Salvaged 2007 ZX-6r $3000?

[Sarge]

A guy I work with dropped his '07 Ninja ZX-6r. Dinged it up pretty good, cracked fairings, snapped clipon, etc. Anyway, the clipon banged into the frame, leaving a tiny dent in it, and the insurance company totalled the bike but let him keep it. They gave him $5k, he paid the $3k he owes and dropped it off to get it fixed up for $1500.

Anyway, he says he wants to get rid of it and get a bigger bike. He originally said $2k, and I guess I got a little excited when I said "Take cash now?" and now he's saying $3k, cause $2k is too cheap.

Just for the record, he's a total squid, first bike ever, dropped it in his driveway. He's shaved the mirrors, FE kit, squid this, squid that, enjoys the "freedom of sandals and a t-shirt on the highway..." (Not making this up, and I didn't goad him into saying it, he just offered :lol:)

So, the question is this, is 3k worth it for a salvaged title ZX-6r? Bike barely has 2000 miles on it and was ridden by a squid who can't do wheelies or anything. I'm thinking maybe $2.5, I'm just trying to get opinions. I figure I'd just ride this bike into the ground, and try and teach the wife how to ride it. Daily commuter, maybe some knobbies like Spooph put on his 250r. Probably make an awesome track bike, I just have no idea what a salvaged title bike is actually worth, or if I can even get the thing insured for street riding.

For the record, the title he has doesn't say Salvaged or whatever. He just got it back from the bank and hasn't done anything with it yet.

CliffNotes:

Salvaged '07 ZX-6r, completely fixed up, 2000 miles, worth $3k? Can it be insured for street riding?

[CaneZach]

Once you make it roadworthy, you'll have to get inspected by the State Patrol. After it's inspected, you'll get a new title for it, which will be the salvage title. Is it worth $2500? Yeah, I think so. I wouldn't really go over $2500 for it, but I also wouldn't make it a streetbike again. It would be my backup racebike.

[fasterlaster]

My understanding while going through titling my 929 is that selling a vehicle that has been totaled and not disclosing this with buyer with some additional forms is illegal. The interesting thing is that I'm not sure what the tie in between something like VIN information which would disclose the bike was totaled for collision and the state is. There is a little bit of info http://www.dmv.org/co-colorado/salvaged-vehicles.php

[MetaLord 9]

If it's been totalled then the bike should have a certificate of salvage/salvage title that makes it NON-registerable. You would have to fix the bike up back to running order, make sure that it is roadworthy per the CSP's definition, stamp "REBUILT FROM SALVAGE" into the frame, then go apply for a registerable Colorado title. The title will always note that the bike was rebuilt from salvage as will the frame so buyers can be aware of this. The process isn't too terrible or too expensive, but it depends on what you need to do to make the bike rideable.

[asp_125]

$2.5K track bike.


Anyway, he says he wants to get rid of it and get a bigger bike.
Or wait a month and you might be able to get a salvage liter bike from this guy ;)

[MetaLord 9]

wait a month and you might be able to get a salvage liter bike from this guy ;)
+1

I think you should buy it and then sell me the right fork REALLY cheap. I'll even vote for your bike for BOTM later. :D

[cbrjohnny]

...guess i should to learn how to do wheelies lol

[Cap'n Crunch]

Doesn't sound like too bad of a deal to me... But, I love the look of ZX-7r's.

[Sarge]

It's in the shop gettin fixed up, so it'll look good as new when it's done, minus a small scratch on the frame. I'm thinking of just sticking with the 2k offer, I doub't he'll get the 3 he's asking for.

He managed to bed a rearset and he even said something about the kickstand being too short and having to be replaced. I'm a little confused, but he showed me pictures and it looks straight. I figure I'll just inform him of all the legal ramifications of selling the bike without the Salvage paperwork completed, and the hassle he'll have to go through. ;) (I have no shame :king:)

[MetaLord 9]

If the bike was totalled, then it should already have a salvage cert/title. Since he bought it back from the Ins. Co, then he should have that in hand. The bike can be bought & sold a bunch of times with that salvage cert (just have to keep getting it reassigned if you wanna do it right by the DMV) before being inspected and getting a registerable title.

Those bikes have very tall kickstands, trust me, I know. So I find it hard to believe that it's "too short..."

[Sarge]

He say's the insurance company cut HIM the check, then he paid off the lender who sent him the title. So, as far as I know the lender was unaware of the totalling. I'll ask for more details tomorrow, but as of right now the title still has the bank printed on it and never crossed the hands of the insurance company. How much communication was going on between the two I don't know.

[longrider]

All this talk about salvage titles brings up one thing that really bugs me about insurance and motorcycles and that is the fact that most totals are a economic and cosmetic decision that has nothing to do with the safety, rideability, or function of the bike. I have seen many a bike that needs $500 worth of mechanical repairs, $2000 worth of actually broken cosmetic parts and $4000 worth of barely scratched parts so it gets totalled. Whatever happened to a cosmetic allowance for a scratch and actually fixing the bike instead of writing it off??

