Found a 1983 Seca 750

So this bike isnt to far away from me and i have been looking for a project bike to get my feet wet with. Here is the link.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/mcy/1526568257.html

Emailed the seller and he said it was running last in 2008 right before teh bike was repainted. It has 33000 miles on it. The guy wants $300 for it and he said i could come look at it if i wanted to. Does this sound like a decent deal? I would really like to get a seca because i heard these bikes are really awesome from all the seca owners on here.

 

dfknoll,

From what i've experienced, those 33,000 miles are a plus, if the PO wasnt a hamfisted monkey. my bike has 1900 miles, lots of sitting damage. primarily fuel system, could have been alot worse if it were exposed to the elements and mice.

i would go for it, some things I would look for, do the front brakes work? if they dont lock up, just flush them out, some SS line is nice. I blocked off the anti dive.

take a gander in the tank, if you can bring a bettery and do a compression test.

Those carbs are super easy to work on.. if they dont need the racksplit, the most painful thing about the bike is putting the carbs back on.. those airbox boots are a pain.

I've found it helpful to slip the boots into the airbox.

What I've gotten form the add is kind of funny, "could run" make sure it surns over and has good compression (remove air filter and open throttle all the way) if all 4 numbers seem a little low, but they're really close, the engine is fine, you're either not letting enough air in or the gauge is off.

I wouldnt mind lending you a hand, advice, and parts.

I can tell its got a 4-1, we may need to do some negotiating if you want the stock exhaust.

See how smart he is, even though getting a title in michigan is easy, tell him getting a title could be hard, it could be stolen, offer him 225, then tell him 250 tops, but have the extra 50 in your front pocket..

you could always part it out... I would love to get my hands on a fresh painted set of tins.

(if you want to paint it something else, I have a really good doner set of tins and cash)

 

oh ya, one reason i say to make sure the brakes work good, the seca 750 has THE dumbest MC location and design EVER.

someday, i'm going to change the handlebars and get a handle bar mounted MC (ltz 400 works great)

like the carbs, rebuilding the brake system is easy... getting it in and out is a PITA

now, just to make you feel better about buying it, I'm going to make a list of what you'll get for parting it out from what i've seen on Ebay

4-1 (paint it and polish) 100 easy (ill give you that)

right side cover 40-50 at least, I have a neighbor looking all over for one

carbs-50 at least (sold mine for 75)

tank- 75 or more (you could sell the whole set of tins for at least 200)

shocks -20 (what i just sold mine for)

so in those few items, you have 285-425

get it

 

Thats what i thought. I have never done a compression test before so i dont know what to look for as far as numbers go. Also, how do i get my hands on a compression tester? I would really like bike to work on and restore so any other advice on what to look for would be great

 

ok, well I've never done a compression test before, BUt Im pretty sure I know how to do them

take the airbox cover off and air filter out, remove 1 spark plug, insert the compression tester in the removed spark plug hole, make sure a nice fully charged battery is hooked up to the machine, push the start button and open the throttle all the way open and bam, you've got results.


As far as getting a gauge advance auto has tool rental, do you have an auto head relative? You can buy them pretty cheap, but time is an issue because who knows when that bike will be gone.

like i said, if the numbers seem a little low, I'm pretty sure thats ok as long as all 4 are close


I wish someone more knowledgable would chime in... its just the 2 of us talking here

 

schooter is right on about the compression test. One additional note. Leave the fuel off and remove the plug wires from all the plugs you just want to spin it around and let it pump air not start. Record the numbers. Seriously low numbers are probably touble somewhere. leaking valves, rings etc. Maybe easy fix (valve clearance) maybe not. Still at $300 you can't really go wrong. Numbers at or reasonably close to each other are good. The higher the better.

I bought mine for $300 not running carbs in a box. Didn't do any tests, I figured WTH if it doesn't run I'll part it and buy something that does. I rode it all summer about 7,000 miles no worries after a bit of clean up, maintenence and a new pair of shoes for it.

 

Disconnect the TCI box and or ground the spark plug when turning over. People report that the high voltage in the coil can find it's way back to the sensitive electorics in the TCI box and ruin it.

 

Didn't even think of that.

 

ok. The only thing i need is the compression numbers. Does anyone know the compression numbers?

 

I just got another major plus to the list. The guy said he had it stored inside.

 

If all cylinders are within 10-15 psi of each other, and greater than 100 psi, it's a good sign. Some might argue for greater than 120 psi, but I think 150 psi is minimum out of the factory. Remember, WOT, and keep turning over until the compression gauge stops increasing, that's your number.

If you get a number that's low, a teaspoon of oil (or less) and retest will tell you if it's piston related (the oil temporarily gives the piston rings a better seal) or, hopefully, valve related. If that low cylinder jumps up to all the rest with the oil, then it's likely the rings, if it stays low relative to the others, it's likely the valves (an easier fix). You might have to try the oil in all of the cylinders, as it might increase all of them by some amount, for a correct comparison (i.e. if the one cylinder is low by 15 psi and jumps up by 10 psi with oil, but so do all the others, it's still low compared to the others and is likely a valve issue)

 

Oh...I don't know about laws in MI, but make sure you can register the bike with only a bill of sale. No xj project bike is worth any more than parts if you can't register it...and not worth even that if it's stolen. Also, (this might be obvious) bring a battery...since there's no kick start you won't be doing any compression testing without it.

 

its super easy to title a bike in michigan with a bill of sale

 

Take out ALL the plugs to do a compression test. You want the starter to spin the motor as fast as possible.

 

dfknoll

Are you kidding?!!! For $300 you can't go wrong. I would buy it now before it gets snatched fromunder your nose - then you would be kicking yourself for a long time!! You can get $300 for it if you parted it out on ebay!! But the chance that it is a good bike that you can have on the road for a little elbow grease is well worth the 300. I paid $300 for mine and it was sitting for 26 years. If the brakes are froze up and the gas tank is rusted on the inside NO BIG DEAL! Those are things that are easily remedied. Even if the motor is froze up chances are you can make her run again and even if you can't it will be a wonderful learning experience as you part it out if that's what you decided.
Best wishes.

 

don't even think about it - Just buy it.
The parts alone are worth more that $300.

I'd get it my self, but my wife would kill me. I just bought 2 in the past few months. Paid $400 - streetable, and $500 (900) needs tank, tires, and lots of tlc.

I would like a 750 Maxim rolling chassis w/tank & side covers, REAL cheep if anyone has one.

 

Bad news. I cant afford it. Just had to drop around 1200 dollars for unexpected fees for school. Somebody snatch this thing up.

 

oh snap