Prospective Seca 750 revival?

Hi,

My name is Jai, and I live in the SF Bay area. I got my start on an old EX500 and currently ride an (also old) CBR1000F. I've been looking for a restoration/revival project, and stumbled upon this on craigslist. It won't let me post on there if I link it, but if you look up "seca 750 touring project" on chico CL, you'll find it. It's a good 180 miles away from me, so I'll need to figure out transport of some kind. I've been reading up on the XJR750s, and they seem like really interesting bikes. Before I go and pull the trigger, I figured I'd ask those in the know a few questions about the bike:

1) How hard, in general, is it to work on these bikes? I've done basic things like fork rebuilds, valve adjustments and carb syncs, but nothing like a full engine teardown, which this one might need if its been sitting a long time and starts puking oil. Is stuff generally intuitive and accessible? I see there's an extensive how-to section on this website which is definitely encouraging.

2) How long do well-cared foe examples last? Being Japanese, I assume that good maintenance basically means they go forever, but there are exceptions to this rule.

3) Any other general thoughts or observations about this particular bike (based off the ad), or about these motorcycles in general?

4) What's a good way to move a bike 180 miles? I'm thinking u-haul/trailer, but that could wind up costing a good chunk given the distance.

Thanks so much - any and all responses are appreciated!

 

link for the lazy: https://chico.craigslist.org/mcy/d/chico-1983-yamaha-seca-750-touring/6868115911.html

 

My gut reaction is "nice price", but there will be many things you'd want to go through (which means money) before trusting it with your life. I'll leave it to others here to pick it apart, but that's a price where you could take a chance and we'd help you go through the bike. (advice-wise).

 

I agree, that one is complete. Good potential.

 

Sweet Jeebus!!! Buy the thing.
$400 for a complete touring package (even without the motorcycle) is a pretty good deal.

See the first link in my signature to read-up a but before you get it (and you should get it).
Figure on spending about $600-$800 on parts as you go through everything to make sure she's safe for road use (you might spend less if the seller really did what he says he did).

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!
@dkavanagh: thanks for sharing the link. @k-moe: that signature link is a real treasure trove of info - I can't ask for more as a prospective or first-time owner. Going to go thru this in detail, but the very fact that it exists, and the fact that there is a dedicated vendor with excellent reviews is enough to dispel most concerns.

Now, to figure out transport...

 

Looks like a fun adventure! Good luck on the decision and hopefully you wind up with a fun project!

Regarding transport: Some home improvement stores rent pick-up trucks reasonably which may provide an affordable option to get it home.

 

Was going to rent a u-haul and pick it up today, but someone beat me to it on friday :/
Thanks for your help and advice - I'll keep my eyes out for more of these!

 

Snooze you loose , to bad ,but keep an eye out , I bought my Seca 750 on eBay , was listed local paid 850$ was in good shape, but still put 1000k in tires,brakes, braided steel brake lines, AMG battery, hard factory saddle bags, steering stabilizer , carb rebuild kit, spin on oil filter conversion, starter rebuild kit, starter solenoid more items spare seat, spare tank , left and right covers, tail piece , front factory fairing and a spare engine all stored away . Hope you find an xj they are great bikes love the shaft drive ,keep looking. Cheers