| Author | Message | ||
     Baybueller |
I am going to look at/buy a 2005 Sportster with 1100 miles. Anything to watch for in a garage queen? | ||
| Etennuly |
Rotten tires, un-circulated oil(contaminants on the bottom),dry bearings like in the steering neck, swing arm, axles. Gummy fuel system. | ||
| Sifo |
Rust in the tank. | ||
| Baybueller |
Good stuff. with the weather in Ca. its amazing people just let bikes sit. | ||
| Mcelhaney14 |
If its in California make sure it doesn't have back registration fees. | ||
| 86129squids |
Find a trusted bike mechanic and pay him the $$$ to check it over. What Vern said. Change the oil IMMEDIATELY and pull the tank, drain, and clean. Seafoam is your friend for at least the next 4 tanks or more. Ask a LOT of quextions of the buyer regarding condition. Once all that checks out, remember the bike isn't even broken in. I'd keep a compression tester handy. (Message edited by 86129squids on October 04, 2013) | ||
| Froggy |
I bet $10 that you pull the drainplug and nothing comes out because it all leaked out years ago | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Nothing will be in the oil tank, it will be in the sump of the engine. First rotation of the engine will HORK! out 2.25 Quarts of oil via the breathers. | ||
| Sifo |
We picked up an '07 Guzzi this year with only 1,400 miles. Bought it from a dealer, but ran into the original owner later. He keeps 7 or 8 bikes on hand and has an "assistant" who is in charge of keeping them in good condition. He has a few more bikes where he often stays for business in S. Korea. | ||
| Airbozo |
"I bet $10 that you pull the drainplug and nothing comes out because it all leaked out years ago" I would take that bet. My '95 has not leaked a drop of oil in the year it has been sitting... (my S3T get's all the loving now). I am in the process of tearing it down for a repaint and some custom work. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I bet $10 that you pull the drainplug and nothing comes out because it all leaked out years ago It's a rubber-mounted XL motor, Froggy...not an Ironhead  | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
"I bet $10 that you pull the drainplug and nothing comes out because it all leaked out years ago" i like those odds, i'll take that bet | ||
| Leftcoastal |
If it was started occasionally, maybe it hasn't had the chance to "sump" - which is when the oil in the oil tank slowly bleeds down into the motor and fills the crank case and cam chest. Most Harley's with oil tanks higher than the motor (Sportsters, Softails) will do this, some faster than others. Check the oil level, it's low, it's "sumped" (I don't know where that term came from, but it's been used to describe this condition for as long as I know of) sometimes the bike will start, if the battery's good, and the oil will pump back to the tank. Takes a little while. If ALL the oil is in the motor, it's best to pull the plugs and crank the started for a few 20 second bursts, which sometimes gets enough oil out of the crank for the bike to start. If it did not have fuel stabilizer in the gas, the carb (I think XL' for that year are carbed, not EFI) WILL be gummed up. Buy new jets! Sometimes cleaning out the old ones works, but maybe not! Jets are pretty cheap. What Mc-14 said - CA back reg fees can be brutal! If not up to date, find out exactly how much it'll be to update the reg. I've heard of this amounting to many hundreds of bucks. A bike that age with that low of miles is probably the result of an impulse buy, with a shortly thereafter low-speed dump due to ignorance and/or ineptitude - Oh so prevalent in new H-D riders. Keeps 'em off that scary thing, probably for the best, sometimes. Check for damage - scraped pipes, axle ends that are scuffed, primary cover and foot peg mounts with scrapes or damage or a bit tweaked. If it's dirt cheap, buy it and fix it and ride the crap out of it! One more thing - look at a bunch of craigslist ads, from all over the place, and get an idea of values - keep in mind that 'asking' price is not necessarily selling price, but get a feel for it before you look and get caught up in all that shiny chrome. I'm not a pro - just been doing this a while and these suggestions are from experience. | ||
| Baybueller |
Brought the bike home for $3900. All good so far. It is an 883 and by seat of the pants has about half the power my XB9 had. I bought it for what it is and so far so good. Now a 1200 kit is a cheap deal........ |
