Tail Chop vs Resale Value

[RBX QB]

Anyone feel that a tail chop would be a detriment to resale value?

Now that I have a second bike for trips, I want to chop the tail off my Duc, and really make it a City and day trip bike.

But, the pessimist in me wonders if personal finances in a year or so may require I sell it (God forbid!).

[ducatiz]

50/50

[zooom]

ANY modification and it's value to a following owner is dependant on that purchaser and how they percieve it either positively or negatively.

[That Motorcycle Show]

Why would you sell a Ducati? HA! I would guess that a lot of people would be accepting of the tail chop when they are shopping for a new Duc. To me if it was done right it's just one last thing to do myself. IMO it just looks right.

[RBX QB]

Yeah... I'm already justifying the chop to myself... "It's MY bike, I'll make it the way I want it!"

I killed my fender eliminator kit during a previous mod, so I'll have to rebuild that on a rainy day to make the chop work. (yay... another cheap mod project!)

[speedknot]

This is something that has been on my mind every time I try to get the motivation to "just do it".  My kit is just sitting their staring me in the face but I just don't have the balls to chop the frame.  I know I'm not the only one.
I would have no problem buying a Monster that had it done properly, as someone else noted.  But I might be more inclined to look for a machine that wasn't heavily modded or cut up.

[Desmo Demon]

I would have no problem buying a Monster that had it done properly, as someone else noted.

I'm the opposite of you. I immediately disregard any Monster with a tail chop, whether "properly done" or not. I refuse to even look at a bike that's been tail chopped. I also stay away from any bike that has any mods done to the engine, has been repainted, polished or chromed, or just about anything else. About as far as I will go is an aftermarket exhaust system. Anything beyond that, I'm simply not interested.....unless the mods are easily reversible, I can sell all of the custom stuff, and put OEM stuff back on it (thereby lowering my effective purchase price).

I've seen some "professional" work and mods, and if that is what they consider "professional", I'd hate to see something they consider amateur. I've hung out in the motorcycle service areas enough over the years, that I don't even trust someone who is "factory trained". Some of the stuff I've seen even those guys do scares the crap out of me for the owner's sake.

[Slow Guy]

The way I look at it, I do to my bike what ever I want.  If I decide to sell my bike then any perspective buyer would either want it as is and buy it or hate it and not.  Sure it may take longer to sell but it will sell.  And anyway I don't think I have ever heard of someone not buying a Monster because the tail chop.




Soooooooo...just chop the make the beast with two backsing thing already!!!!







that is all
nothing follows

[Slow Guy]

I'm the opposite of you. I immediately disregard any Monster with a tail chop, whether "properly done" or not. I refuse to even look at a bike that's been tail chopped. I also stay away from any bike that has any mods done to the engine, has been repainted, polished or chromed, or just about anything else. About as far as I will go is an aftermarket exhaust system. Anything beyond that, I'm simply not interested.....unless the mods are easily reversible, I can sell all of the custom stuff, and put OEM stuff back on it (thereby lowering my effective purchase price).

I've seen some "professional" work and mods, and if that is what they consider "professional", I'd hate to see something they consider amateur. I've hung out in the motorcycle service areas enough over the years, that I don't even trust someone who is "factory trained". Some of the stuff I've seen even those guys do scares the crap out of me for the owner's sake.

ok ...now i have heard of someone not wanting a bike with a chop...

[kopfjäger]

I'm the opposite of you. I immediately disregard any Monster with a tail chop, whether "properly done" or not. I refuse to even look at a bike that's been tail chopped.

[xcaptainxbloodx]

I'm the opposite of you. I immediately disregard any Monster with a tail chop, whether "properly done" or not. I refuse to even look at a bike that's been tail chopped. I also stay away from any bike that has any mods done to the engine, has been repainted, polished or chromed, or just about anything else. About as far as I will go is an aftermarket exhaust system. Anything beyond that, I'm simply not interested.....unless the mods are easily reversible, I can sell all of the custom stuff, and put OEM stuff back on it (thereby lowering my effective purchase price).

