Every once in awhile a Running When Parked turns up that was celebrity owned. Find a dirt bike owned by Steve McQueen, a custom cafe bike owned by Keanu Reeves or a chopper ridden by Peter Fonda or Ann Margret and chances are it will command an impressive price, not running or running when parked.
So when I saw this clean 1990 Suzuki GSX-R750 Running When Parked with an asking price of $11,000, I figured it must have some historical significance. A Suzuki owned by the late Barry Sheen? Or Roger DeCoster? I’d be stoked if Kent Howerton rode the thing. But if any of this is true, the seller is not letting on.
So that leaves us with a clean-looking, complete 1990 Suzuki GSX-R750 that was running when parked with an asking price three times higher than the Kelley Blue Book value of $3,550. And that valuation is for a good-running example, not a bike that needs massaging. The trade-in value is $1,665.
If the guy was asking $3,000, I’d say show up with $1,800 cash in your pocket (and $300 in your sock) and make an offer. But since the seller is starting off at $11,000, I wouldn’t know where to start. I guess you could ask if $11,000 was a typo and he meant $1,100? Or you could ask him if Elvis owned it at one time?
The phrase “Running When Parked” (RWP) is code for a once treasured possession that has been neglected in the corner of the garage or tool shed for far too long. Lacking the energy, time or resources to bring the little beauty back to life, the owner lists it for sale in hopes that a new owner will massage it back to health. Our collection of RWP bikes fall into two distinct categories; treasure or trash. And you are the only one who can properly judge which category the bike belongs in.