Total Motorcycle Community Forums

What up People,
I just bought a 2000 Yamaha R1 that was flooded in Hurricane Katrina. What are the first steps to take to get it running. I do not want to start it because I want to flush all the fluids first. I am a do it yourselfer so the work would not be hard. I would like to have it running by March of next year. Any advice is needed and appreciated.
Thanks!
P.S.
Why would I buy a flood bike? It was a deal I could not pass up.

i don't blame ya for buying a flood bike one bit...wish i could find one. what i would do is first drain and change all the fluids. then, take out the plugs and crank the engine over with the plugs out. this should force out any water that might be in the cylinders...might wanna use some fogging oil too. after this, pop in a new set of plugs and then i would think you could try to start it once you have fresh fluids and plugs in it...i might be missing a few things though...i'm sure others will chime in with more things to check/do

Josh

I'd probably get one also if it was a good price. everything speedkillz said plus remove the pipes when you do it. chances are the pipes got filled with water.

oh yea...D'OH! thanks for that, as after making this post i was trying to remember what i forgot

Josh

I'd make sure the whole electical system was dried out completely before I started playing around with it. That and dump the battery just in case.

Thaks for the info. I was going to start from where you all advised. I was just thinking about water getting in the engine and mixed with oil. But for $800.00, I have time to get it together and spend a little money on it. The guy who is selling me the bike is a family friend and they all had a large biker crew that all lost there bikes. I will ask if they want to sell them. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the info.

Make sure you drain and FLUSH all fluid. Flood vehicles are notorious for having transmission and final drive problems after not too long.

Wow that is a good deal. even if you have to do alot of work I think you'll be money ahead. But with everything that has been posted here It will probably fire right up. One thing you may want to do also is replace all the fluids again after 50 miles or so. You may get rid of a few more contaminates that way. Good Luck. It sounds like a great deal!

Don't forget all the running gear and bearings. Check and lube chain, hubs steering head etc before any rust sets in.

Hopefully you won't be having problems down the road....most states require a "flood title" to be issued for such vehicles because of the hidden damage and recurring problems with bearings, seals, ect.