Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Custom Corner To salvage or not to salvage, that is the question

Hi all,

As some of you know a cager T-Boned my beloved binky.
My insurance company asked me if I want to retain the salvage. I'm just not sure it's worth the £1,100 they are asking.

The damage to the bike is:

Headlight
Speedo
front wheel & tyre
front fender
Handlebars
right hand fork.
All indicators
left side foot controls smashed
Frame twisted
Rear left shock bent.

See, the problem is that I've always wanted to build my very own chop/bobber.

I've been quoted £1,300 just for a hardtail frame. Seems cheaper frames are available for Harley's cos every frame builder has a Harley jig.

Should I go for it??
It'll be another 8 weeks at least before the bones heal well enough for me to ride, so it would keep me occupied.
Any suggestions about the best place to start woulg be very much appreciated as I've never done this before.


Pony

It's better to have done what you've dreamt of than to grow old wishing you had tried. I can tell you from experience that the things I regret most are those I didn't do.

If the frame is twisted Simon the only thing you are getting out of it is the engine and a few bits n pieces.

If you were going to build a Triumph chopper with your engine, I would say yes go for it. This is your dream, so your decision bro

I was in a very similar situation Simon; in fact, had a nightmare last night some jackhole hit my bike with a truck and twisted the handlebars. Anyway, back to the point. I too seriously considered taking the salvage and doing something with it. Luckily the only frame damage was where the kickstand was ripped off, the tap it connects to was bent and this tab is part of the frame.

For me it really came down to not having any space for the salvage. The engine still ran GREAT and much of the bike appeared to be in good order. It's all up to you brother. You're not going to, or shouldn't, do anything with the frame. So I guess it depends on what end result you're looking to build.

My salvage cost £500 and mine was in nowhere near as bad a state as Binky... hence why she's back on the road.

Offer £750 if you wanna go for the chop.

I think it depends how ambitious you are. I would keep it and if I wasn't able to fix it I would either keep the parts for my future bike or part it out for a nice tidy profit. Either way I think keeping the bike is a win win scenario.

Just do it.

I would definately go for it. Like Gina says, offer them less. Coulnt hurt to ask. The motor alone is worth it.

Have a look in the classified section of motorcycle news there seems to be plenty of breakers advertising there.

Just a thought but you might pick up stuff that way.

One other thought with people tightening their belts because of the finacial downturn is that if you do decide to buy the bike to sell for spares you may not get the amount that you want for, say the motor. It cuts both ways though because you may get spares cheaper as people reduce their asking price just to offload stuff.

Whatever you choose to do - best wishes and if you need a hand with anything - give me a shout.

In the Triumph show tent at Mid-OH this past JULY was a custom chopper called Rolling Bones. It caught my attition because it used our motor.

http://rollingbonesmcworks.com/id16.html

Hard to get good used motors. If your motor is good, 1100 pounds is a good price to pay and you've got a good head start. Plus you'll be able to proove where it came from to get the new bike titled.

That's the difference Simon if you use the engine you have got it will stand out from the rest of the choppers you normally see

Check out the Bonnie chop towards the bottom of the gallery...

Sooty's

You could make yourself a screaming gocart with that motor!

I say buy the bike and build your dream! How can you go wrong. You already have a bond with the bike, how can you leave her like that. You need to nurture her back to health and add your own personal touches along the way making her stronger and better. This is a opportunity that you may never get again, take advantage of it. DO IT!!! DO IT!!! DO IT!!!

Hope your getting better Simon,
this has been my little pipe dream for ages.
A proper chop, hardtail or otherwise is as common as rocking horse s**t and is our duty to get one on the road.
Theres a lad from the local chopper club who is building a softail with a bonny engine. A local builder "Will Burrows" is sourcing the frame for him. I'm off next week so I'll ask him, where from and how much. Should be cheaper if hes already got the jig.
There are universal frames from a firm on e-bay for about £600 which may do, or could you just weld on a hardtail to your frame, that was my initial plan as you keep all numbers then.
Anyway good luck and if your coming in September this can be discussed to death over numerous beers.
Do it, it makes sense.
Cheers
Chris