Although a motorcycle isn't exactly a treasure trove, its body still contains a variety of raw materials—common ones include iron, aluminum, and plastic; less common ones include copper, lead, and small amounts of precious metals. When you spot precious metals, don't be immediately dazzled, because their quantity is incredibly minuscule and simply not worth the effort to pursue. Therefore, if you want to maximize profits, you’d be better off focusing on some more specialized parts instead.

For example, motorcycle batteries are relatively expensive scrap items. A 12V 7A battery can fetch around 15 yuan when recycled. In addition, the front and rear aluminum rims are also quite valuable—each rim typically sells for about 25 yuan. Next comes the engine itself: since the engine casing is made of aluminum alloy, its value is not negligible, usually hovering around 100 yuan. Of course, multi-cylinder engines tend to be even more expensive. However, it’s worth noting that these prices are merely indicative, as the riders sharing this information aren’t professional recyclers, so the quoted prices may differ from the actual market value.

As for which of these numerous parts is the most valuable, aside from the battery, it would probably be the starter, the motor relay, and the magneto coil—because these parts all contain copper wire windings inside. Over time, even small amounts can add up to a relatively high recycling price.

In short, the only way to turn a motorcycle from waste into a valuable resource is to disassemble it, sort its components by type, and then recycle them collectively. In this way, parts made of different materials will fetch varying prices. What may seem insignificant to us will finally reveal its true worth here. Therefore, dismantling, collecting, and sorting are the best methods for harnessing the residual value of discarded motorcycles. Otherwise, even if you were to offer an exorbitant price for these old bikes, it would still be pointless.