Re-Voltying... I'm going to rebuild her!

[klingon]

"Gentlemen (and ladies) we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic Volty. Better than she was before. Better…stronger…faster.”

My Volty got squished last week (hit from behind at a stop sign... she must have forgotten that she had her invisible powers turned on). The insurance company wrote her off because she was "uneconomical to repair."

Today I have accepted the insurance company's offer, and asked to buy her remains back. As soon as the paperwork has been trucked to my house, I will start rebuilding her!

Here's where I ask for your help. I will post a list of what I need. If you have some parts in reasonable condition that you're prepared to sell for a reasonable price, please let me know.

Some Volty bits are interchangeable with GN bits, and some are specific to a Volty. It's likely that others are fairly generic and will fit almost anything (indicators maybe?) I'm happy to use any bits & pieces that fit, on advice from my Technical Advisor (Mack the Knife).

Here's what I need (followed by the 'new' price, just for your amusement):

1 Left front indicator.......... ($114.30)
1 Clutch lever.................. ($131.40)
1 Set handlebars.............. ($147.00)
2 Rear shocks.................. ($712.80 for the pair)
1 Tail light assembly............($269.00)
1 Rear guard.................... ($233.10)

(Total = approx. $6 million)

Those are just the parts I need to get her legally back on the road. If you have other bits & pieces lying around, please let me know. It'll be like American Chopper, Volty-style.

So... what have you got that you're not using?

[klingon]

By the way, I should mention that the frame is straight, the swing-arm is undamaged, the rear wheel and axle are ok.

Oooh I'm starting to sound like I know what I'm talking about already

[Deviant Esq]

How the hell can they justify that sort of price for an indicator?! When my bike failed a warrant at Sportzone Suzuki for having an indicator with a nasty habit of hanging off by the stalk... () I chose to allow them to replace both of the rear indicators with new smaller, sleeker ones... for a grand total price of $30 the pair, including fitting.

Have a phone around some wreckers as well, just to see what they've got and what they'd charge you for whatever piece. When the NZ fell off its stand (bloody foot is tiny and it sunk too much on soft ground) and the clutch lever broke in two, I got a new one from a wrecker for $20, and fitted it myself.

It can be done.

How much did it cost you to buy the "wreck" back again?

[crashe]

Klingon - As you know I have a VIRAGO but the bike was hit on the side by the rear shock and had one rear shock destroyed. What I did was fit two GN250 shocks to my bike..... and they are fine. Been using them for a number of years. To get the original VIRAGO shocks I found that they were also blardy expensive to get.

So rather than spending all that kind of money on Volty rear shocks look to see if second hand GN250 shocks will fit your bike. See if they are the same length etc and the hole size is the same size.


I gave my one's a damn good clean up.... autosol removed any rust that was appearing on the springs and they looked new.


Good luck in getting the rest of the parts for your baby.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

So... what have you got that you're not using?

I thought the insurance is paying for it or do I not spend enuff time online and I missed something...

[klingon]

How the hell can they justify that sort of price for an indicator?! When my bike failed a warrant at Sportzone Suzuki for having an indicator with a nasty habit of hanging off by the stalk... () I chose to allow them to replace both of the rear indicators with new smaller, sleeker ones... for a grand total price of $30 the pair, including fitting.

Have a phone around some wreckers as well, just to see what they've got and what they'd charge you for whatever piece. When the NZ fell off its stand (bloody foot is tiny and it sunk too much on soft ground) and the clutch lever broke in two, I got a new one from a wrecker for $20, and fitted it myself.

It can be done.

How much did it cost you to buy the "wreck" back again?

That's very encouraging to hear of your experiences, Deviant. I'm planning on checking the wreckers and Trademe over the weekend to see what I can find (I know GN shocks will fit and there should be a few of them around).

I've offered them $250 for the "wreck" (what a cruel word!) and the assessor accepted it over the phone. I just need the paperwork from him to formalise it all.

By the way, take a look in my profile pic to see what the bike looked like a few weeks ago. (No, that's not me riding it, they're my nieces. The difference is my feet reach the pegs)

[klingon]

Klingon - As you know I have a VIRAGO but the bike was hit on the side by the rear shock and had one rear shock destroyed. What I did was fit two GN250 shocks to my bike..... and they are fine. Been using them for a number of years. To get the original VIRAGO shocks I found that they were also blardy expensive to get.

So rather than spending all that kind of money on Volty rear shocks look to see if second hand GN250 shocks will fit your bike. See if they are the same length etc and the hole size is the same size.


I gave my one's a damn good clean up.... autosol removed any rust that was appearing on the springs and they looked new.


Good luck in getting the rest of the parts for your baby.

Yep, that seems like the best plan Crashe. GN250 shocks will fit my bike so I'll be looking for a set. I think I'll get Colemans to fit them for me - from what I hear that's the only really fiddly bit from the parts I've listed and it will mean I can get someone to ride the bike home... I mean... I will hire a truck and take it home then fit the rest of the parts myself.

PS. you have a VIRAGO ? I hadn't noticed!

[crashe]

Yep, that seems like the best plan Crashe. GN250 shocks will fit my bike so I'll be looking for a set. I think I'll get Colemans to fit them for me - from what I hear that's the only really fiddly bit from the parts I've listed and it will mean I can get someone to ride the bike home... I mean... I will hire a truck and take it home then fit the rest of the parts myself.

PS. you have a VIRAGO ? I hadn't noticed!

You can change the shocks over yourself.... they are easy to do....

Take a close look at how they are set up and put on....

Remove bolt holding one end on..... put on new one on that end..... then remove the other bolt and pull it back together to get the other end on......

