Have you ever found a deal that almost seems too good to be true? There has to be a catch, or you feel like you’re going to get scammed? Then you know the exact thought process we had on the way to pick up 3 2016 WR450s and a WR250 for just $1,100 a piece.
Upon arrival, our intuition was proven right. Only 2 bikes were fully intact with the rest literally cut into pieces. The only question we had was “are they stolen?” “Of course not, just sign the bill of sale,” said the old man “you can’t make them street legal.” Perplexed, we decided to indulge him and asked “why can’t they be registered?” “They’re dirt bikes!” he exclaimed “Good luck street legalizing these things in Florida,” he said with a slight chuckle. We smirked between our group… he had no clue who was buying his bikes.
What Is the Lights, Motors, Action Show?
Rewind to May 5, 2005, when Disney brought their ideas to life by launching a live action show featuring car chases, shootouts, and motorcycle stunts. The show originated at Disneyland Paris, but after a large success, they quickly realized parkgoers love the action and implemented the show into the Hollywood, FL studio as fast as possible. Immediately, the public fell in love. This resulted in Disney running the show for over a decade!
But, all good things must come to an end… on January 15, 2016, Disney announced their 11 year run would conclude on April 3, 2016, with 3 final shows. When April 3rd arrived it was an emotional 24 hours for everyone involved. Their blood, sweat, and tears were deeply invested in this production, and with the forecasted rain, there was a chance the show might now be canceled. To the teams' relief, the rain was only spotty and created an extremely memorable way to end the action. At 4pm the final show began with clear skies and the squad took full advantage. One stunter even said, “We tried to blow the bikes up, it was the last time riding together, and all bets were off.” Emotional and high on adrenaline it was game on. The performance ended with a BANG when one rider slid out and caught fire! In their eyes, there couldn’t have been a more fitting way to finalize the show.
What Happened to the Bikes?
Even after Disney stunters thrashed the WRs, they were essentially still fresh off the showroom floor only having 5-10 rides on them. With the end of Lights, Motors, Action, Disney no longer had a need for 4, fully built, supermotos. The only logical route was to sell them, but there was a catch… Florida doesn’t street legalize bikes that are manufactured for offroad use. Meaning no matter how “legal” the bikes are, there’s nothing that can be done to register them in the state of Florida.
From Brand New to Destroyed
Lights, Motors, Action coming to an end still didn’t feel real – almost like a bad dream that everyone expected to wake up from. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the producers, moderators, and stunters pinched themselves they didn’t wake up. Reality hit them all when Disney sold the stunt bikes to a private buyer.
The new owner held no regard for the sentimental or book value these bikes possessed. Upon finalizing the deal, he began taking every necessary step to ensure that each bike was unable to operate on roadways. Most people would wince at the very thought of doing this to a bike.
What did he do that was so heinous, you may ask? Since it was known these bikes couldn’t be street legalized, he decided it was best to destroy the very chance of that happening. Beginning by cutting the frames in multiple places so that no one else was able to enjoy them! Taking a circular saw with a metal blade seemed the best course of action, and the destruction of the, almost brand new, WRs commenced.
Truly a disgrace… When we saw this bike on Craigslist we knew it was too late for it, but not for the others. Fortunately, 2 of the 4 WRs still had intact frames just waiting to be rescued from this destructive hell they had been cursed to. We immediately got in contact with the owner and loaded up for the 2 hour haul.
After renting a 10ft U-Haul we packed 3 guys in and jumped on the highway. Upon arrival, the only bike out of the 4 that was still in one piece was the WR250x. Even the WR450 that was fully assembled in pictures was now stripped down to the frame, fortunately not yet cut into pieces.
“AHHH! You Can’t Title Those!”
Jeffrey (the man we’d been negotiating with) was doing housework with the ladder. Kyle (his son) ended up discussing and finalizing the deal with us. After agreeing on a price, Kyle insisted on cutting the other 2 frames since they couldn’t be street legalized anyways. Reluctantly we agreed while subduing the nauseous feeling coursing through our stomachs knowing these perfectly good bikes were about to become a pile of metal.
Kyle went to grab the circular saw from their shop, but as he turned around Jeffrey’s ladder slipped on the metal roof making him drop with a bone crunching smash. Worried, we all rushed to check if he sustained any injuries. Fortunately for Jeff, he was just sore with his wind knocked out. Kyle, obviously worried, told us “Load the bikes up, I need to get him to the hospital just in case. You already have the bill of sales, forget cutting the frames.”
After helping Kyle get his dad to the truck we had a scavenger hunt making sure no part was left behind. 1 hour, and an over packed U-Haul, later we hit the road with our “unregisterable” bikes.
If It’s Broke… Fix It!
The circumstances around these bikes generated a multitude of questions like why are there frame sliders on the pegs? Why are there gun holsters on the number plates? Why are 4 WRs fully stunted to the same specs with supermoto wheels and a full $1,400 brake kit with an FMF exhaust on each? Not to mention the seller insisted on cutting each frame before we took delivery.
The more I thought about it, the more dots began to connect. After reaching out to a few friends in the industry, I was directed to a friend of a friend who was a stunt rider in Lights, Motors, Action. I sent him a few pictures and he immediately recognized the bikes confirming all of our suspicions. You can see for yourself here starting at 29:00.
After confirming this discovery, we knew we had to revive the 2 with intact frames and make them roadworthy once more. Jeffrey had no clue who he sold the bikes to, and to his amazement, we completely restored the WR450 and WR250x to showroom condition.
We didn’t stop there, the bill of sale we received for each bike was sent to Arizona. After paying DMV fees and sales tax we received a license plate, title, and registration for the bikes so we could enjoy them legally on Florida roadways. Of course, we didn’t keep them long, but it’s hard to not have some fun while waiting on them to sell.
Or Don’t Fix It
Sadly, only 2 of the 4 supermotos were able to be revived. The saw already had its way with the other frames cursing them to forever being parts bikes. It’s not all gloomy though, we were able to sell each 450 engine for $2,000 a piece while bringing in some side cash for other miscellaneous parts.
Parts bikes are the embodiment of “when life gives you lemons”. Make the most of them, it’s always possible to find the positive if you’re creative enough!
What Happened to the Refurbished Ones?
Buy on Craigslist, flip on Marketplace – this is the best way to make *quick* cash buying and selling bikes. We bought the group of bikes in May 2017, rebuilt and ripped them for the summer, then sold them in September 2017. The best part of all? We only invested $2,200 into the WR450 and sold it for $7,500.
When the time finally came to sell it to the new owner in Tennessee, we road tripped 10 hours north, sold the WR, and picked up almost the exact same bike in Jacksonville for $5,000 on our way back home.
How Did You Increase the Value So Much?
We couldn’t have been so successful if it weren’t for the tried and true Dirt Bike Street Legal Service that Dirt Legal provides. Sure a showroom quality WR is highly sought after, but one that has a street legal title, license plate, and registration was almost unheard of in 2017.
Street legalizing it with Dirt Legal, not only increased the desirability of the bike but also raised the perceived value by being a diamond in the rough. If you’re looking for a way to raise the value of your dirt bike or supermoto, look no further than the professionals at Dirt Legal to get your prize road worthy.
You’re sure to have everyone asking how you’re legal, especially in a state that is otherwise unfriendly to street legal dirt bikes.
We are not attorneys. This article is not legal advice.
Caleb Hysell has been around dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, side x sides, drift cars, and diesel trucks from a young age. He began stunting and racing moto at 14 which created a lifelong passion for motorcycles. When he's not writing he can be found bringing positivity to the community by riding his supermoto.