I say it doesn't hurt to try to contact the owner. When I see something that I think would be useful or cool for one of my hobbies, whether it be a classic car, go kart, or a neat bike, I contact the owner if I can. Even if they don't want to sell it, it's cool to make friends and get to know people who have cool stuff. And who knows?! Maybe they want to get rid of it and I get a steal! It's happened to me before!