Made an offer on a Piaggio Fly 150

Discussion in 'Battle Scooters' started by Fener6, Feb 17, 2012.

  1. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Made an offer today on a wrecked Fly 150. Missing the front fairing, broken headlight assembly and a couple of other cosemetic things. My biggest concern is getting it past inspection.

    I was pointed towards athens scooter and it looks like it will cost around $500 for cosemtic fixes.

    Is it worth my time?
    #1
  2. damasovi

    damasovi Long timer

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    well, how much is your time worth? I think this question only you could answer it.

    Evaluate how much you want the scooter and how easy/hard it is for you to come up with time to fix it, yourself or have it done by someone else.

    Now I would not buy nothing that need fixing simple because I have close to 2-3 hours free per week and I rather be riding than fixing things, maybe latter in my life fixing thing will be a better idea, but for now it isn't.

    I hope this helps you a little

    Damasovi
    #2
  3. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    I can make time if I need too.

    I talked with the shop that is holding the bike, and they said it would take them 3-4 hours of labor. Which in my mind translates to 10-12 hours for me.

    THe owner wants $900, I offered $600...
    #3
  4. rob1313

    rob1313 Still learning

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    Do you enjoy doing this kind of work? I enjoy wrenching, and the cosmetic stuff is far simpler than rebuilding an engine (at least for me) I like a late night with U2 playing and a project on my bike lift. It's soothing.
    Don't forget to try ebay for the parts you need. I'm constantly impressed by the bits I can get there if I shop carefully
    #4
  5. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    I would if I had a garage and tools...

    Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
    #5
  6. btcn

    btcn Long timer

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    If I was you, F the cosmetics. Just get it mechanically good. Just fix the major things that are necessary like the headlight. You'll get over it if it's mechanically good. Then you can have a blast with it and not cry if you dump it. Like fly off road, and scratching it carrying shit won't hurt.
    #6
  7. tbonestone

    tbonestone Been here awhile

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    be extremely careful buying scooters that have been crashed. I've seen more bikes with frame damage than i care to see. Might not be noticeable at first, but after you throw a crap load of money into it and it doesn't ride right... Bummed out is putting it lightly.
    #7
  8. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Thanks for the replies.

    Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
    #8
  9. btcn

    btcn Long timer

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    Yes you may want to get the frame checked out if possible. Even a moderate accident can do serious frame damage. And newer bikes like this, part bikes aren't so cheap and easy to find, as in a frame on ebay would probably not be so cheap or easy to find.
    #9
  10. gasandasphalt

    gasandasphalt Been here awhile

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    IMHO,,,,forget it.... keep looking.
    #10
  11. bbishoppcm

    bbishoppcm It ain't a moped.

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    Personally, I'd skip it if any frame damage is possible at all. You can usually spot frame damage when the front fairings are off; check for cracked or peeling paint, kinks in the steel tubing, broken welds... but subtle damage may not be so obvious.
    #11
  12. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Talked with the shop that is currently holding it and they feel pretty confident that the frame is straight. The only thing they mentioned is a possible tweak in the fork(s)

    I havent heard back from the owner on my original offer, $600. Should I up the offer?
    #12
  13. Speedo66

    Speedo66 Transient

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    If it tweaked the forks, it may have also tweaked the frame portion holding them.

    I'd look elsewhere.
    #13
  14. bbishoppcm

    bbishoppcm It ain't a moped.

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    The shop has a conflict of interest; they want to unload this tainted wreck... on you! Plan on there being frame damage, and unless they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the frame is perfectly straight, I'd avoid it like a leper. It's your money, and your risk; if the frame is even slightly warped or bent, it will never be right again.

    From what I've been hearing from other riders, a motorbike that has even seen a minor collision is often written off as a total loss, as frame damage may not be obvious. You say they're "pretty sure" there is no damage? I'd want to see a certified notarized letter before I even make an offer on that thing.

    As for value, it's worth quite a bit; the engine alone is worth about $800 to someone who needs it.
    #14
  15. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    All the replies have been great. I'm taking a risk and made my final offer of $700. The owner is gonna think about it and get back to me sometime tomorrow.

    Worst case scenario, i figure out the bike is messed up in the coming weeks and I have to part it out. The engine is only good on other piaggio flys from what I've heard...so the market for selling that is limited. We'll see what happens.
    #15
  16. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Bought the scooter. Now I have the questions :D

    The cdi has 2 plugs in the back. Only one was plugged in. I have 2 potential candidates for plugging into the back. But they both look the same. So, which of the two do I plug in or do I not plug anything in at all?
    [​IMG]

    Second question. The headlight isn't working. I changed the bulb out but that didn't make a difference. All the other lights on the scooter work. I can't figure out where the issue is.
    #16
  17. Vertical C

    Vertical C Long timer

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    Buy a circuit tester and work backwards from the headlight
    #17
  18. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Took the scooter out for its first out of city ride. A little over 20 miles, mostly on the highway. I was pretty impressed overall. On a couple of long hills the speed dropped to 53-54 mph. Max speed was 68 doing downhill behind a car. It cruised just under 65mph without any trouble.

    I took the scooter out over my ktm 625...i think this will be a common theme this year. :D

    I still haven't figured out what those two wires are or if they plug in to the cdi. I also noticed that my fuel gauge is totally off. I filled the tank up thinking I was on empty, it only took .75 gallons. And when I turned the bike on the gauge stopped at the half tank mark. So I Got figure that out...
    #18
  19. rob1313

    rob1313 Still learning

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    A working fuel gauge? Come on now, no bike fuel gauge works well. Nice work on the scoot.
    #19
  20. Fener6

    Fener6 The Container Man

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    Began teaching my gf how to ride the scooter this weekend. Other than a few oh shit moments and crashing into the curb she did pretty well :D

    [​IMG]
    #20