tangoalpha
Active member
Greetings Oilheads!
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Father’s Day and that your week is off to a great start. As you saw by the description, besides my current project on my ‘02 R1150RT (aka Der Beemer), I ran across a low mileage (12k) ‘04 R1150RT that is for sale locally in non-running condition. I’m the kind of person who likes to complete a project before starting a new one, so ordinarily I would not consider taking on another project until Der Beemer is back on the road again.
That said, this other bike is 2 years newer, has only 12k original miles and has the twin-spark motor. It’s not a whizzy-brake equipped model, like my ‘02 model, but it does have functioning ABS from what I was told. While a 21 year old RT may not have a lot of appeal to most people, from my perspective as someone riding the same bike only 2 years older, single-spark and a lot more miles, this would actually be an upgrade for me. So, if I can work out a fair deal, I may end up buying it and then selling my current bike. That’s the current thinking anyway.
There is one BIG known issue however and there may be others that I am aware of which may rear its ugly head later. It’s one of those risks you take when agreeing to buy a non-running bike. This is where I need your honest feedback. The big issue with this hike is that the flywheel is missing some teeth and is binding with the starter. No doubt the starter gear is all chewed up which would also need replacement. Aside from those two issues and a dead battery, those are the only known issues. I am not so naive to believe that there won’t be other issues, as any bike left sitting for years in non-running condition will likely have other problems only yet to be discovered. But for sake of argument, if those are the only BIG issues, what would you say a big like this is worth? The seller was completely and hopelessly unrealistic when it was first listed for sale (over $5k) and since going back and forth with him, he’s come down to $1,500. Am I wrong? To me even $1,500 seems too high, given the known issues and factoring in other likely issues that will need to be addressed. I could be off base, but to me this is really nothing more than a $500-700 parts bike with some upside potential. As much as I enjoy these Oilhead RT’s, even in good running condition they are not worth much. I see them listed for sale online ranging in price from $2k-$2,700 frequently. 21 years old or not, BMW parts are still expensive, assuming you can find them. Otherwise you’re shopping for them from dismantlers. Forget about having an independent BMW mechanic wrench on it for you. If I had to take a guess, I’d imagine that a BMW mechanic would charge $1,500-$2,000 to replace the flywheel and starter. Even that price seems low. So what are your thoughts? How much would you say this project bike is worth knowing what needs to be done?
Any other thoughts or concerns? Suggestions? Pros v cons? Worth the gamble or run away? I realize with projects like these, there is always a risk, but if I keep my purchase cost to a minimum, I can’t get too badly hurt, if I had to scrap the whole project. On the flip side, the potential of a 2 year newer twin-spark bike with only $12k miles on the odometer, once repaired could serve me well for years to come. What do you think guys? I’m all ears.
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Father’s Day and that your week is off to a great start. As you saw by the description, besides my current project on my ‘02 R1150RT (aka Der Beemer), I ran across a low mileage (12k) ‘04 R1150RT that is for sale locally in non-running condition. I’m the kind of person who likes to complete a project before starting a new one, so ordinarily I would not consider taking on another project until Der Beemer is back on the road again.
That said, this other bike is 2 years newer, has only 12k original miles and has the twin-spark motor. It’s not a whizzy-brake equipped model, like my ‘02 model, but it does have functioning ABS from what I was told. While a 21 year old RT may not have a lot of appeal to most people, from my perspective as someone riding the same bike only 2 years older, single-spark and a lot more miles, this would actually be an upgrade for me. So, if I can work out a fair deal, I may end up buying it and then selling my current bike. That’s the current thinking anyway.
There is one BIG known issue however and there may be others that I am aware of which may rear its ugly head later. It’s one of those risks you take when agreeing to buy a non-running bike. This is where I need your honest feedback. The big issue with this hike is that the flywheel is missing some teeth and is binding with the starter. No doubt the starter gear is all chewed up which would also need replacement. Aside from those two issues and a dead battery, those are the only known issues. I am not so naive to believe that there won’t be other issues, as any bike left sitting for years in non-running condition will likely have other problems only yet to be discovered. But for sake of argument, if those are the only BIG issues, what would you say a big like this is worth? The seller was completely and hopelessly unrealistic when it was first listed for sale (over $5k) and since going back and forth with him, he’s come down to $1,500. Am I wrong? To me even $1,500 seems too high, given the known issues and factoring in other likely issues that will need to be addressed. I could be off base, but to me this is really nothing more than a $500-700 parts bike with some upside potential. As much as I enjoy these Oilhead RT’s, even in good running condition they are not worth much. I see them listed for sale online ranging in price from $2k-$2,700 frequently. 21 years old or not, BMW parts are still expensive, assuming you can find them. Otherwise you’re shopping for them from dismantlers. Forget about having an independent BMW mechanic wrench on it for you. If I had to take a guess, I’d imagine that a BMW mechanic would charge $1,500-$2,000 to replace the flywheel and starter. Even that price seems low. So what are your thoughts? How much would you say this project bike is worth knowing what needs to be done?
Any other thoughts or concerns? Suggestions? Pros v cons? Worth the gamble or run away? I realize with projects like these, there is always a risk, but if I keep my purchase cost to a minimum, I can’t get too badly hurt, if I had to scrap the whole project. On the flip side, the potential of a 2 year newer twin-spark bike with only $12k miles on the odometer, once repaired could serve me well for years to come. What do you think guys? I’m all ears.
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