Morrissey
Well-known member
So last month I had my 2001 Suzuki Bandit 600 up for sale, it had 65k on it. A guy came and looked at it, started raving about how clean it was and how good the condition of the bike was. I told him the service history of the bike and that as far as I knew it only needed a passenger foot peg (was missing) to certify but that I am not a mechanic. The bike rode great as far as I could tell and I had had the bike inspected last summer when I was getting the clutch replaced and nothing came back as being needed. The buyer was in his 30's and aside from being a little spazzy seemed alright. We settled on a price and I even agreed to write the bill up for less than what we agreed on so he could save a few bucks on the taxes. We made arrangements for him to pick up the bike a week later as he didn't have his license yet and he couldn't get all of the cash together until then.
A week later he shows up and I have everything ready for him including all of the spare parts and service manuals and he gives me a story about how he couldn't get all of the money together and that he was $300 short, would I take it and a promise that he would return with the rest the following week? I didn't feel right about it but just wanted the bike gone so I rolled the dice, agreed and hoped for the best. A few weeks went by and still no $300. I got a story about how he dropped the bike in the driveway and hurt his back picking it up so he missed a few days of work. Finally after a month his wife sends me an e-transfer for $100. That was just this week.
Now today I get an angry text message from him that it is going to cost $1,400 in parts and labour to get the bike certified and that I have apparently "screwed him". He says he doesn't have it so now he won't have a bike to ride. As far as I can tell he has never had enough money to start riding because at every turn he was complaining about having to scrape together the $$ for this and that. As good a shape as the bike is in, it is a 17yr old bike and at no point did he ask about me getting the bike certified before he bought it. Again, I'm no mechanic but as far as I could tell it didn't need anything. I'm wondering if there was any damage caused by him dropping the bike that is included in that price he got quoted.
So needless to say I'm not getting the rest of the $200 he owes me and I'll just write it off as a life experience, but I'm feeling angry. I was as honest and forth coming about the bike as I could be. I got the feeling from day 1 that he was dragging his heels to pay me in the hopes that I would give up on the $300 and now he's trying to say I screwed him? I really didn't want to deal with selling my bike privately for just this reason.
Happy Friday, I guess.
A week later he shows up and I have everything ready for him including all of the spare parts and service manuals and he gives me a story about how he couldn't get all of the money together and that he was $300 short, would I take it and a promise that he would return with the rest the following week? I didn't feel right about it but just wanted the bike gone so I rolled the dice, agreed and hoped for the best. A few weeks went by and still no $300. I got a story about how he dropped the bike in the driveway and hurt his back picking it up so he missed a few days of work. Finally after a month his wife sends me an e-transfer for $100. That was just this week.
Now today I get an angry text message from him that it is going to cost $1,400 in parts and labour to get the bike certified and that I have apparently "screwed him". He says he doesn't have it so now he won't have a bike to ride. As far as I can tell he has never had enough money to start riding because at every turn he was complaining about having to scrape together the $$ for this and that. As good a shape as the bike is in, it is a 17yr old bike and at no point did he ask about me getting the bike certified before he bought it. Again, I'm no mechanic but as far as I could tell it didn't need anything. I'm wondering if there was any damage caused by him dropping the bike that is included in that price he got quoted.
So needless to say I'm not getting the rest of the $200 he owes me and I'll just write it off as a life experience, but I'm feeling angry. I was as honest and forth coming about the bike as I could be. I got the feeling from day 1 that he was dragging his heels to pay me in the hopes that I would give up on the $300 and now he's trying to say I screwed him? I really didn't want to deal with selling my bike privately for just this reason.
Happy Friday, I guess.