Considering buying a wrecked 2005 CBR600RR

On a completely different forum, I mentioned that I rode motorcycles...got a PM from someone basically saying "I used to ride, but after my last wreck I decided to quit. If you're interested in my bike that I wrecked, I'd maybe sell it to you once it's payed off."

He then sent me another PM "I am including some pics of my wrecked bike. As for the frame, I think the sub-frame where the passenger sits is bent out of shape. I'm not a mechanic but I have no problem letting people inspect it. The engine still runs and I start it a couple times a week."

Here are those pics:






He then told me that he wrecked it when riding with a friend. He accidentally clipped his friend's rear tire after they passed a vehicle. He says that he doesn't know much about forks, but he doesn't think that they're in bad shape, and doesn't remember them leaking oil.

Oh, and he has a title to it .

He never named a price, and I'm honestly uncertain as to how much I should offer...or if it's something I should tackle.

A bit about me: I don't really like sports bikes. I'm big on standards, UJMs, and light touring bikes like the Strom. I always feel extremely cramped when sitting on a bike with clipons, though I've never actually ridden one before. However, I love wrenching on things, so the damage to this bike doesn't seem very intimidating, especially after hearing that the forks are (most likely) good, and that the engine still runs.

If I did buy this bike, I'm going to try and convert it into a street fighter...though the fairing actually doesn't look too bad (to my eyes) and it seems like I could just grind down the top to make it seem "decent." If I don't get used to the clipons after just one ride, I'm going to try to source a triple tree that'll work with the forks that will accommodate normal handlebars, or at least find a way to mount normal handlebars to the current triple.

It'd either be an around town/backroad/hooligan bike, a track bike, or hell if I'm feeling really brave, maybe I'll convert it to a sports tourer (after putting on normal handlebars at least).

My only riding experience now is about 15,000 miles on my Honda CX500 (only had it for a year though, so I'm a pretty high mileage rider) but I'm unsure of what a transition to something with such a large powerplant from my CX would be like. I'm also unsure of how to work on something so modern. I assume that it isn't quite as easy as working on an old carbureted V-twin, but I also assume that it isn't too hard to learn, especially since it's a Honda.

So, thoughts? If the price is right, I'll snag the thing up...even if I hate it or I'm not willing to convert it to any of my grand ideas, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to change out the plastics and resell it.

I wouldnt touch it.

$50...and that's being generous.

abe

So I take it that modern bikes don't crash as well as older bikes then?

Either way, if it's going for cheap enough, I'm probably going to snag it. Even if the frame is too damaged to be worth it, if the forks are in good condition I can slap them on my CX500, which is a rather common mod.

I'd say it's a safe bet the forks are bent. That bike somehow slid on its back, and you can see some nice rash on the ignition, which is attached to the triple tree, which holds the...wait for it...forks. I'm guessing there was a torque moment exerted on the forks in the slide through the triple tree.

Can you fix it up? Sure, you can replace anything and everything. But without giving it a thorough once-over, why take the risk? Find a lightly rashed bike on your local craigslist and use that as your project. Stay away from this one...there are thousand$ of reasons to stay away from this particular bike.

Possibly another problem would be the steering head getting out of round. Those aluminum frames are a little more fragile and a massive jolt can screw up the steering head-trashing the frame. Bike won't handle right no matter what fancy forks get slapped on.

If you get the bike up on the stand so the weight's off the forks you can check with some tugging. It's kinda like buying an old race bike. Frame, check...suspension, check...everything else is junk.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide

The resale value on any of the 600cc sportbikes basically crash & burn after 2-3 yrs. A mint, and I mean MINT 2005 CBR600,,,,is worth $3200-4500.
http://motorcycle.jaxed.com/cgi-bin...tate=&ps=&pe=&ys=2005&ye=2005&so=d&submit=+GO+

The minute this bike was chucked down the road, it became just a donor bike for a stunters club. The engine's worth $500 minimum. The rest???

