[Miss Mercedes]

Alright thanks a lot. How about the safety of these bikes? Obviously over the course of almost 50 years there have been huge safety improvements, so just how dangerous is a 70s bike in comparison to a new one, and what should I watch out for?

In my dailying two early 80s bikes I noticed two big differences between them and the comparatively modern bikes that replaced them:

1. They aren't as nimble as a modern equivalent. - Some of these bikes earned nicknames like "Widowmaker", "Evil", and "Wicked" because they sometimes were fitted with engines that could easily outrun the rest of the bike's capabilities. Having modern tyres does help a lot with making the rest of the bike's tech catch up to the engine, but don't expect a 70s or 80s bike to outhandle something new. Some of these bikes can also get a bit top heavy and that alone can change how they feel compared to a modern bike.

2. The powerful ones are less forgiving to mistakes. - A consequence of that first bit, if you screw up it may be harder to recover from it than if you were riding something modern.

With that said, if you're a responsible rider you'll be fine and have tons of fun. Both my '80 GL1100 and my '82 GS850G turn heads and appear to be awesomely reliable. The GL1100 was in storage for a whole year before I bought it. The owner's dad didn't even bother with fresh fuel. It started up without issues with no more than a carb cleaning. I've since cleaned out all the old fuel and it's running even better.

I'm currently looking at getting a Yamaha RD200 or some other 2 stroke road bike for a winter project.

 

[ClevelandBaller]

Alright well you’ve all been way more informative than I could’ve asked for. I’m really excited to get started looking for one in Virginia and I’ll definitely post some pictures on here when i find it. If I think of any more general questions I’ll add them onto this thread, until then thanks everyone

 

[Stablefull]

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/mcy/d/honda-motorcycle/6678357813.html

 

[ClevelandBaller]

Interesting find... can anyone tell me what the best things are to look for in a bike in questionable condition? What kind of things can I check to make sure the engine or transmission doesn't have any major expensive mechanical issues? I think the ideal situation would be to find one that maybe just doesn't run well because of some dirty carbs or something, a good condition engine pretending to be a bad one so I can get a lower price.

 

[Stablefull]

Interesting find... can anyone tell me what the best things are to look for in a bike in questionable condition? What kind of things can I check to make sure the engine or transmission doesn't have any major expensive mechanical issues? I think the ideal situation would be to find one that maybe just doesn't run well because of some dirty carbs or something, a good condition engine pretending to be a bad one so I can get a lower price.

Often you will find bikes like this that have been sitting for some time. Yes, gas in the carbs has turned to varnish and they need to be cleaned and retuned. If it has been sitting for any real length of time (several years or more) you will often need new tires as the old ones get dry and cracked; cables are also a common replacement item. Leather seats may be cracked and need new upholstery (but you may swap it out for a different style anyway if you are doing a café build). Gas tanks sitting full of fuel often need replacing or, at the very least, to be cleaned out and sometimes there is a resurfacing of some sort they do inside I believe. (TBH, I am not really sure what all is done with gas tanks, except I hear guys say they picked up a barn find that sat for ten years and they needed to redo the gas tank). Little things, like perhaps fuel lines, brake lines, flushing of brake fluid, new oil, etc. Fork seals are almost certainly shot after years sitting and rotting. Lots of little tinkering type stuff. Most of it is pretty simple I would think, though I have never done one (yet).

As far as the engine and transmission go, you often hear that "it ran great when parked." If the motor turns over, this is probably true. Those old Honda motors are commonly referred to as bulletproof, and easy to work on. This is one of the main reasons why they are so popular to restore.


There is a textbook called "Motorcycles: Fundamentals, service and repair" that I would recommend getting and reading if you want to learn about motorcycle repair. It's kind of the bible among motorcycle texts as I understand. There are multiple editions. I have a couple of them, the newer one is pretty spendy but the yellow one from the 80's wasn't expensive and is dated well for the kind of bikes you want to explore.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle...408534?hash=item4d7bcb6316:g:WaAAAOSwcJNarpSE

 

[Stablefull]

Something else to consider....and I am not trying to discourage you, so please don't take it that way...but maybe you get a newer bike that is a good platform for modifications and go that route first, so that you learn your way around a bike with a wrench before taking on a full restoration? After much debating on whether to buy newer or restore an old one, I ultimately decided to go this route for time's sake, as well as the fact that I feel a little green for a full restoration. I bought a Triumph Scrambler, which is built on the Bonneville platform (as is the Thruxton). There are literally hundreds of different mods you can do with all three (although the Bonnie is the most versatile); everything from different windscreens to number plates, café seats, slammer seats, king/queen dually seats, fender eliminators, a hundred different mirrors and lighting kits, really whatever you want to do. If you buy a Bonneville and a variety of different accessories you can spend a few hours in the garage during the week and show up at the rally Saturday afternoon and everyone will ask when you got your new bike. Almost everything is just simple bolt-on projects, maybe a little wiring here and there. The coolest part is, most of the mods don't require a lot of down time, so you can ride it while you customize. There is a huge, knowledgeable online community for technical support and ideas as well. I am a member of Triumphrat.net, but there are others.

