Old intake boot question...

[gottadrumitup]

Well I just won an auction on ebay for this '80 gs550 and I'm wondering if you all suggest riding it back home for an hour and a half with intake boots that are leaking... I don't want to damage the valves by it running lean but do you think it would damage anything very quickly or do you think it would be okay? I'm very excited about this bike and this forum and am looking forward to hearing from you all!!

[chef1366]

I would check the spark plugs. If they are very white I would trailer it or truck it.
Very clean bike!

[bwringer]

A Uhaul motorcycle trailer is $21.76 a day with insurance and tax, and can be towed by almost any car. I've rented one several times and pulled it hundreds of miles with my Corolla, with no problems at all. It's very well-designed for hauling motorcycles, with conveniently placed tie down loops.

Also, it's quite likely illegal to ride a bike that's titled in your name with someone else's plate still attached. You may be able to get a temporary tag from your BMV, but I would NEVER risk someone else's assessment of a bike's safety and roadworthiness unless it was someone I knew and trusted personally.

Trailer it home, then handle the legal and mechanical issues at your leisure in your own garage.

[lurch12_2000]

... I don't want to damage the valves by it running lean but do you think it would damage anything very quickly or do you think it would be okay? I'm very excited about this bike and this forum and am looking forward to hearing from you all!!

Nice! If the bike seems to be running good otherwise and it's less than 50 miles then you should be ok. Saves trying to load it up and damaging in transit if not properly secured. This would also give you an opportunity to get in a good road test and check for other problems.
Make sure YOU give it a safety check(tire pressure, oil level, brakes function, signals and lights, etc...) before riding home and keep it under 100mph. It looks very clean and well taken care of, but has it been ridden much lately?...but if you have not had a short road test yet, then I would play it safe like bwringer stated.

[chuckycheese]

Ride it!

I'd ride it home if it's running well enough to make it. You could also wrap some electrician's tape around the boots...which I know, for a fact, will work for a short trip.

As far as legal problems, I can't imagine any.....at least not any place I've ever lived.

[nicholascott]

The electricians tape is a great idea. Just make sure that if your going to ride it home you are covered by insurance and you are o.k. doing that without the bike being in your name. I' got pulled over once right after buying a car. My insurance was good and I just explained to the officer that I had just bought the car and I was just driving it home. You should be o.k. Just play it safe.

[chuckycheese]

Yeah

The electricians tape is a great idea. Just make sure that if your going to ride it home you are covered by insurance and you are o.k. doing that without the bike being in your name. I' got pulled over once right after buying a car. My insurance was good and I just explained to the officer that I had just bought the car and I was just driving it home. You should be o.k. Just play it safe.

As long as you own the bike, you have insurance and it's currently registered, I don't think there's a state in the union where you'd have a problem. In California, I think there's a 'grace period' of about 10 days, or so. I suspect other states are very similar. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it anyway. God, there's enough other stuff to worry about and we're only talking about a couple of hours. As long as you don't 'mow down' a pedestrian, you're going to be OK.

[gottadrumitup]

Update!!

Well I went and test drove the bike and just brought it home on the back of my dad's pickup... So that's solved... Now I'm wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on where to find the parts that I need. I know that I need all four intake boots and other than that I'm not sure. Are there orings that go along with those that should be replaced as well and is there anything else that I'm missing...

Okay about how the bike runs... Well it runs just fine under 4000 rpm's but after it's warmed up it slowly idles down and shuts off(which I'm hoping is only the vacuum problem). The carbs have been totally cleaned and rebuilt and it has new spark plugs as well...

It is super clean and looks even better in person and for a grand I think it was a good deal. I love the way it handles and it's gotta be one of the most comfortable rides for the size and weight! This is the first bike I've ever owned and I'm looking forward to some great memories...

[themess]

It might not need the boots, but it almost certainly needs the flourocarbon rubber ("Viton") o-rings that seal the boots to the cylinder head assembly.

[bwringer]

This is the first bike I've ever owned and I'm looking forward to some great memories...

If it's your first bike, then using a truck or trailer was an even better decision.

Riding a bike that isn't running predictably is dangerous and distracting even for an experienced rider.

Congratulations! Looks like you've scored a great bike -- once you've gotten it sorted out, you'll fall in love.