re

[silly]

no

[Brute]

It happens in just about everything. Unless you have a 'desired' item it just won't bring what you have in it 'generally'. That is why they always say "Buy it after someone puts all the money into it" on street rods, kit cars and kit airplanes. I think the statistic was 90% are not finished by the original purchaser...
I started keeping track of costs on motorcycle projects years ago so I would not loose money (or too much money) on a project bike I 'wanted' to do. It was never about making money with me though, just a 'want' to do on an interesting project.
The last exception to this was my 2000 KX500 street legal SuMo I built a few years ago but I went in knowing I would loose my ass on it. I just always wanted to build a 'real' street SuMo. The problem is I waited to build it until I was 60 and wearing out. While it was pretty fun it wasn't THAT fun. Take some damage off my body and it would have been. My second KX500 had a plate but it was still in dirt trim. The third one (last) was a more complete conversion.
Best of luck on the sale. Don't be in a hurry and you 'might' find someone that just HAS to have one and has the cash.

[umberto]

That is so true Brute.  Unless you start off with the perfect scenario (easy to fix, very cheap purchase price), it's really hard to make money or break even on a bike flip.  Unfortunately there is a ceiling on how much people want to pay for a bike, and they don't really acknowledge the work put in to it.  If they don't buy your pristine bike, they'll just buy the other guys bike that is not nearly as nice but is what they want to spend.  Last year I flipped a 2003 KX 250 that I put a lot of work into and parts on. The bike looked perfect.  Thankfully the parts mostly came off of other bikes when I upgraded, so my cost was low.  I put the bike on CL for $2,500, and didn't get much attention.  When I lowered the price to $2,250, I was able to sell it in one day.  There was another guy selling a nice 2005 for $2,500 that had it on there for months.  I've found that locally the most you will get is around that $2,250 mark. 

You might try eBay.  It seems like the bikes listed on there are a lot higher priced, and you get a wider audience.

[Brute]

While I understand the urge to bring one back I got over that when I sold my 'brought back' '55 Chev and saw it three years later. I had replaced the original wiring under the dash, restored the rear wheel wells (many hours) using old school metal finishing techniques and repainted it while getting my degree in Body and Fender Technologies in college.
I sold it and moved. When I came back to this area I looked it up to see it and maybe make an offer on it. Not so much... He decided to make a 'Race Car' out of it. Tore the dash and all the wiring out of it, used a cold chistle and hammer to cut the rear wheel wells out round, then after that it went through a garage fire. That was the last time I fell in love with a vehicle... I was ill.
I sold a really solid '37 Chev to a guy that was building a street rod. I told him I was hoping someone would restore it and he replied he "Want the best body to start with". You save it and the next guy may beat the crap out of it or take it apart and sell it for parts.