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Post by 90GTVert on Jan 20, 2015 2:02:28 GMT -5
Nice! Can't wait to see the finished product.
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Post by tiny on Jan 20, 2015 4:56:34 GMT -5
Nice colour combo.
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Post by 2TDave on Jan 20, 2015 6:36:38 GMT -5
Looking good!
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Post by niz76 on Jan 23, 2015 4:10:31 GMT -5
Thanks fellas! I've made a little progress in the last few days... I can say that Murphy's law is in full effect with this dang paint job! I don't know how many times the side panels got accidentally knocked over while the flourescent paint was drying lol. This fluorescent paint sucks! The Ace hardware paint was actually so bad I went and got Krylon instead. it takes so many dang coats since this stuff is practically transparent. Makes for some really soft and fragile paint while it's drying. The whole point of me doing this 'partial color change' was to be clever and fix a few really bad spots without having to re-paint the whole scoot. I have so much time into this silly paint project that I finally said screw it and quit caring about it turning out pristine and just want to get it done! lol. Here's a few more panels painted- I have them almost all done now...  One of pieces that's giving me a really hard time is the front fender. When I power washed everything half the dang paint came off of it!  Of course I'm trying to be clever and keep the blue so this is my solution...  Well it was going all fine and dandy until I started peeling the tape off and more paint went with it!  I came up with a solution to add silver to match the Derbi "Bullet" side panels and that's currently drying... The last four scoots I've bought have had crap batteries but I always manage to fudge it somehow so I don't have to buy a battery, but this one didn't come with a battery at all and I'm fresh out so I bit the Bullet- pun intended  - and got a brand new battery. Not too bad- only $30 at Wally World.  Both mirror mounts were broke off this scoot- well, actually one was and I broke the other one off too trying to remove it oops! I bought a new set from partsforscooters and actually used the welder to weld a new nut on and make the repair!   Pretty? No. But functional! Gotta start somewhere! Yeehaw for gettin' it done with the welder!  I think this scoot is going to turn out quite nice. It starts right up on first kick and although my painted parts have been through hell and back I think it's going to look pretty sharp when it's all back together. just need to sort through the control switches and wiring as I noticed a few things were messed up, and do some cleaning here and there and she should be all back together and ready to go shortly! |
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 1:25:26 GMT -5
Starting to go back together now...  |
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 5:31:10 GMT -5
For being such a PITA. the front fender turned out fantastic!   |
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Post by Clank on Jan 24, 2015 5:38:40 GMT -5
Looking good brother. You are the best at Nizzing scoots. I'm trying to Niz my first the Jonway. Great documentarys of your experiences and successes. Keep it up.
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 5:39:51 GMT -5
The stock airbox turned out to be a no-go so I made some brackets and adapted this Mina rear-facing box:   Now I just need to repaint it... *sigh* |
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 8:12:13 GMT -5
Looking good brother. You are the best at Nizzing scoots. I'm trying to Niz my first the Jonway. Great documentarys of your experiences and successes. Keep it up. Thanks brother I really appreciate the kind words- good luck on your 'niz' lol. I was going to write a few tips for ya but I got crazy and did a full blown write-up lol. See next post. |
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 8:20:57 GMT -5
I was planning to just give clank a few "flip tips" but I got a little carried away and wrote a full blown article lol. I figured since I'm on my tenth flip now I'd share some of the things I've learned along the way.... Top 10 'Flip Tips' I've learned along the way...#1- A no brainer: Flip scoots always have to have a title- ALWAYS! I see so many scoots being sold on CL where they say "no title but can give bill of sale." I hate it when they write that! The bill of sale means squat! In FL anyways. They don't even ask to see it when titling and registering a scoot. It's basically just a receipt and has no power at the Tax collector (DMV) at all. I could write a whole thread devoted to title issues but basically I just stick to buying scoots that have titles. #2- After all these flips I've come to this conclusion just recently; I'd much rather buy a scoot to flip that looks good and doesn't run than one that runs great but looks like crap. It's just sooo much work and- mainly- time to get a scoot looking good again that it's rarely worth all the effort unless it's a high dollar scoot that'll fetch a considerable profit... Prepping and painting scoots also costs more $$ than you'd think it does. I've amassed a lot of painting supplies now so it's not that bad, but it usually costs $100 or so to end up with a good looking scoot- and tons of labor! Worst case scenario is a non-runner has a bad crank that can usually be replaced for $100 +- depending if you re-use