Hey everone,

Is buying a wrecked bike and fixing it a bad idea?

 

LOL There are so many factors in that question....are you any good with a wrench? How wrecked is it? How much will you be investing? What is the bike? More info would get you a better reply....

 

The bike is a 99 cbr F4, it has front end damage that dosent seem to be too bad and it wouldn't take much to get it back onto the road. I'm going off a article I read in 2 Wheel 2ner magazine a few months ago where they bought a wrecked bike and fixed it up for under $1500 bucks. The bike looked really good and I thought about maybe that should be the best way for me to go for me sense a new bike is way outta my price range.

 

I don't know about that...too many issues!

 

depends if you are a good mechanic or not when i got my bike the bars were bent no farings and the headlight assembly was gone and look at it now

[IMG]local://upfiles/4031/CFC8F046BEE340019F60E5CD55051887.jpg[/IMG]

 

If you aren't gonna be able to do this yourself get some info from someone who can at your local shop. Good luck with that.

 

Ok we are getting closer to be able to help you out...now The front end has problems, depending on what problems will make a difference. How is the frame? The forks? The motor? Any damage there? How did it get wrecked? What other parts of the bike are broken? And most important, HOW MUCH do they want? For a 99 F4 $1500 hundred in repairs isnt bad if you can pick the bike up for about $500 bucks. But keep in mind....does it have a salvage title? Was it written off as totaled? Buying a bike to fix up will be the best way to learn and you will appreciate it so much more when its done, but don't expect to buy this thing and be cruising in a week....It will take time. What do you wamt? Do you want to learn to fix bikes or are you just looking for a cheap way out? All these things are so important......[8D]

 

I'm doing this right now with a -97 F3, and it's a blast.
Nothing like wrenching on a bike! It's fun and you learn A LOT about the bike while doing it.
But as they say; if you've never held a screwdriver before, it's gonna be a long road.
I have this friend that's broken all his bikes because he "was gonna fix it".

And... I'd recommend having a spare bike to ride.
If not, you're gonna hurry through the rebuild just to get it on the road.
Stress = sloppy work.

BTW, a (case of) beer in the garage is a must!

Edit: Forgot to mention that I've always been my own "mechanic", and I enjoy it. That helps when doing a project.

 

I just finished rebuilding my 954, it needed all but one fairing, and pretty much the whole front end minus forks, I did all the work my self so that did save alot, you can get good deals on ebay, just be careful you know what your getting, some folks don't list things properly, be sure and get a Clymer or Haynes repair manual they give you exploded views as well as all your torque settings. My main concern would be to make sure the most expensive parts are good i.e. engine,trans, frame. I had fun with mine, but I sarted in December, and now it's time ride, how patient of a man are you?