Is the value of a Commando greater when it is all together, or parted out? I see some silly asking prices for parts, yet the prices on complete bikes seems pretty soft.

To be more specific, I bought an 850 engine that has been gone through and sorted. And I am looking at picking up an 850 frame. I probably have 3/4 of the bits to put the bike together. Holding the "we're in it for the fun" and "its just a hobby" thinking aside, it seems that economically the best thing to do is to sell the parts. Rather than assemble a bike from the parts I have, and chase missing parts with high "unobtanium" price tags. Not to mention the cost of painting, plating, new rubber, and all the usual stuff that we blow our wad on cause we can't help ourselves.

So back to the question, assuming you had a pretty much a complete bike, but all in parts, which makes the most economic sense: part it or assemble it?

Stephen Hill
Victoria, BC

Put it together. Then you know what you've got, rather than relying on the bike you are buying being good. Which you can never count on.

Yes a complete road worthy Cdo don't bring as much as a basket of parts. Separated item bring about what they are really worth but once all together
its general attitude is to discount the assemblage. So the more ya put into a Cdo so its nice as can be, the more you've cut your investment returns unless just using it up yourself. The whole bikes that are advertised for about what$ in them w/o counting labor, generally get sneared at. If i ever get my special going and make a splash with its performance, I'll part her out when time to quit the hobby.

Keep an eye on Ebay parts. There are a lot of bits that are cosmetically challenged that do not sell. Or they sell very low. So take a look at your parts with a critical eye. Are you going to really want them in your build? Will anybody? It is going to be hard to compare worn out bits versus a pristine bike or visa versa. I see stuff on Ebay all the time where the price is so high that it is obvious the seller hasn't even looked at whether there is a replacement part for less. I became accutely aware lately of the fact that all of the chrome pieces on my project bike are essentially useless because I can buy new from Old Britts for less than I can replate them. We all know the bits cost a bunch but a lot of those get replaced during a rebuild anyway.

Russ

Stephen Hill wrote:So back to the question, assuming you had a pretty much a complete bike, but all in parts, which makes the most economic sense: part it or assemble it?

Stephen Hill
Victoria, BC

I think you have shed some light on a fascinating economic niche to be filled by an enterprising individual. Simply buy complete bikes and part them out at a profit. Just keep doing it. Oddly enough, I'll bet that if this person was at it long enough they would start seeing their parts showing up over and over again. Economic wonks would call it some kind of 'creative destruction', or is it creative deconstruction'? Anyway, I'll bet there's lot's of money in it.

Edit: I'm not a barbarian, I'd sell the frame, cases, and gearbox shell as a set so the numbers match.

well there is obviously money in parting them out, there are at least 2 regular guys on Ebay that buy complete Nortons from all over the US and part them out to be sold on Ebay, they been doing this for years, I know I've bought tons of stuff from them, it seems a shame but remember me and others I'm sure are reassembling them just as fast, well not that fast.
but at least we are putting Nortons back together, so I'm certain there is money in parting them out, fortunately for me
I can get good quality chrome plating done at a fraction of the cost in the west, it took me a few years to find the right plater, and I send parts 400miles by courier regularly, the quality is as good as I could ever get in Australia and even with back and forward courier, still only about 2 weeks turn around, My zinc plater is just down the road less than 1$ per kg, 1 day turn around, I'm there nearly every day, sorry if I'm off topic a bit.

When it was a Company they were doing it to , buying , splitting up , selling off , shutting down .& fireing the employees .

It was called ' Asset Stripping ' and made illegal in the U.S. in the early Eighties .

If they do it to the lot , youll all end up on hondas .Like refrigerators , theyre all the same .

Frankly I think it's a sad way to make a living, there are lots of people doing it with vintage Guitars to the point where a lot of what's being sold are parted togeather & I hate to think of some guy destroying a 1950 Telecaster or such just to sell the parts. I don't care if you put one togeather with the parts it's realy only original once.

I agree with you 100%, guys pulling them apart are doing it for one reason only, guys reassembling them do it for a passion, certainly not to make money, I know which is the better reward, for me anyhow.

madass140 wrote:well there is obviously money in parting them out, there are at least 2 regular guys on Ebay that buy complete Nortons from all over the US and part them out to be sold on Ebay, they been doing this for years, I know I've bought tons of stuff from them, it seems a shame but remember me and others I'm sure are reassembling them just as fast, well not that fast.
but at least we are putting Nortons back together, so I'm certain there is money in parting them out, fortunately for me
I can get good quality chrome plating done at a fraction of the cost in the west, it took me a few years to find the right plater, and I send parts 400miles by courier regularly, the quality is as good as I could ever get in Australia and even with back and forward courier, still only about 2 weeks turn around, My zinc plater is just down the road less than 1$ per kg, 1 day turn around, I'm there nearly every day, sorry if I'm off topic a bit.

If you can get parts chromed at a good price there is probably a cottage industry of sorts in buying up the bits that nobody wants because they are pitted and rusted and getting them plated for resale (collect them up and plate them in bulk). I recently took my headlight bucket, kick start lever, gear shift, foot rests and brake pedal to shops in the Puget Sound area (Washington state) and the cost for replating was going to be about a thousand dollars. Unless I wanted show quaility, with all original casting marks polished out, then the price went up according to labor invovled.

Russ

Although it leave a bad taste, parting out a bike has a niche for us.

Sometimes it's good,
sometimes it's bad,
sometimes it's RAPE,
always seems sad.

It's funny how one guy looks at a pile of parts and sees a motorcycle and another guy looks at a motorcycle and sees a pile of parts.

But the original question was which makes the most "economic sense". If you are approaching this from true economic sense you will sell whatever you have and not build a Commando at all. If this is what you are really asking is whether you should assemble it before you sell it, then no, do not assemble the bike. Give me a list of the parts and I will make you an offer for them.

I think most of us assumed you wanted to end up with a Commando when you were done regardless of the path taken, but this is the least favorable option if "economic sense" is to rule.

russ

Stephen Hill
Victoria, BC[/quote]

I think you have shed some light on a fascinating economic niche to be filled by an enterprising individual. Simply buy complete bikes and part them out at a profit. Just keep doing it. Oddly enough, I'll bet that if this person was at it long enough they would start seeing their parts showing up over and over again. Economic wonks would call it some kind of 'creative destruction', or is it creative deconstruction'? Anyway, I'll bet there's lot's of money in it.

Edit: I'm not a barbarian, I'd sell the frame, cases, and gearbox shell as a set so the numbers match.[/quote]

Case in point, this ad for matching numbers engine, gearbox and frame from an early Commando. What do you think it would cost to make a Fastback out of this or maybe just what someone is looking for after stealing one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NORTON-1 ... 3f1167496e

rvich wrote:I think most of us assumed you wanted to end up with a Commando when you were done regardless of the path taken, but this is the least favorable option if "economic sense" is to rule.
russ

I think that it would make more economic sense to sell the parts whether you want to have a bike at then of the day or not. You could either take the money and buy a better bike for less money than the one you would build, or you could just pocket the money from the sale of the parts which would be more than if you took the parts and completed the bike then sold it.

What isn't taken into consideration is the value one puts in the enjoyment of building you own bike. It's entertaining, pleasurable, rewarding, so on and so forth. If it goes under the monthly budget for entertainment then it's money as well spent as doing anything else I can think of.