is a 94 vmax 600 le rebuild worth it?

[yammi1332]

i have a 94 vmax 600 that i got with my 96 as a parts sled. i was thinking if i threw it back together and replaced what needed to be replaced i could get my money back. the previous owner thought it would be a good idea to let the engine sit outside with the jugs removed. my crank shaft wouldn't budge, im not sure if it was because of the rust or what but i had to split the block to free it up. anyways here's what it needs:

(has electric start)

crank seals

piston, rings, wrist pin and wrist pin bearing

Ignition Coil

carbs need to be rebuilt

more then likely needs a battery

it may need other small items nuts, bolts and clamps etc. the track is pretty ruff along with the rest of the sled as it was sitting outside for who knows how long, it has 4500 miles. im beginning to wonder if i should just part it out. any advice would be great, thanks.

 

[yamahmaster]

rebuilding the crank will be at least several hundred dollars depending on whats seized. if its been sitting outside with the jugs removed i would say the crank is junk and not worth rebuilding in my opinion. you can get a used crank for 100-250 dollars on ebay. battery 100$, carb rebuild kit is cheap, and what piston/pistons do you need?

 

[yammi1332]

rebuilding the crank will be at least several hundred dollars depending on whats seized. if its been sitting outside with the jugs removed i would say the crank is junk and not worth rebuilding in my opinion. you can get a used crank for 100-250 dollars on ebay. battery 100$, carb rebuild kit is cheap, and what piston/pistons do you need?

i need whatever piston works in it. (i only need one piston) the cheapest piston i found new was this http://www.mfgsupply.com/09-826.html i got all the bearings freed up on the crank, there doesn't seem to be any play in them. but im guessing because of the rust it wore the bearings out some so if it needs a new crank im going to have to say goodbye to the sled. pretty much what i need to know is would i get more $$$ if i parted it out, or if i rebuilt it? i need money for other stuff i need to pay for so i can only put 150$ into the sled max. so thats why im thinking about parting it out.

 

[Throttle Junkie35]

If you decided to part it out, you need to ask yourself how long do I want to trip over the stuff that hasnt sold yet?? If the seat and hood arent absolutely mint they will not sell. Also there are a ton of those 94-96 sleds on craigslist all over the states. A lot of them have been there for a long, long time. Guys are asking over $1000 for a running sled. Sorry to say, they will not get it unless it is absolutely spotless and has under 1,000 mi on it. In reality they are about a $750 sled in nice shape. Asking anything more than that is a very hard sell.
I would guess by the time you got the parts to rebuild the motor, you be at $250 easily. Parting it out will be the best route to make your money back, but like I said it could take years to sell them all. Trust me on this. If your looking for quick money and want the sled gone, list it as a parts sled. I bet you could get $150-$200 for it. It might not be worth your time to disassemble and sit on the parts and wait for them to sell. Your choice. This has just been my experience with those sleds.

 

[yammi1332]

If you decided to part it out, you need to ask yourself how long do I want to trip over the stuff that hasnt sold yet?? If the seat and hood arent absolutely mint they will not sell. Also there are a ton of those 94-96 sleds on craigslist all over the states. A lot of them have been there for a long, long time. Guys are asking over $1000 for a running sled. Sorry to say, they will not get it unless it is absolutely spotless and has under 1,000 mi on it. In reality they are about a $750 sled in nice shape. Asking anything more than that is a very hard sell.
I would guess by the time you got the parts to rebuild the motor, you be at $250 easily. Parting it out will be the best route to make your money back, but like I said it could take years to sell them all. Trust me on this. If your looking for quick money and want the sled gone, list it as a parts sled. I bet you could get $150-$200 for it. It might not be worth your time to disassemble and sit on the parts and wait for them to sell. Your choice. This has just been my experience with those sleds.

alright before i do that, I'll give the snowmobile salvage yard a call and see how much they want for the parts i need and add it up see what it comes out too. there usually over priced so i dont bother with them, but it wont hurt to see. this cold weather we've been having has made it impossible to work on anything,-30 in march is crazy so if i do rebuild it its probably going to be a summer project. thanks for the advice.

 

[yammi1332]

the thing i cant figure out is why do they sell so cheap??? i bought a 96 vamx 600xt for 500$ with 1400 miles and the guy gave me his 94 vmax with it, the only thing wrong was a tree branch fell on the hood and cracked it. if you ask me thats one heck of a deal. the arctic cat 580's go for about 1200 in good condition and the ski doo's that have around size engine and the same year sell for about the same. did Yamaha do something wrong with the vmax's??

 

[Throttle Junkie35]

Why do they sell so cheap??? Big tanks, heavy, but bullet proof sleds compared to the same era doo, polaris or cat. Every other 580/600 made during 94-96 had better handling for sure. I dont know what kind of power the other brands made, but I know my piped Exciter kills 94-96 Vmax's. Good sleds, but they just dont really stack up to what the other brands were doing at the time.
Me personally, I wouldnt pay over a grand for a 20 year old sled when you can get 97-2001ish stuff for 1000-1500ish. Most of the prices have been way over inflated for the last year or so and it shows because month after month you see the same ads on ebay, craigslist etc. Just because someone is asking $1200 for their 94 ZR580 doesnt mean they will get it. Chances are when most of these sleds actually sell, its well below the asking price.
Also condition is everything. Rust, dirt, dents, scratches, cracks and faded paint will drive the price down dramatically. A dirty rusty engine compartment and suspension components tells you the sled wasnt maintained and 90% of those sleds for sale are like that. A ripped up or shabby seat recover will usually kill the deal for me because its one of the most expensive things to repair. Lots of 94-96 sleds out there like that. With that said there is almost no sled (not all) built in that era that is worth $1,000. There are exceptions like low milage (under 1,000mi) limited builds, and factory racers of course.
There will be a lot of folks storing their sleds over the summer if they dont start dropping their prices. Its just a fact and shows that the used sled market is absolutely over saturated with used sleds of any year.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do with your vmax. Its the wrong time of the season to try to sell sleds or parts though. You may have to wait until next season to unload it.
Cheers,.