Tweet
Big THANKS to everyone who donated to help make this happen, and to ctandc for pointing me at this bike (in my budget range, in my area).
Friday afternoon, I grabbed two friends (Jason, Nate) and we went out to Indian Rocks Beach to see the bike listed on eBay ('98 Kat 750, 23k miles), to see just how much of a basket case it was, or if it was the steal-deal of a lifetime.
Met with the seller, a bit wiry/scrawny/scruffy guy that looked like he was in his early 20's (turned out to be mid-30's according to his license), living with his mom (& seemingly supported by her) in a small early 70's beach bungalow about as far off the actual beach as you could be and still be island that is the beach. The bike was parked out front on the side of a broken-asphalt driveway that should have been repaved a decade earlier (or resealed/retarred 20 years ago to avoid having to repave), with a car port and no garage on the building... The driveway would prove an ominous foreboding of the condition of the bike.
I had expected, based on the description on ebay & the pics with the description, this to be a stunter special that I'd simply walk away from. The reality was quite a bit sadder in general, but better for me... He had bought the bike about 4 months ago according to him (i would guess as his first bike), ridden it a bit and "needed to get rid of it to stay safe." He also boasted of having received a Joe Rocket jacket very similar to mine for XMas and not having worn it yet -- that would probably go up on eBay as well.
Back to the bike...
The first thing I noticed walking up was that the color no longer had much of any depth to it -- the years and sun had bleached out any luster or depth. The paint was still there (in most places), but the tank had quite a few deep gouges (showing white underneath) and a dent that was covered by the tank bra. Lifting the bra, water poured out and I saw something green underneath. Reaching in, I found a very wet house-for-sale notice folded four-ways; when I opened it, the seller commented that it was the address at which he bought the bike originally. Obviously, he had never even lifted the bra off the bike far enough to notice it in the whole time he owned it.
The chain had the deeply furred patina of rust that's usually reserved for cars built in the 1920's and left sitting abandoned somewhere for the better part of a century -- I was dubious that I could even get the wheel to turn. Beach life with salt water less than 100 feet away isn't good for bikes... but I would have never guessed this next part: he quipped to me that he had only had it replaced 3000 miles ago, shortly after getting the bike. When I asked him about oiling the chain, he just looked at me quizzically, totally clueless to what I was talking about. The top of the swing arm had it's powdercoat worn away from where the chain was dragging on it (whether the old chain or the new one is beyond me). Oddly, the sprockets didn't look very bad... The adjusters were pretty furred up as well (I'll have to take a metal brush & WD-40 to them, or just replace them totally at the same time as the chain & sprockets).
Shoving the forks down, I found light oil rings on the fork tubes; I doubt this bike had ever seen a fork rebuild either -- only about 8 years past due, right? Clutch lever broken in half, bent and binding; couldn't tell if the clutch cable was pretty shot too, but I'd bet on it. Front tire was an bias-basis Dunlop manufactured in 2001, worn to well-beyond-scary and was four weight-classes down on the minimum weight-rating for the 98+ Kats. The rear is a Shinko in good shape, obviously almost new.
He went in the house and came out with the key, an original key at that (wow), and handed it to me. I popped the seat off. Underseat area clean, battery some off-brand aftermarket battery that sounded more like a condom (Magnum battery), terminals clean, K&N air-box filter in place.
Key into the gas tank (bit of a battle -- the hinge on the latch that covers the keyhole was pretty much as stiff as a 14 year old that snuck into the Miss America dressing rooms), flashlight out, and amazingly, although there was only about a half gallon of fresh gas in it, no signs of any serious rust that I could see. Rubber seal for the cap was in reasonable shape, so that may have been a saving grace...
I put the bike up on the centerstand (same effort as any other Kat), got instructed that the choke was needed to start it, choked it a bit, and fired her up. Pretty nasty noises from the top of the engine, loud enough to tell me that it's probably never seen a valve adjustment in it's 23k miles either (or at least not in the recent past). When I ask him, he says he didn't, then a bit prouder, tells me that he added a quart of oil to it for the first time last week because it was low. He fetches out the oil to show me -- Citgo orange bottle of generic motor oil with a convenience store sticker. Somewhere under my breath I groan a bit... Betcha that explains some of the clutch slippage he's been experiencing. There's signs of past oil leakage on the fins of the left side of the engine, but the placement doesn't scream leaking head gasket... not sure were it's from (maybe a leaking, mis-seated valve cover gasket).
