1: studs that the lower controls bolt to on the engine block are all there and not cracked or broken off (this is from being in a wreck and totals the bike)
2: 2nd gear is typical to slip out of UNDER load. Go give it ALL THE BEANS though 2nd into 3rd. HARD. if it does NOT slip out then buy it. otherwise take a grand off the price because roberston is going to charge you a grand JUST for the trans work, PLUS YOUR TIME AND $ TO TAKE OUT THE TRANS SPLIT THE CASE.
3: its not chopped up and has a QUALITY or stock exhaust, anything with a wrap is trash unless its stainless or from Carpenter
4: front forks are typical to leak, easy to rebuild, might be a bargaining chip
5: it stays in gear and is easy to shift (detend spring) no slipping clutch... usually from wrong oil used.
6: title MUST match the sellers Drivers License name and the VIN number on the tree.
regardless of miles or care, expect to spend some $ fixing her up as time goes on like most normal bikes but keep in mins some specialty stuff like hard to find things (crash bars, fenders, headlights etc.. if it has a part that is not in good shape, look on eBay before you buy and you might find that headlight is going to cost you $1400 to replace stock for example.
past that, as long as its all there, starts, and idles, and no extreme leaks and it tracks strait, the only thing that matters is price. do not tell anyone ESPECIALLY US.. i mean ME how much you pay for it. everything else is normal wear and tear maintenance like tires etc...
IMO no rocket in relatively stock form regardless of miles is worth more than 5 grand. if its a normal under 30K miles stock bike, $4,000 - $4,500 is a deal. there are hundreds out there for more or the same price.
be willing to walk away, do not get attached. the seller is NOT going to sell it tomorrow to some one else unless its under 4 grand!
IMO go see it, test ride and so on, then walk away saying you will think about it, come back 3 days later with a deal for you.
there are MANY MORE where this one came from. there is one in MINT condition near me with matching bags with under 20K in miles, for $5000 and has YET TO SELL and been on the market for a year now. i got mine for a grand as it was crashed, many others have been able to not sell them for more then $4500 but plenty of threads here about... "should i buy this" are all about someone falling in love in a stock bike for $7,500 and insisting that its worth it... fools.
If you are not sure about the bikes condition, you can say to the guy, hey ill buy it for $5,000 (assuming he wanted 5k for it) but on the condition it be taken to a quality motorcycle shop and given a MPI (multi point inspection) usually costs about $250-$300 and worth every penny
best of luck you will LOVE THE BIKE