Riding out louds tips for Assessing a Used Motorcycle #2
Last time we talked about the walk around, this is just a general over view of the condition of the motorcycle. Now we are going to begin to look closer.
I always start a mental checklist of what will need to be done and what it will cost. I also note if the repairs are things that I can do or will I need to pay a mechanic.
Some of the things you find will tip you off to other repairs that will be needed I.E. rust in the tank means the tank will need to be cleaned and the carburetors will need to be cleaned or rebuilt.
used motorcycle
It's easy to put more money into an old bike than it's worth. This is fine if it's a classic and you just want it back on the road but I have ran into many sellers who try to justify a way too high price with "all the money they paid a mechanic to get the motorcycle running again."
Ok With that said let's get to the list.
1 Do the lights work (all of them including brake light and turn signals)?
2 Horn working?
3 do all of the switches work are they the correct switch?
4 Does the throttle work, are the levers straight or broken?
5 cables work smoothly?
next time we'll get into inspecting running gear.
Jim
Riding Out Loud”s Tips for Assessing A Used Motorcycle#1
This is the first in a series of short articles on how to assess a used motorcycle.
Anyone that has read this blog understands that I am a big proponent of buying used motorcycles. When buying used motorcycles it pays to know what you are buying.
I try to find a forum on the internet that covers the make and model that I am considereing buying. This is a great place to find out about problems this model might be prone to and how difficult it might be to fix that problem. In short there is a wealth of information and help in these forums.
When you go out to inspect the bike here are a few general things to check on the first walk around.
1 Is the bike complete?
2 is it in running condition?
3 Is it a rider?
4 Do the serial numbers on the engine and frame match (some vintage bikes have won't have matching numbers. Members of the forum can advise you if this is normal).
5 Does the seller have clear title?
6 What is the general appearance of the bike. Are repairs cosmetic or are they more serious.
In the next article we will take a closer look.
Jim
Drifter motorcycle jacket review
Recently I had been looking for a motorcycle jacket that I could wear when my mesh jacket was too cool and I didn't want to wear my 3/4 length touring jacket. I discovered the Fieldshear Drifter jacket.
This jacket has the style and attitude of a leather motorcycle jacket combined with the functionality of a textile jacket. It has a full sleeved zip out quilted liner. Five pockets including a cellphone pocket and a map pocket. If it rains on your ride this jacket has a 100% rainproof liner making it a great choice for fall riding. Oh yeah it also has CE approved foam in the elbows, shoulders and back.
Its a great jacket and good deal at it's retail of $149.00 But one of our sponsors is selling this jacket for 1/2 retail though the link below. If your looking for a deal on a new jacket check this out now. Just to be clear I bought one of these jackets with my own money and wear it all the time. Check out the Closeouts at Motorcycle Superstore!
How to Find An Oil Leak in your motorcycle
Just a quick tip. This is a neat trick if you have an oil leak that you are having trouble locating. First clean your motorcycle engine. Then spray the area of the engine that you suspect contains the leak with foot powder. Next step go for a ride. When you get back the oil trail should be simple to trace.
BSA Motorcycle
If you are a motorcyclist you know the name BSA. But do you know what those initials stand for?
BSA was founded in 1861 as a arms manufacture. Birmingham Small Arms co. They produced Air guns and shotguns for the military and sporting market.
When the military contracts ended the company got into the motorcycle business. At their peak BSA was the largest motorcycle producer in the world.
These bike are highly prized by many vintage motorcycle riders and collectors.
A down turn in sales coupled with bad investments which included Triumph motorcycles brought the whole group down in 1973.
How to Recover a Motorcycle Seat
My Kawasaki Concours project (like many used motorcycles) came with a badly torn up seat. New seats for a bike are shall we say pricey. So that means this is going to be a reupholster job. Talented reupholsters are again not cheap.
That left little o'l me to do the job. Now my skill with covering seats peaked when as a kid I built a seat for my mini bike out of a piece of plywood and pillow that I covered with a burlap feed sack.
I needed to do some research.
I found out that many of the motorcycle saddle makers also sell replacement covers .
This was good news. Mustang make a cover for the Concours that sells for around $70.00 (beats 400.00 for new a seat) so I ordered one. While wait for it to arrive I peeled off the old cover and all of the duct tape. To my surprise the foam under the cover was in pretty good shape. This is important because if your foam it torn up the seat will never look right and it can be down right uncomfortable. Mustang can rebuild your old seat with new foam for a price.
The instruction that come with the cover are pretty straight forward and the only tool needed is a good heavy duty staple gun. Start at one end and staple the cover to the under side of the seat pan and stretch the cover as you work your way to the other end stapling as you go. This is not a difficult job and it looks great.
Maybe I didn't peak as a kid after all.
Honda CB Cafe Bike
In my effort to highlight people doing really killer things with older bikes I have gotta show you Brent Clemmons CB 350 Cafe.
