Is it worth it?

[six]

I was thinking it might be cheaper to buy a broken/not working bike off ebay or something, take it off the road for a year (till I am 17), fix it up and stuff and then, hopefully, have it working for when I pass my test, rather than buying a fully working one at 17.

I don't know anything about mechanics and stuff though, and no-one in my family is that hot on it either. lol

Is there any point in doing something like that?

Thanks
Tom
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I ride: 2003 Aprilia RS50
Yamaha R1 Fund: ?-0600.00 (grr )

[steady eddie]

If you treat it as a learning curve, you're confidence and ability will grow, or you may just ruin the bike further and get hacked off with it. It all depends on how mechanically minded you are.

It can be a cheap way to teach yourself but the cost of repairing a crashed / seized / stolen recovered bike can soon add up to the point where you could have just bought a mint model in the first place

[steady eddie]

If you treat it as a learning curve, you're confidence and ability will grow, or you may just ruin the bike further and get hacked off with it. It all depends on how mechanically minded you are.

It can be a cheap way to teach yourself but the cost of repairing a crashed / seized / stolen recovered bike can soon add up to the point where you could have just bought a mint model in the first place

[six]

right... so it may be more expensive than buying a second hand bike straight off?
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I ride: 2003 Aprilia RS50
Yamaha R1 Fund: ?-0600.00 (grr )

[finpos]

Unless you know what you are doing, have a decent set of tools and access to some cheap spares, it's very unlikely you'll be financially better off than just buying one that works in the first place.

finpos.

[steady eddie]

More expensive maybe, but you will save yourself thousands over the years if you do ya own maintanence.

Doing up a minger will teach you loads about how bikes work

[six]

[ncrn]

Id start by finding the main problems, ie why its not working, if you cant work that out, id be tempted to strip the bike down completely and look at each part individually (however this takes a lot of time and you have a high chance of forgetting where stuff goes )
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Past: 55 Sym Jet, 91 ZZR250, 03 NSR125R. Present: 97 ER-5.
https://www.nsr125.co.uk - NSR Owners forum.

[mr jamez]

Been there, done that and learnt a few lessons. In all honesty I would just wait till you are 17 then buy a decent second hand bike, teach yourself basic mechanics through the servicing it will need. Rebuilding a bike will teach you many things, but if you buy a lemon then be prepared to spend a fortune on parts and even tools.
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NSR 125F > BROS 400 > NC30 > BROS 400 > Trumpet S4 > '97 VFR 750

[steady eddie]

For you're first project, you want something popular so parts are plentiful and cheap, a small 2 stroke comes to mind. TS125 / RXS100 / DT125 something along those lines.

[Whosthedaddy]

[Paddy Blake]

[Whosthedaddy]

Pardon?

Its an opinion not advice and I'm bored as fook at work so trying anything to staty awake.
____________________
Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[Paddy Blake]

Then read.You don,t have to post.

[ZRX61]

[six]

[Pete.]

I would pretty much have to agree with ZRX61. Unless you are mechanically minded or can call on some heavyweight local backup you are going to struggle. Most bikes sold on eBay as non-runners need extensive work, or they would be quickly fixed up and sold as runners. Added to that, if they are in mechanically poor condition then it's odds-on they will be in poor nick cosmetically too. Not much going for them.

[KatOwner]

I did it pretty much this way when I was working on passing my test. I bought a cheap wreck from a breakers for peanuts, stripped it down and rebuilt it from scratch. It was a cheap way of getting something half decent and I really enjoyed doing it.

Mind you....

I was mechanically minded, had been helping Dad fix cars and bikes as soon as I was old enough to hold a spanner and had a father who was both a life-long biker, and a skilled engineer. Very little chance of me screwing up something and leaving it in a dangerous state.

Renovating a wreck is a rewarding thing to do, but you would need to have either a natural affinity to the toolbox, or the attention of someone else who has ...and who can spare the time!!

Far better to buy something that you know goes and is going to keep going, and learn maintenance as you go.

[hazza]

i brought my rxs for 100 quid non runner when i was 16 and fixed it up for when i was 17, it lasted three days on that engine until the bottom end went. i then purchased another engine, which has been great for about 500 miles until i had an ignition failure. fixed that and all was wlel for another 700 ish miles and now my engine makes an extreme rattling noise when warm (stripped it down yesterday and the little end bearing hasnt gone :S) and the performance is well off. with all the odds and sods ive brought it has cost more than its worth and has been pretty unreliable. on the other hand ive learnt so much about bikes and how engines work that the prospect of a total stripdown pisses me off more than scares me......i wouldnt recomand buying a total wreck like i did, but maybe something with minor faults like fork seals or something in need of a respray perhaps?
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3 Honda NC50's(Sold)-->'72 Puch Maxi S (Sold, want it back!)--> '90 Yamaha RXS 100 (Stolen)--> '87 Honda Cub 90(Sold) --> '95 Kawasaki Eliminator (Sold) --> '98 Bandit 600 (Sold) -->'07 SV650S (Current)

[ZRX61]