Bought my first bike tonight!

[Normac]

Originally Posted by FastGame

The law in the US back in the 80's said speedometers top at 85 mph, my KZ 1000 speedometer is 85 mph even though it'll do 100+ mph.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

I'm planning on putting collector plates on it anyways, so I won't even need to buy tabs.

That's cool. I don't really plan on my 650 Maxim being a 'forever bike', so I honestly didn't investigate that option. Plus - with it being an '82, it was ridiculously cheap in license here anyway. Man, I'm glad we just recently moved to Missouri. So - how does it run? Any immediate issues to resolve?

 

[rekit]

I would suggest checking the date on those tires. Blow outs on a bike suck. Also wire up a voltmeter If you don't have something. My 99 Valkyrie didn't and the alt went out and ruined a newish battery with out any clue. But nice bike! Like my MC magazine says "Ride em, Don't hide em!")

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by Normac

Originally Posted by 14Accent

I'm planning on putting collector plates on it anyways, so I won't even need to buy tabs.

That's cool. I don't really plan on my 650 Maxim being a 'forever bike', so I honestly didn't investigate that option. Plus - with it being an '82, it was ridiculously cheap in license here anyway. Man, I'm glad we just recently moved to Missouri. So - how does it run? Any immediate issues to resolve?

It runs amazing. He did say it was a bit cold-blooded, which I know most of those bikes are, but he also mentioned that "at about 40 degrees you have to let her warm up a good 2 minutes". I laughed and told him he had too much faith in me, thinking I'd be riding in 40 degree weather. He didn't pre-start the bike before I got there, so I was able to see how it acted right from cold start. A little choke and she popped right off, and sounds AMAZING. Super smooth idle, transmission felt nice, brakes worked fine. I really could not find anything wrong with the bike, and I tried.

Originally Posted by rekit

I would suggest checking the date on those tires. Blow outs on a bike suck. Also wire up a voltmeter If you don't have something. My 99 Valkyrie didn't and the alt went out and ruined a newish battery with out any clue. But nice bike! Like my MC magazine says "Ride em, Don't hide em!")

Both great suggestions, and I will definitely look into those when I get to spend a bit more time with the bike.

 

[SAJEFFC]

Beautiful bike and a great find. I had the 1983 model CB1000 Custom that looked just like it, it was that beautiful 2 tone root beer brown color. I had the matching Honda full fairing and matching hard saddelbags put on it. I took several road trips from Texas to Rocky Mountain national park on it over the years. My father in law at the time had a 1984 4 cyl Gold Wing and it did not sound near as pretty climbing the Rockies as that 4 piped 1000 did. Thanks for the memories!

 

[iahawk]

Minnesota motorcycles (and convertibles) are the best! Ridden for maybe 1/3 of the year and put away the rest of the year. You can can find some really nice older vehicles there.

 

[JimPghPA]

How old are the tires? If there is no date code, or they are more than 6 years old maybe you should consider replacing them.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by iahawk

Minnesota motorcycles (and convertibles) are the best! Ridden for maybe 1/3 of the year and put away the rest of the year. You can can find some really nice older vehicles there.

That definitely seems to be the case with this bike. It was very well loved by whoever bought it originally, and the seller I'm getting it from said he really only used it for fun around town and to go to St. Cloud.

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

That definitely seems to be the case with this bike. It was very well loved by whoever bought it originally, and the seller I'm getting it from said he really only used it for fun around town and to go to St. Cloud.

One thing I did, and many others do as well with an older bike, is to replace all of the old fuses and basic bulbs with new ones. Old fuses can be brittle, and old bulbs can be corroded and brittle too. I also used a small wire-brush on my Dremel and lightly buffed out the sockets for the turn signals and brake light bulb. They weren't bad or corroded, but it sure didn't hurt. I also did the same (very carefully) with the standard automotive-type fuse holders. Weak electrical connections are quite common on 38-40 year old motorcycles, regardless of how they were stored.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by Normac

Originally Posted by 14Accent

That definitely seems to be the case with this bike. It was very well loved by whoever bought it originally, and the seller I'm getting it from said he really only used it for fun around town and to go to St. Cloud.

