to buy or not to buy

[Keiff Hardcore]

I have never owned a bike, im 22, and i always loved the small 175-300cc bikes made in the 70's. I'm new to working on bikes but im not new to working on things. ive put life back into several old cars that where in dire need of attention. i found this CB200 that has a title but is pretty rough. im not sure if its completely worth it, but the woman only wants $125 for it. she doesnt know really anything about it except that it ran when it was parked.

the goal of my first project is to get a bike rolling for under $500, an i believe this bike fits the bill. my father worked on a lot of motorcycles and ATV's in the late 70's early 80's so he is pretty familiar with working on these bikes. my main concern is if buying a bike in this condition will cost more to get running again than its worth.

 

[canyoncarver]

Welcome and Good luck. Looks a bit too rusty for my tastes but this place has the info you'll need.
By the way: They always say "ran when parked", and I always think "yeah right, if it ran, you wouldn't have stopped riding it.".

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

the woman has a large selection of bike parts, as she used to be a dealer. lots of ninja stuff. but she said that someone traded it on on a newer bike and they never got around to getting it up to par for selling, now its no longer a dealership and shes trying to get rid of everything. i dont plan on using a lot of the old aesthetic stuff, i just need it to run and roll and attack the rest of the bike from there. im just not sure if i should just wait for a nicer bike to come along, but the woman planned on parting the bike out, and i always love saving old things from utter doom. something about breathing life into an old car or bike excites me.

 

[axeugene27]

I mean honestly she's not asking very much for it. the title and frame is probably worth half that. You won't get it on the road for under 500 though. At the very least you need tires, brakes, shocks, oil, Exhaust, new points, carb parts, chain and sprocket, handlebars, plugs, wires, fuel line, tank coated. You are over 500 right there. and the bike would still look pretty rough. I would be willing to bet it needs a top end overhaul as well. Is the engine locked up?. If I were you I would look for a non running bike that has been stored a bit better. That said I have seen bigger piles turn into awesome rides albeit not for <$375.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

would it be good just to grab it for the frame title and spare parts? ive seen a few bikes around here for sale but they all have no titles. im pretty sure i want a cb175/200/250.
i dont know if the motor is seized, but the woman said it shouldnt be.

 

[canyoncarver]

What axe said...

 

[jdseibe]

I know how it can get, the excitement of buying something and fixing it up, but I'm going to tell you right now that you are going to be sinking way more money into that bike than you think you will, I had a friend do the same thing.. he picked up a bike that was "running when parked" and has dumped $1000 into so far and it still looks like crap.. and doesn't run the best.. id find something that you know runs and go from there.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

my thoughts are i can buy it and evaluate the engine and tranny, and if it needs an overhaul just strip it down and see if i can find a running bike with no title. 90% of the old bikes i find aroun here have no title, so having a titled frame around to me sounds like a good idea, especially if the chances are that another ,nicer, bike in my price range is probably not going to have one.

 

[axeugene27]

i'd give her 60 bux for it for the titled frame. Get yourself a similar decent looking non titled bike (can be a big negotiating tool) and use it as a donor. or just wait around for something titled decent to come up. Got to pay to play my friend and few bikes worth spitting on sell for less than 500.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

alright. sounds good to me. i know there are deals floating around, i bought my first car for $175, and it ran like a top. i still have the motor in another car of mine.

but i do understand that any bike worth buying is going to be well over $500, but im more in this to learn bikes than to come out completely on top. ive already sourced new forks, wheels, tires, and new rear shocks for pennies on the dollar of what i would pay on fleebay, so i believe if im patient and dig for deals on stuff here and there i can make this bike happen for a smidgen over $500

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Walk away. These are not the droids you are looking for.

 

[CarbsAndCylinders]

I would say only buy the bike if you can use the registration or some of the parts for another bike of the same marque.

I agree with the others, by the time you duck tape up that exhaust and fix everything else, you will have an expensive project.

If you just want to take it apart to learn that might be the way to go but offer her half of what she is asking, it's been sitting so long it's just free money to her now.

Brian

 

[lingo]

Speaking from experience, buy a running bike for your first. You will learn tremendously from the experience and can apply it to the next bike. Having a bike that you can through a leg over and putt around the block on as you work to make it better is vastly better than having a money pit worn apart in your garage. Every time you work on it you can run it around and see if it is better. Rinse, Wash, Repeat. I bought my second 450 for $450 I had gotten my first bike running but I wanted the second one right so I could ride. I ended up needing the first bike for some parts to make the second one run better. Do it the other way. Learn from my mistake. Everyone will be happier for it.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

so im getting a half yes half no. im thinking if i can get it to run on ether while im there checking it out then i should get it.

 

[lingo]

That would loosely fit in my definition of running.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I agree with Alpha, but if you are determined...
You'll probably need to take a good battery and a set of jumpers even to kick start it. Primary side of the coils need excited to get spark.
Check the oil, and by "check" I mean, see if it has any, doesn't stink or resemble tar, and then drain a little if you can and top it off with a quart you bring. Any water in the crankcase would be to the bottom (oil floats) and it'd be the first thing picked up by the sump and sent to the engine if you get her to fire.

 

[Rich Ard]

Looks like a $100 bike. Your budget, though, is unrealistic - you'll break $150 just with a battery and tires. New cables are another $40 or more; and the list always gets longer.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

Looks like a $100 bike. Your budget, though, is unrealistic - you'll break $150 just with a battery and tires. New cables are another $40 or more; and the list always gets longer.

IF its a runner [meaning all i have to do is clean up the carbs and freshen up the fluids to get the motor to run]
the totals would be
$100 for used forks, rear shocks, wheels and tires.
$140 for ALL cables, new points, carb gaskets, and brake pads.
$150 for bike and new battery.

total-$390. im a cheap skate, and im NOT trying to build a pretty bike. just one that works the way its intended.

 

[axeugene27]

you won;t get it to run while you are there. The carbs are no doubt gunked to high hell.

 

[Keiff Hardcore]

you won;t get it to run while you are there. The carbs are no doubt gunked to high hell.

by "run" im reffering to it sputtering for a few seconds on starting fluid, which is just long enough to know that the internals are not shwacked.