Breaking Bikes, anyone have any experience??
Discussion
So go with me here...
I have recently opened a new can of man-maths and the contents got me thinking...
I now have 3 Ducati's in the garage, Daisy the 748/1198 hybrid, a 1098 and a 999 engined 998.
Given the spread of years but close similarities I've been pondering moving some of the componentry around and unifying some stuff where possible. Which got me thinking.
I need a new set of rims for Daisy and the 1098 as both are big axle rears
The fronts are the same with 330mm discs with the 999/998 running 320's.
So in order to bring things together I'm looking at quite a few parts which can get speedy.
This is where the man-maths comes in. I'm thinking of getting a road 1098s to break up for a selection of parts (wheels/forks/brakes/coils amongst other things) and then sell off the remaining parts at reasonable prices to shift them on and recoup some of the outlay.
Anyone have any experience of stripping bikes to part out? What's likely to be snapped up vs what's likely to become a wallflower??
I am not too worried about the time taken but any words of advice or experience would be helpful.
Cheers
I have recently opened a new can of man-maths and the contents got me thinking...
I now have 3 Ducati's in the garage, Daisy the 748/1198 hybrid, a 1098 and a 999 engined 998.
Given the spread of years but close similarities I've been pondering moving some of the componentry around and unifying some stuff where possible. Which got me thinking.
I need a new set of rims for Daisy and the 1098 as both are big axle rears
The fronts are the same with 330mm discs with the 999/998 running 320's.
So in order to bring things together I'm looking at quite a few parts which can get speedy.
This is where the man-maths comes in. I'm thinking of getting a road 1098s to break up for a selection of parts (wheels/forks/brakes/coils amongst other things) and then sell off the remaining parts at reasonable prices to shift them on and recoup some of the outlay.
Anyone have any experience of stripping bikes to part out? What's likely to be snapped up vs what's likely to become a wallflower??
I am not too worried about the time taken but any words of advice or experience would be helpful.
Cheers
Done it a wee bit. You've got the advantage that you're working with Ducati sportsbikes which are almost always worth fixing. If you think about what gets broken in a spill, that will shift easily. Wheels, suspension, bodywork.
Then you can do a bit of homework and see if other parts are a bolt on upgrade to other bikes. Selling calipers is always worth mentioning the mounting bolt separation - a set of anyone's four pot calipers is always a worthwhile upgrade over sliding pin stuff. I vaguely toyed with getting a ZX-9R and in doing my homework, a popular upgrade was to junk the fiddly Tokico six piston calipers for Brembos off a 998. IIRC it was a few spacers and a bolt on.
Other stuff? People are unlikely to buy a second hand loom, although I once did as I needed back on the road and someone broke one of my connectors and it was faster than getting it from Ducati. I've never heard of anyone having to change a horn. Some lock sets are coded to the ECU and dash so have to go together. ECUs, if already remapped, can easily worth money.
So a mixed bag and some stuff will go to the tip. But you will get a few quid out of it.
Then you can do a bit of homework and see if other parts are a bolt on upgrade to other bikes. Selling calipers is always worth mentioning the mounting bolt separation - a set of anyone's four pot calipers is always a worthwhile upgrade over sliding pin stuff. I vaguely toyed with getting a ZX-9R and in doing my homework, a popular upgrade was to junk the fiddly Tokico six piston calipers for Brembos off a 998. IIRC it was a few spacers and a bolt on.
Other stuff? People are unlikely to buy a second hand loom, although I once did as I needed back on the road and someone broke one of my connectors and it was faster than getting it from Ducati. I've never heard of anyone having to change a horn. Some lock sets are coded to the ECU and dash so have to go together. ECUs, if already remapped, can easily worth money.
So a mixed bag and some stuff will go to the tip. But you will get a few quid out of it.
I'm thinking of keeping the wheels/discs and front forks/calipers for myself and a few little bits like coil on plug units etc.
Other than that, the entire bodywork will go, the engine, swingarm, loom, ecu, dash &key(they're a married pair), foot pegs, tank&pump, clip ons, headlight, front fairing stay etc.
The bike I'm eyeing up even has a very good full exhaust system which would be worth good $$$
My maths says if I can recover 70% of the outlay I'm in business vs what the parts I want to keep would cost separately.
