Quick update for those who were following this thread: dude has not sold the bike and has re-posted on CList. Didn't re-contact for a potential sale. I'm thinking he's either insulted that I tried to talk him down, or just didn't take me very seriously, or he's just not a very natural salesman. But it kind of eats at me that that purty ride is just sitting around in his garage or backyard in Long Island rusting, gathering dust and not even being spiffed up (the brakes weren't even centered, and he had done that old man thing of twisting the handlebars all the way up in the stem so that the levers were facing the sky!!) Arg. Can't decide if I should send him another offer or not.