Salvage title

[weems]

Looking at buying a used bike. Owner claims it come with a salvage title due to "cosmetic damages". Is this an understatement? How will the title affect resell value?

[Txstang1]

I owuldnt buy anything with a salvage title, especially a bike.

[scootro]

the thing with salvage title's is it's for keeps! you better like it and keep it because it ain't shit with that crap title! of course you can find another sucker to buy it.

[UserX]

Unless I knew the owner who wrecked it, and personally helped with the repairs, I would not buy a salvaged title bike. Even then it's iffy. A swingarm can be bent with no visible signs of damage, all it takes is moving 1mm and it will affect the handling, tire wear, etc.

[LANTIRN]

I owuldnt buy anything with a salvage title, especially a bike.

This.

[momo]

1. better be cheap (like 1/2 price of clean title bike)
2. better have invoices for repair.
3. don't expect the resale value be much, ie, buy the bike if you want to keep it a long while.
4. better be damn cheap!

[momo]

Looking at buying a used bike. Owner claims it come with a salvage title due to "cosmetic damages". Is this an understatement? How will the title affect resell value?

is it a black ducati monster?

bike looks good but i didnt like the price. i also dont buy the story that it was salvaged due to scratches, cosmetic damage.

[weems]

Yeah momostallion it is. I was actually going to see if he'd drop it into the two's for the title.

[momo]

Yeah momostallion it is. I was actually going to see if he'd drop it into the two's for the title.

yea, it's a good looking bike! good luck man.

<--- watching craigslist like a hawk since bike was stolen.

[weems]

Sorry about the bike. I texted the guy and he said it was laid down in grass and had to be repainted. Does that really make for a salvage title?

[Txstang1]

Sorry about the bike. I texted the guy and he said it was laid down in grass and had to be repainted. Does that really make for a salvage title?

Sounds like BS to me.

[Hobie]

There are lots of variables, but bikes are like Vipers, make an insurance claim and it's totaled. For every one of you that has made a claim and not had their bike totaled there are ten thousand who have. Notice, there are no collision repair businesses for motorcycles. I imagine it's has to do with the nature of motorcycles and insurance companies would rather write the bike off than something happen later and wind up in a wrongful death suit.

I'm not sure how the salvage process works if you buy the bike back from your own insurance company after damaging the bike/making the claim.

I do know if you buy the bike at auction like the vast majority of people hawking salvage bikes that you will have no idea why the bike received a salvage title beyond theft/fire/flood/collision.

If the previous owner on the title is an insurance company and also mentions an auction company (Often an insurance company and auction company will be mentioned like Copart, NPA, Salvage Direct) the seller most definitely is not who made the claim. Also, what state is the title out of? If it's not Texas then it's pretty likely they are not who made the claim and they bought it at auction. Just because it is a TX salvage title doesn't mean they are who made the claim, but if it's out of state I guarantee they didn't submit the claim or have any direct information as to why the bike was salvaged other than collision/theft/fire/flood. If it's a shop selling it the same thing goes.

[fastwhite99gt]

The cost of simple plastics for a modern sportbike is why so many get totaled just for cosmetic damage, I mean $500 for one side panel. You add in the $250 for the upper, $125 for a fairing stay, $100 for a lever and god knows how much for the rearsets, it doesn't take long for the repair bill to get over the 70% threshold of totaling it. A friends got laid over doing about 35 in a curve and it slid across the lane and about 15 feet into a lady's yard. He picked it up and rode it home, but the insurance totaled it.