Back From the Dead

BACK DEAD From the

Resurrecting a bargain blaster

PAUL DEANN

OKAY, SO IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE BIKE OF YOUR DREAMS. But it's all you can afford right now, and it will get you back in the saddle and out on the road again. Yeah, it might require a little TLC—and in some cases, maybe more than a little. But if you stitch together a systematic game plan and are willing to shell out a few greenbacks to replace some items that may be at death's door, you could end up with a solid, reliable, fun ride for not a lot of dough.

To help you navigate through the various operations needed to resuscitate your low-buck garage-find and whip it back into fighting shape, here are some basic guidelines. They tell you where to look, what to look for and how to deal with your findings. It's all straightforward stuff that you probably could figure out on your own, but everybody likes a little help from their friends now and then, don't they? Oh, and if you can somehow scare up an owner's manual for the bike, it will prove very beneficial to your endeavor.

Tires

Here's one place where you don't want to skimp. If the tires are suspect in any way-tread depth, sidewall cracking, rubber hardness, tread cupping, worn flat in the middle-just replace them. Everything a motor cycle does-everything-is an interaction between the bike and the ground, yet the bike only touches the ground through two small contact patches. As such, they're all that stands between you and the pavement. So, if you insist on cheaping out, do it somewhere else. Please.

Gas Tank

ii me interior nas any rust, seal its openings, put a couple of gallons of gas and a hand ful of tiny nuts and bolts in it, then tumble it for a few min utes to knock the worst of the rust loose. Afterward, coat the interior with a two-part epoxy treatment such as Gas Tank Sealer from Caswell Plating (www. caswellplating. corn).

Brakes

That which goes must also stop, often in a very short dis tance to avoid some pinhead on a cell phone, making brakes the second-most important system on any motorcycle. Check the pads for wear and toss them if down to less than 1/16..inch. Spin the wheels as fast as possible to check for disc warpage. If there is none but you feel pulsing at the lever/pedal, sand the rotors with medium-grit (120 to 150) emery cloth or sandpaper. It's ad visable to replace the brake fluid, especially if the bike's an oldie but moldy. Remove the oldfluidby flushing it out with the new through the use of a pressure bleeder or a vacuum pump.

Engine

Change the oil and filter. If the engine is liquid-cooled, check the coolant level; and if the beast hasn't run in quite a while, flush the cooling system, replace the coolant and make sure the radiator cap seals properly. Check the motor mounts for tightness, and give all the engine-case screws a once-over to ensure their snugness. If the engine makes a ticking noise, it may need a valve adjustment. That's a relatively easy task on most bikes that have screw-type valve-lash ad just ers but not so simple with shim-and-bucket types. Once it's running, check carefully for oil (and when appropri ate, coolant) leaks. Check the clutch for the proper freeplay at the lever and, if necessary, adjust it to have between 1/2W to 3/4-inch of play measured at the outer end of the lever.

Appearance

vvitn a ituie eioow grease aiiu a small selection of polishing ma terials, most used bikes, even older ones, can emerge from a cosmetic facelift looking pretty spiffy. Use fine-grade rubbing compound on faded paint, metal polish on aluminum that has lost its shine, chrome cleaner on handlebars, chromed rims and mufflers that have accumu lated a little rust, then finish it all off with a good-quality waxthat you buff off with a clean microfi ber polishing towel.

Carburetors

Two problems usually plague the CV carburetors on older bikes: clogged jets and de graded slide diaphragms. Gasoline sitting in float bowls for extended periods turns to a varnish that clogs everything; so remove the bowls, clean them thoroughly, remove all the jets and clean their orifices. The pilot jets are too small to clean very effectively, so if they are clogged, just replace them; in fact, replacing all the jets with those from an aftermarket jet kit is a good idea, as they will allow the engine to run more efficiently than stock. If the diaphragms are cracked, hardened or per manently wrinkled, replace them; the slides cannot move prope~y unless the diaphragms are pliable. After reassembly, synchronize the carbs with a balancing tool (a bank of vacuum gauges or mercury tubes) or as closely as pos sible by ear.

Electrics

UhecK and, it needed, top off the battery's electrolyte level. Using a voltmeter, read the battery voltage while the engine is running at about 1/3 of its maximum rpm range; if the alternator is charging, the meter should read no lower than 13 volts. Give the battery a slow charge (1 amp max for about 4 hours), and if it then cannot hold at least 12 volts for 24 hours, replace it. Verify the operation of all the lights, and don't forget the brakelight, as well as the switches that operate it.

Seat

If the seat is ripped and/or cracked, a replacement can be expensive. If that's not in your budget, check with local upholstery shops to determine if it can be repaired or recov ered at a greatly reduced cost. Also, a decent replacement often can be obtained from a motorcycle salvage yard.

Exhaust

You may not give a rat's behind if the exhaust on your new-old ride is loud, but just make sure that the windowrattling din it emits is coming from the muffler outlet, not elsewhere in the system. Leaky header gaskets in particular can cause expen sive problems by allowing cold air to enter the exhaust port where a sudden drop in temperature could cause a super-hot exhaust valve to warp just enough to leak when the engine is first shut down. Also check the undersides of the system, especially the muffler(s), for the early signs of rust-through. Inspect all the exhaust mounting brackets for cracking, and ensure that every bit of mounting hard ware is present and has been sufficiently tightened.

Suspension

Unange the tork oil using the prescribed type and volume of oil. If they have not already done so, leaky fork seals will make themselves known the first time you take the bike for a ride. Prop the bike up on a stand or crate so the front wheel is off the ground, then grab both fork legs at the very bottom and vigorously yank them back and forth to determine if the steering-head bearings are loose. If you feel movement, the bearings are in need of adjustment. And if, either before or after ad just ment, the bearings feel notchy as you turn the fork side to side, the bearings are dam aged and must be replaced. At the rear, check the shock(s) for leaks, and if there are none, bounce up and down on the seat as energetically as you can manage. If the rear end springs back so quickly that it tops-out with a light "clunk," look for a rebounddamping adjuster on the shock, which usually-but not always-is near its base; if it has one, turn it fully clock wise and perform the bounce test once again. If the results are not much better-or if the shock in question has no rebound-adjustment provi sions-the shock will need to be replaced.

Chain & Sprockets

Lift the chain off the very back end of the rear sprocket; if you can pull any link more than halfway off its sprocket tooth, the chain is worn out and should be replaced. If either sprocket's teeth have become very pointy or are curled forward like little ocean waves, replace that sprocket. If the chain and sprockets are still good, spray some high-quality, motorcycle specific lube on it, then adjust it so it has approximately an inch of up-and-down freeplay measured halfway between the swingarm pivot and the rear-wheel axle.

"If you stitch together a systematic game plan and are willing to shell out a few greenbacks to replace some items that may be at death's door, you could end up with a solid, reliable, fun ride for not a lot of dough."