ted
Dum vivimus vivamus
Well, first of all the KBB for that bike is for a retail sale from a dealer that will often clean, fully service, and stand behind the sale. It is actually $6,400 in Olympia, Washington, but the added $400 for the bags is not unreasonable. Now the trade-in value, what you would expect a dealer to buy it for, is only $4,415 (and let's add $300 for the bags). Your reasonable private-party sale is usually somewhere in the middle, around $6,000 in this case.
In my experience, $6,000 would be a decent price for this bike, fair to both the seller and the buyer. You can certainly pay more, and if you really want the bike you should, but I would negotiate with the seller from a position of offering the trade-in and dealer retail values and required maintenance after examining available (and verifiable) service records . That said, I do think $6,800 is quite a premium and would require complete dealer service records (both time and mileage services completed, things like coolant and brake fluid are unfortunately frequently overlooked on low-mileage bikes - see "annual service" requirements here.)
You'll also want to spend some time on the Chain Gang site to get an idea of how to really scrutinize this bike, and use any scratches or other defects in the negotiating process. One bit of advice, many sellers will say a bike has been perfectly maintained but when pressed will not be able to produce receipts. Dealers will always give duplicates to an owner should he or she lose one, so if the seller cannot produce a receipt for claimed service you must assume it has not been done.
Lastly, you mentioned the buyer is out of town. There are a lot of scams flying around Craig's List and their ilk that revolve around your paying for a bike (either to the seller or to an escrow service) and the seller shipping it to you for an inspection period. These are all scams, there is no bike, the escrow service is a guy in an Internet cafe in Lagos, and you will never see your money again. If you cannot meet a seller face-to-face and fully and carefully examine the bike, title and other legal papers, any available documentation, accessories, etc. BEFORE you send ANY money you are in all likelihood being scammed. This turns to definitely being scammed the second the seller mentions wiring money with Western Union or MoneyGram.
In my experience, $6,000 would be a decent price for this bike, fair to both the seller and the buyer. You can certainly pay more, and if you really want the bike you should, but I would negotiate with the seller from a position of offering the trade-in and dealer retail values and required maintenance after examining available (and verifiable) service records . That said, I do think $6,800 is quite a premium and would require complete dealer service records (both time and mileage services completed, things like coolant and brake fluid are unfortunately frequently overlooked on low-mileage bikes - see "annual service" requirements here.)
You'll also want to spend some time on the Chain Gang site to get an idea of how to really scrutinize this bike, and use any scratches or other defects in the negotiating process. One bit of advice, many sellers will say a bike has been perfectly maintained but when pressed will not be able to produce receipts. Dealers will always give duplicates to an owner should he or she lose one, so if the seller cannot produce a receipt for claimed service you must assume it has not been done.
Lastly, you mentioned the buyer is out of town. There are a lot of scams flying around Craig's List and their ilk that revolve around your paying for a bike (either to the seller or to an escrow service) and the seller shipping it to you for an inspection period. These are all scams, there is no bike, the escrow service is a guy in an Internet cafe in Lagos, and you will never see your money again. If you cannot meet a seller face-to-face and fully and carefully examine the bike, title and other legal papers, any available documentation, accessories, etc. BEFORE you send ANY money you are in all likelihood being scammed. This turns to definitely being scammed the second the seller mentions wiring money with Western Union or MoneyGram.