Hello,

My wife is retired Air Force and she has stored a 2003 Sportster 1200 since she bought it in a shed in the woods. It hasn't been run since 2006. The bike was drained of gas, but nothing else and has only 107 miles on it. She paid with her military discount about $14K for the bike and spent a lot on lowering it, new exhaust, chrome, new headlight, easy pull clutch... and many more things. She retained the original parts.

1. She wants to move on and sell this bike. Is she smarter to put back on the original parts and sell it as a showroom restored bike with 107 miles and sell the aftermarket parts separately, or should she just leave the parts on and include the original parts in the asking price?

2. This bike hasn't been run for seven years. What are the first steps she needs to take to safely start and run this bike and what parts are likely going to have to be replaced right off the bat?

3. Does it make more sense to restore the bike to original and sell it as an Anniversary gold key edition or to just sell "as is" to a smart buyer?

Thanks for comments and help. She is truly a patriot and worthy person and enthusiast. The bike represents a failed marriage (before me) and back injuries which kept her off the bike.

Dave H.

 

sorry to hear about the past problems, first thing first get it running, needs gas new battery and pull the plugs out and pour some oil in the cylinders and comeback in a day or 2. Prop up the rear of the bike put it in gear and spin the rear tire a few times over to make sure nothing seized. if it spins over it "should" crank up and run. Oil change is a great idea and it might need a carb rebuild to because of dried up seals. I would clean it up real good, wax it and sell it as is with all the original parts let the new owner decide what they want to do with it. Good luck

 

Thank you so much. I am going to do a survey of all the rubber parts for rot etc. See if mice have done any damage too. Thanks also for the recommend on selling it with the parts.

 

If neither one of you have an interest in the bike except to sell it for whatever reasons. Then I would leave it as is and take it to some independent dealers or even list it as is. To me, it has set so long that it will need a lot of work and a few $ to get in running condition. New tires, brake fluid drained and drain / flush the oil and Gas tank (yes I know the gas was drained but what about rust in the tank) Gaskets will need to be checked for leeks after it is running. All rubber including the belt needs to be looked at and appraised. What condition is the seat in, etc.
If you’re mechanically inclined and have some experience you could do most of this yourself but again if your not going to keep the bike, why spend the time and effort.

 

That's also great advice. I am mechanically inclined on most of what you are saying, but checking for leaks and pulling out the engine are off my list. This is exactly why I came to the enthusiasts like you. Appreciate it.

 

Good Luck, do you have any pictures of it?

 

It's still sitting in the shed. I am going to pull it out in a week or two when the weather is nicer and take assessment. When I do i will post a few photos. It's a pristine bike, but it's been sitting unused for a decade. I'd venture to say that it has rust in the gas tank, bad seals, bad tires, spider nests etc. She had a magnificent cover for it which has been nibbled by mice. It's truly sad. She probably has about 17K into the bike and has never ridden it. Nobody has ever ridden it.

 

i hope you aren't thinking that you're sitting on a goldmine. all 2003 bikes were anniversary editions, so there really isn't a premium to be had for that. according to kelly blue book, you can expect to pay between $3800 - $4000 from a dealer for a bike of that vintage depending on whether it's a standard or a custom. so as is, expect quite a bit less. put some money into it, and expect slightly less.....

good luck.

 

I could be interested in the bike, what state are you located?

 

Thanks for comments. We are in Maryland south of Annapolis and DC.