Topic: Ethical question: Sign of the times, or am I just a prick?

[Gordon]

Okay fine, so I'm a prick, but the question still stands.
I just did something that I never even thought about doing before, and I feel kind of bad about it.

The background:

I'm about to sell my KZ1000 back to my friend who I bought it from over a year ago.  I've done a lot of work to it, and I'm selling it back to him for just the cost of what I've got in it for parts.  But that's really beside the point.

Last time I rode it to work I filled the tank (about 4 gallons), not even thinking about the fact that I'd be selling it within the next week, and I've only ridden it about ten miles since then.  I was just giving it some final touches out in the garage before he picks it up tomorrow, when I decided to drain the majority of the contents of the tank into my almost empty 750 tank. 

Alright, so through the process of typing this out I feel even more that this was a dick move, so I will refill the tank before he comes by tomorrow, but this really got me to thinking... 

I know fuel prices have been rising steadily for a long time, and it's something everybody has come to accept, but this is the first time it's really hit home for me.  3 gallons of gas used to mean nothing to me, and now I'm draining it out of the tank of a bike I'm about to sell to a friend!    

[kghost]

Me I woulda just ridden it all out 

I'm kidding of course....

I get your point.

The fact that it bothered you and that your refilling it says it all to me...

YOu may be a prick put your an honest prick 

[Gordon]

YOu may be a prick put your an honest prick 

Sweet!  I now have a new tag-line for my forum name!

[burmashave]

I can see how it bugged you. I was gonna say pretty much what kghost did, but he beat me to it. I'm sure the gas amounted to more than some of the smaller parts you put into the bike. Personally, I don't think I could accept the deal that you gave your friend. I would want to reward you in some way, even it it wasn't cash, for all the work you put in. In no way am I saying he's a bad guy, though.

One thing I've found myself doing lately is to offer some cash for gas if one of my friends does the driving over any longish distance. I had not done that since my long ago school days.

[Rocking-M]

Gordon, the honest prick 

The gas thing has everyone spooked. I with Kghost, you should have taken it out for one last
long ride.  Your friend has a good friend in you.

[Gordon]

I with Kghost, you should have taken it out for one last
long ride. 

Ya know, I probably would have done just that except most of my "off" time is now take up by our 4 month old boy, and he's still a little too small to take on the back of a bike!  

As soon as his feet can reach the pegs, he's right there with me!!

[ofreen]

Well, it is your gas.  It's not like you drained the engine oil to keep, or the brake fluid.

So my vote is for the first option.

[Terry in Australia]

Recently my oldest boy's car died, so I gave him mine and bought myself a newer car.

Due to the high demand for metals in China, a guy came around with a tow truck to take the old car away to be scrapped, and gave me 100 bucks cash! Woohoo!

My son had told me that he'd filled the car up the same day the engine's computer fried itself, and it had cost him $105.00 to fill, so I'd syphoned as much as I could get out of it, but that was less than half a tank, so the scrap metal guy did ok too.

I kept the 100 bucks, plus I cashed in his registration, ($393.00) took the (almost new) tires off the wreck and held out for the used 40 inch plasma TV he'd just bought, but I still think he got a good deal, that's two cars I've given him now, and he makes as much money as I do.................. 

[cb650]

YOu may be a prick put your an honest prick 

Sweet!  I now have a new tag-line for my forum name!

I second that.  But we are all pricks.  What class to we take to learn how to be better pricks?     
If someone is sweating a few gallons of gas on a major purchase  .

[edbikerii]

The prick I bought my CB550 from, oh so many years ago, actually drained all the gas out of it after I paid him for it.  He started her up when I came to see it.  Then we made the deal, and I paid him his cash.  Then I went to the DMV to get the license plates.  When I got back, she wouldn't start.  I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out why (she was my first bike, and I didn't know squat), before I finally pulled the gas line off the carbs and saw no fuel.

Now THAT's a prick.

[BobbyR]

No, you are not a prick at several levels. You resold him a bike for only the money you invested, not your time. You drained the Gas, but you did not feel good about it and you want to put it back in even though he will never know how much Gas was in the tank. A prick would take the Gas and feel perfectly fine doing it because pricks are all about themselves. Character is what you do when no one is watching. You took the prick test and the result was negative. You are not a prick.

[333]

I was going to make some smarta$$ comment about being a "little prick".  And then I would ask how much gas he left in it when you bought it.

