What exactly does a "rebuild" mean ?

[Noobman]

Noobman here,
I know to look at the obvious (as in the bike has been "rebuilt") , but .... what ?
Has it been demolished and shredded and then somehow been rebuilt or ....

Frankenstein bike always comes to mind when I read this stuff.

I'm looking at some bike classifieds and some of the things I'm reading for example are ;

- MINT 2002 "Fresh rebuild"
- 95 Yamaha ", completely rebuilt motor with less than 10 km, NEW Tires (2), NEW valves (4), NEW cylinder (1), NEW rings (3), NEW clutch and is now in like NEW shape" (I dont know what to think about this one, its a nice looking bike though, im interested...)

Would you guys ever act on (buy) a rebuilt bike ?

[rojoracing53]

It's best you just ask them for the details of what was rebuilt and why. Then based on your experience and intuition you make your decision. Talking to someone in person can also help you get a feeling about their character and wether they sound trust worthy.

[csmith12]

I always tread lightly when it comes to the term "rebuild or rebuilt". To me, it means it was someones project (which some can be really cool) or it had some sort of major damage or major problem that had to be fixed.

I also factor into the cost of having to redo the work that has been "completed", just in case it was a botched job. So the price should reflect a rebuilt item as it is no long worth the premium any longer. If the work is fresh, there should be some documentation/receipts to come along with the purchase to cover any warranty items and what not.

Sometimes..... rebuilds are diamonds in the rough. The "old tinkerer's" that rebuild/restore some of these old bikes do it out of love and their attention to detail and drive to "do it right" is well above average. I normally would have no problem buying from one of those cats.

[rojoracing53]

My ninja 250 has be rebuilt into a Yamasaki 250 so its value has tripled(in my mind at least)

[AdhesiveTransfers]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

My ninja 250 has be rebuilt into a Yamasaki 250 so its value has tripled(in my mind at least)

[csmith12]

I believe you and your bike fall into the "tinkerer" category Jason. Although, down in da hollar where I live, your getting dangerously close to a "frankenmobile". lol

How much would you pay for this toyhauler beauty spotted 7 miles from my house a few days ago.



Dat be being a right mighty fine example of KY engineering.

[subxero]

depends what you are looking at.

If you are looking at dirtbikes, rebuilds are common and expected and generally means part of the engine if it just says "rebuild" generally piston, rings, valves if 4stroke sometimes they will say, "fresh top end" again, piston rings. If they did much of anything else to the bike they generally say more. Something like "clutch rebuild", "new bottom end" "rebuilt suspension" "bearings and seals" Most people that do rebuilds are proud of their work and won't leave out any details of the work they put into it.

If i was looking at a street bike unless it was super old and cheap i would stay away from rebuilds. Dirtbikes, it is expected and kind of the opposite, if it hasn't been rebuilt in last few years then you might want to stay away from it because you will end up doing the rebuilding and sometimes you get lucky and its just top end, but sometimes not so much and you end up with a complete rebuild that is not even worth it in most cases.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I believe you and your bike fall into the "tinkerer" category Jason. Although, down in da hollar where I live, your getting dangerously close to a "frankenmobile". lol

How much would you pay for this toyhauler beauty spotted 7 miles from my house a few days ago.



Dat be being a right mighty fine example of KY engineering.

Dude if that thing can run with the Porsche's at your local track like my frankeninjette can beat up on 600 then it worth a lot