Runs a quite rough until it warms up, but the weather was low 60's (I wouldn't want to have to start it as-is in some place far colder). I fold up the sidestand (a battle in itself -- no lube, pivot possibly rusted -- it'll never fold up by accident). I slip it into gear to help stabilize the idle as it warms. The Yoshi carbon-fiber muffler is loud and growly to my senses, blocking out some of the engine noises I'd like to be hearing better, but my senses tell me all the engine noises are top-end issues, not bottom-end and not worth walking away yet. I took the citgo oil and coated the chain very liberally, using a rag to make sure every surface gets coated before I take this bike out for a test ride to check the gears.
Kill the engine, check the oil (low in the glass, but visible), and pop off the airbox drain tube plug to drain whatever into a cup. Out pours the darkest, nastiest sludge, but at least there's no hint of fuel nor all that much liquid coming out -- rings are good and the carbs aren't flooding... Check the VIN against the title.
Start it back up (much easier this time, but still a bit of choke needed -- probably the K&N without any change to the stock jetting), gear up, take it down the street a couple blocks to check 2nd gear for tranny failure. No issues with 2nd, but the chain noises are raising the hackles on the back of my neck. Triple-tree isn't perfectly straight to the direction of travel and the bars have a bit of a bend as well, but I can't tell how much of that is accident damage and how much is just the crap front tire.
I bring it back, park it further out in the driveway so I can look at it more closely. The bike's been down at a fairly low speed on a rough surface on the left side; fairing is ground away in places, Katana raised emblem on that side is ground down a bit, engine cover is pretty scrapped up but still intact. Left main fairing has been cracked around the entire bottom of the front blinker lens and the crack leads up to the center of the fairings; there's what appears to be and aged, chipped layer gorilla glue all along the crack, not doing anything (couldn't whoever at least tried to glue it from the inside?
). Left side driver's foot-peg is permanently bent at the hinge area; fortunately on that year 750, the hinge is part of the heel-guard, so easily replaced.
It runs. It needs a fork rebuild, an oil change or two, a new front tire, valve adjustment, chain & sprockets, bar extension tubes, and foot peg/heel-guard at minimum to be road-worthy enough to loan to a friend to ride. It could use plastic welding, a new tank and some paint if I care about image at all, plus a whole lot of metal polishing compound to get the furry forks back to reasonable. Lights all work, battery weak but holding, jetting questionable, K&N ought to come out.
Jason looks at me and we both are thinking the same thing. Without me prompting him, he asks if he can buy it in six months after I fix it up, for what I paid plus parts. I nod and then shrug... And with that I start doing some math in my head. 98 750, ought to be worth $2k in decent shape. Start subtracting for parts, hit a number that ought to make him happy enough to close out the auction and ensure i get it - $1200. He agrees, his mother balks because 41 people are watching the item on eBay (I explain to her that probably 35 are friends from KR curious), and the deal is agreed upon. One friend puts up the $200 he owed me (I helped him with his tuition/books), the other runs me to an ATM & I draw out my daily limit, then he draws out his (to be repaid tomorrow), and back at the house, I paypal the seller the rest. He signs the title, I get his driver's license info just to be on the safe side, and I'm all set... but he's not. He brings out two helmets, a light-weight motorcycle cover and a tank bag and adds them into the mix.
More oil on the chain (and it's all over the tire by now) and I'm off for the closest gas station to get fuel before it dies on me. After a month of driving cars, I'm totally astounded at the tiny fuel bill -- oh, how fast we forget. The chain is still raising my hackles and the yoshi is too loud for my tastes, the tire is scaring me in a way that even armed conflict didn't (a front-tire bias-basis blow-out at speed is about the worst calamity I can readily envision in my life; at this instant it's about all I can envision).
We stopped at Jason's, Nate says he has to book it (he takes care of Ray these days, for those of you who remember Ray & his scooter), and Jason cooks up some dinner for the two of us. We discuss the future of the bike -- obviously I'll fix the mechanical issues to make it a safe ride, but I'm still thinking this is a temporary bike, designed to last six months or a year at the most before I get a newer Kat in better nick. The only debate was what happens at that point -- I talk about the four things I had been thinking about:
(A) Keep it, paint it UK Police colors (bright green, white squares) and decal it "Loaner", then keep it at my place for out of town KR members who want to fly in and borrow it;
(B) Find someone else on KR who is in a bad spot and donate it to them (sans paint/bodywork, just mechanically sound);
(C) Sell it for cost to Jason, who has been longing for another bike in general and a Kat in specific for well over a year now (he gave up his last bike years ago, but used to borrow mine or mallocs fairly regularly just to "ride"), then put the donated amount back into a kitty for other KR-member charity needs and the remaining balance towards my next ride; OR
(D) Simply hold a raffle for everyone who donated and give it to the winner.
