Bike sitting for years | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bike sitting for years

XenoVibe

XenoVibe

Well-known member
Dirt bike been sitting for years, owner says gas has been drained, battery removed. Would the engine still be salvageable? What problems would I be looking at?
Brittle piston rings, all new seals, fluids, lube/re-grease bearings, chain, etc?
He said tires had no rot/cracks but they are older than the bike has been sitting so maybe 7-8 years?
 
There are many stories of bikes being stored for a decade or more and, with a little TLC, being restored to fully useful machines again. You've hit most of the points. Rubber degrades over time and seals, hoses, etc. needs to be replaced, even the tires. Change all fluids and filters (air, gas & oil). Turn the engine over by hand to see if it is free and nothing appears to be broken. If the PO fogged the cylinders before putting the bike away, bonus. Undo every electrical connection and spray with Deoxit and/or fine emery to clean away corrosion. Obviously buy a brand new battery. Turn the engine over with the coil disconnected to get the oil pressure up and oil circulated before attempting to start the motor. That's about it. Address any problems that subsequently surface, as they appear. Good luck.
 
is it really worth the hassle?? Dirtbikes are a dime a dozen...plenty on Kijiji
 
in 1998 , we picked up a 73 CB350 that was parked in '74 with 600 miles on it... disc brake fluid looked like wax,, tank was empty , oil looked good.... but we changed all fluids.. put in a new battery.. new gas... and rode it for 68,000 more miles... with no issues other than maintenance. lately , it has been a learner bike ... Yah.. it was worth it ! :)
most older bikes I have experience with may need carb cleaning.. as well as fluids, but the price has to be right,,, or better to buy one to play on.. not wasting time and money working on...
 
robmack said:
There are many stories of bikes being stored for a decade or more and, with a little TLC, being restored to fully useful machines again. You've hit most of the points. Rubber degrades over time and seals, hoses, etc. needs to be replaced, even the tires. Change all fluids and filters (air, gas & oil). Turn the engine over by hand to see if it is free and nothing appears to be broken. If the PO fogged the cylinders before putting the bike away, bonus. Undo every electrical connection and spray with Deoxit and/or fine emery to clean away corrosion. Obviously buy a brand new battery. Turn the engine over with the coil disconnected to get the oil pressure up and oil circulated before attempting to start the motor. That's about it. Address any problems that subsequently surface, as they appear. Good luck.
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Thank you.

LoneRonin said:
is it really worth the hassle?? Dirtbikes are a dime a dozen...plenty on Kijiji
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Hard to find a decently priced blue plated WR450F in my area, all the good ones are in Muskoka, which is too damn far. lol

meester_jamie said:
in 1998 , we picked up a 73 CB350 that was parked in '74 with 600 miles on it... disc brake fluid looked like wax,, tank was empty , oil looked good.... but we changed all fluids.. put in a new battery.. new gas... and rode it for 68,000 more miles... with no issues other than maintenance. lately , it has been a learner bike ... Yah.. it was worth it ! :)
most older bikes I have experience with may need carb cleaning.. as well as fluids, but the price has to be right,,, or better to buy one to play on.. not wasting time and money working on...
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That's the thing, how do I know what a fair price is when I can only "guestimate" potential problems.
 
I just reserected this sexy beast 1975 CB500T parked halfway throught summer 1975 battery still installed and a half tank of gas. Yes it was a mess BUT runs like a champ now with some TLC. Bike only has 2100km on it.
 
XenoVibe said:
That's the thing, how do I know what a fair price is when I can only "guestimate" potential problems.
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Make what may seem to be a low-ball offer, citing the work that will have to be done to the bike. You probably won't be far off on your estimate because you WILL spend significantly more on the bike than it is worth, it's a law of nature. :) If it's just change fluids, seals and rubber bits like the tires, the costs can be reasonable. Does the engine run? If the seller can't demonstrate that the engine can run at the sale, that's one more negotiating chip you have in your pocket. The seller is motivated to get rid of the bike (otherwise why has it been sitting so long?) and you're motivated to buy it because of low supply of that type of bike. Surely a reasonable price can be negotiated.
 
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