Ducati Monster Forum

on Wednesday this week i will hopefully be picking up a 2007 monster 695.

there are some problems with the bike that the seller has made me aware of and we have came to an agreement (written and signed) that if the bike has more wrong with it than the seller knows about he will reimburse or give me a full refund.

the seller also said because he needs it sold asap(military guy being deployed and has no storage for the bike) and i don’t have the cash right now, i can give him half the cash up front and then pay the rest monthly to make it easier on me cash wise. (will be in the written and signed agreement)

the seller wants $2500 for it and i know thats a good price but there are some costly problems with the bike.

doesn’t run
it needs the 7k service (belts and valves)
new battery

im guessing that because the guy leaves soon and is desperate to get rid of the bike before he leaves i will be able to get some money off the $2500 he is asking for, how much do you think i should offer and what reasons would you use for the price being lowered, thanks in advance!

Is he putting a lien on the title for those payments?

If not, the story you have related here smells like a scam. He claims to be taking all the risk and trusting you too be a stand up guy.

I'm not saying you aren't a stand up guy, but I wouldn't sell anyone a bike under those terms.

There are a couple of inconsistencies in "his" stories as you related them...

I've bought monsters under "distressed" condition, but nothing felt as sketchy as this deal feels to me.

 I would not buy a bike if I could not hear it run. It seems odd that the seller can't install a battery so that you can hear it run? I have to agree with dirty duc that the deal seams suspicious. Unless you know his person well, I'd walk away and wait for the next opportunity. If you can't afford the bike as is, it will cost another $100-$200 for a battery and $ $600-$1000 for the 7500 service, that is if all is needed to get it running. 

the guy is giving me the clean title when i purchase the bike. i have been talking with him for around a month and he seems like a great guy, i was the one that made him the offer, he originally listed the bike for $4500 but then reduced the price when he knew the bike diddnt start because of the battery and needed the service. we talked about him installing the battery and he said he could do it but then he messaged me a few days later telling me that his cousin couldnt let him store the bike there anymore.

i assumed having the written and signed deal i could sue him for going against his word in a written and signed document, he seems like a good guy

do you have any tips to ask him to try and figure out if it is indeed a scam?

i am going to ask him if there is any way i can get him to install the battery before i pick it up, the reason i was ok with having the bike without hearing it run was because of the signed document from him.

i have the guy as a friend on facebook and have been talking to him for around a month, seems like a good guy that wants to sell the bike as well as help me out along the way  (payments and signed document) originally i was going to pay him a lump cash payment and he was going to fix the battery but he said his cousin couldnt let him store the bike anymore.

i can afford the bike but i wanted to get a cheaper bike as my first road bike and this seemed like a great price for a bike that wouldnt break my heart when i drop it

do you have any tips to ask him to try and figure out if it is indeed a scam?

IMO, that paper he signs is worth what its printed on.

The things I don't like revolve around the reason for selling... Neither is legit. Stored at a cousin's? What the hell is going on?

Next thing, he'll have been called to duty early and need you to conduct the transaction with his cousin. When you do that, the cousin won't have the title, and tell you the guy will send it... But in the meantime here is the document the original guy signed...

End result: you are out $1250 and stuck with a stolen bike. When you look at it, pull the VIN and engine number off the bike (don't take the sellers word) and run the numbers against the national database (government run, so already paid for with tax dollars) available on the internet... You'll have to Google it because I'm on my phone.

thanks for the advice :) the guy sent me the vin but not the engine number, ill have to check it out, i just ran the vin and it came back as not stolen or written off, he also sent the registration and it includes his name and the vin matches the one he gave

Not every state records engine numbers.

If the bike is registered in Mass. the engine number won't be on the title.

That said, I agree with DD...if you don't get the title then don't buy the bike.

Well, I am an untrusting kind of guy :). Good luck, whatever you decide, and however it works out!

One last thing if you do go to buy it, take a friend to help you load it.

As I mentioned in your other thread, you really need to be careful.  Having been in the Army, I can understand the seller's desire to move a bike before being deployed (I've seen what happens to them when they just set for a year... it's not pretty.)  But I've also seen buddies trying to sell a vehicle THAT WASN'T THEIRS to get cash before a deployment or change of station, or sell a vehicle that was theirs but did not have clear title to.  Yes, it happens.  You really need to watch your step.  If you buy it and there are title problems... and the seller is deployed... you have no chance to rectify it.  Zero.

Check the VIN.

Re-check the VIN.

Bring jumper cables and jump the existing battery off of a NON-RUNNING car battery.

Bring a friend not only because you may need help loading it, but this sounds sketchy.

haha thats the worst part about this, because i am a recent immigrant i do not have any friends in the states, i have my wife and thats it lol

jump the existing battery off a non running car battery?

The car must not be running when you use it to jump the bike. It should be capable of starting the car.

Car = off.  This is serious, that's why we mention it so many times.

hey guys, after my forum posts and the various replies i got i decided that i would ask the seller some more questions, here are the questions along with the replies:

do you have the service records available?
yes i do have the previous services records from both myself and the previous owner

does it include the two black keys and the red immobilizer key?
yes it includes all 3

do the tires need changed?
the tires will need changed after a season or two, the previous owner changed the tires, they have around 80 left and i dont think they have expired date wise, i will check when im back in state

how long has the bike been sitting unused?
he bike has been sitting unused since september 2016 when i left for training, that makes it around 5 months.

has the plastic tank had an of the common issues?
no sir, not that i have noticed.

and now for the big one...
can you have the bike started by the time i come to look at it?
i understand your concern, i will try my hardest to have the bike running by the time you come and look at it, wether that needs it jumped, charged or a whole new battery.

sorry for the lack of knowledge but could you explain why this is so important, ofcourse i am going to do it but id like to know why :)

Monsters come up for sale all the time these days......within your stated price point. From ALL the information provided, this sounds fast and questionable.

Be prepared to walk away.

The amperage from a car alternator can fry moto electrical components.