GovDeals was a GREAT Deal!

[aniwack]

But there's a catch: It was in BAD shape. Every piece of hardware was removed and it wouldn't start. TO THE LISTING:





The 2016 ST1300 with 4k on the odometer was listed as a parts only bike with a clean title by the City of Auburn, Alabama. That was the key to bidding. As far as I was concerned, as long as the engine was intact that alone was a win. So I did a thing:



Let's get the patient onto the table and figure out what we're dealing with. Fuel pressure? Not good. I can see where the dealer changed out the fuel pump.


I changed out the pump with mine for process of elimination and then I discovered THE CRIME SCENE!!


THE LITTLE BASTARD GOT ME!! Off to RonAyers.com and quickly ordered a new sub-harness for $117. Boom! Fires right up and she sounds GREAT!! Let's move on:

Forks? Bent. Headlight? Missing in action. Every nut and bolt? Gone. Brakes? Completely disconnected. Tires? Trashed. Panic? Nah.
I recycle bikes plus I have parts that I was acquired from dealerships that have closed so this officially turned into LET'S RESTORE THIS 2016 FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT POSSIBLE!! It took several weeks of working this in around my normal round of customers as I literally went bolt by bolt to verify that every single component was installed and safe. For some reason the last person that worked on it disconnected every single brake line. Talk about a mess when I started the purge process to find the leaks.



So how did two months of work turn out? See for yourself.



Total Costs:
Auction $725
Sub-Harness $136
Battery: $59
Minion Assistant: Chick-fil-a #1 Combo and play time at the park
Windshield, headlight, fuel pump, tires, brakes, body panels, saddle bags, mirrors, fenders, RAM ball: Recycled parts

Regarding the original condition of the bike, I spoke with the Auburn police chief about what I found during repairs. He said that they stored their bikes in a generic warehouse to keep them inside. He did look his motor sergeant into the conversation who then called the city inspector and pest control out to ensure that they would not have any more rodent nesting issues with their other motorcycles. They were extremely appreciative of the information of what had happened to this bike. As so what happened to all the parts, they were stripped and used on other bikes when this bike stopped working and the "dealer" could never figure out why it stopped working.

 

[Obo]

A win is a win, even if hard fought! Great job.

 

[Sadlsor]

Probably more work and knowledge - and time - required than most of us have available.
How much did the plastics cost -- or do you just have spare everything?
Aside from hundreds in replacement plastics, that is is indeed a financial win, at least in my view.
Well done, John!

 

[sirbike]

About a thousand dollars for a 4000 mile 2016 and it helped clean up some storage space, wow!
That’s a neat trick.

 

[aniwack]

How much did the plastics cost -- or do you just have spare everything?

The plastics came off a totaled bike from State Farm that they said to dispose of that live in my bench stock. I've got my eye on IAA auction that has white in decent condition that's not all drilled up.

 

[ST Gui]

Regarding the original condition of the bike, I spoke with the Auburn police chief about what I found during repairs. He said that they stored their bikes in a generic warehouse to keep them inside. He did look his motor sergeant into the conversation who then called the city inspector and pest control out to ensure that they would not have any more rodent nesting issues with their other motorcycles. They were extremely appreciative of the information of what had happened to this bike. As so what happened to all the parts, they were stripped and used on other bikes when this bike stopped working and the "dealer" could never figure out why it stopped working.

This is a great above and beyond restoring that bike. This could save APD thousands if not prevent a bike from being decommissioned prematurely.

If it were mine and I named my rides this would be — Lazarus.

 

[ST Gui]

Probably more work and knowledge - and time - required than most of us have available.

Yeah I'd be shaking my head watching someone drive off with that BEFORE bike. My head would to a 720 seeing it two months later. In my garage it'd look exactly like BEFORE.