bearings etc. Odds are the crank is fine and it's usually a bad top end or carb- or both- and could be replaced brand new for $100 or so (we're talking cheap ebay stuff here) #3- Keep it stock! I've found that it's much more difficult- and mainly time consuming- to tune a scoot with performance parts than it is to tune a 49cc stocker. Funny thing is the 70cc performance stuff doesn't really add much more value to the scoot anyways. $300 in performance parts doesn't make a $600 scoot a $900 scoot so keep the goodies for yourself! #4- Cherry Pick! One of my most enjoyable benefits of flipping scoots is cherry picking the good stuff for myself and replacing it with stock. I've cherry picked; a Tecnigas RSII (I think) expansion pipe, Airsal BBK, larger than stock Dellorto carb, 28mm Kiehen carb, vertical performance intake, Polini clutch, etc. etc! #5- Keep everything! I honestly don't even remember how I got a lot of this stuff but I have a whole pile of belts (I haven't been buying any so how did I end up with a bunch of extras??), a collection of 49cc cylinders (I often get the 'box o' stuff' with a scoot purchase that has extra odds and ends including cylinders!), a bunch of rings, gaskets, nuts and bolts, etc. The more scoots I flip the more likely it is that i have the extra part I need to get it running without having to wait for an order. #6- Stock Up! Again, I've been kicking it up a notch in this category as I've been caught too many times with my pants down needing a jet I don't have or the right circlips etc. I've been buying these cheap little odds and ends here and there so I always have them ready. #7- Sell Cheap Sell Fast! I'll admit that I probably could've gotten more $$ for a few of the scoots I've flipped but I'd rather have it sold in 3 or 4 days and have $$ to keep the ball rolling rather than sit on a scoot for a month for a couple hundred more dollars. #8- Be Ready at all times! Too many times I've sold a scoot and been itching to get the next flip but there's nothing much available for sale at the time which makes me a 'motivated buyer' meaning I'll pay more than i normally would. It can be hard to hang on to $$ when there's always another bill to pay or a bazillion little things I want to buy, but I try to keep at least a couple hundred $$ in my 'scooter money envelope' so I can jump on the great deals when they hit CL. I'm actually in that boat right now. I spent too much money and there's a good deal but now I have to wait until this scoot sells and then hope it's still available  #9- Don't get Attached! If I kept every scoot I liked I'd have a collection! lol. There's been a few flip scoots now that have come through my garage that I really really wanted to keep- especially when they're all done and looking purty! This has actually been a great experience to let me ride and try a bunch of different scoots so I know when I do find that must-have keeper, it'll truly be what I want! #10- Don't make it too complicated! This is probably the area I struggle with the most. Although I've flipped 10 scoots now I still tend to want to tune every one of them- "I could get a little better take-off if I just tune this CVT a little more..." Even though we are scoot hobbyist (well, most of us) and fully capable of getting more out of a stock non-tuned scoot, in reality it just takes up way too much time and doesn't really add much- if any- value to the scoot anyway. I tend to get a mental image of what the scoot could look like and spend waayyy too much time producing a sweet custom looking scooter when I could've just cleaned it up really good and gotten the same sale price anyway. That's not to say attention to detail isn't important! For example, I take all the rusty bolts and soak them in a cup of muriatic acid for a while (20 minutes) and if they still don't look good I'll actually take the time to stick them all in a piece of cardboard and spray paint the heads. No rust allowed on a scoot I'm selling! All these little details add up to a really nice finished product. Bonus Tip # 11: Please, Please for the love of god- write a good sales ad! What a shame it would be to take all that time and effort to produce a nice product for a tidy profit and then get lazy or just plain drop the ball when it comes time to write your sales ad. I can honestly say that I think this is my secret weapon and why I always sell my scoots quickly and for full price while other scoots are left unsold for weeks. Give lots of details! Take tons of pics! I can't stand some of these folks on Craigslist with their one or two line descriptions and one crappy dark shot of a scoot where you can barely even see it. Hey I guess it's better than the ones that don't even bother to post a pic, or if they don't know how they don't bother to figure it out. It's not like days past when you had to pay per word or per line- it's free. Take advantage! The more details and the more pics you provide the more likely a buyer is to choose your scoot over a ton of other ones. Buyers tell me all the time they bought my scoot because of all the details I give! I used to think I was good at writing an ad and taking good pics until I got a job in the back room of a pawn shop once. This kid totally schooled me and now I make sure my pics are crystal clear and the ad as detailed as possible. This is probably the most important step in making your profit. Do it! It Works! Flipping scoots isn't rocket science, but it's not exactly eazy cheezy either. My two best flips (both 4t's  ) were probably the retro Jet Classic because it was in great shape and only needed a $55 bbk, and the yellow "B series" scoot because it only needed a few things and I decided not to go crazy making it look perfect so it was a fast flip and just as good profit as some I put way more work into... To sum it all up; Buy cheap- it's like the saying goes "you make your $$ when you buy". Only buy scoots with titles; messing around with non-titled scoots will get you nowhere fast once you realize what a fiasco it is to get the title- if even possible. Don't spend too much time polishing a turd. You're better off buying a decent looking scoot and spending half the time to make it run right than what it takes to make it look good. K.I.S.S.