Steve

He starts up the engine a couple of times a week ... probably not long enough to get it to operating temp. So you going to get condensation, acid build up etc in the oil. Not good ...

I overlooked that particular rash. Yeah, you do have a point, forks probably are shot.

I certainly wouldn't buy it before seeing it in person. I just didn't know how these bikes held up in crashes and how hard they are to work on compared to something older. I assumed that they weren't as hard, but I really don't know.

Thanks for the input.

This is exactly what I was looking for...I know next to nothing about bikes past the early 80s. I didn't know how strong these frames are supposed to be.

I'll definitely give it a thorough inspection...even if it is total junk, if he just wants to get rid of it and asks a ridiculously low price, I'd take it just so I can part it out. It's from a legitimate person...he isn't trying to play games with me or anything, just mentioned to me that he has it, and he's only sending pics and answering questions because I'm showing interest.

You don't like sportbikes, you don't like clip ons (you will not get used to them after just one ride and you're going to have a lot of time and money invested before you can take that ride). The bike is trashed. Run away.

You like to wrench on things. Buy a bike you DO like that needs some TLC and wrench on that. Rebuilding an older bike in assumed good condition will give you enough mysteries along the way to keep you entertained.

Do what ya gotta do but I wouldn't take that bike if he offered to give it to me. If you DO decide to try to build a project bike out of it, your first step should be having it checked out by some place that can tell you what is tweaked and by how much. I wouldn't spend a dime on it before I had that info. Change out the plastics and resell it? That bike is way past the point of simple cosmetic damage. He's already said the subframe is bent. It will never be worth what you put into it. The only way to maybe make money on it is to part it out. Not worth the time/hassle to me but some guys like doing that. If I wanted a base for a project I wouldn't start with a totaled 2005 CBR 600.

If we were talking an RC30 or something rare like that than yeah, maybe. But a 2005 CBR? It's a disposable bike. Sounds like somebody was playing a little fast and loose with loans and insurance cuz the insurance company should have paid out and thrown it away for the guy.

Of course, opinions may vary.

I bought one in very similar shape about 2 years ago and put it back together. These bikes are very commonly crashed, so used parts are plentiful and cheap. The most expensive parts are the front end. Used forks go for about $400 for a decent pair, and a headlight assembly $200-300. You can get a full set of OEM fairings for around $600 on ebay if you're patient and buy them one at a time, or a shiny new aftermarket set for about the same brand new. I hear the fitment is pretty good on most aftermarket sets these days, I went OEM and a rattle can paintjob myself.

Here's mine under reconstruction.



I replaced...let's see.

All fairings
Swingarm
Subframe
Windshield
Taillight\Turn signals
Mirrors
Left Clipon
Stator cover
Chain and sprockets (converted to 520)
Installed a crash kit
2 New tires
Changed all fluids and filters

Took about 2-3 months in the garage, total cost was about $2500 including buying the bike. It's got 13,000 miles on it now, had about 9,000 when I got it. I could sell it for about $4000 if I wanted to.

As far as the bike, it's about as pure a sportbike as you can get. Handles like a scalpel, takes off like a rocket. The ergos take a little getting used to. Forget 2-up riding, unless you like getting your nuts smashed into the tank at every stop. I usually need to take a break after about 75 miles, because my back/neck hurts. I'm 6'0" 230 lbs btw.

I love the bike, really. Every time I think about selling it, the handling makes me keep it. There's isn't much that makes me happier than tearing up the twisties on that bike.

If you can get it for around $1500, and you're fairly good at swinging a wrench, I'd so go for it if that's what you want. I have no regrets about buying mine. PM me if you do, I'll send you a copy of the factory service manual. It helped do every single job on the bike.

Thank you. I appreciate everyone's opinions. The first time I bought a used/tweaked bike without getting the opinion of other people was also my last....and I plan to keep it that way.