While the motor is bone stock, The tank is off a CB200. When I asked about the switch Brent said "I just like the shape and size"
And it looks great.
This bike truly looks fast from any angle.
What is Hydrolock and How Do I Avoid It?
The word hydrolock strikes fear into the hearts of motorcycle owners. Some have never heard of it until their mechanic gives them the bad news and my friend it is BAD NEWS.
It is a insidious condition that happens when the bike isn't even running. The unobservant riders first clue will be a bike rattling CLUNK when the starter button is pushed. In that moment the piston will try to compress a cylinder full of liquid gasoline, and if you remember your basic physics you know liquids cannot be compressed. Something has to give and that something is the connecting rod under that piston. (Read that as Major Rebuild). It hardly seems fair.
There are clues that will help you avoid this sad event.
1 Strong odor of gasoline after the bike has set for a while;
2 Puddle of gasoline under the bike or dripping out of the airbox or carburetor.
Blow these signs off at your own peril.
You see there is a chain of failures that have to happen to cause hydolock.
First is a leaking petcock on your fuel tank. If yours bike has a vaccum petcock it can become clogged, fouled or it may have been left in the prime position. A manual petcock may have been left in the on position. This allows gasoline to leak to the carburetor filling the bowl.
Next is a clogged or partially clogged overflow this allows gasoline to overfill the carburetor.
The last thing is a stuck float or float needle. This will allow liquid gasoline to fill the cylinder instead of the mist of gas and air that your motor runs on.
These three things normally don't happen all at once, but as an example, the overflow hose gets kinked. The bike sits over the winter with gas in the float bowls and degrades and makes the needle stick. Then one day you park the bike and leave the petcock on and volia you have real trouble.
So how do You avoid this sad outcome?
1 If you have a manual petcock always shut it off when you park. A vaccum petcock shuts it's self off until it fails.
2 drain your float bowls when you put the bike up for the winter and use fuel stabilizer.
3 Be sure your overflow tube is clear and has no kinks in it.
If your bike has a puddle of gasoline under it after being parked don't try to start it.
Pull you spark plugs (take them off of the wires so they don't spark) then bump the starter. Be careful if a cylinder is full of gas it will spray out of the plug hole. This will give you a clue as to what you need to do next.
If you have a four cylinder and gas sprays out of # 2 then you know that you need to rebuild #2 carb. also check the overflow and find out what went on with the petcock.
Hope this saves you some heart ache
Motoman
Best buy on a motorcycle
Can you get into motorcycling if you don't have ten to twenty thousand dollars to spend?
The answer is a resounding Yes. If you are willing to ride a bike that's slightly out of style it is not hard to get on the road for under $1500.00 and I'm not talking about junkers but older bikes that for one reason or the other the owner has quit riding. There are thousands of motorcycles sitting in garages, sheds and barns waiting for the chance to hit the road again.
Some need as little as a battery charge, fresh oil and gas and your off. Many will need a little work some more than others. but the nice thing about older motorcycles is that they don't require a phd to work on them.
Ebay and Craig's list have made finding them easier than ever. Smart sellers link a short youtube video walk-around that allows you to see the bike in greater detail, hear it start and run. So even if the bike isn't just around the corner you have a better idea of it's condition before you take a drive to see it.
Replacement parts for older bikes can be an issue so I recommend once you find a bike that you are interested in, check to see if new parts are still being made, then check E bay to see if there are a lot of used parts listed.
I would also make sure that a Clymer's or Haynes repair guide is available.
Now go to google and search for an owners group for that model of motorcycle. Many of the most popular will have huge groups. These groups have a wealth of information and help. I think an internet owners group is a must. It's a good idea just to hang out on the forum and read the post. You may discover common problems with that model of bike to look out for. You may even find out that the problem that is causing an owner to sell a garage queen cheap is really an easy fix. In short do your research.
If this is your first bike, there is something to be said for learning to make low speed u turns on an 600.00 used bike instead of your brand new high dollar dream bike.
So there's a little food for thought.
Later
Motoman
CX500
I have been stalking E bay and Craig 's list lately in my quest to find a bike to turn into a cafe racer. I have looked at all of the usual suspects Honda CBs ,Yamaha xs even a few Kawasaki 's . Then I happened onto a 79 Honda CX500 custom. I know, I know, your saying the cx500 standard makes a great looking cafe but a Custom!
Your right, of all of the CX500 variants the Custom is the least suited to a cafe. But I Can't Help Myself ! I really like old bikes. Unlike a new plastic wrapped bike, I like the way people come up to you in parking lots and admire a nice old bike, They tell you about the one they used to own. Old bike are great conversation starters. Now I have nothing against new bikes I own a couple myself. But I like the idea of being able to buy a bike without a bank loan. So I guess the Cafe will have to wait a little while longer. I've got a CX500 Custom to go ride.
Later
Motoman