How difficult is it to get motorbike parts for bikes from the 80's e.g. an '81 Virago 750?

Question

We have a limited budget and want to buy a bike, there sem to be quite a few good choices in older bikes, but will they be really difficult to maintain/get parts for?

Answer 1

You should have no trouble finding accessories and external maintenance parts such as tires, oil & air filters, chains & sprockets, etc., but internal engine and transmission parts are getting hard to find for Japanese motorcycles that are 25+ years old. Many dealers shops will not work on older bikes because of scarcity of parts.

Before you buy any older motorcycle, see if you can find a mechanic that's willing to work on it, and ask him to take a good look at it, and go with his recommendations as far as maintenance concerns.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Depends on the bike....Parts for the Virago will be easy to find for two reasons. First, there were a ton of Virago 750's sold, and second, they built that bike for a long time with very little changes to it over the whole production run. Parts for other bikes from the same era might not be found as easy.

Answer 3

general service items are easily available for that bike, as are some aftermarket engine/electrical system parts. If it's reasonable mileage and hasnt been sitting outside in all kinds of weather it should be a good buy ( the starters always sound like they are about to explode though, even when new). body parts may be difficult or impossible to find new (tank, side panels, etc) dont know havnt checked
Japanese were still building 100,000mile motors back then so even 20,000 is realtively low miles on anything over 500cc. (its still possible to get well over 100,00 miles on modern bikes but they tend to be bought by a different type of rider today)
Sport bikes tend to get a much harder life so you have to have a better idea what to look for

Answer 4

Make sure it's in good shape. Basic maintenance will be no problem, but replacement parts could be a challenge. I used to have an 84 Suzuki and in 2000 I found that I couldn't get a new throwout bearing for the clutch, I would have had to spend hundreds on a new aftermarket clutch pack. I also needed to replace the chain guard and it was no longer available.

So, inspect it thoroughly (have a motorcycle mechanic inspect it if you don't know how). If it doesn't look like any parts need to be replaced you'll probably be able to keep it going rather easily for quite a while (unless you break something on it yourself).

Answer 5

Lots of places carry parts. You can google, or yahoo something like "bike parts" and get tons of links. Some places even specialize in older bikes.

Answer 6

Lot's of parts for older bikes are still available on e-bay motors as well as new through your local dealer or aftermarket supplier. If the bike is worth it, I wouldn't be scared about getting parts if you need them.

Answer 7

its a strong deal that motorcycle has a BULLETPROOF motor! I easily have an 1981 Virago with properly over 2 hundred,000 miles on it! the in ordinary words problem you'll ever have is with the starter motor and its common to fix as quickly because it takes position. aspects are nevertheless accessible for those motorcycles on the dealerships and at boneyards. i ought to bounce throughout it!

Answer 8

There are lots of parts available for older machines. Get with an independent shop owner, or get them yourself from a site like Power Sports Pro. Don't **** with evilBay.

Answer 9

For a bike like that, check out:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/StoreCatalogDisplay/c-10101/s-10101/TID-0820