Opportunity Knocks - 2002 V-Star Project - 3 options - weigh in your opinion

[montessa172]

One of the guys that I work with sold me the bike.. Has no interest in road bikes anymore and is hardcore in motocross so he just wanted out of it, sooo I got a smokin deal.
Its a 2002 V Star Custom.

I'm not really into this style of bike, its cool and everything, but not really what I want to ride..
So as the thread title says I have 3 options

1 - part it out
2 - clean it up as it is, make it legal and flip it
3 - return it back to stock and flip it

It sat for 3.5 years in his underground parking spot, not sure of the milage, not sure if the engine is seized or not..

The good

Custom headlight
Forward controls
aftermarket exhaust
17" rear mag
air ride rear suspension with on board compressor
side mount plate / light
custom rear fender
Air breather replaced
THE apes
Came with stock rear wheel / fender / signals / exhaust

The bad

rear sub frame is chopped
front master cylinder leaked down the bars / right fork leg
Mild Surface rust everywhere
unknown condition of motor / trans

I think its too good to part out so i'm either going to clean it up, fix whats broke, legalize it (get rid of the apes and side mount plate :) and get rid of it in the spring or return it to more or less stock, fix whats broke and get rid of it.... the question is which is going to get me a higher return

Stock examples are in the 4 - 5k range and the one mild custom that i've seen was 7.5 k. I would imagine the market for customized stuff is much smaller and I dont want to be pushing this thing around the shop for 6 months..

What to do??

 

[Scruffy]

Deep six the mag and run a wire rear wheel. Black out the headlight, side panels and dash. Add a set of wide whites. Finish the pipes. Black out the fork lowers and the triple trees. Swap the bars for something a bit more user friendly in the 10-12" height range.

Sell the left over parts and then sell the bike with the above changes. It would sell as is, but not for very much. As it sits it isn't traditional enough to draw the kind of interest it could if finished properly.

Parting it out it isn't worth much. Put it in the fanciest trim at a show and at the end of the day it is still just a warmed over Virago.

In my neck of the woods (Memphis area) as it sits is a realistic $1200 bike, tops. Down here seems to be all chromed out Geezer Glides, Road Kings or crotch rockets. Almost no metric cruiser market.

 

[montessa172]

You're along the same thought process as me then, uncustomize it a little, I have a set of full fenders off of a Royal Star that I might throw onto this thing also, thinking 1" beach bars too...

This is unfortunately sitting in line behine my suzuki so the progress is going to be slow at first and then a whirlwind of activity and gone, not a bad thing.. All i've done to it so far is take advantage of the warm weather this weekend to clean it up a bit... Definite improvment...

Chrome came out nice

As time permits, next step is strip down, gotta get the 3 year fuel and fuel residue out of the tank and carbs, pull the plugs while the tank is off, oil the cylinders, let sit and turn it over to see if its stuck or not...

 

[Scruffy]

I ride with 15" traditional apes. That I'm considering swapping for beach bars on 8" dog bones. My 15s and your whatevers would make decent trading stock...

I'd ride that Yammie if the rear wheel was swapped back to spokes and the vast majority of the chrome was deleted. But I would put on a full rear fender, something about stubbies rubs me the wrong way. Even my VN800A had a modified VN1500A to Classic conversion rear fender on it... And my Savage runs an FLH Shovelhead one piece full fender.

 

[montessa172]

Got this thing to run, is scary lean though, the exhaust and filters that are on it aren't doing it any favors!!! Jets and bars are on order, parts are being painted... The for sale deadline on this is April 27, I'm taking it to the CVMG swap, so gotta get moving...

 

[TheMainMuel]

If I lived a little closer and it were a little later in the season I'd take it off your hands as is. Especially if you threw in that Chronic 2001 CD, . Being that it's an 1100 makes it much more desirable than the 650. I would be replacing most of those parts anyway. Depending on how much profit you're wanting to get out of it, it might not hurt just to throw it on online and see what kind of offers you get before investing much in it. Somebody out there might want retardedly huge apes.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Yeah, I'd figure out your desired profit and list it now, kind of like trolling for fish, just because you aren't really expecting any bites it does hurt to have the bait out.

 

[3DogNate]

Yep get the fuel and broken stuff (brakes) sorted out so that you can brag about how good it runs. It's always nice to be able to have confidence in what you are selling. Then clean it up as good as she can be with a bucket and a brush and some chrome polish. then list it. Take your profits and buy what you want... ( or finish paying for your last project that you swore wouldn't cost half of what it actually did.)