Harley Davidson Catalytic Converter Scrap Price - Can You Sell It?

If you own a Harley Davidson motorcycle, you should know that most of them are equipped with a catalytic converter. Unlike the exhaust system in cars, the emission control equipment in your motorbike may consist of one cat converter. Thanks to relatively small engine displacement, the system doesn't have to deal with a large amount of emission gasses, so one cat is enough for proper efficiency.

Today, we'll tell you about scrap prices for old Harley Davidson catalytic converters. We'll tell you if these cats can actually cost a lot of money and are worth selling. For a lot of motorcycle owners, it's a surprise that their bike can have the cat, so the majority of things you will read about in this article will be surprising.

Here's what we are going to talk about:

• Do all Harley bikes have a converter and where are they located?
• How much money can a scrap catalytic converter from your Harley Davidson cost?
• Where and how can you sell a motorcycle catalytic converter?
• Are Harley cat converters prone to theft issues?

Let's get started!

Where are Harley Davidson catalytic converters located?

First of all, you should know that since 2010, all Harley Davidson motorcycles have been equipped with catalytic converters. Before that, only some types of HD motorbikes had cats in their exhaust systems (mainly CVO and CA bikes). But it doesn't mean that your motorcycle has a big converter the same size as your truck may have.

No, Harley converters are usually small ceramic honeycomb cartridges that are installed in different parts of the motorcycle's exhaust system. In most cases, it's only one catalytic converter without any pre-cats or other units available on your motorcycle. But it doesn't mean you can't sell this small converter when it's dead.

Here's what you should know about Harley Davidson converters:

• different motorbikes will have different locations of the converter - usually, it's in the muffler, but sometimes it's in the head pipes or elsewhere in the exhaust system;
• the converter in your Harley Davidson is actually the small inserted part that is actually the ceramic honeycomb with some chemicals and metal in it;
• we are talking today about these converters just because they contain precious metals like platinum and palladium;
• after these converters die or get clogged, you can get them out and sell them to recycling companies to get some money;
• unfortunately, after you delete the converter from your Harley Davidson, you should buy a replacement converter and install it;
• all bikes with internal combustion engines should be equipped with emission control units, according to EPA requirements;
• although these cats are small, they can cost you a fortune when you try to buy new and OEM parts.

So, now you know everything you want to know about these cats but the price. In the next part of the article, we'll make some examples to show you how much you can get for the old converter. But first, let's see how often you'll have to replace these cats and what can cause their death.

When to replace a cat converter in your Harley Davidson?

The original catalytic converter in your bike may die anytime. It's exposed to heat, so it mainly depends on the driving style. If you rotate the engine heavily and overheat it, the converter will die faster. Also, oil burning in the engine will reduce the lifespan of the converter, so you should keep an eye on the condition of the engine.

Well, most owners of Harley bikes will never know about any problems with their cat converters. Bikes usually don't live as long as a converter may live. We believe the average lifespan of this thing should be about 80,000 miles or 10-12 years. But if you own a relatively old bike that was equipped with a cat, you can have problems with it.

Once the converter gets clogged, you will have to replace it, otherwise, the engine will not be able to breathe and work correctly. Deleting is the only way to let your bike go. Also, once you delete the cat, the Harley Davidson will get all its power and efficiency back. This is important for any motorcycle owner, right?

So, the clogged converter should be replaced. And now you have in your hands a bare honeycomb that you actually don't need. What should you do with it? You may have heard that people sell their catalytic converters taken off vehicles. So, why not try?

How much should a Harley Davidson catalytic converter cost?

You will not be able to get a lot of money because the overall weight of precious metals in these converters is not that big. It means a recycling company will not be able to take out a lot of precious materials, resell them, and earn a lot of profits.

The Harley Davidson catalytic converter scrap should cost $40 to $100 depending on the model and size. Some smaller engines have tiny converters that are hard to sell at a decent price. But bigger bikes will have better catalytic converters with bigger weights and higher scrap prices.

The average price should be about $60. That's not really a lot but this will compensate for your expenses.

Here are the main factors that may change the price of the scrap converter from your Harley:

• the size and weight of the cats in your Harley Davidson;
• the serial number on your cat's body;
• the current prices for platinum and palladium;
• the buyer you choose for selling your cat converter to;
• other minor factors that sometimes make a change.

Well, if you are reading our article after you've been to one of the local scrapyards, you may be just confused because those guys told you they were ready to pay ten bucks for your cat. How can it cost up to $100 then? Let's see.

How to sell your cat converter from the Harley Davidson? And who will buy it?

Well, you can sell a converter after you carefully take it out of the muffler. If the honeycomb is destroyed or broken, it will be quite hard to find anyone willing to buy it. Let's assume, you have the converter in your hands. Now, you have a couple of options:

• go to a scrapyard and sell it there for ten bucks;
• find a private buyer (reseller) and sell the cat to this person for twenty bucks;
• ask for a discount in your garage and leave the cat there;
• contact one of the recycling companies and get some decent money.

Obviously, recycling companies are the best options in this case. They are going to provide you with all the needed information on how to delete the cat carefully and how to prepare it for shipping. Also, in most cases, these companies will pay for shipping which is really important.

There are numerous recycling companies and you can choose between them. But how can you choose the best company if you have never sold a cat converter yet? Here's how:

• find three or four companies' websites and open them in your browser;
• take pictures of your converter;
• find the possibility to quote - it's usually presented on every recycling company's website;
• send the pictures to these companies and wait for their answer;
• compare their price offers and choose the best company.

This will take you 15 minutes but you will be able to compare the offers. Usually, recycling companies will pay you $40 to $100 for one Harley Davidson catalytic converter that is still in a good condition (it may be clogged and not working, but should look good).

Are Harley motorcycles prone to cat converter theft?

In short, no, they aren't. It's not that easy to take the converter out of the Harley motorcycle. What's more, thieves don't even know your motorcycle contains a catalytic converter. One more important factor, these cats are not as expensive as cat converters from your vehicle.

Also, a thief can never be sure that your motorcycle has an OEM converter. And you should know that any aftermarket converter will not cost as much as the OEM one. Even if you have the elite Akrapovic cat converter in your Harley Davidson, it won't be as good when you sell it like a scrap part.

So, stealing a converter from a motorcycle will take a lot of time and effort but won't bring a lot of money.

Final words

Catalytic converters in your Harley Davidson still cost some money even when they don't work and don't filter exhaust gases. If you are going to replace a cat converter, make sure you sell the old cat to one of the recycling companies. This is the best way of getting rid of the old OEM cat converter.

You will get up to $100 for this scrap part and will not have to think about where to store it. Also, your Harley Davidson repair after the cat converter failure will cost some money. And by selling the old cat, you will partially compensate for those losses.