Question About Salvage Titles

From the Web - "In North America, a salvage title is a form of vehicle title branding, which notes that the vehicle has been damaged and/or deemed a total loss by an insurance company that paid a claim on it. The criteria for determining when a salvage title is issued differ considerably by each state, province or territory."

I had a friend that used to buy totaled 'high end' cars and then do the repair work. He made pretty good money. Personally, I might try doing this with 4 wheels, but I'd run pretty fast from a motorcycle that had been totaled.

 

I completely agree that the value of cosmetic damage could cause a bike to be totaled, but I also know that it doesn't take much of a 'hit' to bend or crack critical components. Unless you can have a competent mechanic look for the damage, you probably won't find it until it's too late. It also helps to know exactly what happened when the bike was damaged. Did it just fall over, roll down a hill and hit a tree, have a car back into it, or suffer from a low or high side accident. I doubt that you will be the truth very often from a seller. I admit to being a PITA when it comes to the condition of a motorcycle which is why I do all of the repair work that I can manage on my own. You don't get many second chances at 60 mph.

 

Anything can be fixed.....at a price......a shoddy repair, an uneconomic repair, a diy repair that subsumes labour costs......inevitably any question mark about the depth and quality of repair impacts residuals. It can get you a cheap bike but, equally, a cheap sell on.

 

Here in the US a salvage title is assigned to warn any buyer that an insurance company has deemed the bike/car cost to repair more than the value of the vehicle. Cosmetic damage is usually not the key for salvage. It is usually more complex like major components such as frame integrity. Unless you are just looking for a donor bike for parts STAY AWAY. Also, Salvage title will follow throughout the life of the bike and scare anyone down the road. If you buy it and fix it be prepared to keep it forever.