Rossco
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2009
- Messages
- 963
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Car(s)
- 05 Saab 9-5, '99 Yamaha XVS650A, '07 Suzuki DL650
So, let me start by saying that this is NOT the replacement for my Bandit. This was a cheap beater bike that I found last summer. It belonged to a buddy of mine who bar-tended at a local comedy club I used to frequent. The guy rode it for a while, then parked it at his parents house in South Boston when he got sick of it. It sat there for a couple of years before I found it.
He told me that something was wrong with it, that it wasn't getting any power despite having a full charge on the battery and that I could have it for $700 if I could get it out of his folks place in Southie. Armed with some basic tools I took a quick look at the bike, popped off the fusebox cover and very quickly noticed a blown 30 amp fuse. The main fuse. Threw a fresh fuse in it, jumped the battery, thumbed the starter and it fired right up!
Here's what it looked like the day I brought it home.
Put it on an el-cheapo motorcycle lift. $120 and it still manages to lift this pig
.
First order of business, as it is with any newly purchased used bike is to change all the fluids. Everything was going smooth until I got to the brake fluid. Which I'm pretty sure had to be the original from 1999.
So I went to bleed it out and within the second pull on the lever, the master cylinder seized. Luckily, Yamaha built these bikes virtually unchanged for like 10+ years (hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it) so a newer model master cylinder was easily aquired on the cheap, with an HEL SS line because why not.
With everything mechanically sorted, I threw a milk-crate on the back and daily drove the thing.
Then I decided to clean up the back end. When I got the bike, the back fender was all bent up and the back turn signals were held on with muffler tape. A color matched fender was acquired on ebay along with some unbroked turn signals. I threw on a chrome rack where the back seat was.
And that's where I'm at now. With this now being my only motorcycle I do have some plans to make it a bit more versatile. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!
Oh yeah, and just to make sure I do own this fine machine.
He told me that something was wrong with it, that it wasn't getting any power despite having a full charge on the battery and that I could have it for $700 if I could get it out of his folks place in Southie. Armed with some basic tools I took a quick look at the bike, popped off the fusebox cover and very quickly noticed a blown 30 amp fuse. The main fuse. Threw a fresh fuse in it, jumped the battery, thumbed the starter and it fired right up!
Here's what it looked like the day I brought it home.
Put it on an el-cheapo motorcycle lift. $120 and it still manages to lift this pig
First order of business, as it is with any newly purchased used bike is to change all the fluids. Everything was going smooth until I got to the brake fluid. Which I'm pretty sure had to be the original from 1999.
So I went to bleed it out and within the second pull on the lever, the master cylinder seized. Luckily, Yamaha built these bikes virtually unchanged for like 10+ years (hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it) so a newer model master cylinder was easily aquired on the cheap, with an HEL SS line because why not.
With everything mechanically sorted, I threw a milk-crate on the back and daily drove the thing.
Then I decided to clean up the back end. When I got the bike, the back fender was all bent up and the back turn signals were held on with muffler tape. A color matched fender was acquired on ebay along with some unbroked turn signals. I threw on a chrome rack where the back seat was.
And that's where I'm at now. With this now being my only motorcycle I do have some plans to make it a bit more versatile. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!
Oh yeah, and just to make sure I do own this fine machine.