[dustyc]

Good question 333.  Funny.

If another bike was low on gas, I might have taken some if I needed to get somewhere -not too likely, but it's a maybe.  I wouldn't leave it at or below reserve for someone.  If it was a friend, I'd most likely fill her up as a friendly "this round is on me" gesture.  If it was old gas, I'd drain it for the lawnmower(mine will run on anything -old 2 stroke mix gets put in it) and put a couple gallons of fresh gas in. 

I'm spending too much time thinking of the scenarios here.  You're alright.

Edited to add:  As far as signs of the times, first quarter profits are reported as Chevron $5,170,000,000.  Exxon Mobil $10,900,000,000.  Shell $9,080,000,000.  BP $7,600,000,000.  I think I'm going to try for a job in oil.

[754]

Yeah I was goung to ask how much he left in it too..

I woulda just filled it up, then rode, till most was gone.. then


filled it up..

then rode till most was gone.....

then filled it up,

 then

rode till most was gone..

 Then filled it up & rode till most was gone.

 Then filled it up...

 until he came to get it...

[jsaab2748]

Seriously Gordon, I think you're ok either way. You bought gas with the intention of using it. Selling the bike wasn't part of the decision.
If your other bike needs gas, take some of it and leave a gallon for your friend. jmo

[narcoticrex]

if you are having ethical questions now, wait until the Mad Max scenario happens and we are all constantly fighting over drops of the precious juice.

 

[toycollector10]

The very fact that you are raising this issue publicly means that I would do business with you any time Gordon. Note that I didn't say the business.

The last bike I bought had 5 litres of stale gas and 1/2 a litre of water sloshing around in a tank so rusty I nearly had to bin it. The
PO claimed it "ran smoothly and shifted sweetly"....yeah, maybe back in 1985. (Makes a mental note to never buy a bike unseen ever again)

Now he was a dishonest, little prick.

[oldbiker]

You're alright either way. A prick is the guy who even takes the air out of the tyres.

[Gordon]

You're alright either way. A prick is the guy who even takes the air out of the tyres.

Ooh, good idea!

[Buber]

You are not a prick at all. Where it is written that you should sell a bike with a full tank? I never seen sold one like that, but then again, you US gentelmen, are only NOW seeing the light. I'm filling up today, at decent 7,38$ per gallon. That makes roughly 30$ to fill up the tank. You still have looong way to go. Add to it the super cheap spare parts that you have.....

And Mad Max was an utter fantasy. In a world deprived of fuel NOBODY would use engines like V6 or somethinh shown around in this movie.... funny movie, though 

[Raul CB750K1]

I don't see the problem either. I just see the problem in complaining for the price of a full tank. Over here it costs about 15 euro to fill a CB750 tank. I would not take the hassle to empty a gas tank for 7 euro. But when I bought my brand-new GZ250, they gave me something like 1/4 gallon on it. I was a few yards away from the dealer when I had to switch to reserve!!!! It wouldn't cost much in a $3000 bike to add $3 in gas, but they don't do it.

But I do remember when my father bought a car from a co-worker in the early 90's. The car was old already, and the selling price was something like $120. The car worked, was beaten, some rust, but it started and run relatively well. The deal was struck, but I remember both haggling about the owner having filled the tank and asking my father to pay for it. Back then, a full tank was about $15, so it meant a 10% of the car price....

[tsflstb]

My biggest investment to date on my FZR1000 project is 4.5 gallons of premium fuel.  I cleaned out the tank with whatever half-used cans of nasty solvents I had laying around and needed to top it off to keep from flash-rusting.  If I put it up for sale, I'll be sure to mention it in the ad.

[Hope]

Drain the oil out too.  You never know when you're going to need that for another project.

[mystic_1]

I think that "ethical prick" has a nicer ring to it.

 

mystic_1

[Gordon]

Drain the oil out too.  You never know when you're going to need that for another project.

Yep, I'll let the air out of the tires (after all, it is my air), drain the forks, remove all of the light bulbs and fuses, drain the electrolyte out of the battery. 

Is there anything else I'm forgetting?  I have to be quick, he'll be over soon!

It's kind of sad in a way.  I'll be back down to a three motorcycle garage.   But that is really what I wanted, after all.  Four old bikes is one too many to be able to ride them all often enough and keep them all in good running condition.  And the money from this sale will go to pay off the last of my car loan, which will leave me almost completely debt free!!!!!!!!