I've seen some "professional" work and mods, and if that is what they consider "professional", I'd hate to see something they consider amateur. I've hung out in the motorcycle service areas enough over the years, that I don't even trust someone who is "factory trained". Some of the stuff I've seen even those guys do scares the crap out of me for the owner's sake.

Without trying to convince you youre "wrong" (to each his own and all that), I would ask you why you feel the need to exert such extreme stipulations. With the only major exception being engine mods, you can check the quality of most monster mods in a driveway with a handful of tools in >20 minutes.  plus there are so many benefits to buying a lightly modded bike. exhaust, sliders, suspension..all largely a bolt on operation. anything more severe (like whether or not the bike has been tuned for the full exhaust and chopped airbox with K&N filter that is easily discovered) can be examined at a shop with a pre-purchase inspection (50-150$ depending on how deep you want them to go at every shop ive seen)

As for a tail chop, not only is that the EASIEST thing to check the quality of but its also one of the most idiot proof ones. besides messing up the wiring/mounting of the tail light and turn signals (pop the seat off with the key and check how they did it) there are zero structural concerns and if the cuts were done poorly, or the internals of the frame are beginning to rust, it will be glaringly obvious as there are only 2 points that are completely un-obscured.

Personally I love buying bikes modded in the direction I would go in, but I would NEVER buy a bike that I havent eyeballed thoroughly and then paid the shop I would be taking the bike to for service give it a PPI. Ive seen plenty of bone stock bikes that while cleaned up very nice had horrible runnability/wiring issues (>100 mile bikes pristine except for that rat living in the airbox and the water in the oil...). plus if an owner drops a bike and repairs it without consulting their insurance you get A) a previously wrecked bike with no paper trail and B) a bike that in all likelihood had been repaired as cheaply as possible, potentially ignoring things like bent steering stops and tweeked framed that are easy to pick out if you take the time to examine it.

[RAT900]

I do not believe it will limit resale value...it will limit which type of resale BUYER you attract

Maybe 30 or so years from now I would want to restore the bike to as-built spec and would curse at a tail chop....

but 30 years from now I'll either be dead or in diapers babbling and hallucinating so who gives a damn

That said...I chopped my latest 2002 900ie acquisition last year without a second thought.  I used a pipe cutting tool to make as clean an edge as possible

I saved the cut piece and the tail plastic...

If someone wanted to, they could reinstall the cut section with inside-the-tube cylindrical sleeves or slugs and braise the mating joints/cuts together and grind them down and repaint...

It is what I would do if I was aiming at a 90+ point restoration job when the bike becomes a vintage antique, but then I would only target an early-mid 1990's Cagiva era M900 to restore anyway

IIRC that whole rear appendage was more of a DOT/MOT/whatever Gov't Agency mandate appeasement than it was an original Galluzzi design piece on the bike

lord knows it looks like an afterthought

and to give you an idea of what I have done with 46 year old pieces of shit see latest project below, trust me a lot of cursing into the air at the prior owners has been going into this rebuild/restoration to factory spec


BEFORE:





AFTER:

[sbrguy]

i personally don't like tail chops so if i was in the market i wouldn't buy a chopped bike, eacth to their own.

though with a chopped bike some things no longer fit, so fit if the person buyin it wants it they may not be able to put on all the things they want, like a givi top case that was made for older 2 sided swing arms by ducati, won't fit with a chop.  but aside from that its each to their own.

maybe most people would buy a chopped bike maybe some won't either way you may or may not have an easy time selling it, but either way you have to work at it.

[RBX QB]

Yeah... This would be the first truly irreversable mod I've done, other than powdercoating a few bits. That's why I sought your perspectives. I even kept the emissions canister.   

Thanks for all the feedback.

[GLantern]

Do you buy a bike and instantly think of reselling it?  Why buy the bike in the first place if your worried you won't have funds to keep it?  Hell riding it at all reduces resale value........  When I buy something I want I intend to keep it and enjoy it and make it my own.  If your so worried about the future then get rid of it now then you will have the money for your possible financial woes later on.

I say do the chop if you like how it looks and then go ride!!!!