Riding again, when the bike doesn't crap out.
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:52 pm
I started out with a '96 Vulcan 500 that I bought new... I got engaged and was forced to sell it in 2000 (She hated bikes) ... She cheated on me 2 months later. I got married in 2003 and just recently had 2 kids (15 months and 3 months old).. My wife told me that if I ever wanted a motorcycle again, to go for it. Well gas prices and a dead car forced (yea, right) me into picking up a cheap bike to help me commute in the summer.
A '78 Yamaha 650 Standard fell into my lap for $550. I found out it has a '79 engine in it, so I'm not sure how many miles are on it, but this thing is a total piece of crap, and I love it. I've had to fix the charging system, put on two shift levers, put in new oil seals, a new tach, a new ignition switch, drill out the old fork lock and put in a new one, replace brake lines, adjust the cam chain, adjust the points, balance the carbs, and fix the side covers. Every time I get it back up and running, I get to ride it for two days, and then something else breaks or falls off. This is not a boring bike.
Right now, it's in the shed with the gas tank being torn off and petcocks rebuilt. I had to put new fuel hoses in because they sprung a leak going down the rode. I now have no vacuum in one carb, and I think it's just a hose, but that prompted the carbs to be ripped out and this weekend I am going to tear them down and give them a bath in chem-dip. The main drive sprocket has come loose again, so I need to tighted it down and rebend the washer and hope it doesn't break off. Every bolt I have tried to remove seems to have stripped out in the process. The last one was a screw in the master cylinder.
With all the trouble this thing has been, it has been the best experiance with a bike because not only am I riding again, I'm learning how to properly maintain them this time. That is something a brand new bike won't teach you.
This is a project bike until I can find something better.... When I actually have money. That probably won't be until my kids move out of the house in 20 years.
I live in Port Huron, MI and commute to Mount Clemens, MI for work. If anyone takes that route and sees me on my bike, don't follow me, you never know what could fall off it next.
A '78 Yamaha 650 Standard fell into my lap for $550. I found out it has a '79 engine in it, so I'm not sure how many miles are on it, but this thing is a total piece of crap, and I love it. I've had to fix the charging system, put on two shift levers, put in new oil seals, a new tach, a new ignition switch, drill out the old fork lock and put in a new one, replace brake lines, adjust the cam chain, adjust the points, balance the carbs, and fix the side covers. Every time I get it back up and running, I get to ride it for two days, and then something else breaks or falls off. This is not a boring bike.
Right now, it's in the shed with the gas tank being torn off and petcocks rebuilt. I had to put new fuel hoses in because they sprung a leak going down the rode. I now have no vacuum in one carb, and I think it's just a hose, but that prompted the carbs to be ripped out and this weekend I am going to tear them down and give them a bath in chem-dip. The main drive sprocket has come loose again, so I need to tighted it down and rebend the washer and hope it doesn't break off. Every bolt I have tried to remove seems to have stripped out in the process. The last one was a screw in the master cylinder.
With all the trouble this thing has been, it has been the best experiance with a bike because not only am I riding again, I'm learning how to properly maintain them this time. That is something a brand new bike won't teach you.
This is a project bike until I can find something better.... When I actually have money. That probably won't be until my kids move out of the house in 20 years.
I live in Port Huron, MI and commute to Mount Clemens, MI for work. If anyone takes that route and sees me on my bike, don't follow me, you never know what could fall off it next.
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