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Author Topic: Bike crash in Northern MN Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-22-2012 03:12 PM                     Another Honda Rebel -- 1987 with around 6000 miles on it -- I'm going to see it this afternoon -- As a single factor, how important is the age of the bike? I'm reminded of the line in "Raiders" -- "It's not the years; it's the mileage!" One question that comes to mind is, could there be a possible issue getting parts for a 30 year-old bike? My apprehension about "buying used" comes from many bad experiences with my dad -- he always bought crappy used cars (and boats) -- and he supposedly "knew what he was doing," whereas I admittedly don't have 100% confidence that I'll spot a good buy.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-22-2012 04:14 PM                     In the case of bikes especially, age is the bigger factor as many parts become obsolete/no longer available by either manufacturers or aftermarket companies. 30 years is really pushing your luck on parts availability. Often, engine parts are fairly available as some models use the same parts over several years of production. Body and other hard parts are usually unique to a given year and are much harder/more expensive to get as years go by. Example: On my '86 FZ, in 2000/2001 NONE of the body parts were available from Yamaha, the chain slider and other drives parts were NLA and some of the engine parts were also NLA. Electrics? Forget it, nothing was available anymore either. Even the windscreen was discontinued by Lockhart/Phillips. Remember that there are far fewer bikes of any given model/year produced as compared to a model/year of cars. Before you consider an older bike, do a web search for parts and see what's available before you dive in and buy. As a rule, if I were looking at a street bike right now I would go no older than mid 90's and for a dirt bike no older than 2002. Double Nuts was an exception for me because he was in great condition and I was able to talk the seller down to a comfortable price. ($1,250 from $1,600)  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-22-2012 08:08 PM                     Good -- I'm glad I asked. Thanks again. Well, I have to say, the 1986 bike looks a heck of a lot better than some of the 2006-2011 bikes I've seen. No sign of scrapes, scratches or bodywork. It hasn't been used-n-abused. Everything on it is clean. A little dusty from storage -- she traded up to a Harley Sportster. This one is a contender. I'll check with the local Honda dealerships and ask them about parts availability. One hiccup -- the battery was dead. The owner said she turned it on earlier when she took it out of the garage and then forgot to switch off the ignition. We push-started it and the engine itself is good and all the electrics are working properly, with the only possible exception being the starter -- I want to ask her to make sure it's all charged up, so I can return and see it start from cold.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 07-24-2012 12:00 PM                     Honda is probably the only older Asian bike to consider as they have a division that specializes on parts for older models. Also expect to pay a substantial amount up front for repairs on old bikes from shops of all kinds. Repair bills can quickly exceed the value of the bike. Dealers are officially discouraged from working on old bikes by most manufacturers and prohibited by some.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-24-2012 03:40 PM                     Good to know -- I could always take it back to the 1st owner who is a Honda mechanic -- or learn to fix motorcycles myself..? Still waiting to hear if the battery held its charge. Is it true that you can't charge a motorcycle battery by simply idling it?  |  IP: Logged Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 07-24-2012 04:17 PM                        I am a licensed master motorcycle mechanic and what Bill says is mostly correct. I refuse to work on anything older than about 1985, but mostly because anything older than that is usually junk someone pulled out of a field and wants me to get running for $100. And over 50% of the people did not pick up their junk after it was fixed. Rebels I do not believe have changed much over the years so you should have no problem finding parts, new and used. Manny, if you are good at mechanical things a simple bike like a Rebel should be no problem for you if you get a good factory service manual for it. Bikes do not typically charge until 2000-3000 RPM, their stators are nothing compared to a car alternator.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 07-24-2012 08:42 PM                     Main reason cycles don't charge at lower engine speeds is that cycle alternators turn at crankshaft speed rather than several times crank speed as on a car due to pulley ratios.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-25-2012 02:50 PM                     Thanks for the tips on battery charging, and the possible issues with servicing! I called the local Honda dealer and they'd still service it if it's in good condition -- as Adam said, they don't take bikes that aren't worth the cost of repairing -- and, in some cases, an older bike might have to wait until after the busy season (which is right now) but they said they'd still take it right away if I wanted to bring it in for service before using it -- that's reassuring.  |  IP: Logged

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