• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

buying a salvage bike

D

dsun87

New member
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Location
san leandro
Moto(s)
2005 GSXR 600
hey guys

i was looking around for a new bike and ive seen a few that have a salvage title on it.

its a 06 gsxr, says it was stolen and owner replaced the fairings with some cheap ones

in good mechanical shape and less than 10k miles on it.

about $4500

is there anything i should be concerned about when buying a salvage bike?

thanks for the input!
 
Meaning, Yes... there's a lot to be concerned about when buying a salvaged bike..... As in... don't.
 
I wouldn't say don't buy it.

I would say, don't buy it if you don't know what you're looking for.

A salvage bike can mean many things from just stolen to super-crash-damaged (possibly unsafe) bike.

But you also have to remember that many clean bikes out there simply carries a clean frame, the parts are still off a salvaged bikes.
 
I wouldn't say "Don't buy" but make sure to have the salvaged bike fully inspected by a reputable shop...like Evolution in Santa Clara or any other shops appear in this forum. As long as the damage is purely cosmetic, salvaged bikes are OK as long as you know the resale value will be low once you decided to sell them later on.
 
A few things to consider:
Is the bike already on a salvage title or do you have to title it?
Is the owner the one the insurance company paid off?
If yes, ask for the original insurance estimate, that will tell you why the bike was totalled.
If no and you don't know the person, IMO move on.
 
Titles don't mean shit. There are alot of bikes out there that have a Salvage title for things as minor as a tip over. There are also alot of bikes out there that have clean titles that have been super crashed and fixed back up without ever being reported. No matter what bike you buy, unless it's brand new, or you know ALL the bikes history, you should have it inspected if you don't know what to look for. Too bad we don't have Alans services anymore.
 
its a gamble.

on one hand, bikes get salvaged very very easily. in particular when dealers do damage estimates.

on the other hand, it could have bent up stuff that you may not be aware of. could have frame issues, fork issues and so on.
 
In a theft recovery I'd worry more about mechanical issues than cosmetics. How long has the current owner had it since the bike was recovered. What does the clutch look like, did the insurance company do an engine oil analysis?
 
Walk away, soooo many clean bikes out there. That price isn't great either all things considered
 
Tharkûn said:
Walk away, soooo many clean bikes out there. That price isn't great either all things considered
Click to expand...

This!!! Anything with a salvage title should come with a very low price to compensate. Having a salvage title will be your headache to explain if you want to sell it later.
 
angelsndevils said:
Titles don't mean shit.
Click to expand...

Um, yeah.... they do.

Salvage is salvage. Unless you see the actual damage estimate that totaled the bike, you're in the dark as to just how extensive that damage is. If you buy without having the bike gone over with a fine tooth comb, expect your ass to hurt really bad for a long time.

Some salvage bikes can be a decent buy because simple cosmetics can be repaired. IF the bike is straight and mechanically sound, some bodywork can get you a decent ride for a decent price. The salvage title just means you need to keep the bike and ride it for a while to get the value out of it.

Some salvage bikes are absolute fucking nightmares that will bite you in the ass and never let go.

Buyer beware.
 
FWIW I bought a Honda 996 from a friend with a salvage title. The damage was all to the left faring and windshield. No frame damage at all. He did replace the front end with complete set up off a 954, and added a few other farkles. Not every salvage bike is bad. If the price is that good of a deal, and you plan on keeping it, not selling it later then all can be good. Pay the money to have it checked out at at shop. You could find yourself a great bike at a good price.
 
ALANRIDER7 said:
Um, yeah.... they do.

Salvage is salvage. Unless you see the actual damage estimate that totaled the bike, you're in the dark as to just how extensive that damage is. If you buy without having the bike gone over with a fine tooth comb, expect your ass to hurt really bad for a long time.

Some salvage bikes can be a decent buy because simple cosmetics can be repaired. IF the bike is straight and mechanically sound, some bodywork can get you a decent ride for a decent price. The salvage title just means you need to keep the bike and ride it for a while to get the value out of it.

Some salvage bikes are absolute fucking nightmares that will bite you in the ass and never let go.

Buyer beware.
Click to expand...
Thanks for basically repeating exactly what I was saying. Did you only read the first sentence of my post?:rofl You need to reopen your shop. You have gotten more and more grouchy with your posts ever since you closed up.:(

Any bike can be a deal or a nightmare reguardless of what the title says. All used bikes need to be checked out to be sure of what your getting. My first bike was a 91 Ninja 750 that had been wrecked tons of times by many different people. It had hose clamps, duct tape, bailing wire and zip-ties holding it together. If the person didnt owe me money that they would never be able to pay back, I wouldnt of even took it. It had a clean title due to never being reported in any of the wrecks.
 
Last edited:
angelsndevils said:
Titles don't mean shit. There are alot of bikes out there that have a Salvage title for things as minor as a tip over. There are also alot of bikes out there that have clean titles that have been super crashed and fixed back up without ever being reported. No matter what bike you buy, unless it's brand new, or you know ALL the bikes history, you should have it inspected if you don't know what to look for. Too bad we don't have Alans services anymore.
Click to expand...

True dat!
On a fully faired bike can easily be totaled on a few surface scratches - I had a bike totaled just on replacement cost for the plastics on a tip over once.

Making a salvage titled bike street legal again does require getting it certified by a mechanic or the CHP FWIW.

When buying one, I'm cautious but if it's a good enough deal and it been back on the road for awhile I wouldn't really treat it much different from any other used bike.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top