A few weeks ago we were talking about how a new motorcycle is not always synonymous with success. Understanding success as that motorcycle does not make your life bitter after going through the workshop so much. But what if the second-hand motorcycle is the one that makes your life bitter? Currently, any vehicle sold second-hand must have a warranty of at least six months. But this is what the law says, and if you come across an unscrupulous person who sells you a vehicle with hidden defects, it will surely cost you a lot to prove that he knew them and that you fell flat on the purchase.
Now we are going to take the subject one step further. What if you buy an old / antique motorcycle to restore? In this case it is usually common for people to buy motorcycles that even work. And if it works, it is likely that it will do it for a short time and then you will have to invest a lot of money in that motorcycle. Let's look back at a couple of known cases.
It turns out that a friend suddenly bumps into you one day an acquaintance gives him an old motorcycle, which has been sitting in the garage for a long time. This with luck, because in many cases the motorcycle has been standing for years in a patio, or in a henhouse in the open. Look how pretty! It is also the model that you like. What nobody knows is that this gift is as if our friend were being stabbed in the back.
And that this is not the worst situation that we can find, because another friend, letting himself be carried away by the fashion of this or that motorcycle model, has invested a good amount of money in buying a motorcycle in the same bad condition as the first. Now they both find they have a pile of rusty iron in their garage that aspires to be the motorcycle of their dreams.
Mechanic workshop or learn mechanics. The great dilemma. The immediate option is to hire the services of someone knowledgeable in mechanics to resuscitate your motorcycle. That expert in mechanics, the first thing he does is evaluate the condition of the bike. The verdict is deep comaBut a good surgery session could revive the patient. That session involves a considerable amount of money. So much money that the amount invested in the restoration will raise the final price a few thousand euros. Yes, a few thousand, because the specific part adds up to a good deal, but the labor is almost as expensive as the part. Nothing that a few hundred euros cannot solve.
While one of them chooses the path of the mechanic who knows the territory in which they move, the other decides to roll the blanket over his head and do the restoration himself. After countless hours, countless annoyances and endless hours of consultation in “specialized” forums, both of them have their motorcycle restored and in working order at their doorstep.
Now it's up to both of them to start using that beautiful bike they have. What they don't know is that both bikes are a time bomb that sooner rather than later will explode. Well, it will be an electrical problem, something common in an old motorcycle, no matter how restored it is. Or simply a broken control cable that runs from the lever to the bowels of the engine and nobody seems to know how to get to those bowels.
In the case of the friend who restored the bike himself, he may know that part and be able to cope with the repair. If not, since you already know where to ask, you will evacuate the query in a forum and hopefully someone will explain how to do it. In the case of those who have trusted the specialist, the action protocol is even simpler. Call the mechanic, explanation of the problem, transfer to the workshop and repair of the problem. What no one knows is that these small breakdowns will happen for a long time. Almost as if it were the torture of the Malaysian gout, little problems will appear. Almost as if they were strategically spread out to test your patience as if it were holy Job.
It comes down to the same result. They both drive a vehicle in which they have invested a lot of money. But despite all this, this vehicle has specific limitations, such as its low final speed, limited brakes and / or mechanical delicacy. That if, stopped at a traffic light, it will be the object of all the glances of those who surround it. And if you stop on a terrace to have a drink, you will be guaranteed that a few flies will come to praise and fondle your precious motorcycle in equal measure.
And now what do I do with a restored motorcycle? If, after all this, our friends decide to keep their restored motorcycle, they will be able to enjoy driving a special vehicle, out of the ordinary and that will make them stand out from the mass of bikers who drive contemporary motorcycles. Now, In the case of trying to get rid of it, you will have to face another compromising situation. Because if on the one hand they intend to recover the money invested in it, the most certain is that some “smart” will come to tell you that such a model is very common and that the appraisal price is much lower than the one you have invested. So, either you assume you lose a part of that figure, or you settle for it and keep it as if it were a life sentence.
And I guarantee that that sentence can weigh a lot. Of course, the feeling that driving such a vehicle produces will always be above the sentence. But are you willing to face the whole process?
