New England B.S. Thread

Because impatience + lazy = starter fluid.

I agree, though. If it's something as easy as gummed jets, just clean the damn things.

I'd be cautious about buying this bike, though. You obviously know your buddy better than I do, but I've always kind of gone by the guideline of if somebody can't be bothered to stabilize the fuel before they store something then they're probably not big on preventive maintenance.

 

I'm sure you've probably posted this before but what do you do for your bikes to winterize them?

 

1) Add an ethanol capable fuel stabilizer (usually the Blue Sta-Bil) and top off the tanks.
2) Take the bikes for a ride to circulate the stabilized fuel into the carbs/lines (just the lines on the 'Zuki, since it's injected)
3) Park them in the back of the garage on boards to keep the tires off of the cement (the Ninjette usually gets put up on the center stand)
4) Remove the batteries and bring them inside (they get periodically hooked up to a little 1.5 amp trickle charger/maintainer over the winter)
5) Reduce air pressure in the tires to around 10PSI or so.
6) Put on the cheapo motorcycle covers, just to keep the dust off.
7) Try and ignore them until spring

In the spring I drain the tanks and carbs, add fresh gas, reinstall the batteries and reinflate the tires and they're good to go (the Ninja gets its chain cleaned and reoiled). Never had a problem with either of them starting and running fine. But, I usually ride until November and have them out again in March or early April, so neither one has ever sat for longer than 6 months.

The old stabilized gas used to get mixed in a couple of gallons at a time into my Tacoma, but this year I just dumped it all in to the plow truck. Didn't notice any problems.

Edit: Both bikes also get a spring tuneup. I run some Seafoam motor treatment through the fuel tanks, check gap on the plugs, check brake fluid levels, change the oil and filters, and put some fresh dielectric grease on all of the light sockets. The Suzuki gets its shaft oil checked, and the ninja gets the chain cleaned, adjusted, and measured for stretch. Usually takes me a full afternoon to get both of them ready to ride again.

 

He puts stabil in all his engines. I don't know why he didn't do this one, but he showed me the slips from the tuneup and rebuild. I think just the jets need to get cleaned. Electrically, everything works well. The shifter works with no resistance and the clutch is smooth as hell

 

Agreed that the ether isn't the best way to go but if it was one shot to see if it would run that's different. An old friend of mine kept repeating that method trying to clear the carb on his old vehicle..fkn moron

 

Alex what is this bike gonna cost you?

 

I dropped some of my skid pieces at the machine shop to have some welding done. I should have them by the weekend

 

Initially? Or in unexpected repairs?

 

I was gonna start with purchase price and then move on from there

 

If it's anything like a lot of vintage bikes...

Purchase price: $500

Post-sale price: $6000, girlfriend, at least one digit, all friends and all spare time.

 

I would think 500. max for all the work it will need. Alex dont fix it in the barn with him. Use its condition to lower the price

 

Yeah, because if you fix it there and then you guys can't agree on a fair price, you basically provided free labor to get his bike running again so he can sell it to someone else for more $$ than he could have before.

 

He wants 500 but he is willing to work on it. The way I see it, there's some surface rust, the tank needs to be painted, the chrome is pitted, and I need to clean the carbs. I'm gonna try to get it for $350 or so. I don't know about other repairs. Hopefully after a new battery, it'll be good for a season and I can tinker with it over the winter

 

Morning all. Need a favor. I need some one with a 6' deep X 2' wide X 5'6" long hole in the yard to bury my wife of 22 years today. JK I cant believe it has been that long. Plus we were together for 6 years before getting hitched. A lot of good times in there. Even the bad times become laughable moments when looking back.

 

Congrats Billy.

 

Damn. You've been together for nearly as long as I've been alive...


But congratulations, Bill! And give her our sympathies too

 

Morning all.

Congrats Billy

 

And if you need it I've got a pretty large swamp being my house that no one goes in, but has lots of little inlets and though water for a small boat or canoe....

 

Billy, you're not supposed to post that on the interwebz!

Congrats, that's a long run.

 

I thought that's what the Quincy quarry's was for . You can also get rid of borrowed cars at the same time .

Congrats bill!