Cash for junk motorcycles

Motorcycles in this part of Cook County tend to die quietly. A bike gets parked for the winter in a garage in Lansing or a shed in Sauk Village, the battery goes flat, the carburetor gums up, and three summers later it’s still there. Others end up in pieces after a crash, or a project bike never got finished. We buy all of them, running or not, and the pickup costs you nothing.

What to have ready

The title. Illinois treats a motorcycle as a titled vehicle, just like a car. The Secretary of State’s title FAQ lists motorcycles and mopeds among the vehicles that get both a title and plates, and notes that off-road motorcycles are titled even though they aren’t registered. So a trail bike that never wore a plate should still have a title in someone’s name. Source: the Secretary of State’s title and registration FAQ.

Two forms of ID. Illinois requires a scrap buyer to record two IDs from a private seller, one of them a driver’s license or State ID (625 ILCS 5/5-401.3). That rule doesn’t change because the vehicle has two wheels.

The plate, removed. Motorcycle plates belong to you, not the bike. Take it off and file the Seller’s Report of Sale; our plates and stickers article covers the steps. Some villages also sell vehicle stickers with a separate motorcycle class (Sauk Village lists one in section 74-245 of its code), so check whether yours needs to know the bike is gone.

If the title is lost, a duplicate costs $50 from the Secretary of State; our lost title article explains the form. If the key is the only thing missing, read selling with no keys.

Where bikes sit, and how the driver reaches them

A motorcycle is light, but it’s often parked somewhere a car never goes. Tell us which of these fits:

• A detached garage off an alley. Common on the older blocks of Calumet City and Burnham. Say whether the alley is open at both ends.
• A shed or a side yard, sometimes behind a gate or down a gangway between houses. Measure the narrowest point if you can.
• A basement or a back porch. Possible, but we need to know about steps before we arrive.
• The street. In Lynwood, section 102-246 of the village code bans parking a motorcycle, car, truck or trailer on any street or alley from 2:00 to 6:00 a.m., so a dead bike at the curb there is on borrowed time.
• An apartment storage room or parking lot, with the manager’s permission.

Mention flat tires, a locked steering head, a missing front wheel or a bike that’s lying on its side. None of that stops the sale; it just changes how the driver loads it.

What moves the offer

As with any junk vehicle, the number comes from what’s there. A complete bike with its engine, wheels and exhaust is worth more than a stripped frame. Crash damage, a seized engine or missing parts lower it, and so does missing paperwork. Be specific on the call and the offer you hear is the one you’re paid at pickup. Our article on what a junkyard pays explains the factors in more detail.

Bikes plus cars

Plenty of sellers have a motorcycle next to a dead car in the same garage. One pickup can take both; quote them together on the call. If you also have a camper in the yard, see junk RVs and campers, and for a car that won’t start, non-running cars.

We pick up motorcycles across our area, including Lynwood along the state line, Sauk Village off Torrence Avenue and Lansing by the Indiana border. The tow is free wherever the bike is parked.