help me about this dodgey r1!

[jezza1]

hey guys,

Ive seen a bike for sale which is fairly cheap for an 08 R1.. its 10k.. looks mint condition, but the dealer rang me back today after speaking with him yesterday and said he forgot to tell me it was previously written off... i was quite put off by this and told him im not really interested, he tried his hardest to explain that u only need to break the fairings and put a few scratches on the bike for it to be written off..?? is this true??? my biggest concern is thats its interstate and i cant ride it first... and the whole frame may be bent or twisted...

What do you rekon i should do.. stay away from it... or get it checked over by a bike mech over near the shop...

its fairly cheap for what year it is.. only done 9000kms and got a fair few good boltons..

Cheers
Jeremy

[timmay]

I'd leave it personally.
1. It's been written off in the past
2. You cannot personally inspect / test ride it.
If it was just one of those issues then maybe, but not both.

[scotch]

He is right. For any bike to be written off the cost of repair only needs to amount to something like 80% of the value of the bike. This includes labour costs too.

It wouldn't hurt to get the bike checked over though. Who is the dealer?

[Barfridge]

I'd leave it personally.
1. It's been written off in the past
2. You cannot personally inspect / test ride it.
If it was just one of those issues then maybe, but not both.

Bingo!
It's not like R1's are rare, why take such a gamble.
Especially since they weren't up front about it, that's another warning bell

[Commander Keen]

If there was any damage to the frame it wouldn't be able to be re-registered.. If the dealer is selling it as a registered bike then it was only classified as a repairable write off in which case he is correct it could possibly only have been bolt-ons that were damaged in the crash. Perhaps it would be wise to request a list of items that were replaced after the accident to see what needed to be fixed.

As is, it would be best for you to have it inspected by a 3rd party before committing, but for an 08 R1 $10k isn't THAT cheap after freight and rego transfer. You could probably find one locally if you were happy to wait a few months for one to pop up, you might even save money on it.

Edit: one more thing to think about, if an OEM part is damaged MOST of the time it's cheaper to replace it with an aftermarket unit. Don't believe me? Call up any Yamaha dealer and ask how much one standard muffler is worth. Suddenly those Graves parts don't look so exxy.

[g0zer]

I think there is a difference between repairable write off and non repairable ie: you cannot register the latter.

It doesn't take much to make an r1 a repairable write off, given the price of oem parts labour and that every part with a scratch needs to be replaced for it to be repaired as new.

It could be a bargin depending on what you are looking for.

[Crashlington]

there was a few for sale on here in the 10-12k range. Why look over east?

[scotch]

The fact that it was a write off could give you room to haggle with the price. He may be having trouble selling it.

The fact it is over east though would put me off straight away unless it was dirt cheap and i was going to use it as a track bike.

[irdizzle]

There's a blue 09 on Ebay for 10k.... worth a look if you're looking at an 08? It's the same... a repairable

[Jutty]

Where abouts over east is it? Have you checked the "WOVR" (written off vehilce registry) and checked how they have classified the bike? I know in some states, with cars if it is deemed a write-off then it cannot be re-registered as they do not seperate repairable and stat write-off.

[Dirty32]

If its the repairs or possible defects your worried about, you could pick up a late model repairable write off R1 from JB Performance bikes (warts and all, no hidden suprises) and repair it yourself, with parts your comfortable purchasing and using...

He had a couple going for around the $7 - $8k mark recently. Might spend a touch over your $10k to get it all done and on the road, but you have some security that you've repaired it yourself. JB are a site sponsor too, so have a look at his website!

[Heretic]

i reckon if your going to fork out $10k for a bike, i'd say get the best one you possibly can, especially if your borrowing money to buy it. its hard enough to get decent money back these days on anything second hand. $10k today might turn into $5,500 valuation in 2 years and you'll owe more than that...... if your suspect on it, so will someone else be. by the time you get it here and re-rego (assuming you can) it you'll be looking at at least $11,500 and you havent ridden a k on it.

at least he did tell you, but once the statatury warranty period is over your on your own, and even if you do have a warranty issue, whos going to attend to it, someone local and they pay for it? i dont think so.

i think you could do better. i really woiuldnt be wanting to rocket around the backroads and trusting my life to a "repairable rightoff" that you cant verify 100% history

just my 2 cents

[deano68er]

If your looking to go this way check out John from JB performance bikes. Sponsor on this site.

[robwas]

10K is not really cheap for an 08 so I would be offering somwhere closer to the 8K mark for this one. Then it would be worth a look.

[RY RY]

Mate it's an R1, they are all dodgy

[Shady7/8]

If there was any damage to the frame it wouldn't be able to be re-registered.. If the dealer is selling it as a registered bike then it was only classified as a repairable write off in which case he is correct it could possibly only have been bolt-ons that were damaged in the crash. Perhaps it would be wise to request a list of items that were replaced after the accident to see what needed to be fixed.

braaaaaarrrrppp WRONG.

A damaged frame can be replaced, this comes with a new frame/VIN number and will be registered to the bike at re-registration.

Bike WILL be written off due to cost to break down and reassemble with new frame. Being written off does not preclude the bike from re-registration. Only a Statutory Write off does this.

Some frame damage can be passed if signed off on by an engineer. Just ask Ice she went through similar query a while back.


As others have said though, R1's are not rare, why bother with an interstater of questionable background. Might be legit and all ok, but when interstate, is it worth the risk when you can visually inspect local bikes

[Commander Keen]

Well poo, I thought any frame/swingarm damage meant instant stat

[Falcore]

If I couldn't see the bike in question I wouldn't bother tbh.

[jezza1]

yeh you guys are right... im hanging out to get one of the 09+ models with the new crossplane engine... but i dont want to spend 13k when its my first road bike and no doubt im gonna be trying some neat tricks on it...

is it just me or is summer a bad time to buy bikes?

i remember looking on bikesales about july last year and i seen 09 models with akra exhausts and bit of bling for around the 13.5k mark.. now u pay that for a stock standard one!

ill keep hunting a raven 05-06 r1 with some fruit on it for around 8k... if anyone knows someone with one.. yell out!!

[Falcore]

Summer is usually dearer as the fairies tend to get out more