Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Well, the guy said that the honda was in okay condition, which is fine by me. I am interesed in it but from what others have said on this topic, if I removed the fairing I would need a new headlight and possibly turn signals as well. Even though there is a new battery and the tires are okay in his opinion, I will probably have to make a couple of changes since the bike sat for 3 years. I'll have to clean the carbs and change the oil/filter for sure, probably change the tires to be safe since they've been sitting for so long, and fix the speedo (that's no big deal though). I will probably have to spend 500 bucks on fixing it up which isn't too bad since these bikes are worth a decent amount, but I don't want to deal with fixing a bike the second I buy it. Right now I found a suzuki gs550-E from 1980 with about 27K miles on it that has been a daily rider and has got brand new tires, has the carbs cleaned, new chain, rebuilt carbs and top end in 2004, new throttle cable and clutch cable, new fuel line, fuel filter, and air filter. Basically roadworthy for 1200 bucks. I'm almost leaning towards that because it will be something I can hop on and ride for a couple of months with less of a chance of something going wrong with the bike. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated as well. Thanks again for your help.

I bought my 1980 Honda CB750F SuperSport for $425 way up here in the sticks of Northern Michigan.

It's a great bike, was in excellent condition, and runs like a bat outta he!!.

but I don't want to deal with fixing a bike the second I buy it.

This is a good reason for a bike maintenance novice to stay away from 30 yr. old bikes that have been sitting for years. Unless it's running perfectly, there's no way you're going to know what it needs or how much it's going to cost, until you actually own it. Not a good position to be in. For many bikes that look like they're in fair shape, the parts and labor bill to have everything fixed (carbs, fork seals, tires, chains, etc...) can exceed what the bike is worth.

I wish I had a nickel for every motorcycle forum post I've seen from somebody that just bought a bike that was "supposed to" just need a little carb work, or valve maintenance, but turned out to need a whole lot more.

I remember seeing a post last year from somebody that bought a bike that just needed a little carb work to get it running. After spending money on the carbs, he cranked it up and noticed oil leaking out of a hole in the case. The engine was a big expensive paperweight.

If a bike is not in good running condition, don't trust a seller to tell you what it needs to make it run. Chances are good that he has no clue, or he would have done it. For bikes that won't run, I only offer bottom dollar. You could be buying something that just needs adjusting and cleaning, or you could be buying scrap metal. There's no easy way to tell until you tear into it.