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Post by scania on Jan 13, 2015 3:31:48 GMT
Hi Guys, I have been looking at a few bikes lately, a few Bandit 600 and a CB750 Nighthawk, what are the signs to look for that a bike has been couriered, I can think of a few signs like if the handle bars have leather mitten weather covers on them and if the seller is a small jockey sized weather beaten guy with a hump and limp and a strap over his shoulder ! But if the courier had sold the bike on to a non courier who was then selling it, then I wouldn't have a clue what to look for. Just to clarify, there are plenty of Gouriers in Dublin but they are a horse of a different colour altogether. |
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Post by Cheggy on Jan 13, 2015 3:38:33 GMT
Massive mileage.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 7:31:41 GMT
A label, brown rapping paper and parcel tape I'd say.
Sure sign it has recently been couriered.
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Post by davefirestorm on Jan 13, 2015 9:35:40 GMT
A courier will ride a bike till it dies,check for a pulse  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 10:23:07 GMT
Unbroken history of mileage is always good, some of the garden shed bike dealers are happy to clock bikes that would get away with being less miles.
There is a sweet spot for mileage I think for classic bikes- you want it to have done just enough and with no long periods of inactivity. Staying out of the engine internals seems to be the ideal as engine work really eats up the money...
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Post by scania on Jan 13, 2015 18:06:35 GMT
Unbroken history of mileage is always good, some of the garden shed bike dealers are happy to clock bikes that would get away with being less miles. There is a sweet spot for mileage I think for classic bikes- you want it to have done just enough and with no long periods of inactivity. Staying out of the engine internals seems to be the ideal as engine work really eats up the money... Is it a little bad or very bad for a bike to be sitting up for years if is inside ? |
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ian
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Post by ian on Jan 13, 2015 21:02:39 GMT
It's generally considered bad to leave a bike unused for years, although I suspect it's ok if from new. For example, my wife got a '99 250 Rebel 3 or 4 years ago with 4k on the clock. It's ok, but far from mint. There are a few rusty bits on the frame & fastenings & the engine paint is cracked & flaking. The front brake was starting to seize & the forks were leaking (I've fixed these, but not done anything with the engine or rusty bits). It had obviously been used in all weathers for a year or three, then just left in the garage for years. Then, 18 months ago, she got a '97 Virago with 3k on the clock - this looks & rides like a new bike. The seller's brother had bought it new for his wife, who rarely used it. When her brother threatened to sell it, she bought it 'to keep it in the family'. She probably probably used it a few times, then stuck it in the garage 'till we bought it. I still don't understand how it's survived so well. On a similar tack, I recently bought a CB500 from a neighbour. It had been stood in his garage unused for 5 years. I was attracted by the low mileage (16K), but I've had no end of problems, all resulting from it being left standing. These bikes are bullet proof & I'd have been better getting a high mileage well used example.
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Post by scania on Jan 14, 2015 0:29:54 GMT
It's generally considered bad to leave a bike unused for years, although I suspect it's ok if from new. For example, my wife got a '99 250 Rebel 3 or 4 years ago with 4k on the clock. It's ok, but far from mint. There are a few rusty bits on the frame & fastenings & the engine paint is cracked & flaking. The front brake was starting to seize & the forks were leaking (I've fixed these, but not done anything with the engine or rusty bits). It had obviously been used in all weathers for a year or three, then just left in the garage for years. Then, 18 months ago, she got a '97 Virago with 3k on the clock - this looks & rides like a new bike. The seller's brother had bought it new for his wife, who rarely used it. When her brother threatened to sell it, she bought it 'to keep it in the family'. She probably probably used it a few times, then stuck it in the garage 'till we bought it. I still don't understand how it's survived so well. On a similar tack, I recently bought a CB500 from a neighbour. It had been stood in his garage unused for 5 years. I was attracted by the low mileage (16K), but I've had no end of problems, all resulting from it being left standing. These bikes are bullet proof & I'd have been better getting a high mileage well used example. Interesting reply, I'm curious were the Cb500 problems electrical, carb or internal engine problems? |
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ian
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Post by ian on Jan 14, 2015 19:43:36 GMT
One word, corrosion. I've had one of these before, same model & year, '94. It was fairly tidy when I got it (because my SD was off the road with a damaged crank), it had been repainted and had about 21K on the clock. I used it for work on nice days for about 18 months but didn't need it when my SD was fixed, so gave it my son as his only transport. He used it for work 11 days a fortnight & it was kept outside in all weather. He also did a couple of trips to the UK on it. I got it back about 2 years later with 35K on it & looking tatty. I stripped & rebuilt it over a couple of months & spent nothing bar a few rattle cans & wet & dry paper. The front engine mounting bolt was stuck - a common problem - but a bit of heat & a few taps with a hammer soon sorted that. Other than that, it came apart & went back together without a problem. In contrast, my current bike was an occasional toy for an elderly chap, garaged & used in fine weather. The paintwork looked pretty good & was original:-  He used it less & less over the last 10 years, then not at all from 2009. When I started this rebuild, the the front brake was seized with the pistons corroded into the caliper, there was pitting on the forks, the chain was rusted almost solid, and this time I had to drill, grind & hammer the front engine mounting bolt to death to get it out, destroying it & 2 spacers either side in the process. The worst bit has been the petrol tank - I've spent more hours on that than the rest of the rebuild! Here's a picture of underneath after I'd soldered some of the pinholes:  There's a similar number up the sides too! Every time I thought I'd cracked it, I found more. When I got it, the tank was empty. I thought any fuel had evaporated away - wrong! There's no overflow on these carbs, as there's a diaphragm in the fuel tap. I don't know if the diaphragm failed, or the fuel switch itself, but the petrol was in the sump! Luckily, I found this before I got it running, else I could've bent a rod....I've probably forgotten some of the problems associated with standing & some of my problems have been bad luck - getting the carbs off, I broke one of the heaters & the key jammed in the petrol cap & eventually broke too. I've had far more of a problem with this rebuild than either of my Superdream rebuilds or my previous CB500 & all because it was left unused in a garage! |
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