MOTOBRICK.COM
MOTOBRICK.COM => The MBdotCOM Community Center => Topic started by: Motorhobo on April 12, 2015, 05:40:52 AM
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I purchased a high-mileage (175k) ABS K75 recently from the original owner. The price was good and there were some things I really wanted, like the shock and the aftermarket fairing, and I thought I might be able to keep it for my sidecar and sell my other one at a profit. But now I'm seeing a glut of lower mileage Kbikes on the market as the original owners retire from riding or step up, and I've concluded there's no way I'm going to be able to sell this thing to anyone who isn't going to part it out -- and if anyone is going to part it out, I'd prefer it be me because with two K75 in the garage already, I probably need the parts just as much if not more than anyone else.
The bike runs well, has been garaged and meticulously maintained by the PO. I see people doing cafe conversions, and by the time I take the parts I need off, it will be buck naked, just what you'd want for a cafe racer. Since the cafe builds don't see a lot of touring miles anyway, I'm wondering whether this bike would have any value to anyone as a running machine with engine, drivetrain, brakes and wheels and not mich else, and if so, what it might be worth. I'd hate to totally scavenge it and sell the engine and frame for scrap -- there's still a lot of life left in it -- it's just that in its current configuration with that mileage its market value is much much less than the parts attached to it.
So my question is -- at what point does it reach the 'parts bike' stage? Does 175k and +20 years qualify a for 'end of useful life' designation? At some point you gotta say enough is enough...
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I intended this to go under the Communty Center topic since it's not really a wrenching question --- mods, please move it as you see fit - thanks...MH
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... at what point does it reach the 'parts bike' stage?
When it's not cost effective to keep it safe and running well, IMO.
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I had a K100 last year that was low mileage, and took all the rubber off and tossed it, redid the rear seal and went through tranny seals, spline lube, reconditioned injectors, new rubber fore and aft. Now a new bike, what would make you think you couldn't keep a 175K bike going for another 175k?? A little TLC and you are in business. At least as good as todays bikes, fast, good brakes, only missing radial tires to be in the hunt, IMHO.
Don't part it
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If it's owner kept up on routine maintenance the stupid things run forever. But it probably isn't worth all that much, especially missing body parts. Then again, a running ridable bike out to be worth $1500 or so, much better than bunch of parts in milk crates.
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Motorhobo, I also am thinking along the lines of Tim with the life of a K75. I'm thinking someday I might look for one for more local commuting rather than my 1100.
Regarding your statement about putting a sidecar on a K75. Not sure what you would want to put in it, but I question if a K75 would have enough umph to pull a sidecar effectively, or if a K1004v or an 1100 would work better for that purpose.
Just throwing that out there for food for thought.
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Thanks for all your input. My quandary is that despite the fact that the bike has an Ohlins, a Parabellum Scout, working ABS and -- believe it or not -- a Bruno-rebuilt DS and FD -- the only people who called on his ad were douchebags who just wanted to lowball him with offensively low offers. I'm the only one who offered him full price and appreciated the value of the bike and the 175k miles he'd run on it. Thing is, my DS, FD shock on on of my existing red brick are shot, so I swapped the Bruno DS, FD and Ohlins onto it today. Now I have a 94,K75 with crap FD, DS, shock, tires and 175k miles. Market value of this bike now -- jack ch1t. Could it do another 175k? Probably, but who's going to buy a high-mileage K75 knowing what all needs replacing? Nobody, I'll wager.
The PO couldn't even get $1500 for his 175k-mile K75 even with all those goodies. I guess my point is that at some point supply exceeds demand and one high mileage bike gets cannibalized to keep low mileage bikes on the road.
What I'm thinking of doing is removing anything street-related and selling the buck naked rest for $400. I would then have two sets of cases, C bars, a Parabellum Sport, and a perfect complete low seat hardware, misc body parts and other items and hardware to sell to the community at reasonable price.
