, Busa engines will easily go 100,000+ with no trouble. Between a new rear tire and fork seal replacement, you're already looking at a few hundred dollars if you pay to have the work done.

I'm wondering what kind of dealer puts a bike for sale with a bad tire and leaking seals... I wouldn't be in a hurry to do business with them.

Either way, I think it's too much money for what you've described. If you're willing to spend that much, I'd say just save a few more pennies and maybe look at a 2nd Gen Busa instead. 2008 or newer.

And yeah, like 1busa said, 2nd gear is a known trouble spot with some 1st Gen Busas, and it's a major fix. Caveat emptor.

 

[dadofthree]

Holy crap 10 , 11 year old bike for over half the original price. Shop around plenty of gen ii bikes for 1.5 to 2K more than that.

 

[Superzuki]

That's a dealership, not a Seven - 11 store. The price isn't set in cement, make an offer. If they won't deal walk away, there are plenty of Hayabusas available. There's a 2008 here for $6000....

 

[Trout]

It has 38,000 miles, looks really good...The seller is asking $5,500 (from a dealer).

Just for reference, I paid that exact price for a 2007 with 4800 miles (also with leaky fork seals, incidentally).

I found that it may be difficult to find the right bike in your own town. I had to search all the bordering states, and I ended up driving nearly 700 miles (one way) in my little beater Toyota pickup to fetch this Hayabusa. Be patient, and maybe broaden your search area.

 

[mattymatt716]

Wow- thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. I will probably save my money then, and keep looking.

 

[mattymatt716]

@ Twotonevert

It ran for a while when I test rode it, started right up, and I didn't notice any slipping in second gear. I'm aware of the problems with 2nd gear, but I was under the impression that part of the problem with 2nd gear was solved by 2003, and the other part of the problem was drag racing that caused 2nd to wear out prematurely.

@ 1busa- at what point am I going to know if 2nd is slipping? And, what would a cost be to fix if I were to do it myself? When I test rode it, I didn't notice anything unusual (I've driven manuals for 15 years so I can recognize when a clutch is slipping on a car, but....).

I guess the issue that I am wrestling with is that I have been pretty stuck on the look/color scheme. I'm not a fan of 2nd generation looks (but I'll take the engine LOL!), and I don't mind getting dirty to work on a bike (just gave up a 1988 Shadow to use as a down payment). I don't want to buy junk, but I was under the impression that these engines are pretty strong. The 38K bothered me until I did more research.

 

[1bondoman]

For the record the second gear issue was not anywhere close to being solved until 2008. Unless of course it already has an undercut transmission in it.

 

[1busa]

The problem with the transmissions were not solved in 2003...... they were solved in 2008 when they released the Gen2 busas with a factory undercut transmission. No Gen1's rolled out of the factory with an undercut tranny. The only way 2 tell if the tranny slips is to get on it hard in 1st gear (redline) then as U attempt 2 shift into 2nd gear it won't and will slip you in2 neutral. The same thing will happen in between the 5th and 6th gears. That's what I was saying when you took it 4 a test ride I doubt you hammered it thru the gears so you would never know. Shifting under low RPM doesn't have enough force show if your tranny is still good or not. You can baby thru the gears and never know until you decide 2 get on it.

Depending on which company you go thru an undercut tranny for a Gen1 can range from $400-600+ and that's not including ANY LABOR whatsoever so if your not mechanically inclined and know your way around busas dropping the engine removing the tranny shipping it off etc. Etc. Can be a very daunting and Expensive task

 

[02BusaMark]

Most of the guys on here are quick to say something is the wrong price, but as mentioned you may have to travel for the right deal. An 04 Limited in red is a very desirable color and will draw whatever the buyer is willing to pay.

May keep a close eye on craigslist or searchtempest to look outside of your area. I had to travel 200 miles to find the right deal. I was also willing to do some minor maintenance and upgrades to keep the cost low.

Gen 2 would definitely be the way to go, but most sellers are in the $8k range rather than the $5k range for a Gen 1. It's all what your checkbook can handle.

 

[ky busa]

to much $$$

 

[mattymatt716]

For the record... not that anyone is still reading this thread... but I got the dealership to come down considerably because of the maintenance needed (as well as the miles on the bike). I test rode it with more throttle and never noticed any issues with the tranny at all. It was the exact year I wanted, with the right color scheme (have been looking for a while). It's sitting in my garage now, and I've put 1,000+ miles on it since purchase. The only thing I'm having a problem with is parking it.

 

[1busa]

 

[Excursion05]

^^^^ What he said!