What do you look for when buying a motorcylce that does not run because it has been sitting for 6 years ?

Question

Bike is a 1982 yamaha 750 virago

Answer 1

Clean the carburetors well.....but be careful with them, parts are not available for the early 80's Yamaha carbs anymore.

Clean out the gas tank, and add a new battery.

Answer 2

Check out the link below... it will help you should you decide to purchase the bike.

I would say the most important thing is to make sure the bike will turn over. Then do a little research into how hard it is too find ALL of the parts on the bike, because chances are there will be a few or more that need to be replaced. Decide if this bike would be worth the investment.

Answer 3

check compression, see if theres a spark at plugs, you will probably need to free off front calipers, before attemptin g to fire it pour some 2 stroke oil down the plugs and leave it for a couple of days, remove carbs and drain, i would then soak in diesel because that will dissolve the gum etc left by the old petrol, reassemble carbs onto bike, drain any old fuel from tank, turn engine over to remove excess 2 stroke from cylinders, now check all oils etc connect everything up and fire the ***** up. and i do realise this bike is not a 2 stroke, the reason for using 2 stroke oil in the cylinders is because it expands when it heats up so any that gets behind the piston rings will expand and create a better seal on the bore. hope you have lots of fun on this, i have 1100 virago and love it... many regards. steve...

Answer 4

See if you can shift it. If you can will it go to neutral so you can put it in the truck? Is the motor seized. If it is you can possibly continue but the asking price better not be over a grand. Get it on the truck. Be prepared for a long time of taking apart, cleaning, refitting, and buying replacement parts. Depending on your mechanical ability this will be between 2 months to never, and you'll end up selling the bike. Good luck, drag some knuckles.

Answer 5

Remove the oil fill cap and smell the oil.
If it smells like rotten eggs, it probably needs a new clutch.
Bring a good battery and jump start it.
Make sure the engine cranks over - may need a starter motor, starter solenoid, starter clutch, or the engine could be rusted seized.
Remove the spark plugs and check the compression.
Check for spark.
Look in the gas tank to see how rusted it is.
If it looks bad, it's gonna be a problem bike.
It's to old to buy a new tank.

Answer 6

Tires will be bad... replace em! You don't want a front tire blow out at 65mph. Cables will also need to be lubed. Gas does nasty things to carbs and tanks when it sits in them for over a year, as the others say look there too. And lastly, change oil and any or all filters. Good luck, I have brought several bikes back from the grave... it is a lot of fun!

Answer 7

things to look for would be, a clear title
keys, hints that its been tamperd with "stay away from molested bikes"
i would put a battery in it.. or jump it off a car make sure you take the old battery out before jumping it you dont want it blowing up in your face
now mechanical wise first off you need to make sure the engine isnt froze up "by hitting the start button and letting the engine turn over" or hooking the negative cable to a ground point on the frame and the positive to the thick wire coming off the starter .. thats only if it dosent have keys .. if it is froze . .you might as well find another project
if it isnt froze you want to take one spark plug out and turn the eingine over as you hold the sparkplug boot and press the spark plug aginst the cylinder head ... if you have spark its a good sign
the last thing you want to look for is compression
hold your thumb over the sparkplug hole and press it down as hard as you can .. and turn the engine over if the air blows past your finger .. its got good compression
if it has spark and compression, no odd noises
it shouldnt be too much trouble getting it running
im not sure how much ur paying but i wouldnt pay over 600 dollars go on ebay and check out project bikes in your area you might find a better deal
other things not as major to look for is tire dry rot tank rust
find out why it was parked if the guys story keeps changing he probably rode it untill its death n now your looking at it after he gave up on trying to fix it make sure it goes into gear
the brakes arent froze, even if it has bad tires, seat, gas tank
it can all be replaced without alot of know how

Answer 8

First thing is to make sure the motor isn't stuck and won't turn over lack of oil in the cylinder by sitting will cause this.If the engine is free chances it will be ok.

Answer 9

My opinion is don't. You will need to replace gaskets, and they will be expensive and hard to come by for this old virago.

Answer 10

I always make sure the motor is not locked up, that's the main thing. If it turns freely, your good to go.