Selling question?

[Blooze]

So I inherited this GS and due to my balance not being great anymore and some upcoming medical bills for my wife I think I'm just going to try and sell it. It's just taking up garage space and we could use the money. It was running when I got it, but that's been a couple years ago. All I did was pull the tank, drain the fuel, fog it, and replace it in hopes I'd get around to fixing it up. I'm in a position now where that's likely not going to happen, but I have no idea how to sell this thing, especially to someone who may want to put the work into it. I do have a nephew who's expressed some interest in a project, but he's young and it's hard telling with him so I'm not counting on that. Any advice I'd sure appreciate.

Here's the original post I made. https://www.thegsresources.com/_for...ums/gs-owners/1747118-new-member-inherited-gs

 

[chuck hahn]

Theres a road ready bikes for sale section here. Cycle Trader. Craigslist. Facebook marketplace

 

[Blooze]

Theres a road ready bikes for sale section here. Cycle Trader. Craigslist. Facebook marketplace

Thanks. I know the bike needs fork seals, new tires, carbs cleaned and synced and then any other items like brake lines/hoses that still function but would need replaced due to age I'm sure and it hasn't been started in three years. I'm not sure that qualifies as road ready I guess.

 

[chuck hahn]

Its the only forum for complete bikes so list it. If you guys decide on reviving it I rebuild carbs. PM me if your want them gone through.

 

[Nessism]

My opinion is to either sell it as is for $500, or put some work and money in, and sell it for $1500-$2000 after you get it running.

Bare minimum: pull the carbs and send them to chuck. While the carbs are off, pull the rubber carb boots on the head, inspect them closely for cracks, replace the O-rings, and put them back. Do basics like change the engine oil, clean/oil the air filter, flush the brake lines with new fluid. I wouldn't mess with the rear end or secondary drive oil. Just do the minimum to get it running, and try to get some brakes going. At that point, sell.

 

[Blooze]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it. If my nephew doesn't want it then I'll go from there.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Could be an easier sell, and bring more $, if you state that you have the title in the ad. That is assuming that you do, in fact, have the title. Otherwise it’s a parts bike.

 

[rphillips]

I got to agree with Big Block. Unless you're really enthused and wanting the satisfaction of getting it up and going and back in shape yourself, I'd take what I could get and leave the headaches to somebody else... Luck to ya, whatever you do.

 

[Blooze]

Could be an easier sell, and bring more $, if you state that you have the title in the ad. That is assuming that you do, in fact, have the title. Otherwise it’s a parts bike.

Yep. Title in hand.

 

[Blooze]

Gonna bump this up hopefully.

All right. Decided to sell it. One thing, if I should start it to show it runs what’s the easiest way to get all the fogging oil out of the tank? I figured it smoking while running might not be a great selling point. Or is there a better way to show it running?

I can obviously throw the battery in and show it cranks fine. I actually did that before listing it, but didn’t think to video it.

 

[bwringer]

Looks like you've sold the bike, so congrats!

So this reply is moot for you, but I'll leave it in place in case it might help someone else later on...

Don't worry about the fogging oil in the tank. Pour out any "loose" oil that comes out when you turn it upside-down, and the rest will dissolve into the gas. It won't cause a problem or smoking unless it's, like, a quart. Fogging oil is designed to get out of the way when the machine is placed into service.

My perspective is that anyone buying a project bike will know they're buying a project, and to be blunt, most of us would only want to know that it has compression and that you haven't done anything silly like installing crappy carb kits and throwing away the original carb parts. "Complete and unmolested" is a lot more important than "makes noise". If the tank has been fogged, I, for one, would prefer that you leave it that way so that I can inspect it more easily.

In other words the headlong rush to "I jus' wanna hear it run, man" consistently leads to a LOT of mistakes. To give an example, the main reason old bikes get parked and forgotten is hard starting due to neglected valve clearances, and people spend a lot of money and time (and make a lot of mistakes) chasing everything else.

Then again, a bike that can run, if only badly, might fetch more money from people who don't have as much experience with vintage projects. I haven't sold a project bike, so maybe I don't know what the market wants. @Nessism has a lot more experience in these matters than I do.

What I can say for certain is that LOCATION is THE most important thing when you want to sell a bike. You have not yet revealed the slightest hint, other than you seem to type in American-flavored English.

So approximately where on this big blue marble floating through space are you and this bike located? If you list the bike here (or anywhere), put your location (nearest major city and state) in the title. (In your sale thread, you only gave a link to Facebook, which many people will not or cannot use, and so your market was quite limited.)