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What Bikers Should Know About Motorcycle Salvage Yards

Neil Valentine D'Silva
Though typically denounced as just junkyards, motorcycle salvage yards have a lot of duties to perform and are certainly a very important part of the society...
Everyone who has a motorcycle knows the address of a few motorcycle salvage yards near his/her home by heart. After all, this is the place to scrounge for some serviceable parts for the motorcycle at dirt cheap rates.
For cheap parts for the motorcycle, the salvage yard becomes the place to go to. But then, there is much more to a motorcycle salvage yard than just being a source for parts. They are also known as motorcycle boneyards.

What are Motorcycle Salvage Yards

Motorcycle salvage yard is the place where the motorcycles no one can use anymore or don't want to use anymore.The vehicles coming here are discarded by their owners because they don't function properly, or probably not at all, or simply because the owner does not want it anymore. Such owners will sell their motorcycles to the salvage yard at very low costs.
When the people at the salvage yard get such a vehicle, the first thing they will do will be to analyze each and every part of the motorcycle. If there are small snags due to which the motorcycle is not functioning, then they might rectify them and put it up for sale as a secondhand vehicle.
But if the motorcycle is really beyond any repair, then they will rip up the whole thing, and salvage the parts that can be used. They will put up these parts for sale for other people who come for them.
Parts that cannot be used, might be sent to companies who would need to research on the problem the vehicle developed, or even sold to people who want to commercially develop the part themselves.
When all is done, i.e., there are no serviceable parts in the motorcycle, it will be scrapped. Using a very heavy hammering machine, the entire scrap will be broken down into small pieces, and then recycled.

Different Types of Salvage Yards

Principally all the Salvage Yards are the same. For example, some motorcycle yards maintain warehouses where they rip up the parts of the motorcycles and store them. From here, they are sold to anyone who asks.
But then, motorcycle salvage yards that do not have a warehouse of their own will just pile up the vehicles and yank off the parts and give to the people as they come. Some of them might even ask the buyers to remove the parts themselves. This will also reduce costs. Such salvage yards are known in slang as 'You Pull It' yards.
There are both traditionally simple motorcycle salvage yards and the technologically advanced ones. The traditionally simple ones are just places to keep the wrecks with facilities for doing them up, extracting their parts and allowing buyers to look into them.
Today, you will find networks of salvage yards connected to a single website, where people can place their orders and even get parts at their doorstep. This system is welcomed because it is very difficult to get a particular part at a specific salvage yard. But with the yards coming up as a network, there are much more chances of getting the parts.

Duties and Roles

Outlet for Disposal of Vehicle

It is the best place for people who want to dispose off their vehicles. Disposing vehicles haphazardly is bad for the environment and also illegal. Some salvage yard people will even tow away unwanted vehicles for a small fee.

Source for Serviceable Parts

They are a source to get small serviceable parts for motorcycles at very cheap rates. Sometimes salvage yards will have parts that the manufacturers of the vehicles won't have. If the vehicle has been removed out of manufacture line, then even they will not have parts. At such time, the salvage yards are the only option.

Scope for Researchers

Salvage yards also provide parts to researchers and developers of new motorcycle parts. These people can get cheap parts from here which they can use for their experimentation purposes.
But, most importantly, motorcycle salvage yards perform a very ecologically benefiting activity by properly disposing and recycling used motorcycle parts. The recycling ensures conservation of resources, which is certainly the need of the day.