New Adventure bike.....

[AndrewA]

Originally Posted by Nail24

You are correct oh smart one. These guys are a middle man.



Jeff, it's a way to see what's out there. A stolen and recovered salvage is what I'd look for. If it is recovered after the pay-out the bike still goes to salvage.

Ive always felt that the best salvage bikes are those with easily identifiable crash damage, mostly because gravity usually works the same way on bikes, so its easy to estimate the extent of damage that may have occured.

Recovered thefts are another matter entirely - there is no way to tell what a crack-head may have done to a bike.

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by signit98

They are just a handler, Bubba... you place an amount you want to pay and they - in turn - bid on the auction, when it happens... they are NOT in possession of the bikes!

You want to find a company, that actually is...

Needless to say that I am NOT going to reveal my sources... sorry! Too much footwork into that one...

i want to find a MC salvage outfit that is in posession of the bikes, and deal directly with them, is that right?

if you are not willing to share the outfit you deal with, what kind of intellectual property are you protecting?

[signit98]

If you have to ask the question , you wouldn't understand the answer...

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by signit98

If you have to ask the question , you wouldn't understand the answer...

try me.....

[signit98]

Ok, here we go:

It took a lot of time to find a RELIABLE source for insurance bikes at a reasonable price, it's not like your average storefront... they are few and far between (I am talking the bikes that are actually worthwhile buying) and as such, the underlying principle is supply and demand...

The less people have access to those bikes, the more reasonable the price will be, paired with a chance to actually get it... simple as that. It might be selfish, but I have spend a lot of time researching and with trial and (potentially costly) errors to find a good source.

As for the first part of your question, yes... that's the way to do it... however, don't get any illusions. You will not have much time to evaluate the bikes in depth and there is the potential for hidden damage, no matter what. My bike was reasonably priced at $3850 but the parts I needed to bring it up to speed, ran up to about $900 plus the labor to take the bike apart and evaluate and assess the damage. That did not include the later surprise of needing the front master cylinder and the lower triple clamp.

[AndrewA]

Here's the GS rebuild I did a couple of years ago. I'm still hunting for another, but am not having much luck. Most of the GS's get snatched-up for export.

R1200GS Project

[shreddr]

so the reason you don't like Nails salvage solution is due to the middle man? did you actually get to look at the GS you bought or was it a sight unseen deal? it sounds like you got about $5000 in your bike plus your own sweat, how much would the same bike cost if you didn't do it the way you did?

I do like the idea of getting a beater and putting it back together, i also agree that I would never take a $20K bike off road to "see what she'll do" but that a bent up and straightened out salvage bike would never give me a second thought about that. my fear is that you can replace parts kind of easy, but if the frame or suspension components are tweaked its gonna handle like a pile, and i am not sure those are easy to "field" evaluate. thoughts?

[Corky]

Allright children... Back to reality..

Stare at this for awhile, forget about the salvage GS

GS

[signit98]

I remember that, Andrew... great job... you had much the same damage and the saem process I had with my bike.....

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by AndrewA

Here's the GS rebuild I did a couple of years ago. I'm still hunting for another, but am not having much luck. Most of the GS's get snatched-up for export.

R1200GS Project

nice job! what was your total cash outlay for that project?

[signit98]

Originally Posted by shreddr

so the reason you don't like Nails salvage solution is due to the middle man? did you actually get to look at the GS you bought or was it a sight unseen deal? it sounds like you got about $5000 in your bike plus your own sweat, how much would the same bike cost if you didn't do it the way you did?

Yes, I did check the bike thoroughly before I bought it and we bought 2 at the time... my buddy bought an 1150 GSA with every bell and whistle you can possibly imagine...

5 Grand sounds about right and if I was to buy the same bike (2241 miles), I'd probably have to pay twice that... or at least close to that. In essence, the bike has paid for large parts of the trip.

