selling accident damaged VFR750F - how much to ask?

Hi,

I recently had an accident with my 97 VFR750F (Honda RC36). It got hit
sideways by a car and the impact took off most of the front fairing
including the lights and the clocks.

The frame and engine still seems fine, and the bike only had 23
thousand miles and the rear tire is still quite new. Since I have to
pay for the damages, I'm not yet sure if there is much point in getting
it all fixed, since I guess that would cost at least 1.5 - 2 thousand
pounds unless I do all the labour myself.
If I try to sell it to a bike breaker for spare parts, how much should
I ask for?

Did you ever sell your accident damaged bike for spare parts? How much
did you get for it in a similar case (frame, wheels and engine still
good)?

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated,
Bodo

 

No matter what you ask for they will offer you about twenty pence.

Ebay is your friend.
Either as a whole bike or broken for parts you'll get more than anywhere
else

 

Bodo explained on 22/03/2006 :

As new parts are so very expensive - They fetch good prices in parts on
ebay as another poster suggested, especially if you are prepared to
remove the parts and sort out their delivery, then sell what's left to
a dealer. Don't expect much if you decide to sell it to a dealer for
parts as is, they have to make a living out of it.

Alternatively, why not look on ebay for the parts you need to ressurect
it?

 

Pah!

Rip off the plastics and make a VFR streetfighter.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, SteveH

"I coulda been a contender".

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of
the ability to unlearn old falsehoods.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

I'm still keeping the option open of fixing it myself, and I also have
thought of the streetfighter option. Would that be road legal and pass
MOT?

Bodo

 

Wicked Uncle Nigel said...

Like it. More "Stoney" than "Rocky".

 

Top yourself now and cut out the middleman.

 

Trust me - it will cost far, far more than that. The fairing brackets
will also be bent, for a start (they'll look straight, but they'll be
bent, depend on it) and those will have to be replaced new. Even a minor
off on my Trophy 1200 cost me £650 in bits, and that included actually
having the bracket and twin headlight units already waiting in the
garage. Otherwise it would have been a grand and up. Oh, and I repaired
rathe than replaced one fairing panel.

My guess is you're looking at £1500 if you DIY, and three grand for an
insurance job.

You'll get **** all.

Break it for parts, and stick them on Ebay. I've done this several
times.

Your problem is that the desirable bits (fairing, lights, clocks.....)
are dead. But the engine will be worth a few hundred. Forks are always
wanted. Ditto exhaust. Seat. Etc etc. Wheels are worth sod all. Brakes
might fetch a few quid.

 

Of course it would, if you made sure all the "must be legal bits"
worked, you twonk.

 

*several times* - how many bikes did you crash beyond repair?
This was my 6th bike in 15 years of motorcycling, and I always sold the
previous ones. It also was my first accident that was serious enough to
put me in hospital and leave the bike potentially totalled. Sure, I've
had a few minor occasions of falling off the bike before, but never
anything serious, and nothing that couldn't be fixed with a set of
levers, blinkers, and perhaps a fiberglass repair kit.
Now, for the first time ever, I'm seriously considering to stop biking
for good.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I haven't decided if I should try to
resurrect the VFR or sell it on ebay either as parts or whole, as I
still want to find out more about the exact price of fixing it, but if
that turns out too much, I'll probably just sell the whole thing.

Bodo

 

None. But I have frequently bought damaged or incomplete bikes, two and
sometimes even three at a time, in order to build one single one.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Bodo belched forth and ejected the following:

Streetfighter it.

In all likelihood it'll cost you less than 150-200 quid and it'll look
better, too.

You'll get next to nothing for it.

Keep it, remove the fairing, remove the front subframe where all the
clocks and braketry go, bung a twin healight on and Bob's your Mother's
Brother.

 

Nah. Looks unbalanced then: you need an angle grinder and the balls
to nod when somebody suggests cutting it off "just there" ...

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Pip belched forth and ejected the following:

<G>

If BGN lobs his bike to destruction, I'd love that little speedo he's
got; that'd be all the excuse I needed to get rid of the front.

If someone were to make me a little bit of ally plate with LED sized
holes in it, that'd go some way to the front coming off as that would
accommodate the idiot lights.

<Thinks>

I've really got better things to spend my money on but it would look
better with a couple of small clocks.

Hmmm... Will there be a BOMB run this year, Mr.Pip? I feel an angle
grinder session coming on

 

Bung me a dimensioned drawing and we'll see what we can do. I've
still got a lump of 6mm ally left over from the Champion-105 exhaust
hanger phase.

Every other year, innit? We can certainly feel a PixieFest coming on,
and a BOMB run will be concomitant.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Pip belched forth and ejected the following:

Ho-Kay. Gimme long enough to experiment with what look hot/what looks
not once the front is off and she's a goer. Depending on design or
cable-tie supply, the oil cooler may need moving.

Excellent. I'll try and source some previously enjoyed clocks but if
this is going to into mission critical, I dare say the thumbs will be
turning the hallowed pages of the Buster's accessories catalogue...

 

Even better: you fake it up in carboard and post it to me, I'll molish
it in ally and post it back. Easy.

It'll be much easier chopping the back end off the R1 - you've no use
for the pillion seat and there's only the one can.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Pip belched forth and ejected the following:

Brilliant idea!

I will molish one in card but it'll be along the lines of a strip of
ally with 6 or so holes drilled for LEDs rather than bulbs for the
instrH^H^H^idiot lights.

Blimey, it might even fit properly, too!

Cheers.

Neh fooking chance[1]

That reminds me, if it isn't pissing down later[1] I'll fit the Devil
pipe I bought for it a few weeks ago.

[1] I wonder if the rear subframe unbolts?

[2] 'Cos it's black-as-black out there now and it's very rainy indeed.