No final answers are reached, but there isn't a wrong answer in any of the four choices...
The gray afternoon turns into the dark night, and I head the 35-40 miles home from Jason's, trying not to think about the tire (and unable to get it off my mind). During the ride, I realize that the absence of the clock in the 98 dash is far more annoying than I'd ever imagined (I keep trying to look at the clock to check the time; about a dozen times over those 35-40 miles), that the chain noise won't ever go away, that the yoshi really is far louder than I care to put up with on a daily basis, and that I now remember why I always replace the stock seat as soon as I get another Kat. The controls don't fall right under hand either -- they're at the wrong angles for my arms and I'll have to adjust the levers as one of the first things I do. It's like riding someone else's bike still; it's not mine yet, and yet it is. Oh, and my stolen Kat 600 was faster. Maybe because this one isn't fueling right, doesn't have the jetkit, the tuning, the advancer, but the 600 was faster than this 750. In heavy traffic, this 750 is content to chug along at 2500 RPM in 5th though, something the 600 never liked. The gears are sticky (blame the crap oil & lack of maint), but the clutch stops slipping when I figure out that I need to physically push the damaged lever forward to get it all the way out.
I make it home. And lock it up... This time it's chained down. Damn thieving bastiges!
-------================================================== ============-----------------
Next Post: Who wants to trade parts?
OK, so as you see, this bike desperately needs tires and a bunch of mechanical attention. It's got three things I don't place any value on: a K&N airbox filter, a Yoshi Carbon pipe in looks-like-brand-new shape, and a Shinko rear tire. Oh, yeah, plus two helmets and a tank bag...
What I'm offering:
K&N airbox filter - trade for left-side heal-guard & footpeg for a 98 750, or make me an offer.
Virtually brand new Yoshi Carbon Fiber muffler with hanger -- $200 + an absolutely rust-free 98+ Kat 750 stock mid-pipe & muffler. Or no cash, but plastic weld/bondo tank dent/paint UK cop style. This will let me have the quiet and pay the majority of the tire replacement.
Shinko rear tire in almost new condition - trade for OEM fork oil + dust seals, or for a rear rotor in like-new shape, or make offer.
Any takers?
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet
Friday afternoon, I grabbed two friends (Jason, Nate) and we went out to Indian Rocks Beach to see the bike listed on eBay ('98 Kat 750, 23k miles), to see just how much of a basket case it was, or if it was the steal-deal of a lifetime.
Met with the seller, a bit wiry/scrawny/scruffy guy that looked like he was in his early 20's (turned out to be mid-30's according to his license), living with his mom (& seemingly supported by her) in a small early 70's beach bungalow about as far off the actual beach as you could be and still be island that is the beach. The bike was parked out front on the side of a broken-asphalt driveway that should have been repaved a decade earlier (or resealed/retarred 20 years ago to avoid having to repave), with a car port and no garage on the building... The driveway would prove an ominous foreboding of the condition of the bike.
I had expected, based on the description on ebay & the pics with the description, this to be a stunter special that I'd simply walk away from. The reality was quite a bit sadder in general, but better for me... He had bought the bike about 4 months ago according to him (i would guess as his first bike), ridden it a bit and "needed to get rid of it to stay safe." He also boasted of having received a Joe Rocket jacket very similar to mine for XMas and not having worn it yet -- that would probably go up on eBay as well.
Back to the bike...
The first thing I noticed walking up was that the color no longer had much of any depth to it -- the years and sun had bleached out any luster or depth. The paint was still there (in most places), but the tank had quite a few deep gouges (showing white underneath) and a dent that was covered by the tank bra. Lifting the bra, water poured out and I saw something green underneath. Reaching in, I found a very wet house-for-sale notice folded four-ways; when I opened it, the seller commented that it was the address at which he bought the bike originally. Obviously, he had never even lifted the bra off the bike far enough to notice it in the whole time he owned it.
The chain had the deeply furred patina of rust that's usually reserved for cars built in the 1920's and left sitting abandoned somewhere for the better part of a century -- I was dubious that I could even get the wheel to turn. Beach life with salt water less than 100 feet away isn't good for bikes... but I would have never guessed this next part: he quipped to me that he had only had it replaced 3000 miles ago, shortly after getting the bike. When I asked him about oiling the chain, he just looked at me quizzically, totally clueless to what I was talking about. The top of the swing arm had it's powdercoat worn away from where the chain was dragging on it (whether the old chain or the new one is beyond me). Oddly, the sprockets didn't look very bad... The adjusters were pretty furred up as well (I'll have to take a metal brush & WD-40 to them, or just replace them totally at the same time as the chain & sprockets).
