Considering an '82 seca 650

Hey guys;

I'm going to look at an '82 Seca 650 this weekend.
The bike has about 8000 Mi/13,000 Km on the clock.
Is there anything in particular I should be checking?

Thanks. DanO

 

First, welcome to the forum!

That's really low mileage for an 82. Check for excessive wear on the bike to indicate the miles are correct. Are the tires worn? Are the hand grips worn? Is the seat worn?

There are tons of things you can get into with inspecting a new bike but it depends on how technical you can go. Then again, if the price is dirt cheap you really can't go very wrong. You should search this forum for tips as others have asked your question.

Good luck.
Rob

 

How much, and is the bike in running condition, parked since '85, or...?

If it's been parked, with that sort of mileage, there should be no other issues other than a need for a thorough service, new tires, and a new battery.

"Thorough service" includes carb rebuilding, unless the fuel system was drained before storage.

I hope it's a good one.

 

Welcome DanO, where abouts in SoCal are you located? Best advice I can give you is to do a compression check, pull out the air filter, check the front fork seals for leaks, etc, etc... the list is long but a practiced eye can give the machine a once-over in about 20 to 30 minutes. If someone you know has a book on the model your interested in, see if you can borrow it and read up on the bike in question. Haynes has a good regular maintenance schedule list that is very useful for following. Best of luck and if you are close enough, I will offer my time to help look the machine over. Cheers!

 

Hey guys;

Thanks for all the replies. Here's the bike I'm looking at tonight, or sometime this weekend.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mcy/267909665.html

The guy claimed it was running fine in his original post. And the mileage was what definitely caught my eye. I downloaded an extensive used bike evaluation guide yesterday, which lists A LOT to check - more than I would have ever thought. But then I'm not a mechanic. It's 30 pages long. And although I'm gonna read through it a couple times, I don't want to be going through it page by page while I'm looking at the bike.

Of course the first thing to look at is any crash damage, the condition of all things rubber, and then if there are any distressed fasteners (sure sighn of a ham-fisted 'mechanic'). Fork seals, steering head and swing arm bearings...

Robert: I live just down the 126 fwy in the Santa Clarita area. Small world! You know I have just a couple missgivings because I'm actually looking for a bike to make a cross country ride on with my brother. The real plan is for him to buy a used bike for me back in Virginia. He's an avid motorcyclist and mechanic and is well qualified to do this.

Now if I buy a bike out here I'll need to ship it back to Virginia Beach. And it better be ready! Of course my Bro is willing and able to help get the bike ready within reason - ie, the motor needs to be solid. Anyway I just got jazzed about this XJ because I bought one exactly like it, new in '82, and rode it until I laid it down in the rain. I should have fixed that bike instead of selling it, because I remember it as one of the most pleasurable bikes I've ever cruised around on. Simply perfect ergonomics.

Sorry for getting so long-winded. And thanks again.

Dano

 

I paid about that ($1900 CDN) for My 83 650 Seca, with 18,000 km's... And I consider it a steal.

 

The bike you're looking at is worth getting long-winded about.

It's a steal at that price, the sort of opportunity that few ever get. You'll be a very happy owner once the years of cobwebs have been massaged away.

I own one, (not as pretty as the one you're checking out), and it's about as low-maintenance as bikes get. It's also very comfortable, and would be a great choice for any long ride.

 

Hey guys;

DanO here. Unfortunately I had to pass on the '82 Seca 650. You know, sometimes you just can't tell from a 'Craig's List' photo. I wasn't expecting any miracles, seeing how the bike is 25 years old. So I wasn't shocked at the cracked carburetor boots and worn seat. And yea, the fork seals needed replacing. The brake lever squished right back to the grip, and There was so much dirt under the seat that I didn't even bother asking for a phillips to pull the air cleaner.

But what concerened me most was that all the black paint was burned off the cycliner head and a part of the block. I seem to remember mine looking fine after 10K mi., and I don't think the stuff simply fades with time. The tack wasn't working. And I had to respectfully submit that the odometer might have spend quite some time off line because frankly, the bike's condition seemed indicitave of much more than 7K mi. The current owner has only had the bike for a few months. He was very nice, and didn't try to refute any of the findings.

The bike did cold start and idle without any trouble. And the engine didn't exhibit any alarming mechanical noises. But in the end a few significant oil leaks and the badly pitted exhaust headers turned the tide. It was raining so I didn't bother with a test ride.

Of course when I did sit on the bike I was reminded what a comfortable motorcycle is all about. And even after all this time it reminded me of what a supremely neutral and gentle handling bike the seca 650 is.

Too bad. DanO

 

There'll be others. Keep looking.

 

Speaking of which-http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/mcy/269385181.html

If you're still in the LA area, it might be worth a sniff.

BTW-The paint on the engine will erode in the manner you describe if the bike is ridden in the rain a lot. Don't ask me how I know. :roll:

It's unfortunate that the 650 wasn't as good as the pictures seemed to indicate.

 

I'm sorry DanO. I got swamped with moving my brother this weekend, no chance to break away. Bike sounded pretty crunchy, how much did they ask for it? Sounds like you were better served passing on it. Keep lookin', yours is bound to come along soon enough.

 

i know its 2 late because the OP passed on the bike but for reference my buddy and I both had 82 xj650rj's (in the 80's)and he had 2nd gear let go twice, once under original warranty and once after, i lost 2nd gear as well, FWIW we beat the living crap out of these bikes to do this though.... it would "pop" out of 2nd, to check for this you would shift into 2nd and take it up in rpm to make sure it would stay in gear.