One ST1100 taken apart and all bits sold How much ££££.?

[Yohan]

In a feeding frenzy on ebay how much would you get if you stripped the whole bike and sold the parts .2002 model ex police but minus the ABS controls .Somebody must have tried to add it all up once upon a time . Everything right down to the battery box .
Brand new Honda Fireblades were taken apart and sold in the past .

 

[sirbike]

Feeding frenzies on ST1100 parts ended years ago.
Around 2008-2011 I could count on about $3500 to part a Concours 10 or ST1100 followed by a couple hundred in drawn out residual sales.
By 2014 it was going down. In 2018 I bought an ST1300 to harvest some spares for myself and sell the rest. The market was so saturated with parts moving so slow that I swore off parting out anything. Even if it was worth more money, it wasn’t worth the time.
Seems about ten years after a model is discontinued, there are more parts than demand for them and little supply for parts that are in demand.
I had watched some ST1100 panels sit a year and an half unsold.
Does not apply to vintage collectibles.
Generally speaking I am looking to save you from a hassle.
Browse the sold prices on eBay.
Even this is clouded as some sell at best offer that amount not disclosed.
BTW, my favorite part laying around is was a motor that never sold. Sat in a basement for 9 years. Bought an ST1100 basket case to put it in and made a good runner out of that bike.

 

[Larry Fine]

To me, parting out a bike would be hateful, because of the disassembly needed to get to most parts, having to store unsold parts, and having to package and ship parts. You could say local pick-up, but then you minimize buyer numbers.

What's wrong with the bike in addition to the missing component? Can it be repaired? If you can't get the ABS back together, how about converting it into a non-ABS bike?

I think it would be much better to sell the bike whole. You may get less money, but you would get more money for the effort and time. Do you have a garage with a lift and storage space? If so, it might be worthwhile.

 

[Yohan]

My question was not entirely serious as it was taken for the MOT test today by my son and although it looked nice and clean and shiny it failed on 4 counts. Excessive Corrosion on the brake ferrules Front (!) Also Back (2) , Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened (3) and Steering Head Bearing excessively stiff and notchy.(4)
Which means all the plastic has to be removed (again) so the steering can be got at . I just put 90% of it back on . I have never ridden this monster .My son has the long legs . Quite a laugh really. Thankfully one short trip has saved him having an accident .
Very good advice about not selling on e bay though , Thanks for that . I agree about the dismantling being hateful .Just on the edge of being immoral.
One comment from the garage man was passed on to me about a wire brush on the ferrules (???). Was he serious ?
I had a CBX550 for a while and the steering bearings were both roller bearings . How can they be a problem ? Surely ST1100s don`t have ball bearings .

 

[Larry Fine]

One comment from the garage man was passed on to me about a wire brush on the ferrules (???). Was he serious ?

I don't see why not. It's only surface crust.

I had a CBX550 for a while and the steering bearings were both roller bearings . How can they be a problem ? Surely ST1100s don`t have ball bearings .

Yes, they do, and don't call me Shirley.

 

[Slydynbye]

I had a CBX550 for a while and the steering bearings were both roller bearings . How can they be a problem ? Surely ST1100s don`t have ball bearings .

They can be upgraded, now being the time for that to happen.

I'm unsure what you mean by ferrules but as Larry says it's only surface rust. If you have Evaporust over there an overnight soak will do a great job of cleaning most rust away.

The Suspension arm (swing arm) is a larger concern. They have been welded and cleaned by many but personally I would try to get a used one in good condition to replace it.

 

[Yohan]

I saw only 3 swinging arms on sale yesterday but they want plenty of postage from USA . Maybe this forum is a better place to look .
Brake ferrules are not something I ever thought about . Before I look it up what disconnects the ferrule from the brake mechanism? I mean with a spanner. Also the brakes on this ex-police bike are linked. Does that get complicated ? The remains of the ABS may tangle it all up .

 

[Hound]

After reading this thread yesterday I also checked eBay for swingarms, and saw a very decent-looking one in the US for a good price (about $66), but the postage/import duties etc were astronomical (with VAT etc they would total at least times the price of the item). The world has gone mad.

