parting out bikes

[paco]

I am seeking opinions from other members as to what they think about,"parting out" a bike rather than selling the whole unit in one peice.paul.

[vandy010]

and the bike is?
and it's located where?

[paco]

the bike is a ,1978 montesa 250 enduro, and it is in mildura.paul.

[TM BILL]

I think about this from time to time   its a hard one  

Apart from the ethical dilema (its not good to wreck an original vintage bike )

If you part out a bike you have to charge premium for the cream stuff because you will probably be left with a lot of stuff nobody wants.

Depending on what it is your wrecking ie if you wreck a YZ 250A i would imagine that you would sell everything easily , where as if your wrecking an IT 175J you are probably gonna get left with a pile of unwanted bits.

[paco]

there is the ethical delimer of separating matching frame and engine numbers but the other side of that is giving a lot [few] of people the opportunity to get the parts they need.Perhaps the answere is to sell the frame and engine,[cases]together.paul.

[shortshifter]

Yep,Bill's right theris an ethical dilemma in parting out a largely intact bike,having said that the guys riding Montesas might be tempted by parts they are looking for rather than the whole bike(unless the price was right).I say this only because I've seen a number of Montesas around and on ebay for sale which just don't seem to be selling.This is no reflection on the make as the fact that there are still a lot around is testament to their toughness.Could you get it up and running yourself and ride it?could be a good thing!

[VMX247]

TIME ??
is it important
how much
have you got it
how little
you want it now,when.
storage
rebuild
TIME ?? 
cheers

[jimg1au]

parting out bikes is std in the usa i dont mind that as it gives people the opt to buy parts they need.but there is loads more people there than here
jim

[rocketfrog]

What a conundrum! I usually pick up a parts bike for the bits I need and then start scratching my chin and thinking, you kow, it wouldnt take a lot to get the parts bike going too. So then I am looking for spares for two instead of the one I started with. I can see both sides of this dilemma, some must be sacrificed to service the many up and running examples but it can be a tough call to part and old bike if it has potential. However selling the valuble spares and donating the slow moving stuff prevents the worse situation of watching potentially good parts go to ruin if you cannot store the properly.

[Freakshow]

unless its complet and both the frame and motor are good, parting out is OK, if its a good model i wouldnt part out say a YZ125 bill, but a mass produced plonker Dt ir it or h6 or other enduro plonker would be fine with the gods of speed.  reality is there is only a few bits worht anything any way.

[firko]

It depends on the situation. If the bike is rare or even in good order it's a shame to part it out. I'd be hesitant to part out a YZa, B or any other desirable bike unless it's a total piece of shite. In my own situation I have a DT2MX Yamaha basket case I need to offload that I wouldn't consider splitting at all because of the models scarcity and place in history as the first 'proper'* Yamaha MX er. I also have a DT2 enduro basket case that I would have no qualms splitting. It's all about desirability.

Back in 1992 I parted a YZ250A that had spent a year under water and was basically rooted although it looked OK from a distance. The only thing savable were the engine internals and fork lowers yet I copped a lot of flack for breaking it up. The crank and gearbox are now in my DT1 from Hell and the hubs in my mates MX360 dirt track wheels. The rest was rusty and beyond help but that didn't stop the whingers from calling me a vandal for breaking it up.

*proper in the fact that it's the first fully dedicated Yamaha MXer that's not just a kitted enduro.

[Marc.com]

God bless the guys parting out, just picked up Ducati 750 F1 Leguna Seca motor and frame with matching numbers for a very reasonable $3000, gloating, you bet. 

Not sure the H6 will yield quite that and you are probably better to sell it for cheap and not have the hassle.

[firko]

You're turning into a Ducati Monster Marc! How many now? I thought Alan Jones was the king of accumulating stuff but you're fast catching him. Is Billy over there in Tokyo yet? If so, have you caught up with him?
I'm not sure if splitting an H6 Monty is a wise thing, considering their comparitive rarity. Of course if it's a totally shagged piece of crap, parting it may be the best thing for it. If you do break it, I wouldn't mind the forks and front wheel. Got any photos?

[All Things 414]

It's hard with Montesa's. There's not a lot of bits for them (especially the enduros) so unless you have a fairly complete bike you can be waiting forever for that 'special' bit. Pistons are a pain even for some Cappra's. No one in Oz knows a lot about them. So it's probably fair enough to use two or three bikes to make one runner as opposed to having three basket cases doing nothing. Not the easiest bikes to live with.....

[mx250]

I am seeking opinions from other members as to what they think about,"parting out" a bike rather than selling the whole unit in one peice.paul.

The issue can be address from the philosophical, financial or practical point of view.

1/ Philosophically, all old bikes should be respected and restored. They are not making them anymore .  Should be restored for interest and history.

2/ Financially, a bike has greater value as parts than as a complete bike.

3/ Practically, you may not realise the full value of the parts if you don't sell them all (or at least most). And there's the cost and hassle of selling.

It an even call. Good luck.