What is your opinion on buying a sportbike with a salvage title?

Question

Are they more trouble than they are worth?

Assuming the frame is straight, forks are straight, bike runs well on extensive test drive, doesnt appear to have any major problems that wouldnt be readily fixable, exterior looks good, and so on... what are the odds that you will regret buying a salvage title bike? besides difficulty reselling it

salvage title here = rebuilt title in many states, fully street legal and drivable, inspected

Answer 1

most important is the frame and the forks status ,take it to A bro workshop and dyno it and then laser the frame to make shore that both front and the rear tire is in one straight line , it gust A sport bike unless if its A hayabusa or the zx12 or the zx14 then u have to do more tests and spend more hours at the workshop ,only big birds like that worth ur time to think twice about it , 600cc or 1000 cc sport bikes u wont ever find difficulty reselling it even as parts on eBay

Answer 2

I suppose it depends on why it has a salvage title. For instance, the shop i used to work at bought several Kawasakis at auction with salvage titles. The bikes still in crates had been parked in a flooded lot somewhere down south. They were not under the water just that the crates had become all water soaked, the bikes were perfect no damage, but, had to be sold with salvage titles due to insurance company rules or some such.
We only had problems selling one, when the people received the title an saw that it was salvage they wanted out of the deal, so, we returned their money and sold it to someone else.
If you buy a salvage bike and title it I don't know if that salvage classification goes on to your new title or not, if it does it could prove to be a curse when you eventually want to sell the bike.

Answer 3

I doubt you will find a salvage titled bike that is that good. There is a reason they are listed as salvage. The insurance company that totalled the bike doesn't want to end up in a money pit by hiring a shop to repair them. There is too much chance the bike will have hidden problems and then there will be lawsuits. Buy it CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP or don't buy it.

AND expect to have to put money into it....

Answer 4

Don't buy a salvaged title anything....everything amy appear to be in working order but you never really know the extent of the damage that was caused.

Answer 5

Everything looks good now, but if it has even minor problems with the frame or forks, you will have a problem at high speeds.

Answer 6

wouldn't touch it anyway, even though it may seem like all the problems are taken care of, odds are there are some that are lurking just around the next bend.

Answer 7

first off call your local dmv and see what it takes to got a new title or if you can
if you cant i wouldnt touch it