Official Motorcycle Thread

[Donuthole]

I came across a listing for a Kawasaki Vulcan Custom that had been stolen, had the ignitiion cut out be the thieves, recovered, and dumped on its side in a low speed tip over so the tank and pipes were dented. The bike was recovered before an insurance claim was filed so the title is still normal. I went to check it out and once I deteremined the engine wasn't siezed I offered $1000. The guy took the offer and I've spent the last several months restoring. The last thing I need to do is respray the tank as I sanded through the clear coat the first go-round. My thousand dollar bike is now worth four times that and runs like a dream. Fun project.

I mean, you wouldn't try to sell that as a "clean title" bike, so it's really not worth 4x as much, right? Right?

[Pelado]

I mean, you wouldn't try to sell that as a "clean title" bike, so it's really not worth 4x as much, right? Right?

If it has a clean title, why shouldn't he?

[falafel]

I came across a listing for a Kawasaki Vulcan Custom that had been stolen, had the ignitiion cut out be the thieves, recovered, and dumped on its side in a low speed tip over so the tank and pipes were dented. The bike was recovered before an insurance claim was filed so the title is still normal. I went to check it out and once I deteremined the engine wasn't siezed I offered $1000. The guy took the offer and I've spent the last several months restoring. The last thing I need to do is respray the tank as I sanded through the clear coat the first go-round. My thousand dollar bike is now worth four times that and runs like a dream. Fun project.

I'll buy it for $2k.

[Shaka]

I mean, you wouldn't try to sell that as a "clean title" bike, so it's really not worth 4x as much, right? Right?

The title is clean. The insurance company was never contacted and the bike recovered quickly. I replaced the ignition and the bike runs like new.

[Donuthole]

Shady, bro. Just because it didn’t get reported doesn’t mean it never happened. I hope if you ever listed it you would say “title is technically clean because I fixed it before it was reported to the insurance company. So it has been wrecked but was fixed.” Even then, though, nothing is stopping a future owner from just listing it without that info. Which is the entire point of a branded title—making sure every potential buyer in the future has the opportunity to know that a vehicle has been wrecked.

[Non Sequitur]

Shady, bro. Just because it didn’t get reported doesn’t mean it never happened. I hope if you ever listed it you would say “title is technically clean because I fixed it before it was reported to the insurance company. So it has been wrecked but was fixed.” Even then, though, nothing is stopping a future owner from just listing it without that info. Which is the entire point of a branded title—making sure every potential buyer in the future has the opportunity to know that a vehicle has been wrecked.

I'm not sure dented pipes and tank qualify as wrecked. If I'm buying a bike, I care a lot more about the miles than whether the tank or pipes were replaced. Also, the first question I'm going to ask is whether the bike has ever been laid down, so that's likely to come out regardless.

[Shaka]

Shady, bro. Just because it didn’t get reported doesn’t mean it never happened. I hope if you ever listed it you would say “title is technically clean because I fixed it before it was reported to the insurance company. So it has been wrecked but was fixed.” Even then, though, nothing is stopping a future owner from just listing it without that info. Which is the entire point of a branded title—making sure every potential buyer in the future has the opportunity to know that a vehicle has been wrecked.

The only damage incurred when the bike was stolen was the ignition switch. The tip-over was the owner's fault. Branding a title because of a key cylinder and a few wires is overkill. Branded titles are for wrecked bikes with major structural damage and/or odometer issues. This bike had neither. A sizable percentage of road bikes have been dumped and have tank/pipe damage. Fixing that isn't enough to warrant a branded title or consider the bike wrecked. As for the rest of the restoration, most of it has been going over the bike and fixing wear items like fork seals. If I sell, which I probably will not, it will be represented accurately.

[Shaka]

This is the bike mentioned above. Matte paint jobs are difficult due to the finish sanding and the inability to polish like you would a normal gloss finish. I tried again last week and got it nearly perfect. This wasn't some Home Depot Rustoleum paint job. It was done with automotive grade basecoat and 2K clearcoat. I'm glad this restoraiton is complete. Very fun bike to ride. I Sorry I can't get the photo posting to work right so here's a full size thumbnail.
Finished Vulcan.jpg

[Bo Diddley]

This is the bike mentioned above. Mate paint jobs are difficult due to the finish sanding and the inability to polish like you would a normal gloss finish. I tried again last week and got it nearly perfect. This wasn't some Home Depot Rustoleum paint job. It was done with automotive grade basecoat and 2K clearcoat. I'm glad this restoraiton is complete. Very fun bike to ride. I Sorry I can't get the photo posting to work right so here's a full size thumbnail.

Sweet!

[Pelado]

This is the bike mentioned above. Matte paint jobs are difficult due to the finish sanding and the inability to polish like you would a normal gloss finish. I tried again last week and got it nearly perfect. This wasn't some Home Depot Rustoleum paint job. It was done with automotive grade basecoat and 2K clearcoat. I'm glad this restoraiton is complete. Very fun bike to ride. I Sorry I can't get the photo posting to work right so here's a full size thumbnail.
Finished Vulcan.jpg

Is there something about matte that makes it better than a gloss finish, other than just personal preference?

[Non Sequitur]

Is there something about matte that makes it better than a gloss finish, other than just personal preference?

I would love to see what that bike looks with chrome pipes.

[Shaka]

Is there something about matte that makes it better than a gloss finish, other than just personal preference?

It's just a preference. It's become a popular sheen for everything from cars/trucks to guitars. This motorcycle just happened to be that way. I thought about doing a really paint job with bright green or orange. It would have required much more work though.

[Shaka]

I would love to see what that bike looks with chrome pipes.

It looks pretty good with the chrome pipes. I thought hard about putting some on but ultimately decided to stick with the stock color.

[Copelius]

I am back in the saddle. I just can't quit my obsession with motorcycles. However I have shifted away from the cruiser to a touring bike. Got a R1200 RT-P. Really fun ride.

[chrisrenrut]

I am back in the saddle. I just can't quit my obsession with motorcycles. However I have shifted away from the cruiser to a touring bike. Got a R1200 RT-P. Really fun ride.

Sweet! I’ve put about 25,00 miles on my RT. Taken it to the Bay Area, Montana, Banff, Colorado and New Mexico. I bought it in Tennessee and rode it back to Utah. It eats up the miles, but is still fun in the twisties. We also take it on day trips like Bear Lake, Monte Christo, Mirror Lake highway, and Strawberry reservoir,

I assume the -P means it was a police motorcycle. Does it have some luxuries like cruise control, adjustable windshield, heated grips and seat?