They are a bit on the expensive side in my area (I paid $4800 for mine) but I have heard of them in the $2500-$3500 range in the midwest and south. I purposely wanted an older one with the analog speedo (mine is a 2006) and from what I gather, they were this way through 2008. In 2009 they became digital and went to fuel injection; in 2010 they implemented a system called CANBUS which is a computer system that controls every single electronic component on the bike. I didn't want a CANBUS bike (old school Triumph guys call it CANTBUS) because from what I read it can be a major headache with certain mods. Additionally, at some point after 2010 they became water cooled.

Here's one in the area you will be moving to...just take a look at the list of things this guy has done to take a standard Bonnie and turned it into a Thruxton-style retro sport café.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/mcy/d/2002-triumph-bonneville-t100/6704214981.html

Another newer bike I considered was the Yamaha SR400, which is virtually unchanged from the ones they built in the 70's and early 80's, with the exception of fuel injection. Kick start only, which really had me fascinated. It is also a great platform for modifications. I ultimately decided against it because they didn't sell many (mainly due to not having electric start) and I figured it may become difficult to get parts down the road. It's also a little on the small side and I am tall.

 

[slumlord]

Interesting find... can anyone tell me what the best things are to look for in a bike in questionable condition? What kind of things can I check to make sure the engine or transmission doesn't have any major expensive mechanical issues? I think the ideal situation would be to find one that maybe just doesn't run well because of some dirty carbs or something, a good condition engine pretending to be a bad one so I can get a lower price.

At some point you just have to jump in on a bike in 'questionable condition" Knowing what to buy--you are already there because you want a Honda. I have bought several non-running Hondas and have not had to scrap one out yet. Look on YouTube for a guy called Mustie. He has gotten several bikes to run and even some stuck engines among them. https://www.motorcycleforum.com/39-vintage-forum/229264-i-enjoy-motorcycle-mechanic.html#post2526092 [Example video]

You seem a little confused about what you want. Do you want a beater to learn on, or a nice bike with a $4000 budget? I am thinking you could have both. Motorcycle Repair Course This repair course is a good read and reference on the old bikes.

 

[ClevelandBaller]

You seem a little confused about what you want. Do you want a beater to learn on, or a nice bike with a $4000 budget? I am thinking you could have both. Motorcycle Repair Course This repair course is a good read and reference on the old bikes.

Up to $4000 is what I’m willing to spend on a to buy a bike, get it running well and reliably, and modify the style. I would rather do that than just buy a premade cafe racer because I love the process of transforming it from a forgotten about bike with potential to like-new.

 

[Bilgemaster]

I'd have to concur with "slumlord". For the money you're talking about you could easily have both a "good enough" craigslist beater to actually enjoy AND a project bike to wrench on. Otherwise, you may well fall into that "Cafe Racer Pit" that many, if not most, aspiring new riders fall into: they want a cool bike, commence pulling apart a perfectly good runner before they've even given it a chance to display its innate virtues, but just wind up with a project that never ends. So, they never ride, get bored, and it all ends in cobwebs.

If you're smart, you'll get a nice ready-to-roll CB whatever, and then keep your eye peeled for another maybe not-so-nice similar one to wrench on. Please allow me to point out the obvious: The coming winter months are your very best time to buy. The same '70s CB550 asking $2,500 in the warmer months WILL be had for well under 2 Grand in January. In fact, if you can manage to show up for the looksee during some light snow flurries, that's your wallet's sweet spot.

 

[ClevelandBaller]

Awesome, thanks again for all the info. And yeah like i said, I do plan on enjoying the bike in its stock form for a little while at least, since I do honestly like the look of the stock CB550. Mechanics first, then style.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

My most expensive old bike is my GL1100. It was $950 and it had a recent paintjob, modded carbs, and some other tasteful changes. It only needed minor electrical work (turn indicators and maybe a new turn signal switch bank). My GS850 was only $500. It doesn't look great but it runs fantastic. You don't have to look too hard to find similar bikes that run well but look a little worse for wear.

I took another evaluation of the GS and have decided to move forward with my repainting. Despite my efforts to seal the paint it continues to peel and fall off anyway. :shrug:

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Back in the day when I was selling bikes and taking trades, I would spend time checking the alignment of the front forks, bars, swing arm and so on. Then check for scratches on the levers, all four, and the engine casings. I wanted to figure out if the bike had been dropped and how often, and how severely.

That plus the miles and how it ran. And if the brakes worked. The cables and tyres could also tell stories. Most bikes had spoked wheels back then. Broken and missing spokes, and wobbly wheels were not uncommon.
I left that company in 79 and they hired an incompetent friend. They went bust in 82 with too many over priced trades.

UK