There's an ad on Craigslist for a Superhawk and I was just checking it out and saw that the person would trade for a GS500. I have wanted a Superhawk for a long time (along with about 50 other bikes I have wanted, but whatever). So here's the skinny on my bike:

2005 GS500 with 7K miles.
Only mods are black windscreen, fender eliminator, taillight integrator, new front signals. Also have new grips, K&N filter, and handlebars that have not been installed. I also have a matching leather Teknic jacket.
I need to put a new started switch on it, but that's all it needs.

Here's the ad for the Hawk:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/462039914.html

Really quickly, it is a 2005 with 20,000 miles for $5900. I just heard that it has a salvage title but none of the damage was structural or mechanical, simply damage to the body work.

What do you guys think? First of all, what would be a fair trade? Straight up or am I gonna have to pony up some cash? And what about the insurance and maintenance? I know it will be more than the GS, but hopefully not by a huge margin. Ideas? Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks all.

Dave 

Depends on how badly he wants a GS500, and how badly you want a Superhawk.   

I'd give it a shot, see what he says.  worst that can happen, owner says no thanks.  superhawks are SWEET bikes.

I love them. I would prefer the red paint, but the charcoal is sexy. I talked to him, he said it was in an accident but only damaged the plastics. Hence the title. Also, he wants to get $5000 at the lowest, or the equivalent trade. I wonder if I could argue that mine is worth that and because mine is a clean title and his isn't, swap straight up. We'll see.

You won't 'argue' a trade, ever. You've got to 'sell' your gs to his wife. She's going to be the one riding it.

1) have you ever ridden a superhawk ? (You may hate it)
2) are you certain you want a salvage titled bike ? (Might be hard to sell later if you hate it)

Take yours over and tell ask her to sit on it. Ask both of them to test ride yours, and ask them to return the favor. Fair is fair. Be honest and point out all the blemishes and mechanical oddities on yours. A buyer doesn't appreciate finding things on a test ride

Good luck, hope it goes well for both of you.

And in addition to what he said, yea a super hawk is a POS.
Cool.
Srinath.

I don't know about superhawks being a POS, but I'd definitely be cautious about a salvage title.  I usually won't touch anything with less than a clear title.  That's just my preference though.  I'd at least see about trying it out before you decide to buy.  People trying to sell things tend to be liars, or at the least "truth with-holders."  Not everyone, but lots.

yeah baby
CLEAR TITLE and FULL BOAT RETAIL are the way to go

superhawks are great bikes, dont listen to srinath...
Your gs will be worth less than the superhawk if comparing apples to apples. BUT, with a salvage title you could argue their relative equal value. After all, you are trusting him, someone you dont know, to be truthful about the extent of the damage. And its also possible theres damage even he doesnt know about.

The only advantage this bike has is if you can swap directly with no cash on your end. Otherwise you can sell yours and buy another one for abotu what he's selling his for. And you can find ones that have less mileage and already have the aftermarket pipes (they really need them to sound right and they cost a fortune). They're called Torque Monsters for a reason. I love them.
Really short tank range though-you're looking at 100-120 miles on a tank, tops, betweein fill ups. They go through rear tires like theres no tomorrow. Think of replacing tires every 2k miles because thats what the few people I know with superhawks do.

They are the same bike, totally unchanged, from their inception in '99. The red is most common since that was the only color available that first year and it was available every year that color. Yellow is also pretty common. Then some blue ones, and black was made one year only, and the dark grey was only one year. Those last two were the one's I was looking to get.

Having said all that, I still dig them.

If you can do a straight swap and you like the bike, and arent bothered by the salvage title (which may be hard to insure in your state) then go for it. If they wont settle for less than bike + cash just walk away. You can find superhawks with clear titles and less miles for $5500 range.

Yea peetey pablo ... whatever.
Frameless crap.
We dont need no steenking swingarm to connect to frame, that's foe sissies. We just bolt it to this transmission here, and hope that whoever buys this POS doesn't like run over something large like a curb or brick or 2X4 ... yea ... taht's show em.
Honestly, there is a 1000 bikes out there and no need to cut a compromise that big.
Buy a RC51 which was the first true race spec honda twin supposedly what the superhawk is a stepping stone to for more street riders and just what did honda do with that ... yup, a real frame.
For all I care buy a total POS, see if it bothers me.
Yea buy a TL/R-S if you must, its compromises are much smaller and much more correctible.
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: werase643 on October 30, 2007, 07:15:04 PM
yeah baby
CLEAR TITLE and FULL BOAT RETAIL are the way to go

I don't know about full retail, but clear title....definitely.   

I passed. Thanks for the info errbody. And right now isn't an optimal time to get a new bike anyway, so I will hang onto what I have until I am ready/another offer makes me think about getting rid of the GS.

On another note, please ride safe everyone. A fellow teacher in Vancouver just lost his life in a motorcycle accident. I don't have any details, just a blanket email sent to everyone in the district.

Dave