looking around it looks like Haynes has pretty much all the models Im looking at. (trying to get an old Suzuki GS500e,,,think it would be cool to have different generations of suz standards).
The Haynes and Clymers are cheaper alternatives to the real manufacture service manual. If you can, by the actual service manual because it is usually a lot better... That manual is the same the dealership has to work on your bike.
1987 Honda <B>SUPER</B> Magna
[i]Bikesexual - I like to ride it long and hard...[/i]
Go clymer. Much more in depth than the Haynes as far as i'm concerned. I have the Hyanes for my truck and the "procreating" thing doesn't even give me the right pictures for "poo poo". The Clymers gave different pictures for the different bikes it covered (XL200, XR200, XR200R) and told you when there were mechanical differences.
No offense, but you've got a nice bike there. Buying a POS and throwing money at it ... is ... Throwing money at a POS!
If you want to throw your money away, I can think of better things. I'll PM you my address...
Seriously. If you want to do this just to LEARN how to wrench, don't put any money into it. If you really want to restore something, make sure it's worth it! A good Honda cb350 would be nice. Or (you know it's comin!) an Airhead BMW!!!
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
- Soren Kierkegaard (19th century Danish philosopher)
Its rewarding...but also a big pain in the @$$, trust me, as one who went from not knowing anything about bikes to fixing up a big POS (its now a bit less POS-ish..but it has its moments) and then I said screw it and bought new....
if you can get one on the cheap, have access to a good scrap yard and parts are available for it still, why not. its not cheap though, and makje sure you have the right tools for the job at hand...Macguivering leads to breaking the part that you've been waiting 2 weeks to show up (trust me)
I can say with the total assurance of someone with 4 - sorry 5 - project bikes hiding in the back yard and a project Beetle sat on my partners parents driveway that projects take time, money, more time and more money.
Accept that you will go over budget with both. Accept you will lose your temper with it and want to kick it off a cliff. Accept that at times you will lose interest in it and want a real life again. Accept that Haynes manuals are written in a language that will take you time and practise to learn, also accept that not everything you need to know will be in the manual.
Choosing the basis for your project is important. Availability of parts is a major consideration, eBay while a great resource is a bit of a grab bag and you won't always get a suitable part. After three eBay 'bargain' wiring looms for the CeeGee I had to pony up the cash for a new item direct from Honda. Buying all those eBay bargains cost almost as much as the new loom.
Choosing something that ran in the last couple of years is a good start, barn finds or bike with faults the currant owner is unable to deal with are probably best to be avoided.
If there is an owners club for the bike you are rebuilding join it, if not then join the manufacturers owners club. These are the people most likely to know the problems and quick fixes.
If you take something apart, try to put it back together again as soon as possible. Keep fixings in their munting points, or in individual clearly labelled tubs.
Find an independant bike shop in the area and develop a rapport with the guys running it, at some point you will end up in here for work you can't handle or advice when it goes pair shaped.
Chances are that you won't just need favours from the bike shop, but also from any friends who might be wandering around. You'll probably also need tools from a good range of spanners and quality sockets to WD40 and coppergrease. If you don't 'wrench generally then at some point there is a fair chance you will have to stop work to go buy a tool you don't have.
If you are still interested then there is probably no hope for you. You will test the patience of friends and family. You will test your own patience more. However it is a good way of getting to grips with how and why a bike works. It will also stretch you mechanically so that routine maintaintence will hold no fears and you'll be able to discuss what is wrong intelligently when you do have to take your bike into a shop.
When I did this, I got a service manual from the manufacturer and just went to town. I bid on tons of stuff on ebay (got ripped off a few times) but it cost about what I thought it would and taught me the basics and a little more about bikes.
I did have the benefit of two serious motorcycle enthusiasts/mechanics who came to my house about 15 or so times to finally complete the project. It was fun, sorta, but I will never do it again.
Trying is the first step towards failure - Homer Simpson
05 Yamaha VMAX
04 Suzuki SV650
05 Suzuki RMZ450
Maybe buy a cheap bike that's in working order, then disassemble it completely and put it back together.
Saves you the hassle of troubleshooting annoying issues that may end up taking lots and lots of $$ to fix with little to show for it. Buddy of mine did a lot of this with small engines.
. I just bring my SV into the dealership when it needs something.
