| Author | Message | ||
     Crowen |
Hello, I'm looking at buying my first Buell; a 97 S3T. It's been owned by the same mature rider for 20 years, well taken care of, all original with the proper maintenance and parts replacements as necessary. Engine completely rebuilt at 10k miles (docs provided) and presently has 35k miles. Been in storage for 2 years with fuel drained. My issue is that I won't be able to hear the bike running before purchasing as the owner does not want to spend the time and energy and would prefer to sell as is. Owner has all the original parts including side fairings, 2 sets of case covers (wide and narrow). I guess the question I'm asking is what to look for and what it's worth. Or should I just walk away... Thanks for any and all input! | ||
| Two_seasons |
Make sure it has the updated shock. Maybe you'll get lucky and the owner bought a Penske! I'd check for cracks in the fairing, cracks in the saddlebags (do they still have the inner bag), isolators. Ask for all maintenance records. If he doesn't have them, ask for the shops he did business with. Race ECM and race exhaust would be a nice addition. Quieter than you think! Upgraded seat would be nice too. Two keys would be nice. Matching to seat release and bags? Easy bike to work on...actually all tubers are easy to work on. Can't really go wrong if he is selling it for under $4k USD. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Any of the stuff Two_seasons listed would be great, but a lot of it is probably unlikely. In general, it's perfectly fine if he doesn't want to do any work to the bike, that doesn't raise any red flags, but hopefully he's being reasonable. You can't sell a running bike for running bike prices, if you can't prove it's running... you know? They're pretty reliable bikes. I personally wouldn't have a problem buying one in that condition, but I'd expect a reasonable price on it.... probably not more than $2000, considering you can get one you know runs for $2500-3500. You're not at too much risk considering if you do end up with a bike with engine problems.... they're typically worth more in pieces than they are whole. Even a bad engine is still gonna be worth some money considering transmissions go for $250-300, heads, primary stuff.... Anything not related to the crank, is a relatively easy fix anyway since the transmission can be pulled without splitting the cases, if you're ok with working on a bike. Without seeing the bike and knowing the price, it's hard to say, but these bikes are getting harder to come by, so sometimes you have to take a chance(bought my S1 from 3 states away). Even if it runs with fresh oil, gas, and a battery, it's likely there will still be some maintenance work and some money that will need spend. There are plenty of wear items and recommended upgrades, legitimate ones, not just cosmetic/performance parts that you'll want to budget for. Do you have any pictures you can share with us? If you can get us decent pictures we'll probably be able to tell you a good bit about how well the bike was cared for. | ||
| Crowen |
No pics, sorry. Original everything, including exhaust, seat, etc. Shock is oem, not updated. 2 keys matched to everything. Bag liners; yes. I do know the front motor mount was replaced because of cracking. All fairings look good. Seat is nice, no scuffs, tears. It was always garaged when not being used. Well maintained with records. Owner doesn't use it anymore since he and the wife bought matching Triumphs. (Message edited by Crowen on May 29, 2020) | ||
| Buelltours |
if you post some pics I'm sure you'll get a lot of attention and advice. If it has the original shock (white exposed coil), I'll trade you for the upgraded one  | ||
| Hawgford |
Depending on location,I am in Ga,I am free to go any bike and regularly do pre purchase appraisals...If seller permits I can do some intense but quick tests as to condition. I can also close the deal and store a bike,even deliver as soon as I locate another small enclosed trailer. I have very large enclosed and small open trailer only at this time and of course truck bed,but its worth it to me to get another small as possible enclosed trailer to do just this as well as race a lil.If i can be of help let me know.I have over 4 decades of mostly harley experience,but triumph and some jap/ ital as well.Machinist/fabricator by trade,disabled in wreck so free to do what I like on my own schedule.. I wouldn't be on here if I didn't own a Buell,right now a 2000 cyclone,but my original purchase plan was just this a 979899 S3T so I did alot of research before this cyclone fell in my lap...I did notice that it read the motor was rebuilt at 10k miles.. YELLOW FLAG... I would be diggin into this issue deeper and with time investment you should be able to find past owner that had the bike when this was done...Am here to help anyone since I am free to travel and learn more Buell specifics myself.Even got my long bed ranger set up as a camper with hi top and bunk,etc Sort of a have wrenches will travel set up,lol..type at me.especially if you have a 4x6 enclosed for sale. in the south.. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
10k is definitely low for a bike to get a rebuild...It would be worth asking him what the deal is with that. Was the rebuild professionally done? Knowing it's had 25k ridden on the rebuilt motor is at least a good sign. If the motor has been rebuilt I'd ask if any of the internal updates have been done, like the oil pump drive gear, primary chain tensioner, and clutch spring plate. You can do those all yourself if they haven't been done, but it's surely a lot less work to ask than it is to look inside your engine to find out. In my opinion, it sounds like a reasonably safe bet. I'd consider it if it was me. | ||
