What early 80s bikes are worth fixing up?

[geaux]

I am addicted to scanning craigslist for motorcycles now and often see motorcycles that don't run for less than 500. Usually the line is it was running when I parked it years ago yada yada yada. I saw a 86 V65 1100 magna for 350 yesterday. That definitely seemed to be a bike worth putting some time and money in.

My line of thought is as a hobby. I might be coming into a little more steady pocket money in the future and resurrecting the dead sounds kind of fun. Plus parts seem to be a lot less expensive than for old cars.

I am particularly interested in 85 and older bikes because here is georgia all you need is a bill of sale to register a bike older than 85. Seems most these dead bikes they do not have titles handy.

I have definitely become an admirer of Nighthawk 700S

I just got a 82 XL185S and think the enduro/dual purpose bikes are kind of neat. As soon as gas spikes again one running and spruced up a bit should be easy to turn a profit on.


 

[gammer]

I have definitely become an admirer of Nighthawk 700S

I know I am biased in with this decision, but I would have to say the 700s. The reasons for this is because of the low maintenance required once its set up and running correctly.
However if you are going to fix one up...you are going to need two. I say this from experience. All 3 of my Nighthawk S's purchases were parts bikes (I built one good one from the 3) and having the spare parts handy was the cats meow. Also many parts for these older bikes are discontinued. So having a parts bike is almost a must.

[Munkey]

Late 70's and early 80's Honda 750 Super Sports are good project bikes if you can find them. Restored or originals can bring some good money when you resell them.

[martian]

You pretty much can't go wrong with any of the larger cc 80's "muscle bikes".  Don't plan to get rich off it though, while there are still a few collectors out there they are few and far between and like you many people prefer buying them cheap and fixing 'em up themselves.

Here are a few winners off the top of my head:
Nighthawk 700s (duh)
V65 Magna
V65 Sabre
VF1000 Interceptor (some still like the 750 and 500)
Vmax
CB1000+
KZ/ZL900+
GS1100
...
(notice there aren't any v-twin's on my list)

Martian

[coffee_brake]

I just called the tag office here in GA yesterday and the lady in charge said that you must have a title to register any bike younger than 1967. The rules for cars and bikes are different.
She said if you have a bike with no title, you have to have it bonded at a cost of about $100, then you can get a title. Which still is not a bad price if you have a running machine....

I thought early 80's bikes were safe to buy without a title too, but that's not the case....

[geaux]

coffee_brake here is a link to the georgia title page. I will definitely do more research first before I buy something without a title.

http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/motor/titles/required.asp

[coffee_brake]

Looks like there must still be a title in existance for the vehicle from '63 on....

I hope I'm wrong but this lady at the tag office has helped me before, she seems to know her stuff. It sounds like, if there isn't a title in existence, you have to have one made.

[spiritof86]

Yamaha RZ 350.  Long live the 2 stroke!    I would gladly have one at any reasonable price. Good luck getting one at a reasonable price.

[gammer]

Yamaha RZ 350.  Long live the 2 stroke!    I would gladly have one at any reasonable price. Good luck getting one at a reasonable price.

The older RD 350's were my favorite! Round headlights and no fairing 
I also remember a few friends who had RZ500's back in the day.

[geaux]

I see a 86 Yamaha Venture Royal for $750 obo. not running. Kewl looking land yacht.

Also see a 97 Kawasaki Concours for 1400 obo. Said it runs good but some fairing damage from a drop.

I need to stop looking at classifieds.

[luckylindy]

 The old cb series(100, 350,750) seem to sell well on CL & ebay.   

[spiritof86]

Man, you are lucky. You get all the nice bikes overseas that we don't get in the states.  I don't think Yamaha ever brought the first gen watercooled RD 350 to the States.

Yamaha RZ 350.  Long live the 2 stroke!    I would gladly have one at any reasonable price. Good luck getting one at a reasonable price.

The older RD 350's were my favorite! Round headlights and no fairing 
I also remember a few friends who had RZ500's back in the day.

[gammer]

Man, you are lucky. You get all the nice bikes overseas that we don't get in the states.

