Should I Trade?

[roncg41677]

I've been riding my 02 GZ250 for about 4-6 months. I've barely put 400 miles on it. I love the bike, and am not disappointed in it. In fact, I've put a bit of work into it to get it running, and it runs great now.

I was approached about a bike that an older gentleman wants to sell. He's been taking care of it for his son who is out of the country. Turns out his son will be staying, and now he is selling the bike. It's a 600cc Yamaha Seca 2, maybe a 92 or something. Red, in very nice condition for its age. It needs a little work; the choke is stuck closed and there is a ticking sound from the back wheel. He only wants $400-500 for it.

I figure I could easily get $1300-1500 for mine, which would leave me enough to buy the bike, pay to have it fixed, and maybe even have some money left over for some gear or needed items for the house. I'm kind of indifferent otherwise (although I wouldn't mind a little extra power for when I ride the highway). I'd be perfectly happy continuing to ride my GZ, but I'm wondering if this is too good a deal to pass up?

[Gunslinger]

For that price he's practically giving it away. I say come up with the money and keep both bikes. Either way I'd be all over that deal. You didn't say what the mileage was on the Seca but as long as it's not excessive go for it.

[JC Viper]

I traded in my GZ250 after a few thousand miles and I moved up to a Vulcan 500 and it was really refreshing to have a really smooth bike that is much faster than the GZ.

[jstark47]

It needs a little work; the choke is stuck closed and there is a ticking sound from the back wheel. He only wants $400-500 for it.

You need to find out more about these condition issues. "Ticking sound from the back wheel" could just be a brake hanging up slightly, or a wheel that got put back crooked after chain adjustment... OR .... it could be a wheel out of round, or even a frame alignment issue. Stuck choke could just be a cable needing lube (is the control on the handlebars or the engine?) or it could mean a carb rebuild is needed. Have you test ridden this bike, or been present when it was running?

[MZ33]

Generally, this sort of post is well beyond my knowledge level, but I do know of a Seca II that sat in a bike garage for a year because it needed new carbs, and finding four of them was prohibitively expensive.

[roncg41677]

The bike has just over 8,000 miles on it. The gentleman said he rides it 200-400 miles year just to keep it going.

The choke is on the engine. It won't move out at all. He said he tried to adjust it at some point and thinks he overtightened it? Does he mean the cable, maybe? He thinks the ticking sound has something to do with the clutch. I don't know what his level of expertise is. The battery was dead. He said he had recharged it as much as it could handle. He's putting a new battery in soon. I want to go have another look when it's running and see how it sounds.

I'm really leaning towards doing it. My only hang ups are that the bike is around 10 years older than the one I have, and I have a little trepidation about having 3 more cylinders than I do now. The GZ is pretty easy to work on. The Seca also has a dent in the gas tank and the end broken off. At one point he dropped it while moving it and couldn't pick it up (he's a senior citizen). It's not horrible, but it's definitely noticeable.

[roncg41677]

The guy's going to try to get the battery in tomorrow and see if it starts up. When I hear how it runs I'm hoping I'll have a better idea of how much work it needs.

If I had an extra $1k for work is that a good amount for a bike shop? I've read stories on this site about $650 tune ups and whatnot. Will $1k be enough for anything semi-serious? I know that's a very gray question.

[jstark47]

While you're thinking about money, just a couple of more things to think about: how long has it been sitting? If it's been awhile, count on replacing all fluids, including brake fluid. Plan on various seals, rubber lines, gaskets, being dried out or bad. How old are the tires? If more than 5 years old, they need to be replaced, even if the tread is good.

If you don't already know this site, it's a great guide to evaluating the mechanical condition of a used motorcycle: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

This bike could be a great bargain, or it could be a money pit. Hard to tell from the details you've gotten so far.

[roncg41677]

Here's a video of the bike, and me trying to start it.

Could the stuck choke be all that's keeping it from starting? There was gas on the petcock. Couldn't tell where it was leaking from. I got a shot of it, and you can see where it's dripped down.

and thanks for the link, jstark

[jstark47]

How long's it been since it was running? And if it's longer than 3-4 months, was the old gas completely drained out? If not, I'll bet carbs are gummed up. 4 carbs on that thing - lotsa opportunities for fun.

By the way, here's a link I stumbled over to a guy's story of getting a '92 Seca II back on the road, kinda interesting: http://www.davidreiss.com/secaII.html