Shifting Priorities & an "Interesting" Sale of the Kawasaki Vulcan

June 22, 2023

Shifting Priorities

With the Cannonball Run being a short few weeks away and available time being at a seemingly all-time low, the last thing I need in my garage is a motorcycle (that I don't ride) sitting and rotting over the next month. For that reason, I decided to list the 1999 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 for sale.

Listing the Vulcan

I did some market research across Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for similar motorcycles in what I felt was comparable condition. I decided to set the price at $1,200 and added that I would be open to trades. Like most of my posts, it was simple and direct.

Shortly after listing, the flurry of Facebook messages began. For those that have never placed something on the lower-end of the market on Facebook, your phone is essentially consumed by Facebook... My already slow iPhone XR became essentially inoperable...

Within 24 hours I had over 70 messages from individuals making low-ball offers ranging from $500 cash to firearms to non-running cars. The entertainment alone of posting something for trade is almost worth just creating fake ads for entertainment. Here were a couple of the best trade offers that I had:

1. Another motorcycle that doesn't run? - 1982 Honda Rebel 450
   
   
   
   
   
2. A ragged, old non-running boat with literally zero details or context (not that I really wanted to know more than the picture told)
   
   
   
   
   
3. A used Harbor Freight toolbox (with no images). Honestly, this may not have been that bad of a deal
   
   
4. Chevy Cavalier that supposedly ran well enough for the current owner to consider making it a one-off convertible that he was trying to sell to me before doing. How kind...
   
   
   

An "Interesting" Sale...

The Facebook messages continued for 3 days until someone finally came out to look at the bike. The first potential buyer that came out would end up purchasing the bike in one of the more entertaining (and questionable) sales that I have had the experience to witness. Here's what happened:

The buyer that showed up was was a 16 year-old boy looking to purchase his first motorcycle for his 17th birthday. His mother drove him in her sedan without a trailer or seemingly other way to get the bike home. Throughout this entire upcoming sale, the mother stays in her car; never coming up the driveway.

We met at the bottom of my driveway before walking up to my garage. I tried making small talk on the short walk to the garage, but he was not interested. We arrived in the garage and started looking over the bike together. The first reaction from the buyer was "oh my God, it's WAY bigger than what I was expecting...". Apparently the buyer was expecting it to be about the size of a 250 or similar (like below) rather than a 500 pound behemoth:

We chatted a little and I started calling out some of the parts on the bike with their associated functions including:

• "Here's the front brake. Holds pressure well."
• "The rear brake drums appear to be in good shape and are not locked up."
• "Choke and throttle engage nicely."
• "Clutch cable holds pressure and feels tight."

After making the last comment, the buyer stops me and asks the "purpose of the clutch." It took me a second to register, but the potential buyer was entirely unfamiliar with the purpose of a clutch and thought that throttle just had to be applied to move (like a CVT in a scooter). I responded by asking if he knew how to drive stick, only hear a questionable "No?". I then asked if he wanted me to start the bike, to which I had a resounding yes. Like before (if you want to see it run, check out my other article), the bike fired up beautifully like it had so many times before.

Side note: As a seller, my objective is to sell items for the highest price possible. Being a halfway decent salesman (just like being a decent human being) though requires some level of conscious and morality though. Just keep this in mind...

Once I turned off the bike, the buyer had a huge smile and was super excited. He expressed that he wanted to purchase the bike at full ask without a test drive. At this point, it is about 7:30 (dark in Atlanta is around 9:00 or so) and it has been raining off/on all day. This was our next conversation:

• Cameron - "How do you intend to get the bike home?"
• Buyer - "I'll just ride it. I need to learn anyways."
• Cameron - "How far are you going?"
• Buyer - "About 40 miles. The weather looks good at the moment, so I think I'll be alright."
• Cameron - "That's a really bad idea."
• Buyer - "My mom (his mother never got out of the car) always told me that I need to take things on, no matter how difficult they may be."
• Cameron - "Are you being serious? That's super unsafe." - his ride home would consist of 3 major highways including I-75, I-285, and I-85 on top of the rainy night-time conditions while riding a 30 year old bike

I am the king of "questionable decisions" and that last comment had me squirming in my own home. One of my favorite YouTube channels is actually built on this principle. There is a difference in a "questionable decision" and a "stupid decision." 

• A "questionable decision" is one that does not and will not (likely) cause harm to yourself either financially or physically. 
• A "dumb decision" is one that likely WILL cause harm to yourself either financially or physically

The buyer's actions would absolutely fall under the "dumb decision" category as he or someone else would likely have been hurt by his actions... Our conversation continued:

• Cameron - "Please don't do that. I don't want you or someone else to get hurt. What if I towed it to your home with my trailer."
• Buyer - "Would you do that? What would you charge?"
• Cameron - "I'll deliver for $100 and help put it in your garage or wherever else you're putting it."
• Buyer - "That's perfect, thank you!"
• Cameron - "On one condition; you help me load it onto the trailer."
• Buyer - "Done."

Over the next 15-20 minutes, we loaded the motorcycle onto the trailer. Unlike last time (where it fell on the trailer in the driveway), I ratchet-strapped the front wheel sideways, had the bike on its center stand, and ran about 7 straps across a variety of places on the bike. Needless to say, it wasn't going anywhere.

I drove the 40 miles, the weather did not hold out (poured almost the entire time), and I didn't get home until past 11:00PM. The sale of the Vulcan was enough to make me smile, but so was knowing that the kid did not hurt himself or anyone else for that matter. While I cannot take full responsibility for the buyers' actions post-purchase, I do feel that I did the right thing in getting him home safely and allowing him to learn properly (by practicing in his own driveway and getting his motorcycle license when he's ready).

The next couple of weeks will probably be pretty slow (writing-wise) as I start packing and preparing for the upcoming Cannonball Run, but I'll do what I can do provide an update or two!