One thing I did, and many others do as well with an older bike, is to replace all of the old fuses and basic bulbs with new ones. Old fuses can be brittle, and old bulbs can be corroded and brittle too. I also used a small wire-brush on my Dremel and lightly buffed out the sockets for the turn signals and brake light bulb. They weren't bad or corroded, but it sure didn't hurt. I also did the same (very carefully) with the standard automotive-type fuse holders. Weak electrical connections are quite common on 38-40 year old motorcycles, regardless of how they were stored.

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't considered that honestly. That should give me something to do in the mean time, would a can of Deoxit help?

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

would a can of Deoxit help?

That would be great honestly, and sure wouldn't hurt anything. My Maxim has a 4-fuse holder assembly under the seat - on top of the airbox, and 2 of the old glass fuses were bad. No electrical problems causing them to blow, just old and brittle. I carefully cleaned the tabs and then put in new fuses of the appropriate amperage. Honestly yours may not need this treatment, but I've always felt that 30+ year old fuses and standard bulbs deserve to be replaced anyway. And being a former electronics nerd, I know all too well the problems that can be associated with something as simple as a dirty or corroded connection.

 

[Bonz]

Originally Posted by JimPghPA

How old are the tires? If there is no date code, or they are more than 6 years old maybe you should consider replacing them.

Yes how old are those tires? I can't tell from the pictures. Tread pattern looks like they could be from the period. If they are anything close to original tires they are about 35 years too old. . I know it's a silly question but that's your biggest safety issue right now if they are even seven or eight years old.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by Bonz

Originally Posted by JimPghPA

How old are the tires? If there is no date code, or they are more than 6 years old maybe you should consider replacing them.

Yes how old are those tires? I can't tell from the pictures. Tread pattern looks like they could be from the period. If they are anything close to original tires they are about 35 years too old. . I know it's a silly question but that's your biggest safety issue right now if they are even seven or eight years old.

I went and picked up the bike last night, and remembered to look at the DOT codes. The front tire is mid-2017, the rear is mid-2011. They both look and feel new. Would a rear tire be a smart idea?

 

[Bonz]

Mid-2011 is getting a bit old if you go by the one of the industry recommendations to install them by five years from manufacturer and use them up in two or three additional years. For the cost of the rear tire I'd just swap it out. I am curious what brand/model tires are on there? if you're going to do any tuning on it or major maintenance leave the tire on for the few times you're going to run it around the block or up and down the street and swap it out when you get to real riding.

 

[blupupher]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

I went and picked up the bike last night, and remembered to look at the DOT codes. The front tire is mid-2017, the rear is mid-2011. They both look and feel new. Would a rear tire be a smart idea?

Yes, even though the tread may be good, the tire compound is harder than it should be and will not grip as well as it should, as well as possibly having small cracks you can't see and it failing.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by Bonz

Mid-2011 is getting a bit old if you go by the one of the industry recommendations to install them by five years from manufacturer and use them up in two or three additional years. For the cost of the rear tire I'd just swap it out. I am curious what brand/model tires are on there? if you're going to do any tuning on it or major maintenance leave the tire on for the few times you're going to run it around the block or up and down the street and swap it out when you get to real riding.

Fair enough. A new tire is now on my radar. I can't recall the brand of the tires, even though I specifically remember looking. It was a long day... They were a brand name tire, nothing odd or obscure sounding.

 

[DGXR]

Very nice bike and well bought! Enjoy And a 10-speed street bike made in 1980? What kind of sorcery is this? I thought low range gearsets were only for utility vehicles like ATVs, and the Honda 90 my parents had. Hmm.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by DGXR

Very nice bike and well bought! Enjoy And a 10-speed street bike made in 1980? What kind of sorcery is this? I thought low range gearsets were only for utility vehicles like ATVs, and the Honda 90 my parents had. Hmm.

It's got 10 total "ratios", but it's just a 5-speed gearbox with an auxiliary 2-speed transfer box. Think of it as an old school add-on overdrive unit for a car or truck. Normally, it's in low and you go 1-5 like normal. On the highway, kick it to high range to drop about 500 RPM for a nice smooth cruise. At 65 I was doing about 5300 in low, about 47-4800 in high. It definitely makes a difference.