Check This CL Ad

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I found this charmer on the Raleigh NC Craigslist late last night for (Wait For It!)....

Yellow Goldwing II by Dr. Frankenstein1, on Flickr

...$650!!

"Garage kept...No title, and the motor is stuck'...but of course I emailed immediately and called as soon as I got up...but it had been up for three days by the time I saw it...somebody got a great deal!

[MikeNTexas]

Ya snooze ya loose!

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Lol - Literally!

[gltriker]

That's an abomination, John! It's not Naked!!

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Well, Yeah...but just like Gypsy Rose Lee, the fun is in the disrobing! I would've loved to strip her down...especially getting that big bucket off her backside....

(Ya'll DO know who Gypsy Rose Lee is, right...?? )

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Okay, UPDATE -and please let me know what y'all think about this - but I did cave in and offer this guy his $700 for the above-mentioned machine... (he upped it by $50 - a little red flag there...). I've emailed him and called him several times, even texted with him that I have the cash and am willing to travel to pick it up, I just need to hear from him. He seemed amenable to the transaction, yet texts me and asks me what I'm planning to do with it (fix it and ride it, of course!), and then tells me he's posted it on the Raleigh NC CL under 'motorcycle parts', where indeed it is, for $700...my attempts to reach him have gone unanswered, and based on the apparent bikes condition and comparatively low price, I think I'm being led down the primrose path here...I think I'm being rather naïve here...has anybody else hit this guy up about it?
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/mpo/d/ro ... 58058.html

I'm beginning to smell the smelly smell of something smelling smelly...what would you do?

I think I know what's going on here, but I thought I would table this and see if any of y'all have ever had a fishy deal like this before. I'm beginning to wonder if this bike is real.

[CYBORG]

to much money for thatbike, in that condition.........even if it does exist

[gltriker]

Here's another used Goldwing ad that appears to be from the same fishmonger.

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/mpo/d/ro ... 66654.html

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Heh - yeah, you're right Cliff; that's the same yard the yellow one is in...note the picket fence and pickup truck...

Well, sh**!! "FREE to a good home" My A**! At least I caught on before driving all the way down there.

Still, wtf is he doing putting that on CL if he's a BS artist and not selling?? He's got to be inundated with calls/offer by this time...seeking attention, maybe..? The motivations of people mystify me.

Oh well - C'est la vie; le cherche continues...

[Sidecar Bob]

He seemed amenable to the transaction, yet texts me and asks me what I'm planning to do with it (fix it and ride it, of course!), and then tells me he's posted it on the Raleigh NC CL under 'motorcycle parts'

I once bought a parts bike on the strict condition that it was for parts only and not to be put back into rideable condition. Apparently the PO had a bad fall and was convinced that it was that particular bike's fault and didn't want it to be able to hurt anyone else.
Perhaps this is a similar case and he backed out because you said you wanted to ride it.

It is also possible that he is afraid you will find out that he doesn't really own it when you try to register it (most pople don't bother to register parts bikes).

[desertrefugee]

Also, the lack of a title on a nicely preserved bike like that is a potential red flag as well. I am always suspect of bikes being sold without titles.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

*AND* I just got another text from him asking if I can do $800 now...I figured he would, though. So far it's gone from $650 up to $800. Uh, No, thanks.

Verbatim text: "Can u do 800? Looking on Ebay the prices r crazy for parts...I can get 400 just for exhaust."



On a personal note, it really frosts my tailpipe when some yahoo finds a beautiful bike somewhere and says 'Hey! Ahm gunna cut this sukker down an' sell 'er fer PARTS!" Captain Clueless here has NO idea what he has(IF indeed he has it!). Granted, not every bike is saveable - value is assigned, and for the most part not intrinsic...but I think old motorcycles are works of art, like going to the Louvre, or MOMA...there were only 500 of those Sulfur Yellow GL1000's made, and to see some 'unique individual' chop it up so he can buy more crack just makes me sick. Sorry, just my two cents. I get carried away sometimes.

[Lucien Harpress]

Yup, that's the wrong direction that price negotiation's supposed to go. It's either a scam or the guy's an idiot, and neither of them are worth your time.

EDIT: Re-reading what he replied with, the most generous reading of things looks like a guy who had no clue what he had, saw he was getting some interest, so hopped on eBay, saw some optimistic parts prices, and now is trying to readjust higher.

Even then it's pretty far off the mark. $400 for the exhaust? NOS maybe. Heck, possibly, MAYBE if it was cleaned up and repainted you MIGHT crack $300. But highly unlikely.

(Sidebar, for my own amusement- I'm genuinely curious how accurate the "only 500 yellow GL1000s" figure is. I've heard estimated production numbers of the '76 LTD from 2000 up to 4000, and the yellows seem to turn up far more often than those do. Not saying yellow 1000s aren't rare- 500 just seems egregiously low. (shrugs) Ah well. Just pondering.)

[flyin900]

I am sure we all have stories after doing this for many years. Frankly count your blessings that your not getting involved with this. It's not important what the deal is on the bike; you likely dodged a bullet in so many ways.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Lucien, I'm just recanting what I read online, from the demigod Randakk's website:
https://www.randakksblog.com/gl1000-vin ... explained/

"Yes, the generally accepted number is that 500 yellow bikes were made for the 1976 model year. Unfortunately, there is no coding in the VIN# for body color, so there is no sure way to know if a bike was originally yellow other than good owner documentation. Sometimes color is listed on the original Bill of Sale or other dealer paperwork. Also, many yellow bikes were considered hard to sell by dealers and were changed to other colors before they were sold."

And also:
"EDIT: Re-reading what he replied with, the most generous reading of things looks like a guy who had no clue what he had, saw he was getting some interest, so hopped on eBay, saw some optimistic parts prices, and now is trying to readjust higher."

Lucien, you're exactly right. But from what I've read, the '76 LTD was only released in metallic brown, with special badging in recognition of the Bicentennial - gold rims, etc.

Full disclosure here guys, but have you taken a look at it...? It's All There... 18K on the clock, supposedly...I don't even think I'd touch the Vetter on this one, although I would dump that big-A** trunk in the back: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/mpo/d/ro ... 58058.html

Note the elusive rear grab bar...True, the bike has its foibles: "no title, motor stuck", and even when I backed him up against his price and mentioned that, I think he's getting sellers remorse, just as Lucien described. We agreed on the 700, but (as Lucien pointed out above) now he's getting hinky and mooing about getting more for the parts than the bike. It kills me to think he's going to take such a pristine example of a rare bike and just chop it apart - After some introspection,
I actually think what I'm trying to do is rescue it. Am I not seeing the forest for the trees here...?

(And on a purely gluttonous level it would look awesome next to my red '75...

BUT...! As flyin900 points out, it Hasn't Happened Yet; so there Is that.