SuzukiSavage.com - Print Page

SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> The Marketplace >> 1987 possibly for sale or parts
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1754515898

Message started by 1stepcloser on 08/06/25 at 14:31:38

Title: 1987 possibly for sale or parts
Post by 1stepcloser on 08/06/25 at 14:31:38

Hello,
I have a 1987 Savage and I'm looking for info on a fair price to sell it. It was completely rebuilt back in 2013 and almost never ridden. My wife wanted it but as it turns out, doesn't like a clutch. It's been sitting around covered and occasionally gets started. There are more parts and stuff than I can list but the highlights are tons of chrome and polished parts, the engine has been rebuilt and upgraded with Verslagen's cam chain tensioner, anti kickback gear from the later models and a Mikuni carb kit from Lancer that I added about three years ago. all the cables, bearings and such are new, many of the electrical and controls are from 2005 and later machines. it's in very good shape for its age and runs really well.
Now for the issue... the engine has a knock. I believe it is from the counter balancer, but I don't want to take it apart to find out.
I have a ton of spare parts including a crankshaft, counter balancer, oil pump, clutch assembly the original carb, and many other things. Also is a brand new gel battery and a fresh oil change.
I was curious what anyone here on this forum would think is a fair price? $1,500.00? I have lots of photos for more reference if interested.

Title: Re: 1987 possibly for sale or parts
Post by Dave on 08/07/25 at 07:35:58

It is very hard to say what it is worth.

It looks great and obviously has a lot of work done on the paint and metal polishing and includes a carb update - but an engine with a knock is a deal killer for a lot of folks.

With the source of the knock not being known, and the fact that the engine has been apart and worked on previously - it makes potential buyers nervous about what went wrong inside the engine. With lots of new parts that includes bearings - the engine should have run a very long time.........something inside the engine likely was not assembled correctly.

Folks who would likely be interested in this bike are likely looking for a bargain - a price that they would feel is appropriate for a project bike that needs engine work. The knock could be something minor like a loose flywheel nut - or more serious like the crankshaft pin that drives the balancer wheel (caused by a fractured cam drive gear when somebody overtightened the left hand thread nut).

I believe the bike would sell much easier and at a higher price if you got the engine repaired.

Title: Re: 1987 possibly for sale or parts
Post by ThumperPaul on 08/07/25 at 11:52:20

Agree with Dave, and here's my take...

In good running condition with a CLEAN Title, its worth max $1800. There are too many newer and more appealing bikes in the $2000 range.

Starting at $1800, I'm going to make some "worth" deductions.

I'm guessing the tires are 12+ years old since it's been sitting around:(-$400).

Unknown Engine Knock: (-$500) that's a low deduction.

Lost, Missing, or Skip-Title: (-$500)

I'm in the $900 range IF you have clean title in your name. I'm in the $400 range without a clean title.

The last 3 fixer uppers I've bought were all in the $600-$800 range. They needed some TLC but none had knocking engines.

Title: Re: 1987 possibly for sale or parts
Post by Dave on 08/07/25 at 13:33:15

4D716C74697C6B49786C75190 wrote:

The last 3 fixer uppers I've bought were all in the $600-$800 range. They needed some TLC but none had knocking engines.

The motorcycle market here is full of used bikes for sale, and the prices are down. The local Craigslist had 246 used motorcycles listed for sale.......most of them are on the site for weeks/months and aren't selling.

A few months ago I had a person call me about the 2002 that I had worked on for them. It had not run in 2 years and they had lost interest. The bike was in pretty good shape and ran well when I last sent it back home after a carb clean, tuneup and new tires/tubes. I hooked them up with Stewmills and he bought the bike for $240. It needed a fuel tank and carb clean to get it running, and a bit of polish to make it look good. The tires were Shinko Tourmasters I had put on 2 years ago and they had very few miles on them.

Recently I sold another 2002 that was a customers bike. It had a windshield, saddlebags and looked great as you can see in the attached photo. It had 5,236 miles on it and had less than 1,000 miles on the tires. It sold for $1,800 - the bike needed nothing and was ready to ride anywhere. When I listed it on Craigslist it took several months for the "right" buyer to come along....his previous bike was a Honda Rebel 250 and he was thrilled with the torque of the Savage!