Topic: just a rant...wtf is wrong with people.

[steakCB550K]

So here's a little story that I gotta let it out or i'm going to flip the F out.

I found a 1978 Honda CB750F on craigslist way back in Feb, about 2 hrs from me, not bad.  So I have been keeping in contact with this guy for nearly 4 months.  I check in from time to time with him to see if he still has the bike and he does.  Finally I get the chance to go see the bike and schedule it for this saturday (june 1, 2012) at 8A, he has some stuff to do so I have to leave by 6A.  I rent the truck today and let him know that I'm all set to check out the bike, then he texts me at 9P the night before and says he sold the bike to his neighbor, doesn't even have the decency to call me and tell me, i left him a message that I wasn't happy and let him know that he if didn't want to sell me the bike he should have said so from the beginning.  4 freakin' months...

Thanks for reading.  I'm just so mad right now.

[Hasenkopf]

I know how you feel as went through the same thing with a 68 camaro.   somebody just wanted to pay more than you did I suppose......

[Don R]

Strike quickly, the more people talk the greater the odds the deal will unravel.

[steakCB550K]

He said he sold it for asking price which was 600, I would have at least had a chance to see the bike/make an offer on it.  If he didn't like my offer he could have just said no, simple.  I would think that if you had planned a meeting and something came up, at least be a man about it and do the right thing.

[754]

 If it takes you 4 months to travel 2 hrs.....

 and I am being serious here.. where is the part where you START loooking serious  ?  ?.. cuz I aint seeing it..

[steakCB550K]

@754,
You are right, I just wanted a chance, but really I had my chance.  Lesson learned.

[killersoundz]

Yeah I'm not sure if you can put a ton of blame on the guy. When I saw my bike on craigslist I sent my neighbor out IMMEDIATELY that day to go get it otherwise it would have been GONE. And when my neighbor got there the guy said he got 5 other people trying to come get it.

[72500john]

money speaks volumes....next time strike quick.

[Flying J]

I keep a wad of cash at home so that when a deal pops up i can snatch it up while everyone else is at the bank pulling out money. I have missed out on some killer deals because i didnt head right over.

[steakCB550K]

Yeah, I keep money at home just for this as well.  What holds me back is I don't have a truck to head out at a moments notice.
Thanks for the input guys, I was mad before and was just ranting. 

[754]

 If it was there 4 months, it may have not been all that nice..
 Not trying to be harsh in that first post, but strike fast and tellno one till its in the bag....

[cgswss]

I keep a wad of cash at home so that when a deal pops up i can snatch it up while everyone else is at the bank pulling out money. I have missed out on some killer deals because i didnt head right over.

And where did you say you lived...(BMFG)

[Flying J]

by wad i mean like 600. Im cheap and dont buy running bikes.

[Stev-o]

Only $600 and it didn't sell for four months? And you were mad? C'mon man!

That bike would sell in two days here at that price.

[steakCB550K]

The bike was complete, pics looked ok.  Needed some work, didn't run, PO said that there was a problem in the electrical system and wasn't charging.  Engine was also leaking oil, but I hear that is common with the 1978 cb750, I was eager to get started on a new project, something that was broken and given new life.  Plus it would have been kind of cool to have a bike that was just as old as I am.

@ffJMoore,
I'm cheap too, but I guess you have to be cheap AND quick.  Thats my problem, lol.

[Gordon]

The neighbor had probably been on the fence about buying the bike for several months, and all he needed was a kick in the pants by somebody who actually wanted it to finally make up his mind. 

[steakCB550K]

@stev-o, I was mad that it was the night before, it's not like the neighbor just moved in or he didn't have ample opportunity to sell the bike before I talked to him to set up a meeting.  I wasn't mad that he sold the bike (well kinda.., but just his timing.

