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Repair And RestorationStreet Triple RX Salvage (Cat C)
The Finishing Touches
By Stephen Latchford
December 2015
I managed to get a set of original indicators off ebay and some pattern mirrors and bar ends. I soon had them fitted to the bike. I swapped the tail tidy over from my white street triple to the RX which would save money and put my white bike back to standard.
Next was the 'crown' which I always leave until last, this is of course the number plate. And that was it, done in a total of three weeks and a total cost of £4300.
Resplendantly complete.
So what do I think? It was a doddle and very satisfying to rebuild, I think I chose the right bike, they are very sought after at the moment. The Street Triple RX is the flagship model and should sell no problem, and that I think is the key thing when choosing which bike to do, it has to appeal to the buyer. Let's hope I don't have to eat my wordsOn my many visits to the dealer's picking up nuts bolts washers spacers etc. they were very interested to hear how much I'd spent, and they reckon it is worth £6000 easily because it is a rare bike. Production ceased after 9 months and second hand values will in their opinion push back up again.
Hmmmm...what's it worth?
Whilst doing my own project I stumbled upon this which I found very interesting to read and an excellent source of info for me as it was almost identical to what I had to do. http://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=168513
I did that, and I believe I did it rather well.
The devil is in fixing the details.
The exhaust had the smallest of dints in it but being the perfectionist I couldn't live with it. I soon sourced a very reasonable priced second hand one which I collected in person from a chap in Warrington.
Job done.
Well, there was one more thing. The bike had obviously been through a trauma and as such the engine management light was on. I searched online once more and came across a post suggesting I need to run the bike up to temperature then switch it off for the day, 3 times. I duly followed these instructions over 3 days and hey presto! On the fourth day there was no nagging engine management light.
Oh, and just in case you don't know, Cat C write offs come with NO V5 (Log Book), it is destroyed. However once the bike is in your posession you can apply for a new log book and this is free of charge. If and when you get it ready to go back on the road you simply insure the bike and tax it - no checks needed, just an MOT if it is more than the obligatory 3 years of age.
I suppose a lot of people don't know that
Buying The Bent Bike
Stephen receives his broken and bent Striple RX and starts the process of fixing that which can be fixed and replacing the rest. It's not all plain sailing.
Sorting The Rear End
Stephen does battle with the rear end of the Street Triple RX. There's drills, there's new and used parts and there's a steep learning curve about how it all fits together
Panels And Paint
Stephen's attention has now turned to sorting out the pretty bits. The mudgaurd needs a repair and paint, the Daytona rear panels are the wrong colour and no-one stocks the right colour!
Bent Wheel And Discs
Stephen is absolutely mortified to find out the front wheel and left hand disc are bent due to the accident. This could get expensive, REAL expensive. Luckily Stephen found expert help.
The Finishing Touches
Stephen's on the home stretch now with the Street Triple RX salvage operation. There's some images of the completed bike looking pristine and perfect.
Reader's Comments
Ian Soady said :-
The only trouble with a Cat C (or D) is that a potential new owner can find out about it. I personally would be somewhat dubious unless I knew the person who'd done the repair. I'd probably be happy to rebuild one for my own use but not for resale.
Obviously you've done a good job but you may not want people to look at this story as they might discover how much profit you're looking to make!
01/01/2016 11:43:27 UTC
Sharon said :-
Stunning repair work, well done that man.
Having once worked in insurance can I just remind you to be careful that when you insure the bike that you declare to the insurance company that it has been a Cat C (or D) write-off. It is the buyer's responsibility to inform the insurance provider the vehicle has been declared a write-off.
If you don't declare the Cat C and the insurer then finds out the vehicle was a write-off you run the risk of the policy being declared null and void and not paying out at all in the event of you needing to make a claim. Also be aware that if you do make a claim the insurance company may value the bike at up to 50% less than its market value due to it being previously declared a write-off.
Also when selling the bike you are legally obliged to tell the potential seller that the bike is a Cat C write-off. Failure to do so could mean
the buyer could take civil action under consumer protection laws.
You are correct that motorbikes unlike cars currently do not require a VIC(Vehicle Identity Check) inspection before returning to the road. Just to add here The VIC is simply designed to confirm the identity of the car and does not assess the quality of the repair.
01/01/2016 14:13:44 UTC
S Latchford said :-
I just wanted to show how you can get a bike on the road for what? Two thirds of the price?
The next owner or dealer will get the bike cheaper than a bike that has not been in a collision because I am not brave enough to mislead anyone, so when or if the time to sell arrives I will put it right out there as a category c damaged repairable.
I learned this at cost when a bike I owned was discovered to be a cat c when I part exchanged it to a dealer, it was an older machine, they knocked £500 off the value and I was left out of pocket and annoyed with the last owner, but that was my own fault, so it really does pay to get every bike you are buying checked out.
As for this bike, I am going to get the summer out of it and have a fabulous time riding it then work out whether to sell or keep.
01/01/2016 16:49:00 UTC
Steve said :-
I looked at this bike when it was at rs motorcycles, I had a good look over it and when I noticed the front wheel slightly buckled the owner said I was being picky !! He's very expensive.
It was great reading this and now I know buying a damaged bike is way to much work for me.
Thanks
Steve
P.S :- your bike looks superb.
05/01/2017 17:13:43 UTC
Steve aka Latchy said :-
Well I couldn't sell it I absolutely love this bonkers machine, so much so I have put 5000 more miles on it, most of it on a trip to Europe last summer. It has performed superbly with no issues whatsoever, and I'm looking forward to another summer on her.
05/01/2017 17:48:03 UTC
Steve s. said :-
What did you do with the slight dent in the tank, Did you have dent removal or did you just leave it ?
Thanks
Steve s.
05/01/2017 18:19:37 UTC
Latchy said :-
Re the petrol tank, I patched up the slightly damaged decal and misted in some Matt Silver around it and then lacquered over, if the dent you are referring to is at the front left underside, I left it until I have time to sort out or replace the whole tank if a cheap one pops up.
06/01/2017 17:45:46 UTC
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Repair And RestorationStreet Triple RX Salvage (Cat C)