Buying Used Motorcycle Parts
The next time you need a spare part for your motorcycle, ask yourself if you would be better off buying it used. With the price of new spares being so high, especially for an old bike, it can easily cost more for new parts for a repair than the bike is even worth. If you are unlucky enough to throw your 1980’s sports bike down the road it is likely that just the cost of a few panels and pieces will come to more than the value of the bike.
Used parts don’t have to be old parts.
Many low mileage bikes are dismantled for spares and the parts from these bikes are often as good as new at a fraction of the cost.
Know what you want
Before you actually pick up the phone take a moment to write down the details of what you are looking for. Be as clear as possible about the model and year of the bike, if you are looking for bodywork be clear about the colour. Spend a bit of time researching the part you are looking for, certain parts for certain bikes can be hard to find as they are commonly damaged in an accident, popular for upgrading other models or prone to general failure. You will find it much easier to barter with a seller if you have knowledge of how likely he is to sell it to someone else in a hurry. If the part you are looking for is popular you will have a lot less bargaining power
Know What you are Being Sold
Used parts conditions vary enormously and you will be offered parts ranging from ‘like new’ to ‘should have been thrown away really’ and anything in between. If you are quite happy to buy something that needs cleaning / refurbishing than make it clear as it may save you a few pounds. If you are looking for something in good condition then make a point of asking a few more questions, like what the bike was like that the part came from. Was it accident damaged and what type of accident? You should be able to get a good idea of whether it was likely to have been damaged in the accident. Many dealers do not carefully check the condition of a part until they have to send it out to someone (they usually have thousands of parts from hundreds of bikes at any one time). Ask them to take a look at it and call you back, just to check before you place an order. Remember that they want to sell you the part and will take the effort to check if they are likely to get a sale on a reasonable value part.
Know the Value
Amazing as it may seem, many dealers do not know the new value of parts that they are selling. This is not so strange when you think about the number of models that they deal with. Before you commit to buy a part go and get an idea how much it is new. A number of times I have been quoted as much for a used part as I can buy it for new. This is especially true of certain parts for bikes a couple of years old. Yamaha are particularly good at discounting parts for older models and for example the price of an R1 headlight has almost halved in the last few years. There are also a number of specialist new parts suppliers out there that buy brand new ‘old stock’ in bulk at discount prices and sell new parts at great discounts.
Know your Source
There has always been a stigma about buying used parts and the root cause of this is the source of the donor vehicle. It is pretty obvious to most that the simplest way to dispose of a stolen bike is to sell off the individual parts and there are certainly individuals that are engaging in this type of thing. When you buy used parts make an effort to find out who you are buying from, the majority of parts dealers are genuine businesses that buy insurance salvaged and / or used bikes complete to strip for spares. Buying used parts from a guy that keeps his stock in his car boot and only has a mobile contact number is asking for it really. Many bikes are now indelibly marked with security devices (data tag, smart water, microdot etc) and the parts will be traceable forevermore, ignorance is not innocence in the eyes of the law
Motorcycle Breakers
Motorcycle Breakers (or Bike Breakers) are businesses that specialise in dismantling motorcycles and salvaging the spare parts for re-sale. There are many well established bike breakers that have been doing the same thing for many years. Bikes are usually bought through a mix of insurance salvage and private purchase. Very few breakers will buy individual parts from private individuals due to the traceability issues mentioned above. Whilst most Bike Breakers generally dismantle most makes and models some will specialise in certain manufacturers, types or even models. There are a few specialist breakers that buy brand new bikes (often grey imports in the crate) and dismantle these. With the cost of new parts this is very lucrative for certain models, especially popular superbikes. Common specialisations include Manufacturer, German, European, Trials, Motocross, Scooters, Two-Strokes and Superbikes.
Online Auctions
Online auctions can be a good source of used parts but remember the caveat of ‘buyer beware’. Many genuine bike breakers use online auctions to dispose of slower moving items but a quick scan of the listings will soon show that there are an awful lot of individuals selling large quantities of parts for very little money. Just remember that no genuine seller is going to take apart a £5000 bike and sell the parts for £1000. It’s always worth looking for a seller that is also selling the easily traceable parts of the bike such as the frame, engine (with number!) and even the lockset. If the seller does not have these parts you have to wonder why.