16 Dirt Bikes for $5K, But Can They Be Made to Run In 1 Day?

Ring-a-ding-ding, how many are running?

Photo by: YouTube

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

May 13, 2025 at 9:38am ET

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Every once in a while, if you keep your eyes open, you can find yourself an astonishingly good deal on something you're incredibly interested in. It won't happen every day, of course, but you have to be absolutely ready to jump on it if and when it does, because it may never happen again.

This is one of those super rare cases, where Craig and his Bearded Mechanic buddies scored not one, not five, but 16 entire dirt bikes (well, OK, 15 bikes and one little quad) for the princely sum of just $5,000. Even better, most of them are pretty complete, with only a couple missing some parts (and one missing an engine).

In addition to the double-digit number of bikes that TBM filled their trailer and pickup truck bed with to haul home, there were also a bunch of spare parts and other cool stuff included in the deal. As a combination library and motorcycle nerd, you'd better believe I was excited to see that old Yamaha parts fiche tucked away inside an unassuming little envelope in the mix. That's the stuff, right there!

All four major Japanese dirt bike food groups are proudly represented in this haul, as you'll see in the video.

So, if you happen to luck into a deal where you're able to haul away 16-ish dirt bikes for $5,000, what's the next step? Seeing how many of them you can get running in an afternoon, of course! That's exactly what Craig and his buddies do once they get back to the shop.

It's a quick little trip through the range, assessing each bike's strengths and weaknesses, one by one. Compression? Fuel? Spark? Air? By their powers combined, there are quite a few running bikes with minimal effort by the time Craig and his buddies are through. Some need a little more persuasion than others, whether it's a few well-placed squirts of PB Blaster, a new spark plug, a judicious little guzzle of premix, or just a whole lot of kicking.

What do you think?

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Of the 16 original vehicles they had at the beginning of this video, how many would you guess are running by the end? The idea is to flip most of them, although a couple will probably stay around just because they're cool, or possibly for parts for other bikes. If you came across an opportunity like this, would you bite? Let us know in the comments.

And please know that if you're itching to get out in the garage and do something after watching this video, you're not alone. Me too, friend. Me too.