 

[SMSW]

Brake ferrules are not something I ever thought about . Before I look it up what disconnects the ferrule from the brake mechanism? I mean with a spanner. Also the brakes on this ex-police bike are linked. Does that get complicated ? The remains of the ABS may tangle it all up .

By ferrules do you mean the metal fitting crimped to the end of the brake hose? Over here, ferrules are rings that prevent splitting (think the metal ring on the wood handle of a chisel) or rings that are crimped around a hose that function as a hose clamp. Regardless, I would not use any chemicals because of the possible damage to the rubber hose. I would start out using a mild abrasive 3M Scotchbrite pad or steel wool, progressing to fine sandpaper if necessary. Do this in place if possible to avoid introducing abrasive or dirt particles into the brake system.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

One comment from the garage man was passed on to me about a wire brush on the ferrules (???). Was he serious ?

I don't see why not. It's only surface crust.

If it was only surface rust and the inspector considered it acceptable to just remove it with a wire brush, he obviously did not consider it serious if he is willing to accept such a superficial and cosmetic remediation of it. If that is the case, I have to wonder on what grounds he snagged it in the first place. Isn't he supposed to be looking for safety defects that can be dangerous and not cosmetic ones that are unappealing to look at?

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Unless you have lots of time to kill and enjoy tinkering, I don't think that it is worth the time and frustration of parting it out. Besides the time to take it apart and then clean the parts enough to ship them, you will have untold numbers of hours taking pictures to post, responding to people's queries, dealing with haggling with people trying to save a few pounds, looking for suitable packaging material, packaging parts, shipping parts, waiting for people who said that they were going to your place to pick something up and who never show up or bother to call back. It can be time consuming.

Figure out how much you think that you might get parting it out, and then divide that amount in half because we always overestimate what our treasures are worth. Find out how much a breaker will give you for it complete. The difference between the two is what you would be pocketing. Decide if that difference is worth the hundreds of hours that you will end up spending by the time that the last part that you can actually sell has left your possession.

 

[Upt' North]

Yohan, if you do buy from Stateside be aware they're not all pristine and customs will clobber you.
I bought a swingarm for daft money, just a few dollars but with postage and customs it worked out around £200.
Still cheap for a good swingarm but not the bargain they seem.
Good luck.
Upt.

 

[Yohan]

Great advice about the downside of parting a bike. A true businesman there . Two on sale today .One USA and one UK. The USA one is 1995 model. UK one is 1994 model. Would they fit a 2002 ? A separate lumpy item is less hassle than trusting the garage to do the dismantling with the bike stuck in a corner . Swinging arms are not pretty things out in the open but maybe good welding reinforcement and proper painting will work out. Both the photos show original shapes .I think .It all looks a bodgy original design .Is there a decent photo of a good one to compare ? Appreciate the help you are giving on this .

 

[red one]

I know this is sacrilege but if my beloved ST1100 cost more to fix than it's worth I would have to get rid of it. I would rather spend my time riding than worry about stripping a bike or seeking out parts that are on back order or no longer exist. I am way ahead of the game here. Btw I hope I haven't jinxed myself cause I got a RTE coming up here in June about a 850 mile ride round trip. Maybe I better go out to the garage and beg my bike for forgiveness.

 

[Sadlsor]

I simply don't have the time - nor the storage space - to take on such a time-consuming project, and I can only imagine the few who actually make money at this kind of endeavor, have multiple bikes being parted. In other words they probably treat it as a business.
As mentioned, unless you have a true "collectible", it sounds like a gigantic time suck to me.
But in reality, I'm looking at it primarily from my personal situation.

 

[SMSW]

The recycling yards that part out bikes (and cars) have miles of storage rack space indoors, many many bikes/cars coming through, and a work force that knows how to break down a car/bike efficiently. They don't mind if something sits on the shelf for a year or two and belong to national networks that have a greater audience than an amateur would have advertising on ebay and other places. They also have contracts with shippers so their costs would again be lower than yours or mine.

 

[Yohan]

Talking of racks reminds me of the bike shop near where I used to live. Passing it in the car one day I noticed the side wall had a big diagonal crack. Inside a week the upstairs bike racks had been too heavy and the shop front collapsed onto the pavement. There were still a few customers inside the shop .