Thinking about buying but...

[Ced]

Hello All,

So, I finally got a chance to ride a Busa and I couldn't believe how smooth and comfortable it was. Its an 03 with 3K miles, the guy is throwing in a lot of extras: tank bank, saddle bags, bull dog tire lift and Shoei helmet all for $6K. My only concerns are I was messing with the MPG readout and it said 19.4, thats not good. It should be much higher than that; I would think at least 30mpg. Also, he said he dragged it a few times at the track, but wasn't too hard on it. . (he's 50) All in all it seems like a good deal and it is in great shape. I didn't notice anything weird except a tendency for it not to want to go into 2nd gear (got neutral instead) when riding it.

Thoughts and comments welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

[Flicka]

Hello All,

So, I finally got a chance to ride a Busa and I couldn't believe how smooth and comfortable it was. Its an 03 with 3K miles, the guy is throwing in a lot of extras: tank bank, saddle bags, bull dog tire lift and Shoei helmet all for $6K. My only concerns are I was messing with the MPG readout and it said 19.4, thats not good. It should be much higher than that; I would think at least 30mpg. Also, he said he dragged it a few times at the track, but wasn't too hard on it. . (he's 50) All in all it seems like a good deal and it is in great shape. I didn't notice anything weird except a tendency for it not to want to go into 2nd gear (got neutral instead) when riding it.

Thoughts and comments welcome. Thanks in advance!

I'm going to assume you were shifting her firmly and say the following...

$6k says the statements in red are related. That is not an isolated incident. NO SALE!

There are plenty of good deals to be had on a nice Busa.

to the org!

 

[Lycan6]

I second that. Leave it alone unless you are prepared to spend a few hundred dollars more to have it diagnosed and fixed.

 

[Busa1166]

Were you able to test ride it to see how it feels 19 mpg should be smelling really rich. whit glove test the inside of the exhaust cans Mine gets over 40 but if I try I am sure I could get the mpg down to 19 if I try real hard


If it is even possible that it has a second gear issue walk away very quickly. 6K should get you a very nice mint gen 1 and a little more coin a Gen 2 start your new ride with a brand new helmet not a second hand used one

 

[VIPER]

Try one thing before you toss the deal to the wind. Adjust the shift lever down a tooth or 2. Then ride it again. See if that helps the shifting. I have big feet, therefore i have the shifter adjusted up just a little bit when i had my gen1 as i didnt like having to point my toe so far to get underneath of it. Then when my buddy would ride my gen1 he would struggle with second sometimes its quite common.

Now after writing that i will say 6k for an 03 is to high. I wouldnt give more then 4500. 5 k at the extreme most. Specially at this time of year.

 

[dadofthree]

Alright, alright. Ced these bikes shift rough compared to others. You really have to kick it into second gear or you hit neutral and you have to stick it in sixth as well or you'll hit a false neutral between fifth and sixth. I usually do this when I'm hauling butt and not paying attention. The second gear issue on these bikes usually has the bike popping out of second gear under load.

19 MPG, come on guys 03 with 3K miles. It's been running in the garage. If I was a good boy it would indicate 50 MPG on my Gen I it was completely stock. Run it a little north or south of 4K RPMs and it would drop a little. I have a feeling that if you took the bike on a 50 - 100 mile test ride you would see 40 plus.

All that to say this. 6K is to much for an 03. Heck there's Gen IIs around here going for 7 - 8 K.

And finally, I drag my bike everytime I leave the neighborhood and run an LSR now and again. These bikes are made for it. Now if those 3K miles were put on the bike 1/4 mile at the time that would be something to think about........like offering him less. Kelley Blue Book retail $6205. I'd offer him $5K. Is it an anniversary model ?

 

[stretchabusa]

I agree with all of my learned colleagues comments above, every one of them has validity in there, however, there are Plenty More Fish in the Sea, why buy one that you know has been dragged in the first place. Be patient and find the right one especially if you intend to keep it for a while.

Best regards Stretch

PS Find an owner who is 55 like me

 

[cdhoroho]

There are very few that havent been rode hard sorry but thats the truth

 

[HillbillyTom]

Yeah, 6k for an '03 is pretty high $$ alright. I'd be feeling pretty good about getting 7k out of my '07 (excellent condition). The second gear thing, as long as it goes in and STAYS in, it's probably alright. Mine shifted like a dump truck (wearing a raw spot on top of my foot through a Sidi race boot) until around 4000 miles when I started using Motul 300V in it. Butter smooth from then on. The MPG thing is strange, mine will show 37-44 for average riding, was showing 24 at track days.

 

[RussellJ]

Too much money! No Sale

 

[Ced]

Redo.

 

[Ced]

Try one thing before you toss the deal to the wind. Adjust the shift lever down a tooth or 2. Then ride it again. See if that helps the shifting. I have big feet, therefore i have the shifter adjusted up just a little bit when i had my gen1 as i didnt like having to point my toe so far to get underneath of it. Then when my buddy would ride my gen1 he would struggle with second sometimes its quite common.

Now after writing that i will say 6k for an 03 is to high. I wouldnt give more then 4500. 5 k at the extreme most. Specially at this time of year.