- stock scoots sell for around the same $$ as one that has a few mods- and easier to tune too! keep all those goodies for yourself! Have a few of the neccessities available like jets, belts etc. Nothing like waiting for a few days on a $10 part to bring your flip to a grinding halt. Keep some $$ available to jump on the great deals before someone else does! Don't get attached- if you want to make a profit you gotta sell it! There's great deals every week and that keeper will show up eventually! Write a good sales ad! Don't get lazy now! if you're not the best at writing an ad have someone else to it for you. Take a ton of pics because hey- they're worth a thousand words right? Most importantly- Have Fun! You're not going to get rich flipping scoots (well if you do let me know how!) so it may as well be enjoyable. Happy scootin! |
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Post by 2strokd on Jan 24, 2015 10:06:43 GMT -5
Very nice! Keep up the good work man! Impressed. Titles are no big deal around here. I mean its nice to have one and all but... All you need to get one is a Make/model and VIN. You sign an affidavit at the BMV and you get a title in the mail. If you run the VIN or have it checked when purchasing a used scooter there should be no problem. Its different everywhere.. Here in Indiana they just passed a law this year saying we need them registered. Well, this in Indiana can be a huge problem as most all scooters were sold even brand new without a title. You never needed one before the new law. I am glad the state understands this and has a pretty easy way around the title-less scooters. However, i wouldnt want to be the fool that walks in to get a scooter or moped that has been reported stolen registered  I am hoping the new law eases some of the thefts we have such a big problem with as they all need to be registered and have plates from now on.,, |
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 13:14:24 GMT -5
I wish they were a little less strict in FL but a scoot with no title here is basically a parts bike... I have ran into a few issues that were fairly easily resolved regarding scooters olders than 2004 without a title. In 2004 FL changed the law so that every scoot had to have a title to change hands. I bought one that never had a title issued (pre-2004) and the Tax Collector (DMV) created a title for it on the spot. Only the named owner/registerer can recieve the title so he had to go and get it then sign it to me... Here, if you're not the last known owner on file then there's no way you can get the title to that scoot and if that person can't be tracked down then it's basically a parts bike EDIT: I guess there is one positive thing about them being so strict with the titles here- a fully working parts scoot can be bought for $75 to $100 because they know there's no way to ever register and plate it with no title/lost title. I've gotten cheap parts scoots this way! |
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Post by 90GTVert on Jan 24, 2015 15:04:15 GMT -5
That is a great writeup Niz. I have this one marked to add to the Tech Library. Thank you for the effort.
MD did the easy title thing for a bit when they first went from 0 paperwork to title/reg/insurance required. For $15 each IIRC I titled and registered the 3 scoots that I had owned before the law took effect. It was a simple online form with hardly any details, no certificate of origin, bill of sale, just enter the VIN, make/model/year, and your info basically. They stopped doing that after the law was in effect for a bit though, at least AFAIK, and now you have to have bill of sale, title or CO, fill out a couple of forms and pay tax on it. With all paperwork in my hand the MVA turned me away with the TaoTao because the employees didn't even think they registered scooters so I paid a dealer to do it. It's just not fun dealing with govt offices so it should be avoided to keep your stress levels lower IMO.
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 15:27:34 GMT -5
Thanks Brent! It always makes me proud when something I write ends up in the Tech library haha. I started writing just a few pointers and then realized I had lots of them!
Good news on the Derbi....
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Post by niz76 on Jan 24, 2015 16:02:46 GMT -5
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- and got a brand new battery. Not too bad- only $30 at Wally World.
) were probably the retro Jet Classic because it was in great shape and only needed a $55 bbk, and the yellow "B series" scoot because it only needed a few things and I decided not to go crazy making it look perfect so it was a fast flip and just as good profit as some I put way more work into...
