"Bad Idea" low budget build

[elwood440]

So I answered an ad for a $200 '79 GL1000 basket case project, and unwisely brought it home. It's all there except for the rear shocks, exhaust, and headlight bucket. It did come with a windjammer and Hondaline luggage, but chances are slim that any of that will go back on.

My plan is to make a runner. No shiny trailer queens, no setting aside a budget for wax and chrome polish, just put together something reliable, mechanically sound, and fun. The other thing you should know about me is that I'm a cheapskate. As long as there's decent quality, if there's a way to get it done for cheaper, I'll do it. If anyone has suggestions for a good but inexpensive way to recondition some part, let me know. I'll share whatever knowledge I come across too.

This will also be a long-term project. Get done what I can get done when I can get it done. I'll try to keep a tally of the overall cost. So far, it's $200 for the initial boxes of parts.

[ianstaley]

Good luck and will watch this one carefully.

[elwood440]

Need an engine

As it turns out, the engine that came with this bike is junk. It sat with water in it for a long time, pitting the crap out of the right side cylinder wall, and rusting up everything in the head. Lots of white crusty came out of the alternator bolt access hole too, so maybe there was water in there too? Dunno.

I will take a bit to find a working engine (or near enough) before putting very much other money into this.

[elwood440]

Parts bike:

last weekend I picked up a '76 parts bike to supplement this project. I got it from CL. The guy wanted $500, but I told him I just wanted some parts, one of them being the engine. Since I didn't need the whole thing, I could only pay $250 for the parts, or $300 for all of it. He came back with $350 and I agreed to come get it as long as the engine turns over and has some sort of compression.

When I got there, the guy was out of town and his son was able to show it to me. I looked it over real quick and noticed that the left valve cover and camshaft were off of it. This in itself isn't that bad, but I wanted to know why. I located the kickstarter to see if it rolls over, and gave it a couple cranks. I hit a tight spot, and *POP* the left head came out about 1/4"! The guy had removed the 6 big head bolts but not the 7th little one. I took it off, and metal crumbs poured out. It had dropped a valve and tore up the cylinder, cracking the cylinder wall. After a brief discussion, the guy agreed to let it go for $180. I also noticed earlier that it had a Dyna S with coils, so on the trailer it went!

I now have the shocks I needed, 2/3 of the exhaust, the headlight bucket and ears, Dyna ignition, and a buttload of spare parts... but no engine
Total investment so far: $380

[chewy999]

Good luck and will watch this one carefully.

+1 with the good luck, but you may be surprised at how it quickly the costs mount up as there are still some things you really must do as a matter of course, starting with the timing belts on whatever engine you find.

[elwood440]

Title question:

I have a singed over title for both of these bikes, but in Alabama they no longer assign titles for vehicles over 35 years old. They do, however, want you to register it (which means insuring it as well) within 20 days of purchase.

Since right now these bikes are essentially two piles of parts and not running, should I bother registering anything until I have something that runs? Will they me angry at me if that happens to be 1-2 years after purchase? Will I be in more trouble than a stern look from the DMV lady?

[wannabridin]

Were the titles signed with the date on there too? If not, then no worries, just put a date on there closer to when you're going to get it running.

I have a '79 engine I could easily sell to you, complete with carbs. I'm in dallas, so if you just happen to be close, then let me know! Otherwise I might consider selling you parts as you need them off the engine. AFAIK, the engine turns over and has some compression, but I've not done a diagnostic on it, so I can't be certain.

[elwood440]

Good luck and will watch this one carefully.

+1 with the good luck, but you may be surprised at how it quickly the costs mount up as there are still some things you really must do as a matter of course, starting with the timing belts on whatever engine you find.

I do know that the final cost will be more than I would hope, but with luck I might be able to keep it below $2000. My estimates so far:

-BELTS - $30 Amazn $64.57 2 belts, 2 oil filters, 4 iridium spark plugs from RockAuto
-Carb rebuild - $180+ Randakk kit OR ~$450 to send them to an approved rebuilder (it pays not to cheap out here)
-Rebuild kits for 2 Brake MCs and 3 calipers - $200
-fork seals - $20 $64.41 all fork bits from PARTZILLA
-SS brake lines - $110
-clutch, throttle, choke, speedo, tach cables - $75
-exhaust - $200?
-shocks - $100 FOUND! $0 (may want to upgrade later - ~$200?)
-Brake/clutch levers - $30 (these are wear items too!)
-Tires - $300
-Randakk Grips - $25
-Headlight bucket/ears - $50-100 FOUND! $0
-Front turn signals - $50
-Dyna ignition and coils - $300 FOUND! $0
-Misc fluids, greases, solvents, etc - $100

let me know what else I'll need, or if I'm way off on any estimates

[elwood440]

Were the titles signed with the date on there too? If not, then no worries, just put a date on there closer to when you're going to get it running.

I have a '79 engine I could easily sell to you, complete with carbs. I'm in dallas, so if you just happen to be close, then let me know! Otherwise I might consider selling you parts as you need them off the engine. AFAIK, the engine turns over and has some compression, but I've not done a diagnostic on it, so I can't be certain.

unfortunately Dallas isn't on my way to anywhere, and shipping isn't really an option. I'm in Huntsville AL, and have family in Michigan so anywhere in between I can swing by fairly easy at least once a year. There's another guy on here with one in NC, but that's not really "on the way" either. I will for sure keep you in mind though!

I do have a couple leads closer, but not sure yet how good they are. One from our local vintage club, but he's only in the area once or twice a year too, and one on Nashville CL that i'm skeptical about.. "good '75 engine and rolling frame, no carbs, $200"

I have two racks of carbs now, so that should be covered.

[wannabridin]

Well if you discover you have a good block and need heads, let me know. We can probably make a deal happen. Also, if you want to upgrade the cams to early models, I have a set available

[elwood440]

Teardown:

Super easy because I got it mostly disassembled already.

Now I get to dive into the "cleaning and greasing" portion.

Doesn't get much nakeder than this

[elwood440]

Or upside down. Not sure how that happened.

[Vermonter]

As per your last question about registering it;

If they tax you on the total cost of the bike (as they do where I live) you may want to register it now. You can claim it as a $380 investment, pay tax on that, and move on. If you wait til the bike is done, they may want an itemized list of cost you put into the bike, total it up, and tax you on the total (as they do where I live). There's quite a difference in state tax on $380 and $2000. Just something to think about.

[zman]

Yea, if they want you to register and the dte is on it just pay the tax on the bike and make it a non operational if they have it..something like 20 bucks a year to keep a in storage in Ca...not sure what it cost there, maybe nothing.

[robin1731]

So you have title answers from guys in CA, VT, and TX. You are in Alabama. The surest way to get the correct answer is to call your local DMV. All states do it differently. I could tell you how we do it in Indiana but that does you no good.