Shoving the forks down, I found light oil rings on the fork tubes; I doubt this bike had ever seen a fork rebuild either -- only about 8 years past due, right? Clutch lever broken in half, bent and binding; couldn't tell if the clutch cable was pretty shot too, but I'd bet on it. Front tire was an bias-basis Dunlop manufactured in 2001, worn to well-beyond-scary and was four weight-classes down on the minimum weight-rating for the 98+ Kats. The rear is a Shinko in good shape, obviously almost new.
He went in the house and came out with the key, an original key at that (wow), and handed it to me. I popped the seat off. Underseat area clean, battery some off-brand aftermarket battery that sounded more like a condom (Magnum battery), terminals clean, K&N air-box filter in place.
Key into the gas tank (bit of a battle -- the hinge on the latch that covers the keyhole was pretty much as stiff as a 14 year old that snuck into the Miss America dressing rooms), flashlight out, and amazingly, although there was only about a half gallon of fresh gas in it, no signs of any serious rust that I could see. Rubber seal for the cap was in reasonable shape, so that may have been a saving grace...
I put the bike up on the centerstand (same effort as any other Kat), got instructed that the choke was needed to start it, choked it a bit, and fired her up. Pretty nasty noises from the top of the engine, loud enough to tell me that it's probably never seen a valve adjustment in it's 23k miles either (or at least not in the recent past). When I ask him, he says he didn't, then a bit prouder, tells me that he added a quart of oil to it for the first time last week because it was low. He fetches out the oil to show me -- Citgo orange bottle of generic motor oil with a convenience store sticker. Somewhere under my breath I groan a bit... Betcha that explains some of the clutch slippage he's been experiencing. There's signs of past oil leakage on the fins of the left side of the engine, but the placement doesn't scream leaking head gasket... not sure were it's from (maybe a leaking, mis-seated valve cover gasket).
Runs a quite rough until it warms up, but the weather was low 60's (I wouldn't want to have to start it as-is in some place far colder). I fold up the sidestand (a battle in itself -- no lube, pivot possibly rusted -- it'll never fold up by accident). I slip it into gear to help stabilize the idle as it warms. The Yoshi carbon-fiber muffler is loud and growly to my senses, blocking out some of the engine noises I'd like to be hearing better, but my senses tell me all the engine noises are top-end issues, not bottom-end and not worth walking away yet. I took the citgo oil and coated the chain very liberally, using a rag to make sure every surface gets coated before I take this bike out for a test ride to check the gears.
Kill the engine, check the oil (low in the glass, but visible), and pop off the airbox drain tube plug to drain whatever into a cup. Out pours the darkest, nastiest sludge, but at least there's no hint of fuel nor all that much liquid coming out -- rings are good and the carbs aren't flooding... Check the VIN against the title.
Start it back up (much easier this time, but still a bit of choke needed -- probably the K&N without any change to the stock jetting), gear up, take it down the street a couple blocks to check 2nd gear for tranny failure. No issues with 2nd, but the chain noises are raising the hackles on the back of my neck. Triple-tree isn't perfectly straight to the direction of travel and the bars have a bit of a bend as well, but I can't tell how much of that is accident damage and how much is just the crap front tire.
I bring it back, park it further out in the driveway so I can look at it more closely. The bike's been down at a fairly low speed on a rough surface on the left side; fairing is ground away in places, Katana raised emblem on that side is ground down a bit, engine cover is pretty scrapped up but still intact. Left main fairing has been cracked around the entire bottom of the front blinker lens and the crack leads up to the center of the fairings; there's what appears to be and aged, chipped layer gorilla glue all along the crack, not doing anything (couldn't whoever at least tried to glue it from the inside?
). Left side driver's foot-peg is permanently bent at the hinge area; fortunately on that year 750, the hinge is part of the heel-guard, so easily replaced. It runs. It needs a fork rebuild, an oil change or two, a new front tire, valve adjustment, chain & sprockets, bar extension tubes, and foot peg/heel-guard at minimum to be road-worthy enough to loan to a friend to ride. It could use plastic welding, a new tank and some paint if I care about image at all, plus a whole lot of metal polishing compound to get the furry forks back to reasonable. Lights all work, battery weak but holding, jetting questionable, K&N ought to come out.