Thanks for the tip I'll have to try that. Never adjusted one before, didn't know you could!

 

[Ced]

I'm going to assume you were shifting her firmly and say the following...

$6k says the statements in red are related. That is not an isolated incident. NO SALE!


There are plenty of good deals to be had on a nice Busa.

to the org!

To tell you the truth he had it priced for $7.5K originally. Has been on Craigslist for a few weeks. He dropped it to $6k since he is picking a another Harley (4th or 5th). The price drop is not related to any issues with the bike. It's super clean. Also as I look around I haven't notice any great deals. If so they are usually too far away. And I'll lose money shipping it here. Plus this one is bone stock. Hard to find a clean bone stock gen 1 these days. I think the guy only tracked it a handful of times if that.

 

[Ced]

Yeah, 6k for an '03 is pretty high $$ alright. I'd be feeling pretty good about getting 7k out of my '07 (excellent condition). The second gear thing, as long as it goes in and STAYS in, it's probably alright. Mine shifted like a dump truck (wearing a raw spot on top of my foot through a Sidi race boot) until around 4000 miles when I started using Motul 300V in it. Butter smooth from then on. The MPG thing is strange, mine will show 37-44 for average riding, was showing 24 at track days.

Ok, I have searched cycle trader and I found another 03 with 7500 miles for $6295 at a dealer in GA and im in TX. The dealer will most likely tack on another $200 for prep and shipping will be $300-$600. Plus i havent seen it in person. The one here is about an hour drive plus im getting extras with only 3k miles. Im going to see if he will take $5,500.

 

[twotonevert]

Welcome to the oRg, and good luck with your search.

 

[twotonevert]

Alright, alright. Ced these bikes shift rough compared to others. You really have to kick it into second gear or you hit neutral and you have to stick it in sixth as well or you'll hit a false neutral between fifth and sixth. I usually do this when I'm hauling butt and not paying attention. The second gear issue on these bikes usually has the bike popping out of second gear under load.

19 MPG, come on guys 03 with 3K miles. It's been running in the garage. If I was a good boy it would indicate 50 MPG on my Gen I it was completely stock. Run it a little north or south of 4K RPMs and it would drop a little. I have a feeling that if you took the bike on a 50 - 100 mile test ride you would see 40 plus.

All that to say this. 6K is to much for an 03. Heck there's Gen IIs around here going for 7 - 8 K.

And finally, I drag my bike everytime I leave the neighborhood and run an LSR now and again. These bikes are made for it. Now if those 3K miles were put on the bike 1/4 mile at the time that would be something to think about........like offering him less. Kelley Blue Book retail $6205. I'd offer him $5K. Is it an anniversary model ?

And I agree with Robert.

 

[Ced]

Alright, alright. Ced these bikes shift rough compared to others. You really have to kick it into second gear or you hit neutral and you have to stick it in sixth as well or you'll hit a false neutral between fifth and sixth. I usually do this when I'm hauling butt and not paying attention. The second gear issue on these bikes usually has the bike popping out of second gear under load.

19 MPG, come on guys 03 with 3K miles. It's been running in the garage. If I was a good boy it would
indicate 50 MPG on my Gen I it was completely stock. Run it a little north or south of 4K RPMs and it would drop a little. I have a feeling that if you took the bike on a 50 - 100 mile test ride you would see 40 plus.

All that to say this. 6K is to much for an 03. Heck there's Gen IIs around here going for 7 - 8 K.

And finally, I drag my bike everytime I leave the neighborhood and run an LSR now and again. These bikes are made for it. Now if those 3K miles were put on the bike 1/4 mile at the time that would be something to think about........like offering him less. Kelley Blue Book retail $6205. I'd offer him $5K. Is it an anniversary model ?

Thanks for the info. No, it's not an anniversary model. Just a clean low mileage 03 owned by a 50 year old that has an auto mechanic shop. I was impressed with how clean his shop was. I'm sure he took good care of the bike. Also, I'm not too interested in the gen II's at this point and I haven't found a better deal in all of cycle trader. If I can get him down to 5,500 I'm pulling the trigger, second never popped out and it rode well. Thanks again!

 

[Ced]

Welcome to the oRg, and good luck with your search.

Thanks!

 

[busa186]

Did both trips read 19mpg. You get get that by just filling up and getting on it hard. I would offer him 5k no matter what the story.

 

[dadofthree]

Thanks for the info. No, it's not an anniversary model. Just a clean low mileage 03 owned by a 50 year old that has an auto mechanic shop. I was impressed with how clean his shop was. I'm sure he took good care of the bike. Also, I'm not too interested in the gen II's at this point and I haven't found a better deal in all of cycle trader. If I can get him down to 5,500 I'm pulling the trigger, second never popped out and it rode well. Thanks again!

No sir, I wasn't trying to talk you into a Gen II just letting you know that the price seemed a little steep. But I have to tell you; I put 36K on an '06 Gen I and have 24K+ on my '08 Gen II. The Gen II is an improvement. The Gen I wasn't exactly a dog

Best of luck.