Or, I could part the whole thing out and add a good tank, wheels, transmission, and Showa front end to the parts bin, among other things. I think the community would benefit from these parts.
I don't feel good about scavenging a running bike but truth is we people need parts more than other people want high-mileage Kbikes. I'm bringing this up because I suspect this is going to come up more frequently as the pool of available parts shrinks and more and more dirt cheap but running bikes come on the market. Truth is, the bikes run longer than their useful life. At some point you have to just bite the bullet and start the teardown.
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It's a machine and like any machine it will go forever as long as the appropriate maintenance gets done on it.
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It's a machine and like any machine it will go forever as long as the appropriate maintenance gets done on it.
Well, maybe that's true in the Bizarro universe, but in the real universe where motos don't live in hermetically sealed garages, rubber bits degrade, electrical contacts corrode, drive splines get worn, metal fatigues and the vast majority of people don't want spend the countless hours to replace or repair all the things that time inevitably takes its toll on. They just want to ride. People like us are rare.
The PO told me he has no emotional attachment to this bike, he rode it hard for 20 years, and he pretty much expects it to be parted out. The bike still has original brake lines (?!), original OEM fuel and water pump, leaks oil which might just be valve and crank seals but might be something else, needs a driveshaft, has an ancient Progressive 412, and needs new tires, and runs strong but sounds like there might be issues with the timing chain, and has some dings and other asthetic issues, and I haven't even looked at the fan or cooling system. Who is going to f**k with that when you can get this?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/mcd/4962237719.html
http://smd.craigslist.org/mcy/4970446806.html
http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/mcy/4918791478.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/mcy/4965913199.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/mcy/4975117857.html
I don't know what I'm going to do yet -- maybe I'll put it on Ebay for sale as a running brick and see what I can get, but I'm not going to sell it for dirt and have someone else part it out on eBay for profit when I can part it out myself, put the parts to good use and sell the rest to the motobrick community.
Scott -- I ran a hack on a K75 for 3 years and it was fine for my dog who was the only passenger. It'd be nice to have another cylinder but IMO it's better to have two identical bikes to swap parts out on when necessary.
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greetings...
i ride them till they wont move... call bonerbeemeryard to fetch it... while i look for a new to me one...
j o
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greetings...
i ride them till they wont move... call bonerbeemeryard to fetch it... while i look for a new to me one...
j o
Well, Johnny, that's probably 'cause you're not 100% normal.
MH
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Too bad it's not an R90S. vintage Indian or a sand cast Honda 750. Old K's pretty much have the collector value of old kitchen appliances :musicboohoo:
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Too bad it's not an R90S. vintage Indian or a sand cast Honda 750. Old K's pretty much have the collector value of old kitchen appliances :musicboohoo:
I don't get why airheads have such a following. I've complained at the dealer parts counter that there are all these official boxer T shirts etc but nothing for the bricks. I don't get how owners put up with all that vibration plus the surging. The R1100RTP the dealer loaned me for the day a while back came complete with surging
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Too bad it's not an R90S. vintage Indian or a sand cast Honda 750. Old K's pretty much have the collector value of old kitchen appliances :musicboohoo:
I don't get why airheads have such a following. I've complained at the dealer parts counter that there are all these official boxer T shirts etc but nothing for the bricks. I don't get how owners put up with all that vibration plus the surging. The R1100RTP the dealer loaned me for the day a while back came complete with surging
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Too bad it's not an R90S. vintage Indian or a sand cast Honda 750. Old K's pretty much have the collector value of old kitchen appliances :musicboohoo:
I don't get why airheads have such a following. I've complained at the dealer parts counter that there are all these official boxer T shirts etc but nothing for the bricks. I don't get how owners put up with all that vibration plus the surging. The R1100RTP the dealer loaned me for the day a while back came complete with surging
It's because they're so comfortable to ride with those big footpegs sticking out the side.
K-bikes are motorcycling's worst kept secret.
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You bought Doc's ol' blue beauty, didn't ya? Sure sounds like it. If so, it is a well loved machine.