Salvage Titles/bikes

[Porkchop]

Originally Posted by OTB

JMHO, but: There is nothing wrong with buying a salvage titled bike, as long as you know what you are looking at. If it won't run and ride when you buy it, you have no way of knowing about strange handling, lack of shifting (that's what happens when you bang the shift lever over with full load; shifting drums gall, internal springs break, or shift forks bend) or new and exciting leaks.

Understand that a decent salvage bike with simple cosmetic issues can be a cheap reliable ride for many years.

A. I'll NEVER buy a salvage titled bike from a dealer/salvage house. They are marked up 100% over what is available from private parties on CL and Cycletrader.

B. Low end bikes can be had for nearly the same price with or without a salvage title; it just takes a little patience and shopping.

Thanks OTB, I figued I'd get some good stuff from you. The link you gave is a neat little site. Already found some good stuff that I think I can haggle on!

Originally Posted by goof2

They are asking $2,300-$2,800. Are they really selling for that?

A GS500 is a serviceable bike. My brother had one and put over 40k miles on it. He had a Yoshimura full system on it (don't know if they offer it anymore) that even sounded OK.

I havn't pushed anybody yet. But with a foot of snow on the ground right now... I think they would be happy with the money in their pocket...