Should I Buy

[Anonymous]

I am going tommorrow evening to look at a 83 GS1100E. Was blue a factory color? Anyway guy says it needs fork seals,oil cooler line leaking, locks punched out of tail. But other than that he says someone put on K&ns without rejetting and it will not rev over 7000rpm. He wants 1300. Does this sound like a good starting point? I am an accomplished auto mechanic with little motorcycle experience. I want a project but not a headache. So any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Mike 8O

[Anonymous]

if the motor is in good shape then buy it, i wouldnt pay higher than 800$

[Anonymous]

Gee, "Should I buy?" is such a personal question. It is really up to you if the bike meets all your expectations. For me, $1300 would have to mean the bike is ready to run as is and will pass safety inspection. Tires, lights wiring, chain, sprockets, signal lights all would have to be good for me to shell out the cash!

Example of where I'm coming from. I got a real sweet deal on my GS110GZ. I bought it for only $375 but it had a blown head gasket and needed new tires. I spent about $800 getting it all back together So say about $1200 total for a like new condition bike with fair cosmetics.

I then paid $800 for my wife's GS850GL. Took a few hundred more to replace tires and clean the carbs and basic fixes. Total about $1300. But now both bikes are running like tops and won't need anything else unless the electrical systems act up :?

So, ask yourself, how much will it cost to get the bike running after you pay $1300 for it. Heck! Offer the guy $1000 and if he accepts it, you've just saved $300 for repairs and carb cleaning.
It's really up to you.
GY

[Anonymous]

My personal opinion: stay away.

Or offer him $500. If he takes it, you win. If he doesn't, you win.

Nick

[earlfor]

Re: Should I Buy

Hmmm, fork seals arent really a big deal, and a leaking oil cooler line could be pretty simple to fix. I.m not sure what you mean by "locks punched out" of tail. The only thing that gives me cause for pause is the K&N's and not rejetted.
Aftermarket 4 into 1 header?? If the engine has been run extremely lean, it could be very bad news. The engine would likely turn 7K even with a blown piston. I would want to at least look at how the plugs are burning and do a compression check on all four cylinders. Could be nothing more than a bad plug lead or plugcap too. If compression was good,the plugs looked ok and I didnt hear anything unusual when it was running, I would offer him something between $800 and $1000 and figure in addition to the fork seals and oil cooler line, I would probably need to replace chain, sprockets, maybe tires, possibly rebuild carbs and rejet, possibly cables, possibly clutch etc etc. I would plan on probably putting another $800 into it above the purchase price. Turning a wrench on a bike is a bit different than a car, but if youre comfortable wrenching, just get a manual for the bike and you'll be just fine. :-) :-)
Its really kind of nice being able to pull up a stool, sit down beside it and reach everything. :-)

Earl

I am going tommorrow evening to look at a 83 GS1100E. Was blue a factory color? Anyway guy says it needs fork seals,oil cooler line leaking, locks punched out of tail. But other than that he says someone put on K&ns without rejetting and it will not rev over 7000rpm. He wants 1300. Does this sound like a good starting point? I am an accomplished auto mechanic with little motorcycle experience. I want a project but not a headache. So any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Mike 8O