K100 Engine & Gearbox - Break it for parts?

[PaulP]

Not so much a technical query, more a canvassing of opinion from some K-Experts;


I've a 1991, low milage K100 engine and gearbox, in a state of semi-dismantledness. The bike from whence it came had been dropped and the cylinder head was damaged so I'd replaced it many years ago.


I'm left with a surplus  (minus cylinder head) Engine, Gearbox, Swingarm, Driveshaft and Final drive (all with perfect splines!). I reconditioned the gearbox at the time, but it has sat unused.


My query pertains to whether or not I should bother building the engine back up and selling it as a complete unit, or part it out? Given the reliability and longevity of the K engine, are individual components in much demand?


Same goes for the gearbox. I looked up the price of some components and they are truly eye watering, yet a complete unit can be had for a few hundred squids. Again, I wonder of those with experience of these machines whether gearbox components are in demand?


I appreciate that it would be difficult to say definitively whether or not someone, somewhere might need a specific part without the benefit of clairvoyance, but I ask only in general terms.

Cheers.

[Filmcamera]

I only have experience with gearboxes.  For me in the end the cost, time and complications involved in taking apart my gearbox to replace a couple of parts made it easier and possibly even cheaper to buy a complete used gearbox.

I am sure you will have no problem selling the FD and drive shaft if they indeed have good splines.  The same is probably also true of the gearbox (does it come with the clutch?) The engine minus head is going to be tougher to sell, that might be easier in parts,oil and water pump etc.

[kris]

Coin toss, I'd say. So long as the parts go somewhere to someone who can make use of them and not into a scrap metal furnace....

[Scott_]

Yea, I'm sure you won't have any problem selling the FD and drive shaft. There seems to have been a rash of spline failures lately.
The rest as another has said would be a coin toss as far as value and demand.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I would be reluctant to sell individual engine or transmission parts.  There are too many complete units out there to compete with and most people don't want to get involved with engine or transmission internal workings.

Pricing depends on how fast you want to sell your stuff.  There are a ton of engines and transmissions on eBay with prices of $250 and up...  and they aren't selling.  Personally, if I was trying to get rid of a short block I wouldn't ask over $100 unless I was willing to sit on it for a year or more.  Same goes for the transmisssion and the final drive, but there are way more bikes that can use those parts.

If I was selling the final drive, I would include the Paralever swing arm and drive shaft as a package for something like $250-300.  That would make an attractive package for someone upgrading a monolever bike expanding the number of potential buyers as well as minimizing the number of iems you need to list.

[Filmcamera]

If you swap from monolever to paralever the transmission mountings are different - not impossible to fix but in the end you wold be best buying everything as a package

http://www.kbikeparts.com/classickbikes.com/ckb.tech/0.ckb.tech.files/mono2para/mono2para.htm

[PaulP]

Thanks for all advice, much appreciated.


Wiith regards breaking into individual parts, I did wonder if it would be pointless, given that the number of people willing to dig into their gearbox is presumably limited. Not to mention the fact that I don't like breaking up perfectly functioning things.


I pulled the crank, pistons and rods last night to check the condition of the rings, shells and surfaces, they are perfect, so reassembled.


I'll possibly leave the short block for now, perhaps turning it into a coffee table, paper weight or some other objet d'art.


I think what I might do is assemble the gearbox, swingarm and final drive into a single shiny conglomeration and sell it as one piece, ready to rock.

Thanks again, all.