Motorcycle experts: Buy this bike?

[SomethingClever]

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/8237/24js.jpg

It's a 1985 Honda Magna 500. Guy wants $500.

He says:

-It runs good, but has been sitting for while
-Needs a new seat. (Doesn't look that bad to me, but whatever)
-Might need some carburator work
-Has 16,000 miles on the odometer

I'm just looking for a toy, basically. If it runs well and starts every time I want it to, I'll be happy. I don't care if it looks pristine in every way, but I really don't want to have to deal with a bike that won't start or run properly. I'd be willing to spend an additional $300 or so on repairs to get it up to speed.

Think it's a good fit?

[Shajen]

Looks fairly clean, when he said it hadn't run in a while, how long is "a while"?

You'd need to do some basic maintenance, carb cleaning, geting the gas out of the tank (if it has sat for longer than a couple months) changing the oil, checking the chain, etc.

$500? Not bad. If you like tinkering around on stuff, this would be a decent deal I think.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
carb cleaning

[/ QUOTE ]

How much would this cost? He recommended running some of that fuel injector cleaner stuff through the system first.

I think he said it's been sitting for a year. But he said it will start up and run. I'm going to check it out in person on Saturday....

[Shajen]

cleaning out the carb is pretty simple. I didn't mean running some form of cleaner through it, I meant tearing down the carb and rinsing it out with some type of cleaner (we used to use solvent) and then put it back together.

I hope he changes the oil before he tries to crank it.

If it starts after sitting for a year, by all means, buy it.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
cleaning out the carb is pretty simple. I didn't mean running some form of cleaner through it, I meant tearing down the carb and rinsing it out with some type of cleaner (we used to use solvent) and then put it back together.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the kind of thing that I would [censored] up.

How much would it cost to pay someone to do it?

[Shajen]

Uh, I honestly have no idea.

Just to give you an idea of how simple this stuff is, when I was 14, me and a friend tore my Honda Rebel's engine down to the gears and built it back up. It was a fairly long process, (roughly 15 hours or so) but it was easy enough for two dorky 14 year olds to do.

You can do the carb. Should have just a few long bolts and viola, it's apart.

But, to pay someone to do it? I'd imagine (and this is a W.A.G.) around $75 or so.

The rule of thumb for all things mechanical: the older it is, the easier it is to fix.