Topic: Newbie buying a '82 Honda CB650 - In need of advice!

[Grew_Up_Like_This]

Hi everyone!

I am a total noob as it comes to motorcycles and am currently in the process of buying a '82 Honda CB650 and would greatly appreciate any help/advice you have.

I live in Europe in one of the more expensive countries. I'd be buying this bike from a neighboring country (almost no tax as it's such an old bike). The cheapest bike like this (same-ish make, year etc.) that is currently listed in my country that is "barely running and needs everything fixed" is 1.5X more expensive than the one I'm thinking of buying. I'm also really leaning on buying this because of the fact that it's almost already built the way I would like my bike to be.

The previous owner stated that the engine is in good condition as he rebuilt the bike "completely" four years ago: engine was re-mounted, sealed and naturally purified, the carbs we're ultrasonically cleaned etc. The chain and sprockets are rusty and the tires might need a change. The only problem is that the bike hasn't been driven for two years, after it fell over during a storm with other bikes and sustained damage to the gas tank. He also says he's changing some new jets on the carburetor and I see he has changed the airbox for pods (eek! I know).

I guess my questions is as follows:

What parts should I generally check on the bike and how specifically, as it hasn't been driven in two years.

Here are some before and after tip over -pictures of the bike and some concerns listed in the comment's. http://imgur.com/a/ZEGRh If you see any red-flags or positive signs for that matter I'd be more than happy to hear them out!

Also any other advice that you might have would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks in advance!

[jonda500]

Heavily modified bikes like this are worth much, much less than stock ones. It really hurts the value of the bike having so many of the original parts missing!
John

[BomberMann650]

Most important question I can think of is more personal than tech related.

Why a project bike?

I ask this cause I already have two friends with project bikes and zero time to dedicate to them.

[Smudgemo]

I'm new to this old bike stuff, too, but here is what I've noticed.  Guys chop up bikes to cafe them (nothing wrong with that in and of itself), but then then they say how awesome they are in the ad and charge way more than a stock bike.  So the electric starter is gone, the fenders are gone, the signals are gone and the tank is plastic-dipped and I'm supposed to pay a premium because of reasons.  Totally fine if that's what you want and are willing to pay someone to do the work.  I also see guys that list a bike for a ridiculous price, and over time it comes down because nobody is buying.  Do you wait it out?  So I guess the questions are whether you like it modified as is, and what you're willing to pay and work on. 

I can't offer help on what to look for, but what I did was to look for a non-running project at a price I was comfortable with.  I figured that if I made a bad decision, the amount I spent would be like a trip to Vegas where you don't expect to win but you at least have the memories.