I'm looking to buy a motorcycle for hte summer and don't quite know what to "inspect" on it. I'm not looking for a sports bike, most likely it will be an early 80s Kawasaki LTD. In fact I'm pretty much set on that kind of a bike, even have a couple particular ones in mind. What does one have to check for on an old bike? What symptoms should be avoided?

 

Honestly, buy a bike from the late 90s or early 2000+. I have a '94 Ninja and its just a PITA. There are all kinds of problems with it. Bikes aren't that expensive, especially Japanese bikes so getting a newer bike (with fuel injection) shouldn't be too bad. If you still want to get an 80s bike, couple things to watch out for. First, check the plastics for any signs of an accident. Check the fork seals and see if they are dried up, leaking, etc. It uses a four cylinder engine, so normal car stuff applies. Check the charging voltage to make sure the alternator is working fine. Find out when maintanance was last done. On a bike that old that could have been a long time ago. The carbs might need to cleaned and synched, so budget this in. Other normal stuff like spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter should also be replaced. Check for tires, especially dry rotting. If the tires are old, they might have a bunch of cracks in them. Most likely the tires will have to be changed even if they have plenty of tread. If the bike hasn't been ridden in a while, there is probably dry rot. Sit on the bike and make sure the springs are good. I'd also watch out for problems with the cooling system, like the water pump. Make sure the tranny shifts smooth. Check brakes for wear. If you can, take the calipers off (if it has disk brakes) and check to make sure they are in good shape. The pistons on my calipers are falling off my bike b/c the calipers aren't in good shape. More stuff might come to me later.

 

I'm pretty much dead set on a 81-84 LTD. I love the look and feel of those bikes. One thing I've got no idea about is carbs... if the fork seals are dry, can they be replaced?

 

Carbs are pretty simple on some bikes, if you have ever played around with an atv carb they are similar in some bikes. And yes the fork seals can be replaced/repaired if they are dry, its a fairly simple repair if you set aside a little time and will save you $$ rather then paying someone. I have a bit of experience with bike stuff as I used to ride dirt bikes and Im actually looking into a bike for this summer in case fuel prices go up, as I commute to work. I like the gsxr 750 in the 94-98 range. Nice bike choice LTD ftw for early 80 bike Good luck man

 

You can replace fork seals yourself, but from what I've seen its quite involved. Carbs suck, they have some small parts and stuff. Also, if you have 2 or more carbs like some bikes (mine has 2 carbs) you have to sync the carbs.

 

eh....AOD, you know that I like to tinker with stuff...c'mon, I rebuild transmissions for crying outload. I guess I'll jusst have to learn somehting new.

 

You should be alright doing fork seals and carbs. You have to be careful with fork seals because they tear pretty easily if you don't put them in properly.