I'm still debating the repairable write-off option. I know what's involved and would like input from anyone that's been to the auctions, Fowles is the only that comes to mind at the moment. Could someone give me an idea of the going rate for a 2000-2003 model repairable writeoff busa?
With dealers offering so little for tradeins i would think you could do better to buy a good s/h bike .
repair bills are often twice what they initially seem, then there is the VIV to get it back on the road and a permanant record of it been a damaged and repaired bike.
what you pay at auction very much depends on the day and who else is interested..
I'm aware of the inspection, repair etc costs. Just wanting to know if anyone has been to these auctions and knows roughly what the busas are fetching.
Yeah still leaning towards buying a secondhand bike though.
Over the years i've been to the auctions regularly & as Maj said it depends on the day.What i've noticed is the dealers & wreckers are out there every month, seen some ripper deals & others where they have paid way too much.Don't quote me, but a smashed 99-07 & not heavily,would go for maybe somewhere in between high 4's to say 6.5 or higher,then add auction house charges, credit card charges to what ever you pay. Then comes the cost of repairs plus add a thou for rego. & viv & you still don't know if the gear box is lunched & as was said earlier it's always known as a smashed bike.It just depends on how much you pay & what needs to be spent.Like the car market the arse has fallen out of the bike market to.Go shopping with a roll of cash.
Ross79,
why a 2000-2003 model? Busas are still pretty rare at the auctions. You can't be too selective. I was looking for 12 months before I bought my K8 as a repairable write-off. See -
http://www.australian-hayabusa-club.com/...?tid=10552
It was a damn good score. I had dealers and others really talking the bike down when I was doing the pre-auction inspection. I had set a price I was willing to pay and the other bidders petered out at 75% of my limit. The big killer for them was that the bike came without keys -therefore for the K8 I was told I'd be looking at 4 grand to replace the keys, switches and ECU (due to immobiliser). Which was bullshit because Suzuki
can supply two more keys, (also, as a point for consideration, the US and Candian models don't have the immobilisers fitted). In the end I did my homework and fronted up at Fowles insisting they hand over the keys - which they then miraculously 'found'!
The bike is dead straight and all damaged parts were replaced with new or good S/H parts. It was well worth buying the repairable write-off.
But as Maj and Arthur say, the price you pay depends on the day. BTW, I'm still after a wrecked K8 for the engine, however buying a complete rego-ed Gen I is looking more affordable by the day.
Camel
Some very good points. I'm just looking at 2000 - 2003 models as I figured they'd be cheaper than the later model ones. Going by the prices arthur mentioned, I might just stick to buying a good secondhand one. Budget is low as I'm selling my bike dirt cheap to my brother, so I'm obviously seeking the cheapest alternative. I've done a few repairs in the past so I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty but by the looks of it, it doesn't seam like a good alternative.
ross79 Wrote:Some very good points. I'm just looking at 2000 - 2003 models as I figured they'd be cheaper than the later model ones. Going by the prices arthur mentioned, I might just stick to buying a good secondhand one. Budget is low as I'm selling my bike dirt cheap to my brother, so I'm obviously seeking the cheapest alternative. I've done a few repairs in the past so I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty but by the looks of it, it doesn't seam like a good alternative.
Today 11/12 in sydney at milperra they got $6,500 for a STAT write off 06, frame u/s,fairing us, coolant leaking, no instruments,cut wiring +++++++. $7,500 for 05 repairable write off. rh side damage, bent back wheel++ . At those prices buy a s/hand one. Leigh
PS, Plus auction fees.
Oooo! That's a lot to pay! Buy S/H complete!
How good are you on the tools & the as Arthur Dungar said, what's the 'box like? (although admittedly the "smooth as silk" Suzy Busa boxes are hard to kill). I'd hang out for a good orig with books, history etc etc & leave the Fowels stuff for the drag lads to mod. "There's nothing like the orig" ,(to plagiarize the ol' Chicko Roll ads).
Although it's not even close to my field of work, I'm pretty good with the tools so to speak.
Rebuilt a few car engines and a couple of motorbike engines. Done my own turbo conversion, made my own custom exhaust related items (prick of a job!). As for electrical, my brother's an electronics engineer. Programs dash cluster for cars and bikes for a living.
I've decided to purchase a decent bike instead. Going down the repair path would leave me without a bike for at least a month and I can't aford to do that. Also it isn't looking very cost effective. Thanks for all the input, it has helped me make a decision. It will hopefully help others make their mind up if they're considering this.