Advice for selling bikes in storage

[Stu_666]

Hi, haven’t been on these forums for a long time (login says July 2012!) but would really appreciate any thoughts on the below, thanks. I have an Aprilia RS125 (2004 plate) and a Kawasaki ZX-636 (2005) plate that I am looking to sell. In an ideal world I would love to keep them but I haven’t been out on them for so long and now need the money towards a house deposit (very boring I know!). Also two toddlers has severely limited my free time!

Unfortunately, the bikes haven’t been moved for about ten years so will need to be looked at by a garage before being put up for sale. The Kawasaki has been under a bike cover and the Aprilia in a garage. I know I’m silly not to have prepped them for being stored for such a long time and hoping that once the garage looks them over they will be salvageable so to speak.

They were bought by me and kept from new, so before they were SORNED did have a full MOT and service history. Unfortunately, I’m a little out of touch with the motorbike market now and not sure if things are selling well or not. I’ve looked at e-bay for a comparison of prices (both are low mileage) and there has been one RS125 on there similar to mine (Pogialli rep) that was up for £2,500 (looks like it didn’t sell) and another in different colour scheme for just under £4k (has admittedly done only 297 mileage hence the price I guess). The Kawasaki has listings from around £3,500 to £4,000. I’m thinking to price the Aprilia at £2,500 and the Kawasaki at £3,750? (if anyone else has sold similar bikes and might be able to indicate how much they fetched that would be great).

Also, is now a good time to sell or wait until the start of Spring when the weather will pick up? I can afford to wait if needed but wouldn’t want them sat around for too much longer (as worried that it will be another 10 years with stuff getting in the way etc). I have seen that a local garage offers secure storage which would be an option and would allow the bikes to be started up/ridden around the block every couple of weeks so might look into that until they sell.

In terms of people asking for test rides when it does come around to selling, is asking for the full asking price as a deposit and proof of insurance the norm? Is ebay/gumtree good options or elsewhere?
Thanks for any help that you may be able to offer and hope I haven’t sounded too clueless!!

[xX-Alex-Xx]

You’ll get better prices and more demand in spring. Use the winter to sort out and issues and put them up for sale in Feb/March.
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DILLIGAF

[Stu_666]

[Polarbear]

[Ste]

Sold listings on eBay for a 2005 ZX6R: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=2005+ZX6R&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

Maybe £2.5k or even approaching £3k at a push for it as it stands. I'd be wary of spending money on it because if you spend £500 on it then that's not going to increase the value of the bike by £500.

Take it to a garage and they'll give you a long list of things that they say need doing or replacing, most of which won't be 100% necessary. Get the bike running and that should be enough IMO. Let someone else worry about doing everything they want to it

It's a barn find winter lockdown covid19 apocalypse project so someone will be all too happy to take it off your hands.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[Ste]

Those are for new registrations rather than 15 year old second hand bikes.

There is more demand in spring and summer however at the moment, people who've been furloughed could well have a nice amount of money built up in their bank account and those who've been working from home will (in theory) have had less outgoings so could also have a nice amount of money to spend on toys sitting in their bank account.

It's swings and roundabouts trying to guess when is the best time to sell and it's anyone's guess how much the economy will crash as the furlough scheme ends. People who think they've got money to spend on a motorbike now might not have a job in a couple of months time.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Amazingly it’s hard to find stats of 15 year old “barn find” sales per month ... it gives you an idea of general demand though.
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DILLIGAF

[P.]

That RS will need a complete engine rebuild. Those seals would have long since dried and the second the engine spins, its going to tear itself to bits.

The ZX, probably be fine to just replace the tyres, spin over by hand with a little oil in the bore, if that and give it a polish up / new chain and sprockets.

Overall though you'd want a major service / fork oil / bushes and seals on both and at least rebuild on the RS before I'd consider doing anything with.

Or you sell low.

[Ste]

How stupid would it be to hook the ZX6R up to a charger and see if it will start?

[Stu_666]

Thanks for the replies all 🙂

Ha! It would be tempting to see if the Zx6R would start with a new battery, petrol and oil change 😀 I’d hate to be in a even worse position and completely wreck the engine. The RS125 probs will need a fair amount of work as even new it’s was a temperamental bugger to start.

I think I’ll try and get quotes first as without an mot for either I’ll probs get sod all. I do feel a right tool now for at least starting them every so often but guess other things in life got in the way.

Having said that hopefully mice/rats haven’t made their home in them and chewed through the wiring... 😬

[P.]

[wr6133]

Those prices are fantasy land, you cant take the price from minters on eBay that haven't even sold at that price and attach them to old rotters that have spent x years festering .

Completed listings on eBay similar RS125 has failed to sell for 2.5k and that one is a runner and looks very good condition.

"Barn find", non runners seem to be go under 1k. Maybe your paintjob adds some value to that but I doubt much.

The ZX6 here is a low mile, near mint example, full history, on the road that went for £3.2k (this is the highest price actual sold one on eBay in the last 4 months) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/kawasaki-zx6r-636-mint-6900-miles-from-new-2005-year-alarm-100-original-/193639094103?hash=item2d15ca1757%3Ag%3ADSoAAOSwyL9fR97Q&nma=true&si=77ubujAgYi3ZWDClSI0uDrogaUo%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Rotted under a cover for x amount of years is worth £3750 because......?

If you are paying a garage to get them on the road you are probably better off selling cheap as "projects". If it was me I'd get the 6R running, remove all the signs of corrosion, slap some tyre shine on and sell it at a "bargain" price, to someone who doesn't have the sense to question it.

The RS, unless you really need the money I'd keep it, do it as a slow project yourself. If you sell it as a non runner now you will kick yourself in 5 years time.

[c_dug]

I agree with most of the above. Get the ZX6 running and MOTd if possible, then sell it as is. It's not going to be worth putting any more time/money/effort into than that.

With the RS, I suspect wr6133 is correct. If it's cosmetically decent and low enough mileage it'll be worth good money in a few years time. If you can afford to do so then keep it and get it sorted. I speak from bitter similar experience...

I had a TDR250 as my first big bike in 2008. It was in running condition with MOT and tax, lowish mileage, a few nice (desirable) modifications but a little rough around the edges cosmetically.

I sold it in a hurry (3 day auction) because I was a pissy 18 year old teenager in a strop with my dad and was moving out and wanted/needed the cash.

It sold for £300.

I'm not exaggerating when I say it would have fetched ten times that amount if I'd been a little smarter in how I went about things and held on to it for a couple of years. By 2010 even in mediocre condition they were going way north of £2k and these days they see over £5k if they're in nice condition.

If the RS is rough cosmetically then it's probably better just to sell as is. In the long run it's always good condition fairings etc that are hard to come by - there's plentiful stock of engine parts.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Stu_666]

Yep agree that I'll have to take a hit for it being stored for so long in comparison to mint examples. That does sound like a good plan to get the ZX6R tidied up/MOT if possible.

I did have a soft spot for the RS125 and would love to keep it. Out of the two I found it much more fun for some reason.

Just need to set aside a few days now to get them tidied up a bit