[Wrider]

All this talk about salvage titles brings up one thing that really bugs me about insurance and motorcycles and that is the fact that most totals are a economic and cosmetic decision that has nothing to do with the safety, rideability, or function of the bike. I have seen many a bike that needs $500 worth of mechanical repairs, $2000 worth of actually broken cosmetic parts and $4000 worth of barely scratched parts so it gets totalled. Whatever happened to a cosmetic allowance for a scratch and actually fixing the bike instead of writing it off??

The problem is the same no matter how they do it...
Some people will bitch and moan and complain all day long about having to see a scratch that isn't fixed, while others would much much rather have their bike back even scratched up as long as it's not totaled. Then there's the frame issue. If the frame is scratched (yes even just a scratch from the accident) it is legally totaled because it affects the "safety and driveability of the vehicle".

I once had to total out a 6 month old R1 with about 3K worth of custom parts on it because a rock on the road got caught up under the bike and slightly dented the frame. I felt really bad for the dude, he was almost in tears when I told him. I made double sure with the insurance agent and he said he was with me in that it sucked but was required.

[The GECCO]

The problem is the same no matter how they do it...
Some people will bitch and moan and complain all day long about having to see a scratch that isn't fixed, while others would much much rather have their bike back even scratched up as long as it's not totaled. Then there's the frame issue. If the frame is scratched (yes even just a scratch from the accident) it is legally totaled because it affects the "safety and driveability of the vehicle".

I once had to total out a 6 month old R1 with about 3K worth of custom parts on it because a rock on the road got caught up under the bike and slightly dented the frame. I felt really bad for the dude, he was almost in tears when I told him. I made double sure with the insurance agent and he said he was with me in that it sucked but was required.

I have to disagree here. The scratch/dent/whatever on the frame doesn't have to be anywhere NEAR bad enough to effect "safety" before the bike is totaled. There is no such thing as "legally totaled".

"Totaled" is an economic decision, not a mechanical one. The insurance company is obligated to make you financially whole after you've suffered damage. What does this mean, exactly? If you have an item (bike) that is worth X dollars and it is damaged (ie, worth less than X dollars) then they have to bring it back to where it was to make you whole. If this can be done via repairs for less than X dollars, they will do it. If not, they will declare the item a "total loss" and simply pay you X dollars, which makes you financially whole again.

The reason frame damage causes bikes to be totaled is that if it's damaged, they HAVE to fix it. Not always because of safety, simply because it's damaged and as such, the owner is no longer financially whole. The problem is that no insurance company would ever pay to have a frame "repaired" and put back in service - the liability is just too great. Granted, we all know that a scratch in the powdercoat doesn't compromise safety, but it might if the damage is worse, and no lawyer or ins company wants to split that hair. Why would they? It would cost them time and money to determine which frames are OK and which aren't, and they are assuming more liability in the process. It's better for them to simply say that no matter how slight the damage, the frame has to be replaced. While this may seem wasteful on their part, remember that it just gives them reason to jack up our rates - it doesn't cost them a dime. If the frame must be replaced the labor cost of completely disassembling an entire motorcycle and reassembling all the parts on a new frame is always going to be more than the bike was worth before it was damaged. Therefore, it's less expensive for them to make you financially whole by paying you what the bike was worth, which makes the bike a total (financial) loss. When the insurance company takes possession of a totaled vehicle they want the title stamped "salvage" etc so that when they sell it for scrap metal, etc, they can't be held liable if it makes it back out on the road and someone is injured as a result of the damage that totaled it. If they never own it (as it sounds like in this case) they have no dog in that fight.

As long as the ins co wrote him the check and the bank gave him his title, it won't say anything about having been totaled, and it never will. Neither of mine did. Think about it this way - if there was no loan on the bike and he had the title at home in his sock drawer, ins would simply pay him for the loss and the bike stays in his name. They don't want it. They'd just sell it as scrap metal and by the time they pay transportation, etc, they're losing money.

Now, the question becomes - if your friend does sell the bike with a clean title, is he incurring any liability? From a technical standpoint - Absolutely. The risk in this case is non-existent based on the description of the incident and resulting damage, but, let's say it was a little worse...enough to dent the frame a little or something. He sells it and a year later the dent results in metal fatigue, the frame fails and someone is hurt. Could he be held liable? Yes, most certainly. How would he avoid this? Easy. Anyone can declare their own vehicle "salvage". He simply walks into the DMV with the title and tells them he wants a new one issued with a salvage designation. That way, when he sells the bike, the new owner will have to get it reinspected, and the liability then falls on the inspecting agency, not the previous owner. Obviously not an ideal situation financially, but if the insurance company pays him for the bike AND he gets to resell it with a clean title, he is gaining a financial benefit...and it comes with a risk.

Hope that helps.

[Sarge]

Gecco, thanks for the description, I was just about to chime in with exactly the same, but not quite nearly as well-worded. ;)

Basically, that's what it came down to. The frame is structurally sound, but you can't pull a dent on it and there's no way to buff it out. The only way to fix the scratch is to replace the frame, and the cost of labor alone to do such a thing was more than the total value of the bike, let alone the parts, etc required, and that's why the insurance company totalled it. So the bike is sound, just has a dent that can't be pulled.

[The GECCO]

Oh, and......enjoy your new bike!