Looking at possibly getting a 1995 GS500.. Got some questions..

[AraneaeFatalis]

He said the bike is from Florida where no title is required. I sent him an email back stating if he could acquire the title for it then I would definitely go take a look at it.

[Toogoofy317]

At first I was going to say Run Away. But, I noticed the screen users name on the craigs list. And it says LOKI. We have a LOKI here on the Board in Gonzales Louisianna. I can't help but wonder if it is the same guy. If it is he put up a lot of info about this bike on here. I will do some investigating and see if this is the case.

Also, you do have to have a title to run a bike in Fl!

Yup, I thought so, it is Loki's bike from on here. Here is the thread about it http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=47052.msg528327#msg528327

Loki, was a stand up guy. When I needed a clutch lever and had no money due to health he sent me one of his extra one's at no charge. He's 17 and I think that was part of the problem of him not getting the tag!
Mary

[AraneaeFatalis]

Thats definitely it. But last night when I spoke to a friend of mine (who taught me to ride on his XJ650 Maxim) he said he was probably going to be buying a Harley and that he would sell me his old bike for cheap. So I think that will be the route I will go unless he changes his mind.

[Hawk996]

Maybe the guy is a stand up guy.  The way I understand it is that he only has the bill of sale from when he bought it?  Regardless, I agree with everyone that said "Walk Away", hell I would run.  There is no good reason for a legit owner not to have the title.  Even if you get lucky and the paper work whores at the DMV push everything through for you, your still looking at months and a couple hundred dollars before you see a title.  Obviously, do what you want but it is not a even a good deal and it would totally suck to end up with a $1000 (overpriced) parts bike.

[DoD#i]

My first bike was a Maxim 650. Other than the tiny gas tank and related short range, a good one. Swap off the cruiser bar and put on some Napoleon bar end mirrors, and it's a really nice bike (well, I liked that set-up a lot better than the cruiser bar, anyway, and the mirror perches are at a weird angle after the bar swap, so...)

[AraneaeFatalis]

My first bike was a Maxim 650. Other than the tiny gas tank and related short range, a good one. Swap off the cruiser bar and put on some Napoleon bar end mirrors, and it's a really nice bike (well, I liked that set-up a lot better than the cruiser bar, anyway, and the mirror perches are at a weird angle after the bar swap, so...)

This one has straight bars with risers and the mirros are setup under the bars (so when you have your hands on the handles, the mirrors look under your arms and behind you)

I'll probably do some modifications to it to make it look like a Cafe Racer. Who knows.

[bill14224]

Buying used bikes is a game, some are good at it, some are bad at it. Do your reasearch and go in confident. Find the inevitable faults, maybe even make a couple up if it looks like he doesnt know what he is talking about, point them out to him, mention you are not happy about the tank and the fact the mileage is an unknown and parts are getting hard to find. He will want to emphasise the good points but you need to hit him with all the negative points and never look too keen to buy it. Then show him the used price guides and tell him to stop taking the piss and justify his asking price, he wont be able too and you will gain the upper hand. Then offer him $750 (or whatever you are happy to pay) and tell him you are doing him a favour taking it off his hands. If he is desperate he will bite, or at least haggle.

Dont feel pressurised into buying it if you are at all unhappy with the bike or the deal, GS5s are like busses........... there will always be another one along in a while.

Sledge, YOU ARE FUC*ING BRILLIANT!  I couldn't encapsulate how to buy a used vehicle as well as you just did.  BRILLIANT! 

This is exactly what I did when I bought my GS.  The kid wanted $1500, but made the mistake of telling me he wanted to buy a new SV, so I knew he'd move.  His asking price wasn't excessive, and I quickly sized him up as an honest young man, so I didn't want to bend him over, so I offered him $1200.  5 minutes later he was signing it over to me.  5,000 miles later, the only thing that broke was the clutch cable.