Debating buying this seca

Found this on Craigslist. Dude want around 800 for it. It looks pretty rough. He said it hasn't been on the road in years but it starts up and runs. Aparently it has 9000 original miles on it...





http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1982-yam ... v4exp=true

 

i say go for it if the compression is good!

 

Looks like it might need some elbow grease, but as long as the engine is sound the rest should be easy to work with. Check inside the tank too, hopefully it was stored properly!

 

All the rust makes me kinda nervous, plus the scratched up crankcase cover...

i wonder if it has been laid down. Im kinda iffy on the 800 for it

 

I see your point about the laydown. I'd check the title and see if it's clear, a little bit of scratching shouldn't be the end of a bikes useful life (or at least I hope for my sake!!!). My 750 has more than its share haha

 

$800 is too much-it should be in good+ condition for that price-it's in fair condition at best. The exceptional amount of rust on the shocks and side-stand tell a story of neglect. If it was a garage queen, or a barn find the mileage would be a significant plus. As is the mileage could be faked, or it has just sat outside and been neglected which says 'lots of hidden work ahead.'

Good compression, and if it runs, I would go through the explanation about all the updating it will need: new rubber, new brakes (total system), new tires, carbs cleaned, etc. and offer $500.

 

I told him those could be found in nice running condition, and it probably needs at least 500 in parts. I offered him 300, which he turned down. Gonna try and see if he will trade for a Honda cm400

 

It was worth a try. It's really hard to find a determined seller who will go that low if it runs at all or has good compression. If it was just a bucket of rust and still ran..maybe. After all if he is smart he knows that just a few parts from that bike cleaned up or even not could bring more than $300.

I wish you luck. For sure the Seca is more desirable than the cm400. Is your Honda the C, T, A, or E? I still like Honda's but those weren't their best design, best of the bunch would be the C or the T. I do like the 350 fours though.

 

You call that rough? Don't think I would go 8 either but it looks better than all mine did. Of course the most I paid for any of mine was the yammie, which was $500. But it required the least amount to get running. All I had to do was fix the petcock and go through the carbs and install a new battery, which I already had.

I would offer him $600 but I have always liked the look of that bike. It'd make a good winter project to de-rust and shine up and work all the bugs out.

 

The old girl has been neglected and left out in the rain for sure. I,ll bet nothing's been maintained.....whoever buys it will have a lot of work to do.

 

Mercury, the Honda is a c. I agree it's not there best. Really I find it to be just plain boring. This guy seems like he's looking for things to part out or fix up.

 

Gee, looks a lot like the rusty, neglected non-running 650 Seca I paid $400 for...

(After it passed a compression test with 150's across the board) Point being, $800 is too much.

 

Yea, looks a lot like it, only a bit rustier.
The gas tank scares me too. Looks like its been stored on reserve...

 

ON or RES are functionally the same, as long as it wasn't left on PRI.

Truth be told, that's an old pic of my 650. I've already replaced my fuel tank, fixed the broken plug cap and fired it up.

The thing to watch for is REAL (as in structural) rust at the rear of the tank, along the bottoms of the "ears" and the far rear outer corners. If it's solid then electrolysis or a phosphoric-acid flush should clean it right up. I've given two moderately-rusty tanks the phosphoric acid treatment so far, with great long-term results.

 

a few years ago i paid 320.00 for a seca that looked a lot like this one BUT... on catch..it did not have a TITLE. I will get it on the road someday.

 

I'll make you a great deal on a Seca 900 and a wealth of Spare Parts.

Needs: Carb cleaning, Coils and a Battery.

 

$800 is too much for this one. The fact that it runs is great, but remind the seller you have to put at least another $600 into it, for tires, brakes, engine work (valves adjusted, gaskets, carbs gone thru, ect.), not to mention alot of cosmetic work.
I wouldn't go more than $500, IF it blows good numbers. Be prepared for a lot of work, but after all the time and money invested, you'll be rewarded with a fast, reliable bike. Good luck & keep us posted what you decide.

*EDIT*--get RickCoMatics 900 if you can swing it. Probably the best deal ever. Probably one of the most meticulously maintained XJ's in the world, along with spare motors & parts, how can you go wrong?

 

And there you have it. If the mill is reasonably tight, $400~$500; MAYBE $600 max if it's all there--does it have the chain lock? Toolkit?

 

I wish I could afford that 900.

I bought my maxim for 200 a couple years ago, and it was in a similar state, although it had 40,000 on it.

I told the guy it's gonna need at least 500 in parts to get going.

I think I'm gonna wait a bit, and if he still has it in a few weeks, shoot him an offer for four or five hundred. I've got a new dream bike in mind, and a seca would be a perfect platform for it, so I'm gonna try and land one one of these days. One with 8k on the motor does sound pretty sweet though.

 

On second thought - screw that - go for Rick's, and you will be the envy of this board....

 

Definitely make sure it has a clear PA title - anything else here is way too much of a hassle with PennDOT. The 650 Seca is very sweet-looking OEM, or as a cafe racer, plus it has the non-leading axle forks (quicker steering than the 750), dual front disks, and a (very large) ROUND headlight. :wink:

 

It's got an Ohio title.

He dropped his asking price on Craigslist. Now 650...

 

Wait and see if it sells. If there is no action make your offer and he should consider it anyway. You never know.

MN

 

and shoot! look at that tread!! you even got good tires on it for 400 bucks!



tehe :wink:

 

Yep. Heartbreaking. Brand new Dunlops, fifteen years old. Guess where they're going?

(Nowhere but in the dumpster.)