What is with Craigslist ads?

So a friend asked me to find a bike that she and her husband could
learn to ride on. they're both short and looking for something easy
to ride and small displacement. We came across this ad on Craigslist
for what seemed to be a perfect match:


Kawasaki LTD305

only 4000 miles
black w/ alota chrome
real clean
ideal starter bike
never laid down
runs strong too
510 912-0294/mark
sorry, no pictures

I take two hours off work to go check out this bike. I get there, the
handlebars are bent, the clutch lever is bent at a near 90 degree
angle, there's a dent in the tank, the chrome is pitted to hell, it
won't run on or off choke for more than 20 seconds, it won't run up
the revs at all, the belt sprockets are rusted to hell and the rear
suspension wouln't move at all when I sat my near 300 pound ass on the
bike.

Where the hell does this guy get "never laid down" or "runs strong
too"? I mean really. We're not talking about a slight difference in
cosmetic description, we're talking about blatent lies!

My real concern is that this guy has several bikes for sale, and told
us that he gets these bikes as donations to some charity which he
acts as the broker for. Not only is he misleading someone (likely
novice given the bikes he had for sale) but he's making the charity
look bad. (an art gallery in the east bay, I wish I remembered who or
I'd call them directly)

So novices beware, there's people like this out there selling garbage
and representing it as gold.

 

People like this seller are out there loose on the roads, too, driving
with a similar lack of judgement and a propensity to cheat. Be careful out
there.

 

(Creech) wrote in @posting.google.com:

this is the point where you should have just started beating the living
crap out of the guy. I mean seriously introduce him to the business end
of a tire iron.

I am so tired of Craigslist junk I can barely stand to read it.

I know, I know, there are some honest folks out there, and there are
even some good deals.

BUT, for the most part, especially 'learner' bikes, I am simply
pointing everyone I know to www.motojava.com telling them to look at
some of what is on his website, then drive to SF, meet Joe the owner,
and look at what he has in stock.

That saves me the same ordeal Greg just had. I don't have to be the
"expert' dragged out to look at some crusty 20 year old CRAP some ass-
hat is trying to unload for big bucks on the unsuspecting public.

NOTHING can turn a person off to motorcycling FASTER, than paying for a
crap bike, then spending the next 6 months trying to get it to run.


There are NO free bikes! You really DO need to spend about $1,500 to
get something decent. And buy good gear while you are at it.


Greg, you should have beat the guy senseless, so he would stop
perpetrating this brand of crap on the public. Well, no, I KNOW you,
you are a kind man, and would not do it.

Nexxt time, call me, I'll come out and help.



C

--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

My college roommate had a 1965 Mustang convertible, and I recall that
there was a 1964 or at least a 1964-1/2. Ford has got a 40th
anniversary package out:
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/mustang/index.asp?bhcp=1


Rich, Urban Biker

 

Dude...no wonder I have been having trouble with meeting chicks on Craig's
List.

Yeti

 

Having trouble meeting the price on "hot ride, long legs...", eh?

nb

 

Every once in a while, a good thing come along on craigslist. Recently I got
an almost new Fox shock for my VTR at a super excellent price, then I found
http://www.moto-rama.com/photo/bike/gunther.jpg for a completely reasonable
price, and ended up getting it for an even better deal than I would have
thought.
Weird, but true. Two actual deals off craigslist. Perhaps it's cuz craig is
my downstairs neighbor that I have better than average list karma?

 

BTW:

Someone that knows Creech tried to undercut the 700 dollars i want for my
RD.

150 p.s.i. compression both sides (tried to use compression guage to lower
price..now i know why it's hard to bump start, thanks for the free check),
works rear shocks, pro-flo cut head, pipes, billet clip-ons, spec II welded
crank, new wheel bearings and tapered steering bearings, rear wheel trued by
Wheel techniques in campbell. Motocarrera rearsets, drilled rotor,
electronic ignition, carbo tech carbon fiber reeds.

took it for a test ride and then he walked.

