Buying a damaged motorcycle to repair can be a great way to save money, but there are pitfalls to trap the unwary. Before you part with your hard earned cash for an accident damaged bike make sure that you do your research carefully. Buying a crashed motorbike that needs substantial structural repair can be a false economy when you factor in the cost of the specialist services you might need to help put it right. Get the figures right though and you could end up with your dream bike at a fraction of the price you thought you might have to pay!
Buying a Damaged Motorcycle
With plenty of crashed or stolen recovered bikes for sale at auction with many at temptingly cheap prices, it makes sense to check out any prospective purchase very carefully. A bike or scooter which has been lightly damaged might be an ideal project for a competent home mechanic to take on, but bear in mind that costs can soon spiral. Replacement plastic bodywork parts can be expensive and difficult to find second hand, and an engine rebuild on a modern machine might run into many hundreds of pounds.
If you are checking out the ads for an insurance ‘write off’ to rebuild bear in mind that you need to search out Category ‘C’ or Cat ‘D’ machines as these are the only categories of salvaged bikes which can be put back on the road legally. Category D bikes will generally have been damaged to a lesser degree but where the insurance company considered the cost of repair to be excessive compared to the actual value of the bike, whilst a Cat C motorcycle will have been damaged to an extent where the repairs needed will have been in excess of the value of the motorcycle.