motorcycle maintenance ?

[Lee H]

I plan to buy and take a motorcycle across the US because I am moving. a 1980's motorcycle is the only vehicle I can afford. what are some of the things I should look out for with the bike to see if it is a lemon or if it would be able to make the trip?

[blastabuelliac]

First of all there are a lot of good 80's bikes out there going for cheap. A lot of 80's Jap bikes were boring but they are dependable. Most of your 80's bikes were four cylinder. Yamaha had a lot of shaft drives. These are great for traveling because you don't have to mess with oiling a chain or carrying chain lube. Honda's are indestructible and they had a few bikes that were shaft drive. Goldwings and the CB900 Custom. Just go out and look at all the bikes you can find from private sellers and ride all that you can. (Do you have a license?) After a while you'll be able to tell a good one form a bad one. Check to see how clean the tank is. If it's rusty the bike has been sitting for a while. Check the oil to see if it's clean. If it looks like honey the guy has been taking good care of it. Look at the tires. Look for good tread or wear and look to make sure they don't have dry rot cracks. Whatever you buy get a service manual for it and pull some maintenance. Oil change and filter if it has one,change spark plugs, clean air filter,check tire pressure, oil and adjust chain if it is chain drive, drain and replace differential oil if it's shaft drive. But the newer the bike the better I think. But if you look hard and carefully you won't go wrong buying an 80's bike. Good Luck

[jimi4950]

Check to see if it has been in a accident? Consumers magazine might have some info on it.

[hutsy]

Get it checked out by a professional always better safe then sorry..