Do I want to build motorbikes?

[williamsk1936@yahoo.com]

I have just about given up on ever finding another job at 73. I am looking at some down time when I get my knee overhauled anyhow. Maggie suggested after I had to let my son in Tulsa use my HT/Schwinn to find work that I could make some coin building and selling them.
What would a 70cc Gru Bee in a new $125 bike sell for ready to go? Or possibly a bit better bike such as a Cranbrook Huffey at $140? (NOT Walleyworld). It would require a bit of rigging to mount it properly. One thing I am concerned about is if I build one and sell it, that's just an individual doing his thing, but if I do a bunch of em and some dumbA-- hurts himself on it, he is either going to blame me,as a business, or George Bush, and sue me. Would going LLC do any good to save my butt? I may pursue that drive chain brake idea also. I dropped my resume of at the Tri County Tech office offering my assistance by designing and building machinery or prototyping for people in the new business incubator cheaply. I netted one father and son with a new steam engine idea that need a prototype built that might be fun. Right now I am skinning my Lotus 7 replica for entertainment.
Curtis Fox, one of the motorbike club members and his wife dropped by for a visit on their way to Utah in their motorhome. It was really neat to meet someone I only knew online. We had a good visit

 

[bluegoatwoods]

I suppose most of us have given some thought to building these for profit. My guess is that it would be difficult to actually make a living. (forget guessing, actually. I'm pretty sure of that.)

But if you're known around your community as "that bike guy", might you be able to parlay that into other odd mechanical jobs? Bicycle repair, auto oil changes, etc? Even then, you're not likely to be the next Donald Trump. But if it brings in as much as a part-time McDonald's job, then you're better off. But I'm afraid even that modest goal will take some time.

One thing you could do to expand the profit margin a bit is to forget about using new bikes. Just trash pick old ones (and many are not that old at all), give 'em a paint job and build.

I'm no legal expert, so I'm not even sure how much "limited liability" an LLC will get you.
But I'd be willing to bet that it's not worth it for such a small venture unless it's at absolutely no cost. Which seems doubtful.

You can pretty much count on being sued by the first guy who hurts himself. That's just how people are. But if you warn your customers at the time of sale that they're "not gonna be able to squeeze any blood out of this particular rock", then maybe the first or second guy won't even bother. And bringing up the safety issue at the time of sale would be a good idea, anyway. For those who don't listen and just want the big payoff anyway, you've just got to make yourself judgement proof.

So I'd say that you probably can't count on making any real money with just MBs. And certainly not at the start. But if you took the plunge and then "networked" with your community, you might build something that could produce a modest income. And with HT engines down to about $100-110, the investment is not huge.

Good luck.

 

[Mountainman]

well I have been watching a guy down the mountain that's building and selling HTs

don't think that he's making much money

plus I would have buyers sign some kind of a waiver
getting sued just one time can be the pits !!!

ride that thing sideways

 

[arceeguy]

Have 'em sign a waiver. No lawyer would waste his time if you show that the purchaser has signed a legal waiver. Notice that when we buy these engines, we agree to waive our rights to sue the manufacturer/importer/distributor of the engine.

The manufacture of these engine kits is a very small business, and all it would take is one lawsuit to put a small factory out of business.

My bikes sell for $550.

Brand new 26" MTB equipped with HT engine, headlight, dual pull brake lever, trip computer, and puncture proof tubes. The engine is disassembled, and checked for proper assembly, then test run for about 12 miles. Carb mixture and jetting are adjusted, then out the door it goes. I also sell engine kits that have gone through the same inspection and adjustment.

It generates more income than a part time job at Home Depot, and I work my own hours. My problem is keeping a supply of bikes available.

Good luck on your business venture!

 

[Member 5549]

Waiver don't mean jack...
ask six flag's that , they have a sign not responsible for injurys..
when someone get killed the family get 8 million dollors.
sigh's and waivers, contracts dont mean jack if the judge rules against you..
Anybody can sue you for anything anytime !!!!!
This is America for gods sake !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[arceeguy]

Waiver don't mean jack...
ask six flag's that , they have a sign not responsible for injurys..
when someone get killed the family get 8 million dollors.
sigh's and waivers, contracts dont mean jack if the judge rules against you..
Anybody can sue you for anything anytime !!!!!
This is America for gods sake !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're right, they don't seem to mean much when it is the little guy going up against a big corporation. Any scumbag lawyer will sue a megacorp even though his client waived their rights. They know that megacorp will settle out of court and scumbag lawyer walks away with the lion's share of the money.

If someone gets hurt or even killed on a MB, there is no megacorp to sue. Just a guy assembling bikes in his basement. He won't even spend five minutes reviewing the case before he tells the client that they have no legal leg to stand on. Not enough money for him to waste his time.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

I suspect that arceeguy is correct about the difference between suing a megacorp and suing a back yard mechanic.

But I wonder about something; suppose a guy gets killed on one of these. His wife, unless they're quite well off, almost has a duty to try to recover the lost income. That's especially true if there are surviving children. Now if someone wanted to sue me for, say, $10,000, the lawyer would likely have one look at me and fold his hand. But in the case of a lost income, the claim would be much higher and, maybe, taken more seriously by the legal people who might get involved. My appearance is "quite modest". But if he figured out that I owned a home with at least a little value, would he think differently? That's pretty much the situation that I'm in. He might think, "it'll be a quick case. And I'll walk out of it with, maybe, $3000." That could be trouble.

I suppose I'd look into bankruptcy. But I'm not sure if that protects one from civil judgements.

 

[Member 5549]

I know someone that got a judgement against them for 1 Million $
After that they filed bankruptcy and the Layer had 30 day's to go to the judge and get the 1 Mil. factored into the bankruptcy.
He did not find out, even though it had to be in the Paper. And the bankruptcy did not include the 1 mil. so he did not ever have to pay it. (there was no way he ever could anyway)....
Layers will just keep going till the money's gone, then they give-up, There like parking meters....

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Actually, seanhan, I would have thought that if the award was not included in the bankruptcy, then it would have stood as-is.

But I'm no expert.

The thought of having a lien (is that the right term?) attached to the only real asset I have is awfully frightening.

 

[arceeguy]

I would imagine that if someone got killed on a MB, there would be a car involved. I think that the bottom feeding lawyer would go after the driver of the vehicle (who has insurance) rather than the assembler of the bike. If someone gets hurt on a MB because of a mechanical failure (engine seizure, for example), can the bike assembler be held liable? Tough case - one that a lawyer will not be wiling to waste his time on, especially if the client signed a waiver. These lawyers only go after the "low hanging fruit".