XJ550 Seca questions

A friend of mine has an ~'82-ish Seca 550. Not sure of the year, but it's the red paint job, so I'm guessing 1982.
I helped him put it under his house over a year ago to make room in his garage. It's been there ever since. It was ridden occasionally before being put into storage. Decent shape, torn seat, scratches, etc. Kerker (I think) exhaust. Complete bike with known ownership for years and good title.

I noticed a fair bit of oil under it the last time we were under his house, but it's sitting on a plastic sheet and that could be deceiving. It has ~55,000 miles on it. We drained the carbs when parking it.

I think I could get it for a pretty fair price, but it would need work. I can handle the cosmetics. What about engine work? Is 50K+ considered high mileage? Are oil seals, lower end gaskets, etc. available for these bikes? What about oversize pistons?

This would be a labor of love and I'd keep the bike, so I'm not concerned about making a profit, but I don't want to put 4 or 5 times the value in it, either.

Thoughts on these bikes? Engine parts availability? Known seals or engine problems that I should be aware of?

 

Gaskets and seals are all still available. Chacal can hook you up with what you need. One of my parts bikes has been sitting for a year and has developed an oil leak. It is coming from the pan and the filter housing. You will need to do an oil change anyways. If the bike has good compression then the mileage is no biggie. Mine has around 42k on it. First thing you will need to do is check the valve clearances. To get this bike back on the road expect to spend between 600 and 800 dollars. Check the tires and their date codes. Visually inspect the front and rear brakes. Replacement of the brakes is probably a good thing to do no matter what. Clean the carbs. They will need it even if they were drained. Replace the battery. As for engine parts, You can find most parts used. I have heard that pistons and rings are not going to be easy to find.

I would grab the bike if you can get it cheap enough.

 

Expect to spend between $600~$800 for a proper recommissioning; not counting cosmetic items, and assuming you do all the work yourself.

Thoughts on these bikes? Fast, economical, solid, reliable, fun-- Personally, I love mine...






LOTS of work but worth it. Now excuse me, but I'm going for a sunset run on the black bike...

 

That black bike is SHARP!

Any more info or opinions? Anyone?

 

Btw Fitz, how did you get a floating disc?

 

Fitz those bikes are BEAUTIFUL!

 

Ordered it from chacal.

It's an EBC rotor (I used EBC pads too) with the hub painted black (they come "natural.") Stainless lines too, of course.