As for not liking sports bikes...I've never truly ridden one before. I don't like sitting on them, and I don't like the majority of the people who ride them (in other words, the squids. I'm ok with everyone but squids), but I may just like this one. The things I love most about riding are wrenching, twisties, and speed. That's why I have any interest in this bike. I really want to get a sports standard bike next like a ER6n or f, or a Gladius, or maybe even an FZ6, but budget doesn't allow anything new for a while. Something to wrench on would not only save cash, but give me something to pass the time.

As for getting it checked out...I was already thinking of that, but definitely a good call either way. It shouldn't be too expensive to get it inspected, especially not since the guys at the Honda shop know me pretty well.

And yeah, no insurance is required in Florida, so I figure that that's what happened.

Nice! 1500 is more than I was expecting it to be worth, but I guess we'll just see what happens once I finally do get a quote from him. 2500 overall isn't that bad at all, especially since it could be resold for more. Though if I do decide to get used to the ergos and keep the bike to tool around on, I'd probably just get an aftermarket headlight/signals, and either keep it naked, or maybe find a cheap windscreen or something.

Were I to buy it, I would streetfighter it and put a motocross top yoke on it. A poor mans speed triple. it really would depend on the forks/steering head bearings.

I'm on my University's formula SAE racing team. We buy crashed GSRX 600's for the engines. They are plentiful and cheap. Stay away if you want to ride it. Just get an older one that still works.

I paid $1250 for mine, at an auction. I got into the project with the assumption that if the bike didn't track straight, I could always part it out and get my money back. Also, it's worth mentioning that mine had frame sliders and swingarm spools on it when it went down. The frame slider was completely ground down and basically had to be drilled out, and the (aluminum) swing arm spool caught on the pavement and ripped off the mount. I paid, no joke $10 for a like new swingarm on eBay. I'll try snap a pic of the bike as it sits now when I get home tonight.

As it happens, along with a few other bikes, I own both an '03 600RR and a '78 CX500--and I'm in west central Florida (Tampa Bay area); FWIW, I purchased the RR and its 2 predecessors from the Osborn-family-owned Honda of Winter Haven. Been riding and racing CBR600s for decades now; owned a 600 Hurricane (F1), F2, F3, and now the RR.

Any similarities between the CX and the CBR end with the fact that they're both motorcycles. Sure, you can still ride the thing, but modern sportbikes are from a whole other planet than the bikes in your sig (I've got a CB360, XL350R, and SOHC CB750 project out in the garage as well). And as far as wrenching on the RR goes, the thing looks like the space shuttle underneath that bodywork: wiring everywhere, individual coil packs for each (iridium) spark plug, 2 complete sets of injectors/injector rails, shim-under-bucket valve adjustment (gotta pull camshafts for valve adjustments--and it takes several hours to disassemble the thing just to get to the cams) so you'll need to be comfortable updating your mechanical knowledge by several decades.

On the plus side, the (main) frame is hellaciously strong, so, even as trashed as that POS looks (that's a little foreshadowing of my opinion as to what you should do ), I wouldn't be concerned about the steering head and frame. As for the forks and triples, they could quite easily be tweaked (or worse); however, replacements can be had for around $300+ depending on completeness--i.e., just the forks, or including the triples, and/or brakes, axle, etc. I happen to have both an '05 and an '06 600RR front end that I picked up for reasonable prices (to install on my '03; got the '05 set first, and then got a great deal on the '06 before I found time to make the swap).

Anyway, IMO, only way I'd bother with that thing is if I could get it for $500-$600, I was dying for a sportbike, and just didn't have the money for anything in better shape. Of course, if that was the case, I still wouldn't have the money to fix it up. If you think you kinda might want a sportbike, you can pick up a decent F3 or F4(i) on Craigslist all day long for $2K or less. H*ll, I just bought a nicely farkled, mint '01 VFR800 with 14K on the clock for less than $3K off the Tampa Bay CL.

Good luck either way, and if you ever get out to the Bay area on that CX, feel free to give me a heads-up and we can get the Twisted Twins out for a ride.

