VTR1000.ORG

booty is in the the eyes of the beholder

Surely it depends on what you want.

If you want a mint one to ride a few hundred miles a year then hang out and a pay for the right one. If you want a bike to ride all weather then it will look like the one in in the picture pretty soon anyway.

Obviously a bit of evidence that it has been serviced is good.

If my memory serves me correctly, Bigtiddles bike had 44k on the clock when i did the valves and CCT (before i sold it). At 44k the honing marks could still be seen with very light polish on the ring reversal. However, the motor still did the business.

Where are you based? I have 3 at the moment in varying condition

When I bought mine the mileage was low, but it had sat in a carport with a cover on it for 3 years.

The whole left hand side was corroded, the chain rusted and all the fasteners were shite.

It was a blank canvas and now it looks like this.





If you know your way around a bike and are handy with the spanners there is a lot of fun and satisfaction to be had, but by the looks of it the price would have to be cheap.

leevtr wrote:

StewartR wrote:Hi,

been looking at a Storm a bit away from me and the sellers been decent enough to send some pretty honest pictures as I really don't want to travel unless I'm pretty sure. The only thing I can really pick it up on is a bit of rust, on an oil line forward of the gear shaft and on the subframe to the rear of the shock. It's a 51 plate with 26k on it. Is this all pretty normal?





Oh, and it seems to have some yellow paint on it too - that's good right?

That one looks a bit neglected mate, in my opinion. I've had 3 and none ended up in that state, even with 45,000 miles on.

I'd have to agree with those sentiments. Those things are cosmetic, but what about suspension bearings etc?

Knock a couple or three hundred off - and it'll be a bargain!

If the starter bolt under the rubber cover and the font & rear headers are FUBAR and forks are pitted then knock of a few more hundreds…. If the suspension squeaks then ask him to pay you to take it away.

If it was nearer I might go haggling but it's just too far off. TBH I don't really want a rolling project but I can smell spring in the air and have been planning a trip to the Pyrenees this summer - it's like the biking equivalent of beer goggles. I just need to be a little more patient, learn to recognise a good one and be first our of the blocks when it turns up.

The subframe bar is quite normal I havent seen many Storms without rust on that part, but the bolts and stuff, they shouldnt be like that unless they have never been cleaned.

This is all a bit subjective..... why don't some of you experts come up with something a little more definitive in terms of a price guide.

Personally,i like my bikes to look OK, be reliable, and do as they should from a performance and handling point of view. A bit of rust on a nut and sub-frame on a 14 year old bike .....come on please ..... i be worried if it didn't !!!!!! (i.e. what else has been hidden).


So

How much for example for a 20k - 40K and standard-ish trim in:-
Dog rough, no history, dirty, needs service, tires etc.
Scabby forks, wheels , but good history and ready to ride
Clean for age with minor cosmetic and history, ready to ride
Mint, no issues

I'm inclined to agree. Mines used all year round commuting, and gets a bucket of soapy water chucked over it once a month (if it's lucky), but doesn't look anywhere near as rusty as that. If the owner is too lazy to cover things in WD40 or ACF50 during the winter then there's a good chance they couldn't be bothered doing oil changes, etc

We all like different things, some of us like polishing bikes, and some of us like riding bikes.

I tend to buy bikes cheap and gradually do them up. My bike has a subframe far more rusty than that one in the pic, I'll sort it when I get round to it, but really? come on, it's not going to snap, and I don't give two hoots as it doesn't effect the performance or handling. A lot of my friends are the same, one of my best mates is a bike mechanic, he has ridden, couriered and raced for many years, his bikes go like stink, but his idea of paint is to brush some hammerite on, he doesn't give a damn, but you won't find a mechanical fault anywhere on any of his many bikes.

Like I said, we all have different priorities, but I would not think a rusty subframe on a 15 year old bike would have anything to do with whether it has had oil changes or not, people are being a bit generalistic. Mine looks a dog to be fair, but it has rebuilt forks, manual cct's new oil and filter every few hundred miles, etc etc etc. If something goes wrong, it gets fixed, but I have no interest in being out there with a toothbrush scrubbing cap head bolts.

This is one of mine ..... it is sorted and ready to ride and lets face it, it would not be sensible to sell a dog on the forum when you have no intention of abandoning storms (just got my summer VTR done and also have another as a project on the go ).

I will sell for a sensible offer particularly off ebay and for cash. Got a bit of rust in the usual place on the subframe but otherwise better than the yellow one on the other parts seen in the thread.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221387317922? ... 1555.l2649

I was going to keep it after riding it for about 700 miles because it rides really well and i think it is well above "average" overall (but not mint).

I just decided to stick with my other project bike now it is on the road.

StuartWags wrote:This is all a bit subjective..... why don't some of you experts come up with something a little more definitive in terms of a price guide.

Personally,i like my bikes to look OK, be reliable, and do as they should from a performance and handling point of view. A bit of rust on a nut and sub-frame on a 14 year old bike .....come on please ..... i be worried if it didn't !!!!!! (i.e. what else has been hidden).


So

How much for example for a 20k - 40K and standard-ish trim in:-
Dog rough, no history, dirty, needs service, tires etc.
Scabby forks, wheels , but good history and ready to ride
Clean for age with minor cosmetic and history, ready to ride
Mint, no issues

Personally I would offer him £1200 for the bike.

mattycoops43 wrote:We all like different things, some of us like polishing bikes, and some of us like riding bikes.

I tend to buy bikes cheap and gradually do them up. My bike has a subframe far more rusty than that one in the pic, I'll sort it when I get round to it, but really? come on, it's not going to snap, and I don't give two hoots as it doesn't effect the performance or handling. A lot of my friends are the same, one of my best mates is a bike mechanic, he has ridden, couriered and raced for many years, his bikes go like stink, but his idea of paint is to brush some hammerite on, he doesn't give a damn, but you won't find a mechanical fault anywhere on any of his many bikes.

Like I said, we all have different priorities, but I would not think a rusty subframe on a 15 year old bike would have anything to do with whether it has had oil changes or not, people are being a bit generalistic. Mine looks a dog to be fair, but it has rebuilt forks, manual cct's new oil and filter every few hundred miles, etc etc etc. If something goes wrong, it gets fixed, but I have no interest in being out there with a toothbrush scrubbing cap head bolts.

Have to agree mate

On the other hand, it costs comparatively little to buy a handful of stainless bolts and replace them all.
The rear subframe always rusts underneath, but is an easy strip and respray.

The only ones that might worry me would be the bolts holding the engine into the frame and the shock linkage bolts and bearings, but then they are often a problem on a well-looked after and polished half to death one, too.

I'd be more concerned about cracked bodywork, chipped paint on fairings, wheels and tank, the rest is all easily fixable.

You might be better off buying a perfect one, on the other hand you can buy one that needs some love and tidy it up, saving a lot of money.
Especially if you're planning mods such as a respray anyway.

StormingHonda wrote:The subframe bar is quite normal I havent seen many Storms without rust on that part, but the bolts and stuff, they shouldnt be like that unless they have never been cleaned.

+1 on seat subframe scabs, mines an 03 bought last year with 14,000 miles, full history, all previous mot's, 2 owners and I've just had subframe painted as it was a little scabby. Rest of bike is greased and copper greased and appears to have been someone's pride and joy But we are all different and view things differently so each to their own really