Just dont move any part of the bike (like pushing down on the seat until you are fitting the other end on, if needed etc etc) when doing one side at a time, as the other side will hold it in place.
Once one side is done go over and do the other side.

shite I hope that made sense...lol.



I am sure that someone else could explain that a lot better than me....lol.

[xwhatsit]

Wow you could almost make money doing this lol. $250 to get your bike back, and what was the payout? $2000 or something? GN250 shocks will almost certainly fit, rear dual shocks seem to be kind of a universal fit item from what I've seen. I would offer you my spare handlebars (I put clipons on my bike) but they are bent and are more of a `sports' style than a Volty, I think your riding position would change dramatically.

I have a pair of indicators, no idea if they'll fit though (they're off a CB250RS). Will take a picture when I get a chance. Is it just the lens, or the whole unit that's broken? I have some levers floating around, again, will post up a photo when I can. My spare tail light assembly is built into the rear guard, I think it's completely different from a GN250 setup.

Good luck! If you need a hand I'll be happy to help, I'm relatively handy with a multimeter and I've pulled my handlebars and controls to pieces enough times already.

[klingon]

I thought the insurance is paying for it or do I not spend enuff time online and I missed something...

Insurance will pay $2000 only. (The whole thing is a bit complicated, but basically I'm accepting their offer of $2000 rather than spending any more time and emotional energy arguing the point.)

If I were to buy the "wreck" for $250 then buy all the parts at the quoted prices to get back on the road, that would be $1857.60. Plus $300 to re-insure the bike plus whatever labour Colemans will charge to fit the parts... it's definitely going to cost me more than $2000. And that's only to make it road-worthy, not to bring it back to its original condition.

So that's why I'm looking for cheap parts and aiming to do most of the work myself. Hopefully I'll have a bit of money left over to repair some of the cosmetic/non-essential damage and I'll be getting to know my bike at the same time.

Oh, and it will be able to run faster, jump higher and see through solid objects!

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Insurance will pay $2000 only. (The whole thing is a bit complicated, but basically I'm accepting their offer of $2000 rather than spending any more time and emotional energy arguing the point.)

bloody insurance companies...

[klingon]

Wow you could almost make money doing this lol. $250 to get your bike back, and what was the payout? $2000 or something? GN250 shocks will almost certainly fit, rear dual shocks seem to be kind of a universal fit item from what I've seen. I would offer you my spare handlebars (I put clipons on my bike) but they are bent and are more of a `sports' style than a Volty, I think your riding position would change dramatically.

I have a pair of indicators, no idea if they'll fit though (they're off a CB250RS). Will take a picture when I get a chance. Is it just the lens, or the whole unit that's broken? I have some levers floating around, again, will post up a photo when I can. My spare tail light assembly is built into the rear guard, I think it's completely different from a GN250 setup.

Good luck! If you need a hand I'll be happy to help, I'm relatively handy with a multimeter and I've pulled my handlebars and controls to pieces enough times already.

Unfortunately I won't be making any money - I won't even be getting my bike back into pre-accident condition. But I will be getting it back on the road, which is my aim right now.

I have to admit I'm still EXTREMELY miffed that one minute I'm riding to work on a sunny morning and the next minute I've got cracked ribs, concussion and a broken bike. I'm very fond of my wee Volty and I really wish I could afford to get her back into the shape she was in, but I've faced facts and realised it's never going to happen. Anyway, back to the re-Volty story!

The left front indicator is completely broken - the whole unit, not just the lens. So I suppose I either need a single Volty indicator or a pair of replacements. I really don't know the criteria for working out if they'll fit - I'll take advice on that.

The tail light assembly and rear guard are totally mashed. I'm reluctant to replace them with GN bits because the GN tail light is absolutely HUGE! And I know this is shallow... but I really don't like the way it looks! Beggers can't be choosers, but can anyone suggest a better looking rear end for my formerly-styley bike?

[xwhatsit]

Alright, here's the swag. Apologies for the crap photo, also I remembered incorrectly; I sold the rear guard and tail light with the rolling chassis, so you can't have that even if it did fit.

We have;

up top: slightly bent handlebars, standard size. May or may not be of use

far left: rear indicator (I have two, right and left), with pillion grab bar attached, just disconnect the indicator off. I include both rear and front indicators because either might be suitable

moving right: left and right front indicators. I have two lenses amongst all four indicators, they all fit the same

centre: Left switch block with (importantly) clutch lever. That's the headlight and wiring hanging off, ignore that.

down: Another clutch lever, different shape

down right: Brake master cylinder and (importantly) brake lever. Is not a proper brake lever I think as it doesn't have the flange for the brake light switch, so may fit clutch as well

bottom: Recommended performance part to fit to any Suzuki motorcycle. Fits between front forks.

[klingon]

Cool xerxes! Thanks for that. I'm sure the extra high-performance part will fit well to the sole of my left boot. I shall consult my Advisory Panel about which other bits may fit. That's one fancy twirly-gig clutch lever!

[McJim]

When they rebuilt the bionic man they didn't make him the same as before they made him BETTER.

We have the technology to rebuild her and it will cost:

Handlebars: $50
Indicators 1 pair : $50
Clutch lever: $50
2 Rear shocks - need to check the wreckers in Barry's point road
Tail light assembly: $50
1 Rear guard - it's metal right? bring it round my house - I have a "Persuader" (Hammer)

Buy back = $250
Parts = $350 Max
Profit = $1,400

Suzuki OEM parts are over priced - don't bother buying them unless you have a $15,000+ suzuki.

My 2c