| Crowen |
I had asked about the rebuild. He had bought it from a (non-HD) dealership that had taken it in on trade from a young fellow. I believe he said it only had about 5k on it when he bought it. At 10k, it developed an engine knock (possibly due to improper break in) so was re-done, both top and bottom. Because the engine was out, he wasn't going to fool around doing just half a job and he still intended to keep riding it for several years. Just judging by where he lives, and idle chit chat about past profession (he is retired), money wasn't really an issue so it got done right. The shop that did it was a small, independent, well respected place with a long history. All receipts for work done are included. I'm going to have a second look at it next week. Thanks for all the info. I'll keep you posted. | ||
| Hawgford |
Good to know..sounds like you got the second best possibility/choice to do the rebuild,the first of a factory motor tech bein near immpossible,so...WIN!...If you make a deal of course get with that shop as bolt torques need to be checked and there's some tests that can be done on the oil to see whats in it and not in it,plus i would bet it needed valve adjustment...I Pm'd ya what i thought was fair money on the machine,that stays the same.He's only hurting himself by not doin a careful check and refire,i just hope the carb was drained and cleaned and re installed dry as well as the brakes however dot 5 has a decent shelf life... remember you will have tire expense.Buy them for the way you ride,NOt what looks good or what anybody else rolls. I personally install Shinko Ravens on my performance machines and used to be a big metzeler fan...LUCK | ||
| Crowen |
Thanks Hawgford. Got the PMs; great advice everyone! I'll let you know what happens. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
"plus i would bet it needed valve adjustment..." If that bike needs a valve adjustment, you might be in some trouble! (lighthearted joke, these bikes have hydraulic lifters and never need their valves adjusted like typical bikes) | ||
| Hawgford |
UTM.. Obviously you don't a ride the amount I do and have for over 4 decades and while the MOCO put in one piece pushrods.i don't know if Buell changes them as most guys DO change to adjustable pushrods so they can run different cams as well as not have to pull the heads. the lifters take up only so much slack and I have seen plenty of the 7/16 jam nuts back off and ARE misadjusted because,most of the time they were adjusted before by someone still getting the feel for the correct way to do them. 7 out of 10 problems on most bikes are caused by operator error,usually a lack of maintenance, otherwise bent rods would be unheard of ,huh?Never mind guide failure lifter failure and incorrect cam profile identification in this case times 4. you may leave it to chance but with everything i've seen cutting my teeth on solids back in the day,I don't.especially on a performance motor.. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
I think you missed my disclaimer about my comment being a lighthearted joke. I certainly don't have over 4 decades of riding, as I also don't have over 4 decades of life. Some people definitely use adjustable pushrods in these bikes, but they're certainly not common, and I never hear anything about them on this forum aside from guys saying to avoid them, as they're just one more headache to an otherwise simple engine. OP never said anything to imply he had a performance motor to make a needed valve adjustment a good bet, but I'll just let you take control over this one for Crowen as it seems like I might've touched a nerve. | ||
| Captainkirk |
Most of the important bases have been touched on here, but the two big questions I would be asking is: 1) If you walk away from this bike, are there others to choose from? (from what I've seen lately, not really) 2) Are you ready and willing to either take on an ongoing maintenance adventure in learning and sweat equity (Buells are rather a hands-on affair from my experience) or as an alternative, do you have the funding to pay someone else to do it for you? Your potential purchase is over 20 years old. You can't expect isolators, drive belts, seals and other perishables to last indefinitely, and someone is gonna have to replace them when they start failing (usually after a thousand miles or so after bringing a bike out of storage, from my experience). The shock is a major concern as the original will fail sooner or later. The Penske is a pricey little bugger (over a grand) and the Buell upgrade is more than half that...IF you can find one. If tires are more than 7 years old, expect to replace them. That's half a grand depending on what you install, and with varying labor rates. Not trying to discourage you, only pointing out that for a tuber of that vintage, you need to expect some issues down the road, so price accordingly. And as was mentioned, either a bike runs, or it doesn't. If you can't run it around the block, it doesn't run...whether it just needs fresh gas and battery or has a deep rod knock. Harsh, but the truth. Last bike I bought like that had two bent exhaust valves, yet it "ran good" according to the seller. Since I paid $250 bucks for it, I made out just fine. If I had to pay someone to fix it I'd would have been in the hole. Just sayin'. |
