Advice please on selling a non-runner

Hi all,

After a few problems with my Ducati Monster M900 I'm seriously considering selling the bike as a non-runner as I need a bike that is reliable and won't kill my savings every month. Basically, the starter motor went 2 weeks ago so I replaced it, along with an ignition pack that got fried by the AA when they tried to jump start the bike, and now it looks as if the ignition pickup for the rear cylinder has gone. I (well, me and a certain Mr Squid on the other end of the phone ) traced the problem and the coils and ignition packs are fine and the bike starts up, however the engine isn't telling the rear cyclinder to fire, hence no spark.

So my question to you is, should I sell the bike as is running on 1 cylinder and take the financial hit, or spend yet more money on the bike to get it running and then sell it? Do you think there will be much interest in a non-runner (although I'm confident that someone who is handy with a spanner will get it running in no time)?

I was planning to sell the bike anyway at the end of January as I'll be moving house meaning that I'll have quite a substantial commute, and I have spent the best part of £2500 since March on the Monster and I really don't want to spend any more on her.

Thanks, and a Happy New Year to all

Paul

I sold a bike with an intermittent fault on ebay last year, and while I took a hit, it wasn't as bad as expected. It's wroth a try anyway - set a resonable reserve and be totally honest is my advice.

Oh, and don't try it unless you have a lot of positive feedback - I had over 300+ and I'm sure that helped. Best of luck, I know totally what you mean, you just get to a point where you have had it.

Make sure you know what it would cost you to get it fixed before doing that. Cutting your losses is one thing, but not spending when in fact you'd see far more back in the end is quite another.

If it were any other bike, I'd say to try and get it running, but knowing that Duke and your luck (!) maybe you'd just be best off putting it up for sale and at least seeing what you're offered? I know it hurts but we had the same sort of crap with a van a couple of years back, and tbh at least once it was gone we could move on...

BTW where are you moving to? 'long commute' sounds like you might even be venturing outside the M25

Stick a new pick-up on it and flog it as a runner asap. Once it's running on both cylinders it's considered fixed and might well last forever. Just make sure you include the words "sold as seen with no warranty given or implied by the seller" on the receipt, and make two copies of the receipt - one for you and one for the buyer, both signed by both parties.

I buy and sell a fair few bikes, and I won't touch a non-runner or one that is obviously running rough enough to be considered ill. You can never tell just how much a repair is going to cost when you don't have the benefit of knowing the history or have to rely on the (possibly untrue) words of the seller. Also, as it's a Ducati you'll get buttons for it as a non-runner, you'd be better off breaking it for spares and flogging them on ebay or the Monster Owners Club site.

You've just helped me decide between another SV or a Ducati ST4S. It's going to be the SV all day long.

[fizzwheel]

I'd try and sell it as a runner, you'll get more interest, I agree with Lozzo I wouldnt touch a non running bike either.

My mate had a M900 it spent more time in the garage with electrical problems than it did on the road, he got to the stage where you are now and was so frustrated with it he sold his.

Good luck with getting it sorted.

Thanks for the advice guys, and yep Ness, I might be living to the west of the M25

I've posted this up on the UK Monster forum as well and I've already had a guy contact me about being interested in taking it off my hands

No idea what to let it go for though if I decide to sell

Cheers,

Paul

Ask him for 100 quid less than it's really worth, and see what he says. In all honesty, if all it needs is a pick-up then he's doing ok and you're shot of a money-pit.

The trouble is, every Monster owner on that site knows that bike's faults now, so your market has been seriously squeezed. They'd buy the parts from it broken, but wouldn't want all of it as a complete bike because it's troublesome...madness.

Does that model have a seperate pick up for each cylinder? Hmmm I needed a new one for my 749 which had been damaged by other parts disintegrating....all down to an error by a mechanic I hasten to add.

The point I wanted to make is that the 749 had just one pick up with a point on the flywheel that sent the signal for each cylinder. I managed to get a replacement as good as new from a guy in Florida off ebay for about 20 quid.Result.

I forgot to say...think again about your posting name, eh