Bike regret. Keep or sell?
Discussion
Long post warning. Bought a CRF300 Rally from a dealer a few weeks ago. Under 1k miles, less than a year old. Bought unseen.
I have never (literally never) bought a bad bike before by sticking to the ‘under 1k miles, less than a year old rule’ but unfortunately this time it seems I have. Bought in haste, preoccupied with some fairly stressful work news etc.
Started stripping it down to clean it, fit a K Tech shock etc and it seems the previous owner stored it underwater.
All the bolts are corroded, there is a paint chip on the engine and the spokes have been used to stir sea water by the look of it. Bluntly, I’ve made a mistake.
I can get it nice and I’m no stranger to working on bikes but it feels like it’s fighting me every step of the way and will cost me a lot of time and money to get it ‘right’.
So do I keep, or do I just put it all back together, tart it up and sell it on?
Interested to hear BB’s thoughts. Right now it’s covered in the garage as every time I work on it I find another stripped bolt and I’m sick of looking at it.
I have never (literally never) bought a bad bike before by sticking to the ‘under 1k miles, less than a year old rule’ but unfortunately this time it seems I have. Bought in haste, preoccupied with some fairly stressful work news etc.
Started stripping it down to clean it, fit a K Tech shock etc and it seems the previous owner stored it underwater.
All the bolts are corroded, there is a paint chip on the engine and the spokes have been used to stir sea water by the look of it. Bluntly, I’ve made a mistake.
I can get it nice and I’m no stranger to working on bikes but it feels like it’s fighting me every step of the way and will cost me a lot of time and money to get it ‘right’.
So do I keep, or do I just put it all back together, tart it up and sell it on?
Interested to hear BB’s thoughts. Right now it’s covered in the garage as every time I work on it I find another stripped bolt and I’m sick of looking at it.
Sell it on
I did the same with my last bike and kept adding things on to get it back to very very good condition until like you i decided enough is enough after spending over a grand on the damn thing as it’d been previously crashed (seller said it hadn’t when i asked before i bought it) and sort of repaired without going through the insurance company (only found out during strip down to clean the bike) or it’d have been an insurance write off So i cut my losses and sold it at quite a loss but i was happy it had gone and funnily enough it’s at this moment in time back on a famous auction site
I did the same with my last bike and kept adding things on to get it back to very very good condition until like you i decided enough is enough after spending over a grand on the damn thing as it’d been previously crashed (seller said it hadn’t when i asked before i bought it) and sort of repaired without going through the insurance company (only found out during strip down to clean the bike) or it’d have been an insurance write off So i cut my losses and sold it at quite a loss but i was happy it had gone and funnily enough it’s at this moment in time back on a famous auction site
If you sell it will you be open, honest and transparent about the condition of the bike, detailing what you have discovered etc ?
I think for me that's the decision, so sell at a reduced price knowing you have been fair and truthful,or spend the time and money to bring it back to good condition.
I am a believer in what goes around comes arround.
I think for me that's the decision, so sell at a reduced price knowing you have been fair and truthful,or spend the time and money to bring it back to good condition.
I am a believer in what goes around comes arround.
Thanks everyone. Going to think about it today. If I do I’m hoping won’t lose too much on it. I can get it very tidy but without spending a lot of money it won’t get to the point where I’m happy with it.
The main problem is that amount of money would probably let me get a better bike entirely.
Luckily I’ve got other bikes in the garage to ride but this has been a frustrating experience.
The main problem is that amount of money would probably let me get a better bike entirely.
Luckily I’ve got other bikes in the garage to ride but this has been a frustrating experience.
A lot of trail bikes are like that!
If people actually take them further off road than Sainsbury's car park, they quickly acquire a lot of corrosion.
There are hundreds of places for dirt to gather and lots of fasteners and odds and ends which corrode easily.
If you look behind the plastics of most trail bikes, they are deteriorating quickly for their age.
You either keep it dry, accept that it's going to be tatty, or devote your life to cleaning it!
It's actually easier to keep an older, simpler bike in good nick.
If people actually take them further off road than Sainsbury's car park, they quickly acquire a lot of corrosion.
There are hundreds of places for dirt to gather and lots of fasteners and odds and ends which corrode easily.
If you look behind the plastics of most trail bikes, they are deteriorating quickly for their age.
You either keep it dry, accept that it's going to be tatty, or devote your life to cleaning it!
It's actually easier to keep an older, simpler bike in good nick.
Sell
You'll never be happy with it.
There's always someone who will be quite happy with a far from perfect bike to throw down the lanes without worrying about inflicting more damage.
Will almost certainly mean taking a hit, but do that and move on.
We all make mistakes, so don't beat yourself up over it.
You'll never be happy with it.
There's always someone who will be quite happy with a far from perfect bike to throw down the lanes without worrying about inflicting more damage.
Will almost certainly mean taking a hit, but do that and move on.
We all make mistakes, so don't beat yourself up over it.
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