Like you say, some things like tail light, horn etc will be binned but that's fine...
Other than that, the entire bodywork will go, the engine, swingarm, loom, ecu, dash &key(they're a married pair), foot pegs, tank&pump, clip ons, headlight, front fairing stay etc.
The bike I'm eyeing up even has a very good full exhaust system which would be worth good $$$
My maths says if I can recover 70% of the outlay I'm in business vs what the parts I want to keep would cost separately.
Like you say, some things like tail light, horn etc will be binned but that's fine...
Better now that selling on eBay is fee free for the seller (bike bits included but not whole machines!)
It can be a pain having stuff kicking about for so long before it sells though.
I have been selling off spares I have collected over the years and just as I tidy everything back away into crates (which are a must for this as moving all the bits around is a pain!) something else sells!
Start collecting cardboard boxes and bubble wrap too to save some money on the packing materials!
It can be a pain having stuff kicking about for so long before it sells though.
I have been selling off spares I have collected over the years and just as I tidy everything back away into crates (which are a must for this as moving all the bits around is a pain!) something else sells!
Start collecting cardboard boxes and bubble wrap too to save some money on the packing materials!
Mate did it with a 996 from memory....
The big items went quickly, wheels, suspension, engine, bodywork, clip ons, rearsets, clocks, exhaust etc. But he was left with a whole myriad of parts that just didn't sell, loom, screen, ECU etc
So I think if you can price it right you should be OK, but be prepared to have boxes of stuff that no one wants.
The big items went quickly, wheels, suspension, engine, bodywork, clip ons, rearsets, clocks, exhaust etc. But he was left with a whole myriad of parts that just didn't sell, loom, screen, ECU etc
So I think if you can price it right you should be OK, but be prepared to have boxes of stuff that no one wants.
I'd say do it. Strip everything you want off it, then spend an afternoon listing everything on eBay and see where it goes.
As noted, Ducati and especially sports bikes, will go pretty well as they get wrecked on track etc, so even things like loom, subframes, that kind of thing get damaged in an off
As noted, Ducati and especially sports bikes, will go pretty well as they get wrecked on track etc, so even things like loom, subframes, that kind of thing get damaged in an off
Done it loads with cars, and sell off lots of bike farkles
You can say you're breaking a bike on specific forums and people will ask you for parts. Albeit you end up spending a lot of time messaging people who want something for almost nothing
Or you break it down to each tiny part, price, photograph and itemize it which takes ages
The obvious stuff, which you probably want to keep, is the stuff that sells
However, it's amazing how people want the odd little weird component and are willing to pay and it soon adds up
If you don't enjoy fiddling with bikes and selling to people, it's not worth it
The best thing about eBay is its global shipping program as it reduces the cost and complexity of sending stuff abroad
I photograph stuff when I box it and I mark it with a paint pen, so far I've had no issues with fraudulent claims
You can say you're breaking a bike on specific forums and people will ask you for parts. Albeit you end up spending a lot of time messaging people who want something for almost nothing
Or you break it down to each tiny part, price, photograph and itemize it which takes ages
The obvious stuff, which you probably want to keep, is the stuff that sells
However, it's amazing how people want the odd little weird component and are willing to pay and it soon adds up
If you don't enjoy fiddling with bikes and selling to people, it's not worth it
The best thing about eBay is its global shipping program as it reduces the cost and complexity of sending stuff abroad
I photograph stuff when I box it and I mark it with a paint pen, so far I've had no issues with fraudulent claims
I've done it a couple of times, but I think the maths work better with bikes you can get very cheap.
We bought a stolen recovered trail bike at auction and got the forks my mate wanted, then doubled our money on the rest.
But if you cost your time, it's not a great way to make money.
The hard part is deciding things like whether to sell the cylinder head for a quick profit, or wait until someone wants the whole engine.
If you follow these things, some parts linger on ebay for years!
Back when I was a poor student, I bought a couple of non-running bikes for spares, sometimes it was cheaper than buying a new tyre.
We bought a stolen recovered trail bike at auction and got the forks my mate wanted, then doubled our money on the rest.
But if you cost your time, it's not a great way to make money.
The hard part is deciding things like whether to sell the cylinder head for a quick profit, or wait until someone wants the whole engine.