Here's my "after" picture. Your mileage may vary, but like I said, I don't regret buying my wreck. I forgot to mention, a good deal of that $2500 I spent on tools and not the bike or parts (chain breaker/riveter, good torque wrench, big ass metric hex wrenches). If the bike runs, and the frame or forks aren't bent, you could have a very fun project.

Hell yeah! I love bumping into you guys. Are you on the CX forums as well? My moniker over there is just Cramer.

I'm actually friends with a lot of the people at Honda of Winter Haven, especially Bobby who owns a CX/GL cafe racer and various other cafe bikes and vintage cars. I asked him how much it costs for them to do a checkup of a bike like this, and he said "Oh, I'd be more than willing to head out with you to take a look at it." Then he quickly followed up with a "Oh, crap, wait, where is it?" to which I replied "St. Pete I think" "Umm...I'm busy that day!" haha. He told me he may help check it out, all depending on his free time. He says he'd even be willing to buy it himself if I don't want it, and if it's in decent enough condition.

The only reason I'm considering it is because I love projects, and I've been searching voraciously on CL for a cheap project to fill up my free time once my CX becomes "perfect." I haven't found anything worth buying (anything that is in my price range has no title) Then this CBR kinda bit me, and it seems like it'd be a fresh new challenge, but it's definitely going to be a huge challenge if I do get it.

I really don't have an "itch" for a sports bike, but I do have an itch for something that handles better and goes faster than my CX, even though I'm never going to get rid of it...this thing is bulletproof. I couldn't kill it if I tried.

Man, there are ALWAYS cheap project bikes on CL--just gotta keep checking all the local Florida regions; the good deals often don't last long. When I'm looking around, I check Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Ocala, Lakeland, Ft Myers, and even Orlando, Gainesville, Heartland Park, and Daytona CL. H*ll, I recently bailed out on driving to Lakeland (didn't want to deal with rush hour traffic on the way back, which all worked out, since I was then available to snatch up the VFR locally) for a Honda CM400, 11K miles, clear title, for $200.

Among my CL aquisitions: a Suzuki GS500--ran great after a carb clean, 20K miles, only needs cosmetics--for $200; my CB360 in real nice, running, original condition with <4K miles for $360; my Honda XL350R--running but needed top end work (rebore and piston/rings)--for $340; a cosmetically challenged '78 Goldwing with (only) 36K on the clock for $350; a (first-year) '86 Kawi ZX1000(A1) Ninja--Yosh full system, jet kit, slotted cam sprockets/degreed cams, port work, 34K miles, needed new intake valves (3-angle re-cut all the valve seats) and a CDI off ebay to get it running good, the thing is an absolute BEAST--for $250; my '88 Kawi KLR650--see project thread in my sig--for $500; and a couple others as well. And I've missed out on probably just as many as I've snagged.

Which brings me back to your CBR--if that thing was worthwhile, it'dve been snatched up by someone before now; deals around here rarely make it past a few hours, let alone a few days.

As for the CX, I spent a lot of time lurking on the forums--esp Chopper Charles'--learning all I could while I was re-doing mine, but never posted up. FWIW, for $500 I got the bike, a low-mile (5K) spare motor, extra wheels, aftermarket 2-into-1 exhaust, and a couple milk crates full of parts. The thing was basically sound, but neglected, dented, dirty, and rusty with cruiser high-rise 'bars, and a hideous "king and queen" stepped seat. Here's what it looks like now:

Well, I know that the bikes are out there, but usually they sell before I have a chance to get them, or they'll be up when I don't have the cash!

Lately all I can find is in the 500-750 area which is out of my budget...at least at the moment.

Though this CBR isn't even being advertised, it was just brought up to me by someone on another forum. He said he was just going to scrap it but since I'm into bikes he'd let me look at it first.

That CX is awesome. I got mine for 1200....I kinda regret paying that much, but I was still very new to bikes at the time. It too had the cruiser bars, stepped seat(the stock one), etc...I actually never got rid of the buckos until a few months ago, and I'm still trying to find a nice straight seat that'll fit the custom frame. Not many options out there, especially not on my budget.