I know there are a lot of folks who would have nothing to do with a bike that has a rebuilt title but I have run across what I think is a good deal on an 05 Ultra with 21k on the clock but it has a rebuilt title. This bike is immaculate in every regard and was bought by a retired guy in his seventies in 06 with a rebuilt title already.
Does a rebuilt title mean that it has been totaled by an insurance company and sold as salvage? If so that bike must have had some kind of damage to be totaled at only one year old. What are the long term problems such as dealers taking them on trade and is resale hit really hard? Do banks want to loan less or at all on them? I hope somebody that knows these things can chime in here and direct me. Thanks in advance. Oh, and by the way he is asking 12k for it which seems to be about twenty five hundred less than dealers here in florida are asking for 05 Ultra Classic’s with more miles on them. I can not believe how much some of these craigslisters etc are asking for their used Ultra’s. Wish I could get what some of them want for my 07 Softail.

 

12K for a 6 year old Ultra with a rebuilt title & 21 K miles is NOT a good price. And at 21K miles, you're gonna hafta start thinking about the cam chain tensioners. My GF lives in Lakeland, & I have been actively shopping for a RoadKing in the Tampa bay & Lakeland area, and I have seen much better deals out there. Many banks won't lend on rebuilt title, and resale is virtually non-existant, IF you can find someone who wants it. Most dealers will not take it in trade, unless they rape you. I have seen the same rebuilt Vettes in mint condition for sale for over a couple years.

If you still decide to buy it, offer him 6 grand & be prepared to ride it into the ground. Also, check for a federal ID label. That's the little silver label Harleys have on their downtubes with the VIN & date of manufacture. Reframed bikes don't have that label, so it may be OK. If the label is there, then it's the original frame which may or may not be damaged.

 

Stay away from it. I am in the car business and come across cars, boats and bikes with rebuilt titles every so often. Rebuilt title can mean lots of things, could be flood damage, stolen recovery, wreck, etc. unless someone shows you photos of the original damage or paperwork, its a crap shoot.

I wouldnt buy anything that didnt have a clean title, its too much risk as far as resale, even though we buy things with the intention of keeping them forever, thats rarely the case.

 

>> If so that bike must have had some kind of damage to be totaled at only one year old.<<

Not really. With what dealers charge for repairs nowadays an insurance company can and will "total" a Harley with what could be relatively minor (but big dollar) damage. And they are also skittish about giving you repair money when the frame might be tweaked (even if they don't know that for sure) because if something happens to you later on they might be liable.

In any case the fellow is asking way too much for it.

Maybe you saw this video from a couple months back where the guy hits an ice patch on his new Victory. The insurance company totaled the bike and the guy got a new one. (If you haven't seen this vid before see if you see it coming.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3Mu...layer_embedded

 

Wow! That giant shiny patch made my heart skip a beat when I realized what was about to happen. Another reason I do not like to joy ride when it's <32*F, but sometimes you gotta be somewhere and no one can take you.

 

i hadn't seen that video before. i sure am glad that i don't live in the north where i have to worry about that kind of stuff... i know that with snow still on the ground, there is a very good chance that there is gonna be ice as well, and i shouldn't ride, but the temptation may be too great

did you notice? fingerless gloves, khakis, and loafers? thats some serious riding gear there!

and how long was he gonna let the bike lay there? unless i'm unconscious, the first thing i'm gonna do is try to get that baby upright. nothing sadder than a motorcycle on its side.

 

Thanks y’all thats what I was wondering about a rebuilt title as I do not plan on keeping it forever. Sounds like I need to keep on shopping.

Dicky, I have been searching the whole state and would appreciate leeds on any ultras or street glide’s you run across for a better deal. I have searched high and low and that one for 12 k is one of the best deals I have seen so far for an Ultra. I was genuinely excited until I found out about the rebuilt title. I don’t really wanna get any older than an 05 and would not mind the 88 with the 5 speed. As far as the tensioners, I have an 07 softail with 35k on it and nary a problem with mine, so I don’t consider 21k high miles. Even if it does need replaced thats minor stuff. They are just barely broken in at 21k to me. 05’ Ultras seem to be going for around the 14 to 14,500 range from what I have found so far even seen some draw that on e-bay. Really want a street glide but they seem to be even higher priced for some reason. Please bear in mind that I am talking about Florida and not the frozen north. So just PM me those great deals that you run across all the time please. Thanks in Advance.

I can’t believe that guy got a new bike out of that accident. I drove a big truck for years so I saw it before he hit it and I knew it was not going to be good for him. Thanks for the vid as I have not seen that one yet.

 

Way over priced, for a salvage title, which you should avoid. You should be able to buy a low-mileage creampuff w/ clear title for $ thousands less than the dealers are asking. Be patient. Keep your sights high. Don't settle for crap!

 

Mine is a salvage bike. But different story. It was totaled by an insurance company somewhere in IL. I bought it in WISC. I lived in Ohio at the time. It had a CLEAR title. Only thing I had to do was to get it inspected and show all my receipts and Ohio made me a new title for that state using the original frame and VIN# it is genuine HD. Nothing on the title to reflect Rebuilt, Salvage or Otherwise. I think I did good and saved a huge chunk of change.

 

NickD that is a seriously cool chopper ya got there...