If you follow these things, some parts linger on ebay for years!
Back when I was a poor student, I bought a couple of non-running bikes for spares, sometimes it was cheaper than buying a new tyre.
Did it many years ago with a TDM850, I needed forks for mine and a mate needed an engine so we bought a slightly ropey bike for less than we could have bought the bits we needed. Sold the wheels, calipers, seat, swing arm and the intact faring panels via the owners forum for about what we paid for the bike, I think the frame went to someone who wanted to rebuild a written off bike. The remaining bits lived in my garage for several years until I binned them when I moved house.
Breaking it was a pretty easy job and only took a day. Packaging up stuff to send to people was more hassle. Doing it via the owners forum meant a lot less timewasters than we'd have had on e-bay.
Breaking it was a pretty easy job and only took a day. Packaging up stuff to send to people was more hassle. Doing it via the owners forum meant a lot less timewasters than we'd have had on e-bay.
OutInTheShed said:
I've done it a couple of times, but I think the maths work better with bikes you can get very cheap.
We bought a stolen recovered trail bike at auction and got the forks my mate wanted, then doubled our money on the rest.
But if you cost your time, it's not a great way to make money.
The hard part is deciding things like whether to sell the cylinder head for a quick profit, or wait until someone wants the whole engine.
If you follow these things, some parts linger on ebay for years!
Back when I was a poor student, I bought a couple of non-running bikes for spares, sometimes it was cheaper than buying a new tyre.
That's when I did it. It works at the very top, and the very bottom, of the market. Steve should be OK as he's doing the top end of things with Ducatis! We bought a stolen recovered trail bike at auction and got the forks my mate wanted, then doubled our money on the rest.
But if you cost your time, it's not a great way to make money.
The hard part is deciding things like whether to sell the cylinder head for a quick profit, or wait until someone wants the whole engine.
If you follow these things, some parts linger on ebay for years!
Back when I was a poor student, I bought a couple of non-running bikes for spares, sometimes it was cheaper than buying a new tyre.
I'm not fussed about making ££ per se, simply looking at cutting the cost of the items I want.
If, after a little time, I've reduced my bill from $7500 I'm not going to complain about that... plus I really do enjoy time in the garage tinkering.
I'm a bit a a wheeler dealer at heart so enjoy the banter of a negotiation and shipping from Canada is night and day easier than when I lived in South Africa where you basically needed an export licence.
I put a speculative post on some Ducati specific FB groups and had some tickles for a few odds and ends bit I'm thinking things like the dash and keys, bodywork, headlight etc will be going to a crash repair.
As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained and as it's not my sole source of income I can afford to discount the parts to motivate them moving.
Hopefully off to see the chosen bike this week, just won't be telling him what I have in mind
If, after a little time, I've reduced my bill from $7500 I'm not going to complain about that... plus I really do enjoy time in the garage tinkering.
I'm a bit a a wheeler dealer at heart so enjoy the banter of a negotiation and shipping from Canada is night and day easier than when I lived in South Africa where you basically needed an export licence.
I put a speculative post on some Ducati specific FB groups and had some tickles for a few odds and ends bit I'm thinking things like the dash and keys, bodywork, headlight etc will be going to a crash repair.
As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained and as it's not my sole source of income I can afford to discount the parts to motivate them moving.
Hopefully off to see the chosen bike this week, just won't be telling him what I have in mind
When I was into 'classic' bikes like 60s Triumph and all that, it seemed pretty obvious that the enthusiasts bought parts and put bikes together, while traders bought bikes and sold parts.
It was all harmless fun for pocket money in those days.
I think parts traders used to strip some brand new bikes too!
Does that still happen? Maybe the cheap Chinese things?
It was all harmless fun for pocket money in those days.
I think parts traders used to strip some brand new bikes too!
Does that still happen? Maybe the cheap Chinese things?
OutInTheShed said:
I think parts traders used to strip some brand new bikes too!
Does that still happen? Maybe the cheap Chinese things?
My wife had a cheap Chinese thing, over the course of a couple of years I gradually stripped it of various cheap Chinese components as they broke and replaced them with cheap second hand Japanese parts that were still in good condition, so I hope people aren't stripping the Chinese ones for working parts Does that still happen? Maybe the cheap Chinese things?
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