It doesn't get any cheaper than that for a running RD.

makes me wonder sometimes.

K

 

BTW: the bike is still for sale (Craigslist / San Jose West).

Kevin Bayron

 

YAY Kevin! Sell it! Sell it now! New Modern! Come to the dark
side! Brakes, Suspension, Motor, Handling!

I KNOW you'll love it!

Seriously, are you selling the Rd to finance a modern ride? What are you
thinking about?



--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

Hi Charles,

My credit is less then spectacular (don't ask for a credit score, please),
but i am happy with this used crasher. Doesn't bother me, cause i am used
to riding "less than perfect".

My "new" ride: 1989 Gixxer 750 (748cc). someone hacked it up a bit, so
it's a street fighter. I want to get a Sigma speedo and find a way to hook
up either a stock tach or a small electronic one. the signal relay, stock
signals, fairing/mounts and front of steering tube have metal missing for
fairing brace?.....the subframe (tweaked a bit) has both cross braces
missing....scratch a passenger and cross your fingers...yikes...and whatever
else might rear it's ugly head. The seat is loose and someone used a fuel
filter for a crankcase breather....hahaha!! Should keep me busy looking for
weird stuff.

I pulled it (RD400) off CList for awhile. have 2 to 3 people that are
persistent.
It was funny, cause after i saw the compression readings at 150, i was
stoked.



Kevin Bayron

 

oh cool. LOTS of possibilities. Modern motor, strong. the front
ends tend to chatter a bit, but rock solid compared to the RD.

Even cooler! totally Brit style. I hope it has wee tiny bolt on
headlight stuff, off Dirtbike!

why?

Okay, Speedo, I guess, and get tiny Kragen electronic Tach that measures
induction off one of the coil wires, and stop worrying about it. GXXR
motors will rev to the high heavens.

booo hisss think cheap! I KNOW you are, maybe worse than me.
Lockhart Phillips MINI turn signals. just stick them somewhere, and wire
them in. easy stuff.

Fairing just gets in the way, fabricate a fly-screen out of plexiglass,
all you need it a little wind guard. All the real Stunna riders ditch
the plastics first thing anyhow.

hooey! Cycle Salvage. Subframes are cheap. it's just a few bits of
aluminium.

duct tape

that is funny

as long as the suspension is sorted, the frame is straight, the brakes
work strong, the oil is fresh, you'll be fine.

sell it. You will be happier. Maybe try EBay. just unload it. 4
strokes are the way to go, you will enjoy life so much more when you are
spengding more time riding the bike, and less time fighting it.



--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One\

 

It's got the Acerbis Diamond 3 projector bulb setup...pretty cool actually.

Done. I got good bright ones, not too big but bright enough. My Sigma
BC600only needs to be calibrated. Used 1/2 of a magnet off some big radio
shack headphones. Someone told me to make a mark on the wheel, roll it a
few times, measure and divide by # of revolutions and then calibrate. Need
some of that lighting wire (flexible/blue would be nice)...sorta like
christmas lights so i can be like Moike.

Bike looks alright naked, i have to say. Not much of a stunna though. Corb
(Raul) had a good idea of Supermoto bars and triumph bugeyes...i could get
into that.

the subframe (tweaked a bit has both cross braces missing...

Mr RPM can hook me up on that fer sure.

Motul 3000?

SOLD!!!!!

okay Charles, what do you recommend for winter tires? 020s?. Cheng shin?
Continental? haaha...


Kevin Bayron

 

great headlight

ewww, eww. ewww. companies make CHEAP CHEAP sensor magnets that are
built into the bolt head for one of your front brake rotor bolts. get
one.

you got the tool to learn now..

I'd keep the Diamond 3. Supermoto bars! ha, I call them dirtbike bars
on my supermoto. just a hint. cheap!

dunno, I like castrol Syntec from Wal Mart, but I change it religiously
every 3000 miles, with filter.

it's California. What the **** are winter tires? it's winter for like,
what, 30 minutes?

if you really wanna go cheap, buy some AFM guys race takeoffs. I am
not sure what the hot tire for your rim size is now, but I bet Sport
Pilots are fine.