Originally Posted by shreddr

I do like the idea of getting a beater and putting it back together, i also agree that I would never take a $20K bike off road to "see what she'll do" but that a bent up and straightened out salvage bike would never give me a second thought about that. my fear is that you can replace parts kind of easy, but if the frame or suspension components are tweaked its gonna handle like a pile, and i am not sure those are easy to "field" evaluate. thoughts?

Frame damage HAS TO BE DISCLOSED (and will likely turn the bike into a "non-rebuildable") and suspension is not really an issue. My front end was tweaked and the only reason I went for a new lower triple was my assumptions that it was the reason for the brake issues.

In general, if you know what to lok for, you can do a pretty good job field evaluating any kind of repairable damage.

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by Corky

Allright children... Back to reality..

Stare at this for awhile, forget about the salvage GS

GS

is that a photochop? it looks like the hypermoto with the multistrada fairing

[signit98]

Originally Posted by Corky

Allright children... Back to reality..

Stare at this for awhile, forget about the salvage GS

GS

There is no question that is a BEAUTIFUL bike and I would not mind having one... but my points are still valid.

[BMWSaint]

Originally Posted by Nail24

DUH!!!! Ya think?

Yup. Therefore I am.

My GS and a seemingly large number of others (you can read those posted on ADVRider) have been fraught with a number of build issues from leaking seals that often damage clutches, final drive failures and electrical gremlins. My bike has seen more time in the shop under warranty than any other bike I've owned. I pass on this experience for the recycled electrons it is worth as the replacement parts alone can be expensive.

That said, I am keeping the bike because the handling, comfort and capability are so far above anything I have ever ridden.

[AndrewA]

Originally Posted by shreddr

nice job! what was your total cash outlay for that project?

Probably about $6,500.00.

I then added Ohlins and a couple of other parts which brought the total closer to $ 8,000.00. At the time, the same bike was selling for about $14k.

It was a great bike that I'd still have I didn't get turned on to a guy with a R1200S (with zero miles!) that wanted to swap 1:1.

Originally Posted by BMWSaint

Yup. Therefore I am.

My GS and a seemingly large number of others (you can read those posted on ADVRider) have been fraught with a number of build issues from leaking seals that often damage clutches, final drive failures and electrical gremlins. My bike has seen more time in the shop under warranty than any other bike I've owned. I pass on this experience for the recycled electrons it is worth as the replacement parts alone can be expensive.

That said, I am keeping the bike because the handling, comfort and capability are so far above anything I have ever ridden.

...and we have proof!

Here's BMWSaint with what's left of his bike!

[BMWSaint]

Originally Posted by AndrewA

...and we have proof! Here's BMWSaint with what's left of his bike!

Andrew: What's this?!! I paid you to burn that negative!

Tell me again how you got your GS plated in MA with the salvage title.

[Corky]

Originally Posted by BMWSaint

Yup. Therefore I am.

My GS and a seemingly large number of others (you can read those posted on ADVRider) have been fraught with a number of build issues from leaking seals that often damage clutches, final drive failures and electrical gremlins. My bike has seen more time in the shop under warranty than any other bike I've owned. I pass on this experience for the recycled electrons it is worth as the replacement parts alone can be expensive.

That said, I am keeping the bike because the handling, comfort and capability are so far above anything I have ever ridden.

Sounds similar to my R1000s experience. Had the motor torn down to fix rings that never seated. Burnt oil like it was going out of style. Then at about 35K the final drive took a dump. Thankfully close to my home. Warranty covered most everything. But I still love it cuz its so fun to ride. I figure everythings been fixed so I won't have anymore problems.....

Fingers crossed

Have an 08 DUC 848 with 15k on it now. Has been flawless...

[jpalamaro]

Originally Posted by EZ-RIDER

Ok Ralf you maybe right on the suspension, but how many GS truely go off road maybe occasionally a dirt road !

I take my R12GS Adventure off-road regularly when I consciously elect to ride out from my garage to the road, OVER THE FRONT LAWN, as opposed to the concrete driveway! And, the Sport (ooooops, sorry I mentioned it on this forum) and the RT are equally adept at this slick maneuver!

[signit98]

SIGH... you remarkably proved Tom/s point, John.... LOL