If by "overseas", you meant "across the great lakes", then I would agree  

I had two friends in highschool who owned RD350's just like the one pictured. One black and one was white.

[tcoop]

I'm currently rebuilding a couple of Yamaha XS1100, I have reserected 2 XJ750 and one CB450SC in the last year. If I had more money I would have picked up a Magna for $150 complete bike just didn't run.(it sold fast) It cost more money to fix them up than you can make selling them.

For me its the joy of bringing them back to life (not that I am any good at it yet). I generaly don't pay mor than $300 for a non running bike but if I come across something that I realy want (like the 2 XS11's I traded my 82 XJ750 for both pluss he paid me $100) I might part with a little more.

[flynrider]

  I don't think Yamaha ever brought the first gen watercooled RD 350 to the States.

  Sure they did.   Many of my more insane riding buddies tore up the twisties on RD350s and RD400s back in the day.  They were scary fast and light as a feather.  My friend Pete had a '79 Daytona that would leave my KZ750 in the dust on mountain roads.  I had lots of practice learning what an RD looks like from the rear 

[spiritof86]

I am talking about the water cooled RD like the one in the picture, not the air cooled RD 350/400 that Yamaha sold through out the 70s.

[flynrider]

  Doh!  That's what I get for trying to read before I've had my coffee 

  Some of the liquid cooled RZ350s did make it into the U.S. in the first year or so ('81 ish).  I remember that they were hard to acquire and not available at all in CA, due to stricter smog requirements.  They were highly prized at the race track.  All the acceleration of a 2-stroke and little chance of siezing with the water cooling.

[coffee_brake]

Well DON'T pick up a '80-'82 KZ440. Not unless you're willing to do what it takes to run different carbs, or a single carb.
Two years and still no go. I've split the cases and installed a kicker off a KZ400. I rewired it from scratch. I spent so much time and money trying to get the carbs to work that is just hurts to think about it. The more experienced older mechanics I talk to, the more  I learn exactly WHY this carb setup was only made two years. IT DOESN'T WORK. So, now I'm off in a different direction, running a known good single carb from a Honda dirt bike. It's mounted and ready for fuel, soon as it stops raining...

Seems like the 80-82 years were tumultous for carbs because of the new EPA rules taking effect then. There are a lot of bikes in junk yards because the carbs were just poorly designed and didn't last. Not all, just some models. Like my 440. 

[geaux]

coffee_brake the more I read the more I find that 80s bikes had a lot of change and experimentation going on. Some good, some bad. For instance the problems with the early honda twin engines.

It will be a while before I start buying and experimenting with junkers. I have discovered adding two motorcycles my garage is not near as big as I thought it was.

[geaux]

here is a rz350 on ebay. I might have to go look at this relic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RZ-350-TZ-Hybrid-2-stroke-RZ350-RZ-350-Kenny-Roberts-/230481984882?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item35a9cbfd72

[gammer]

here is a rz350 on ebay. I might have to go look at this relic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RZ-350-TZ-Hybrid-2-stroke-RZ350-RZ-350-Kenny-Roberts-/230481984882?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item35a9cbfd72

It says the PO removed the oil injection during a rebuild...
It would be a pain to have to mix your gas in that thing. You'd always have to carry 2 stroke oil with you wherever you go.

[JB1290]

I'd like to get my hands on an early 80's Suzuki GS450 like this.

[Munkey]

It would be a pain to have to mix your gas in that thing. You'd always have to carry 2 stroke oil with you wherever you go.

My first bike was a 2-stroke Kawasaki. It wasn't comfortable enough to ride more than a tankful away from home anyway. 

[Munkey]

here is a rz350 on ebay. I might have to go look at this relic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RZ-350-TZ-Hybrid-2-stroke-RZ350-RZ-350-Kenny-Roberts-/230481984882?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item35a9cbfd72

If that really was a Kenny Roberts Edition, they killed the value by painting it like that.

[fishball]

I would love one of these two -

the 1983


the 1985


I bypassed getting one of these because it was fairly beat...

a 1985 ES, but I think it was a 700 like the US Nighthawk 700s