Buying Donor

[mattyboy]

I have authorization for trike build from HQ (the wife). I am off to look at my first potential donor today. It is 2002 silver r1 from a local dealer that looks to be in very nice condition. It has covered 31000 miles with service history, it is advertised at approx £2800 but I was going to try and get it for £2500. It is injected with low exhaust, I don't have bike license so was looking for a dealer and service history rather than private sale. My mate in Swindon has license and said he will test ride for me just to make sure gears etc are ok. Has gear change indicator and Arkopovic can, it looks like it has performance rear shock too but this isn't listed. These are all great extras.

Any thoughts? Or anything I should look for on the bike? It looks very nice, almost too good to strip. Is the mileage ok if it has service history? I have been looking for service history rather than low mileage as I figure an engine that has had use isn't a bad thing as long as it has been looked after.

Thanks

Matt

[edwinwl]

Hi Matt,
All sounds plausible to me.

I always want to hear the engine when cold starting.
Second gear can be an issue.

The R1 motorbike is fast (as your tR1ke will be). Tell your friend to watch himself when test driving the R1.

Don't get emotionally attached to the bike. It a donor, it serves the higher goal.

[mattyboy]

Thanks good point on cold start.... My friend has owned a few similar bikes including 1000 r so he knows what to expect. He has already said he would rather test ride on a dry day which is a good sign. Will get him to check 2nd gear too.

I was more pleased that the bike looks good as I was thinking of the return on unused parts bieng better. If I get something more tatty I guess I won't get the money back as effectively. It also has black frame and swing arm which would go with my black trike frame. (which I haven't ordered yet)

[slugshot]

Hi Matt,

The 2002 r1 is the same motor as the earlier model but with yamaha's first attempt at fuel injection which wasn't really an improvement over the carb model.

If you're looking specifically for an injection r1 for extra top end performance your pocket with have to be a lot deeper.

A quick google on MCN classified shows a good choice and the sort of mileage to expect.

[mattyboy]

OK seen bike and cold start etc. Sounded lovely to me and fairings all looked good apart from slight damage to the lower right hand side front below engine. Frame looks straight and swing arm no damage etc. Have purchased bike subject to my friends test ride being good. It is off sale though. 2 keys etc.

Slugshot thanks. I realised this about the MY and the injection. I am thinking that the Injection may be easier for me to keep running at optimal performance and the fact that the bike has full Yamaha service history is great. 150 bhp will be just fine for me. Lol

[erik]

I managed to find a donor with half the milage you have found in similar price range. This might be of interest for possible future tR1ke buyers if the project might not fill in ones expectations. I had her check on a Dyno run for gearbox,clutch and nice graph and the mechanic approved the engine thumbs up.
Strange enough, fairings and tank do sell very slowww. I did retrieve 80% back on parts sale at this moment

Open a spreadsheet to oversee the costs and savings is a good thing. Documenting the receipts shows good history of the build and possible easier sale for future buyers too. IMO it would be a PITA to buy a kitcar without receipts and not knowing the origin of parts for maintenance. For this reason I did not buy a 2nd hand kitcar.

Get your chasis coated later so you can weld brackets if desired. IMO welding will increase value over rivnutting.

[mattyboy]

Hi Erik. I wasn't sure to go with higher mileage and full history or low mileage. This bike seems to be Genuine and looked after. I have read posts where people have bought the cheapest they could find and ended up with rubbish.

One almost identical was on ebay last night, lots of bids that went to £2300 the reserve was not met though. This was lower mileage but had no tax, mot or history. I don't know why but something tells me that a bike which is 12-15 years old with 12000 miles on the clock may not be a great bike to use. Particularly if it carbed & hasn't been maintained.

I am buying from dealer as I can't ride so it is understandable that it is costing a little more. The great thing is that this is 2 miles from my house so I won't need to hire a van to collect it. (another £50 saved) lol

I used to be a sheet metal fabricator many years ago and I did a lot of MIG welding, its been a long time though. I will need a mig welder but I like your thoughts on welding rather than rivets. If only I had a MIG welder.

80% so far! That seems very good. Superb work!

[Deleted]

I can't use a Mig, but enjoy using my Tig. A welder will be most useful

Sent from my ST21i using proboards