Potential New Bike Issues

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The bike looks great but it sounds like it will need all of the usual maintenance; carb clean (DON'T get carb kits, just an O-ring kit from http://cycleorings.com and clean them properly), valve adjust, air intake check/service if necessary, charging system check, you know...all the stuff listed HERE. For $1500 I would expect it to start instantly and run better. I'd try to negotiate down a few hundred perhaps, unless it's really low mileage. How old are the tires? What does the brake fluid look like? Just be prepared to freshen up everything to make it more reliable, safe, and roadworthy. I like the paint job.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Cronos]

He just put the tires on himself, maybe 100 miles or so on them, Dunlops that actually have harley on the front tire

[Ranger]

I'll PM you my phone number and what not. 2nd row from the gate doesnt tell me much, theres a few but I know a lot of Johns that fly there.

Do you have a multimeter? I'll be riding down if its not raining so if you can bring a can of WD40, a multimeter and a spark plug socket/ rachect set. Try and look up the air screw specs for the carbs, if you can't I'll try and find it just to compare how many turns out he's running and maybe find the source of the popping which are reasons to doubt proper carb maint. for a lower price.

[Cronos]

Yeah I'm staying with friends so I don't have a multimeter here, I might have a can of WD40 somewhere and I might be able to borrow a ratchet set, I'll have to see what I can scrounge together.

[Ranger]

I'll throw what I can in my backpack, I have a set and some WD40 but don't know where my multimeter walked off to. Whatever you can't get I'll try and bring.

Pep boys has a good one for under $20, might be good to get for when you do get a new bike.

[DanTheMan]

The #3 pipe looks like the carb is really lean The pipe is quite blue. Like BassCliff said, I'd tear down the carbs, clean them out and set them properly. You don't want to burn a hole in a piston, it really makes for a bad day, not as bad as crashing the bike, but a bad day nonetheless.

[tom203]

Yeah I'm staying with friends so I don't have a multimeter here, I might have a can of WD40 somewhere and I might be able to borrow a ratchet set, I'll have to see what I can scrounge together.

For less than $20 bucks, you can get a multimeter before you think about dropping $1500! With any luck,the charging will be borderline and you can knock a few hundred off. You know the potential problems, since you revived a gs650. As Basscliff said, for that money I would expect it " to start instantly and run better". Good luck!

[Nessism]

30 year old bikes need a lot of maintenance: carb rebuild, valve adjustment, fluids change, etc. I strongly suggest you either do the work yourself (learn what's necessary) or do not buy a 30 year old bike. Don't mean to sound harsh but paying someone to wrench for you can run you straight into the poor house.

[Cronos]

I know a lot of the basics from my gs650 but I also had a place to work on it and assistance. Now that I'm out here in San Diego I don't have that luxury but I'm conflicted because I know I love these bikes and there isn't anything out there that really compares in a modern day equivalent, let alone that's within my price range.

[tom203]

I know a lot of the basics from my gs650 but I also had a place to work on it and assistance. Now that I'm out here in San Diego I don't have that luxury but I'm conflicted because I know I love these bikes and there isn't anything out there that really compares in a modern day equivalent, let alone that's within my price range.

I'd be conflicted too- bad vibes! I had missed the stuff about the bwm dealer and present owner putting 300 miles on in six months- sounds like there might be other problems lurking. Don't get desperate, cuz there's lots of bikes looking for new owners!