Honestly, I think the guy was just hard to get a hold of, he posted the ad pretty early in the season and I was surprised he still had it and thats why I was keeping in touch with him every couple of weeks.  The 4 months was me just making sure that buying a bike and fixing it up was what I wanted to do, getting into a project like this takes a lot of time and money and dedication.  I did not want to be one of those guys that just buys a bike on a whim and just sits on it.  I am pretty new to motorcycles in general and tend to move slowly when learning new things.  However, I can set up a whole business' network infrastructure without a problem.  Ah well, keep on keepin' on.

[754]

 To bad you are not here, been trying to flog someF stuf 4ever.. canrt seenm to sell two 78 F motors , one in a franme for 325 bux..

[lucky]

If it takes you 4 months to travel 2 hrs.....

 and I am being serious here.. where is the part where you START loooking serious  ?  ?.. cuz I aint seeing it..

I agree. Four months of thinking about it! I would just figure you do not have the money.

[dave500]

the quick and the dead?i drive a garbage truck,,i pulled a fishing rod and reel from a bin and had it in the cab of the truck,the old neighbour from the house next door comes over and says how he was told he could have that fishing rod,,i just said too bad its in the truck now.

[Terry in Australia]

the quick and the dead?i drive a garbage truck,,i pulled a fishing rod and reel from a bin and had it in the cab of the truck,the old neighbour from the house next door comes over and says how he was told he could have that fishing rod,,i just said too bad its in the truck now.

Same here Dave, around here, folks leave stuff they don't want out on the footpath (sidewalk for my US cousins) anyway, I saw this choice lawn mower sitting on the footpath out the front of a neighbours house a few weeks ago, so I grabbed it straight away, ya know, ya can't have too many lawn mowers, and this one was in really good condition.

Anyway, a couple of hours later I saw him talking to a couple of cops out the front of his place and pointing to his footpath, I couldn't really make out what they were saying, but it seems he had something stolen?

Baastards, t wasn't that long ago when you could leave the keys in your car and your house unlocked, I think to cheer him up I might mow his footpath for him tomorrow, it's been looking a bit straggly lately, and I reckon I owe him for that beaut mower!

[dave500]

ha ha terry,was the engine still running?years ago as kids we would scrounge the local tip(dump)and get a few bits of bicycles and make a bike out of them over a few weeks,i spotted this mower next to a car and to my surprise it fired straight up and scattered rocks and stuff everywhere,,then the owner who was unloading his ute yells at me!he was irish or scottish or something and i still dont know what he said but it didnt sound good!

[dhall57]

With these old Honda's, * You Snooze You Lose*

[Magilla]

He who hesitates loses.  Sometimes you have to pull the trigger and see what happens.

The bike I have now was on CL.  I emailed the guy the same day the add went up. He gave me his number and I called him instantly.  I called and he said there were two people in front of me.  He said if neither bought it I could.  I was at work but had cash in hand so I convinced him to let me at least look at it.  Within the hour it was in my truck on its way to my house.

When I saw the bike it was not exactly what I was looking for BUT I figured I would by it and if I found something else I would flip thin one quickly and buy the next one.  When your buying a bike on the cheap you can always sell it quickly.

[Terry in Australia]

The Aussie Defence Force has it's own (very) restricted internet network, and there's a "Classified Advertisment" section where servicemen and defence public servants can buy, swap or sell just about everything, including motorcycles.

A guy in Canberra was going thru a messy divorce and was selling his old BMW R75/5 and Laverda 750SF cheap. I rang him about the BMW but he'd already promised it to a guy in Sydney, but the Laverda was still available. I bought it over the phone, bank transferred him a $500 deposit and paid him the remaining 5 thousand bucks when I collected the bike on the following Saturday.

I rode it for a few weeks, but couldn't get into it, so I put it on EBay and a guy in Western Australia bought it for a whopping $10,750. That was great, I still owed my brother 5 grand for my Triumph Rocket III, so I was able to settle that debt in one fell swoop.

Buying and selling bikes can be very profitable hobby, but as has been said before, you just can't hesitate, nor should you expect a seller to hold a bike forever just because you're a nice guy. Cheers, Terry.