Jason looks at me and we both are thinking the same thing. Without me prompting him, he asks if he can buy it in six months after I fix it up, for what I paid plus parts. I nod and then shrug... And with that I start doing some math in my head. 98 750, ought to be worth $2k in decent shape. Start subtracting for parts, hit a number that ought to make him happy enough to close out the auction and ensure i get it - $1200. He agrees, his mother balks because 41 people are watching the item on eBay (I explain to her that probably 35 are friends from KR curious), and the deal is agreed upon. One friend puts up the $200 he owed me (I helped him with his tuition/books), the other runs me to an ATM & I draw out my daily limit, then he draws out his (to be repaid tomorrow), and back at the house, I paypal the seller the rest. He signs the title, I get his driver's license info just to be on the safe side, and I'm all set... but he's not. He brings out two helmets, a light-weight motorcycle cover and a tank bag and adds them into the mix.
More oil on the chain (and it's all over the tire by now) and I'm off for the closest gas station to get fuel before it dies on me. After a month of driving cars, I'm totally astounded at the tiny fuel bill -- oh, how fast we forget. The chain is still raising my hackles and the yoshi is too loud for my tastes, the tire is scaring me in a way that even armed conflict didn't (a front-tire bias-basis blow-out at speed is about the worst calamity I can readily envision in my life; at this instant it's about all I can envision).
We stopped at Jason's, Nate says he has to book it (he takes care of Ray these days, for those of you who remember Ray & his scooter), and Jason cooks up some dinner for the two of us. We discuss the future of the bike -- obviously I'll fix the mechanical issues to make it a safe ride, but I'm still thinking this is a temporary bike, designed to last six months or a year at the most before I get a newer Kat in better nick. The only debate was what happens at that point -- I talk about the four things I had been thinking about:
(A) Keep it, paint it UK Police colors (bright green, white squares) and decal it "Loaner", then keep it at my place for out of town KR members who want to fly in and borrow it;
(B) Find someone else on KR who is in a bad spot and donate it to them (sans paint/bodywork, just mechanically sound);
(C) Sell it for cost to Jason, who has been longing for another bike in general and a Kat in specific for well over a year now (he gave up his last bike years ago, but used to borrow mine or mallocs fairly regularly just to "ride"), then put the donated amount back into a kitty for other KR-member charity needs and the remaining balance towards my next ride; OR
(D) Simply hold a raffle for everyone who donated and give it to the winner.
No final answers are reached, but there isn't a wrong answer in any of the four choices...
The gray afternoon turns into the dark night, and I head the 35-40 miles home from Jason's, trying not to think about the tire (and unable to get it off my mind). During the ride, I realize that the absence of the clock in the 98 dash is far more annoying than I'd ever imagined (I keep trying to look at the clock to check the time; about a dozen times over those 35-40 miles), that the chain noise won't ever go away, that the yoshi really is far louder than I care to put up with on a daily basis, and that I now remember why I always replace the stock seat as soon as I get another Kat. The controls don't fall right under hand either -- they're at the wrong angles for my arms and I'll have to adjust the levers as one of the first things I do. It's like riding someone else's bike still; it's not mine yet, and yet it is. Oh, and my stolen Kat 600 was faster. Maybe because this one isn't fueling right, doesn't have the jetkit, the tuning, the advancer, but the 600 was faster than this 750. In heavy traffic, this 750 is content to chug along at 2500 RPM in 5th though, something the 600 never liked. The gears are sticky (blame the crap oil & lack of maint), but the clutch stops slipping when I figure out that I need to physically push the damaged lever forward to get it all the way out.
I make it home. And lock it up... This time it's chained down. Damn thieving bastiges!
-------================================================== ============-----------------
Next Post: Who wants to trade parts?
OK, so as you see, this bike desperately needs tires and a bunch of mechanical attention. It's got three things I don't place any value on: a K&N airbox filter, a Yoshi Carbon pipe in looks-like-brand-new shape, and a Shinko rear tire. Oh, yeah, plus two helmets and a tank bag...
What I'm offering:
K&N airbox filter - trade for left-side heal-guard & footpeg for a 98 750, or make me an offer.
Virtually brand new Yoshi Carbon Fiber muffler with hanger -- $200 + an absolutely rust-free 98+ Kat 750 stock mid-pipe & muffler. Or no cash, but plastic weld/bondo tank dent/paint UK cop style. This will let me have the quiet and pay the majority of the tire replacement.
Shinko rear tire in almost new condition - trade for OEM fork oil + dust seals, or for a rear rotor in like-new shape, or make offer.
Any takers?
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet
Comment