Question:  Will spending $200 on a tank (powdercoating+tank+POR15=$200) add $200 to the value of my bike?

The tank on my '89 is pretty dented (both sides and on the top), but there aren't any leaks and it doesn't give me any problems.  I purchased a rusty yet dent-free and pin hole-free tank for cheap, and have been considering restoring it and putting it on my bike.  At the same time, I plan to sell the GS in 6 months and get an FZ6, so I don't want to waste money on the GS500.  Do you think I'd be able to recover the $200 spent on a tank restoration via a higher sale price?  (As an aside I think my current bike, with 5,000 miles on it, is currently worth about $1,000).

The short answer... yes.

Your bike is worth what it looks... KBB has a say as far as what it SHOULD be worth according to how old it is and how many miles are forecast to be on a bike of a certain age.

Regardless of mileage, however; a buyer buys something 80% on looks. The "value" might not go up, but what you can get for it will be more. If the bike looks like sh*t a buyer will try to talk you down from your asking price. If it looks mint you have less of a chance of that happening.

I disagree, most people look at the engine condition as a priority, then frame, tyres and chain. A 20 year old bike with 5000 miles on the clock seems a bit tricky to me, i'd be more bothered about the engine than tank. At a bike that age, people will want it to run despite cosmetic damage - assuming the tank is ok as said. However, you could chuck in your spare tank with your bike and don't even spend a penny on restoration, whilst keeping you're price right.

Yeah, I think it's hard to say without knowing what the rest of your bike looks like. A dented tank doesn't really bother me, as long as I know it's rust free, and won't become rusty in the future. If I'm buying an old bike for no more than $1000, I'm not expecting it to look pretty. If the rest of the bike is in very good shape, and the only real problem is the dents in the tank, they're obviously going to attract all the attention and hurt the price.

What does your bike's paint look like? There's no way you could legitimately paint the tank yourself, whether it's spray painted with a lot of sanding, or using half decent rustoleum paint, and do it all for $50?  I have a hard time ever justifying the cost of getting things powder coated.

As your bike is so old all you may end up in doing is breaking even.

I think bikes with dented tanks send a message that the bike has been down hard.
Maybe not so, and my GS was dropped and I really didnt care when I bought it,
but vanity is a part of bike buying to most people . I think more people than not,
will move on and not consider the bike if it has a dented tank.
But then again, someone seeking out a GS in a world of R6's. R1's, CBR's, etc, etc, prolly doesnt care too much about
that stuff

I agree with the gist of what Danny said.  I'm not trying to put words in his mouth, but I think he meant the price the bike will actually sell for is proportional to its perceived condition, and perceived condition relies a lot on looks as humans are visual creatures.  A bike that's in good condition otherwise with a tank that has large, deep dents in it will sell for several hundred less or not at all.  A bargain hunter may put in a low-ball offer, but everyone else will shy away.  A mechanic might buy it, but mechanics don't pay top buck for anything on wheels!

To get book price, or near it, and to sell quickly, the tank and everything else needs to look good.  I would sell it with the tank looking good to avoid all the hassle associated with a slow sell.  That's worth a lot to me.

Quote from: bill14224 on June 18, 2009, 05:42:54 PM
I agree with the gist of what Danny said.  I'm not trying to put words in his mouth, but I think he meant the price the bike will actually sell for is proportional to its perceived condition, and perceived condition relies a lot on looks as humans are visual creatures.  A bike that's in good condition otherwise with a tank that has large, deep dents in it will sell for several hundred less or not at all.  A bargain hunter may put in a low-ball offer, but everyone else will shy away.  A mechanic might buy it, but mechanics don't pay top buck for anything on wheels!

To get book price, or near it, and to sell quickly, the tank and everything else needs to look good.  I would sell it with the tank looking good to avoid all the hassle associated with a slow sell.  That's worth a lot to me.

Exactly what I was thinking Bill! I also agree with the comment that a dented/rusted/banged up bike shows a hard life, abuse, and mistreatment.

A car's the same deal... would you buy a car with dented doors, hood and fenders? No... cuz it was obviously in an accident and who know's what's hiding under it.

The tank, especially, shows that the bike was SO far onto it's side that the ground hit it... or that the bars were hit SO HARD that they bent into the tank... or the person who owns it (no offense) was a cluts and dropped/banged it with something...

Motorcycles are especially prone to scrutiny on such matters because safety, and the over-all knowledge that the vehicle has been taken care of is a HUGE factor of how mentally reassured the person riding is. If I'm a beater... I know it right away and I don't push the bike past any cautious limits... if it's right off the showroom floor... time for wheelies and dropping a knee.   

Hmmm.  The bike is in decent condition other than the nasty tank, and ghetto paint job I gave the side covers.  A P.O. had been down on it a couple of times and then threw it in storage, but everything that shows evidence of the crashes has been replaced.  Guess I'll look into fixing up my replacement tank.

Just so I can brag a little, the bike has gone from an eyesore that barely ran when I purchased it, to my daily driver with only tank dents to show for its crashes. 

If the paint isn't the prettiest thing on the rear then i wouldn't go through all the effort to make the tank look pristine cause then whoever buys it will know it was replaced and start asking questions.  I would just keep the spare tank on the side if the one on it is still working and then when selling the bike include it with the bike and let the new owner paint the bike however they want.

I wouldn't think it will add much more than the 200 ... but hear me out ...

Putting on good stuff and explaining to the buyer that you did this and that tells them you have cared for it as opposed to neglected it. So if the tank is the only thing that would give someone the idea that you have neglected it as of right now, then that being replaced will really bump it more tha 200 for the right buyer.
But if you're dripping rust from every bolt, leaking oil from every interface, and running like crap and spewing black smoke ... then doing a tank gonna do nothing. Its about the weakest link ... strengthen that.

Cool.
Buddha.