Topic: do i need to trailer this home?

[Stert]

ok so im going to go look at and hopefully pick up a 750 tomorrow for $500. the guy says it just needs a battery (or a jump) and a throttle cable.

so im thinking ok no prob. i already have a 750, ill just bring my fresh battery and take the cables off my bike and put them on the new one for the ride home. but i dont think that will work. i have clubman bars and the bars he has look like stock height or maybe a little taller so i dont think the cables will reach.

so is there anything i can do to lengthen the cables for the ride home? its about an hour drive.

i dont have access to a trailer until later and he has a guy coming to look at it before then so the bike may be gone before i can get to the trailer.

[mcpuffett]

you could change handle bars for the ride home,

you could go and buy it and worry about collecting it later,

or you could make a longer cable from scratch if your any good at soldering  hope these ideas help      cheers Mick.

[Gordon]

Keep in mind, too, there's a good chance that it actually needs more than just a throttle cable and a battery to run or be roadworthy. 

[Raul CB750K1]

Keep in mind, too, there's a good chance that it actually needs more than just a throttle cable and a battery to run or be roadworthy. 

+1. You should have to check the oil level, brake fluid level etc. It's easier to trail it home and service it with plenty of time and tools.

[Steve F]

Keep in mind, too, there's a good chance that it actually needs more than just a throttle cable and a battery to run or be roadworthy. 

+1. You should have to check the oil level, brake fluid level etc. It's easier to trail it home and service it with plenty of time and tools.

++1.  Don't ride it until you've checked everything out.  No sense in taking chances and screwing something or yourself up.
Congrats on the "new" bike!

[gerhed]

Get over there early with $100 bills and offer
him 4 of 'em since the bike is "not what you expected"

[Gordon]

Get over there early with $100 bills and offer
him 4 of 'em since the bike is "not what you expected"

I agree.  Nice crisp Benjamins in hand are really hard to resist, even if there's not as many of them as the seller was hoping for. 

[Stert]

ill try that if i get the chance. there is one guy in line ahead of me that is going to look at it tonight and if he doesnt show or doesnt want it then its mine. since its craigslist im thinking there is at least a decent shot that he doesnt even show up to look....craigslist seems good for a lot of no-shows.

i have officially caught the sohc bug. i got my first one last summer and it is almost done (all the big stuff at least). this one will be getting a hardtail, but thats about as much as i know about the next project.

[Cvillechopper]

Keep in mind, too, there's a good chance that it actually needs more than just a throttle cable and a battery to run or be roadworthy. 

+1. You should have to check the oil level, brake fluid level etc. It's easier to trail it home and service it with plenty of time and tools.

++1.  Don't ride it until you've checked everything out.  No sense in taking chances and screwing something or yourself up.
Congrats on the "new" bike!

+1
If it's been sitting then you really need to check EVERYTHING out.  I'm still fixing my friend's bike cause I didn't do that.  U-haul rents trailers for under $20/ day.  Easily worth that to keep yourself and the bike in tact.

[my78k]

Do you "need" to trailer it home...no! You could always push it 

Either way not sure I would want to ride it...too many unknowns from the P.O. If you are planning on riding it I would plan on taking a LOOOOOONNNNGGGG look at it before throwing a leg over it and going.

Dennis

[JLeather]

Only way I'd ride a new bike home is if it was at a dealer or the PO was still riding it.

Reminds me of when I got my Buick 'vert home.  I bought a '62 Buick convertible from this old lady for $200.  Now, this was only like 3 years ago so you can imagine what condition a $200 convertible is in.  I didn't have a trailer and she only lived about 5 miles away so me and a buddy figured we chance it.  We peeled that car outta her garage and got it running for the first time in 20 years (seriously).  Checked the brake fluid, added some oil to the engine, added some ATF to the tranny, and took off.  We had the front-plate from my pickup truck zip-tied to the rear bumper and the ragged top was just flappin in the breeze (a breeze tinged with blue from the stuck rings in the motor).  Figured there was no way I'd see a cop at 2:00 on a Tuesday with only 5 rural miles between her garage and mine.  I was wrong.  I was waiting to make the right outta her neighborhood when a cop passed by in the other direction.  'Bout had a heartattack.  He must notta noticed this old derelict, though, and I continued home in peace (at 60mph for one brief terrifying moment).  Point is, car's got 4 wheels, a bumper, split braking systems, etc, etc.  Less single-points-of-failure that can kill ya.  I wouldn't chance her on a bike.

[333]

Not to be a nay sayer, but you're probably not getting it if someone else is ahead of you.  On the other hand, anything could happen.  We're pulling for you.

And trailer it home.