--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

if you have a wet clutch (pretty much anything but a duc or beemer), you
really should use motorcycle oil, the car stuff thats rated SK or whatever
now has too many friction modifiers that do nasty things to your clutch.
and, if you have a bike like a BMW with a dry clutch and seperate tranny
lube, 3000 miles is just wasting oil. In my bmw r1100 (dry clutch, oil
cooled opposed twin), I use standard castrol gtx 20w50, and its still
light brown and feels 'right' after 6000 miles, which is the manufacturers
recommended interval, so thats when I change it. now, if your riding
mostly consists of short in-town commuting, then 3000 miles might be a
good idea, although thats still probably to frequent on the filter.

 

John,

Preface:
I am SERIOUSLY not trying to be mean, sarcastic, personal attaqck, flame,
etc.



Statement:

Show me proof.

Not sponsored by an oil company or marketing firm.

I want to see hard data supporting this claim, preferably from an
independant oil assay, proving that motorcycle specific oil actually adds
benefit.

Other than microground rubber bits and a lot of marketing hype, I simply
do not believe the "it'll waste your clutch" mythos.

What do I back this up with? Riding, maintaining and repairing bikes
since 1976, and a roadracing career since 1986, I have yet to have ANY
'oil generated" clutch issues, either way.

Much like the "short people MUST be able to flat-foot their bike" and
"Race Gas makes it run faster" I am getting too old to tolerate such
santa-stories.


Show me the data.

..



--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

it's a good article. I like that it was written by a retired
petrochemical engineer, (like my pop, also retired petrochem eng)

Here are a few more articles to help us all "negate what we think of as
gospel":


http://members.cox.net/gadget/Oil_Articles.htm

(while I know and like Ed Hackett, I think Robin Chung's article is a
bit easier)


amsoil link based on a Motorcycle Consumer News article:
http://www.bestsyntheticoil.com/amsoil/motorcycle.shtml



So I'll state it again.

Oil is oil

show me HARD DATA that spending the extra $5/qt will really save my
transmission and make a serious difference, till then, I simply call
"BUNK"!

I've seen way too many high performance motors built and raced on very
plain oils. I remember frequent trips to the 7-11 on South Congress
Avenue in Austin, to buy "Ring Seal Ultra-Virgin 30wt" motor oil, at 50
cents/quart, because racing mentor felt it was the only stuff that did
not pollute his gearbox with "crap additives for the marketing whores",
and they no longer carried it at the fancy auto parts store cause not
enough profit markup.

I also think he liked the fact that it said "Ultra-Virgin" on the label,
cause that was the only virgin thing about our racing efforts!





--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

True, but I do have some experience with oils and motors. And really,
I swear to you, if you change your oil regularly, your motor will last a
long time.

For some reason, Harley insists you ONLY use Harley brand oil in their
bikes. hmmm. Guess what I run through the Sportster? NOT $7/qt
Harley(tm) oil.

Now WHY would BMW want you to run ONLY BMW(tm) oil in their bikes? Think
about it. then answer.

nope, it has to do with bottom line profit


again, HARD DATA! till I see HARD DATA, I am calling "BUNK"


Read, research, it only takes a little bit. As a motorcyclist, we
should ALL make it a regular habit to use that soft mushy stuff located
about 3 feet north of our rectum.

THINK about why someone would recommend you use their specific oil.

--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

yeah, signed by the After Sales Manager. now *THERE* is a definative
engineering reference.

I think the SL oils that have replaced SJ have more wear protective stuff
in them then the SJ stuff did.
http://api-ep.api.org/filelibrary/Guidechart2002.pdf

 

show me the data Marco. I want to see HARD data on why, EXACTLY, you need
these oils.


DATA.


--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One