Topic: APO (a**hole previous owner) Thread - Your Worst Stories . . .

[GoatBaSS]

Well, wooden piston aside (Man That is better than the tube sock and a beer can fix), I have seen various "mods" to the frame under the tank so you could remove the head in the frame. I am riding one that was done very well, but I have a frame where they left the bars off/out, rendering it useless, lessin of course you like a swangin'.

Does remind me of a pickup I saw in Costa Rica where the frame was not square, just kinda got where it was going in its own side way.

[angeldeville]

PO's glueing on tank badges......








Some of the worst are low mileage engines with excellent compression, that have to be taken apart because the cam chain rollers have been beat to crap from a slapping cam chain....

Please adjust your cam chains.... it takes so little time, and relieves so many problems...

[Terry in Australia]

PO's glueing on tank badges......

Ooh ooh, I just remembered another one, or two, actually!

1. A guy I knew asked me to paint his Yamaha XS650 tank, there was one odd looking screw holding the right badge on, as I unscrewed it, I realised that a PO had lost the OEM item, so just used a self-tapping sheet metal screw, straight thru the tank!

2. I bought my F2 tank from a guy in New York, he was just selling off parts on Ebay after his engine crapped out, anyway a PO (not him) had repainted the tank quite nicely, but I decided to strip it back to bare metal before I repainted it and applied some (expensive) new decals.

When I used paint stripper to strip it back I found a small ding on the right side full of putty, then realised that the PO had used a sheet metal screw to pull out a bigger dent, then just bondo-ed the dent, including the two holes in the tank he made with the screw!

If I'd just painted over the top, the fuel would have eventually chewed thru it all! (which it did anyway, but that was thru the rust on the other side, boohoo!) 

[s3d1t0r]

This summer I took the train to CA from WA, sadly leaving my 78 CB750F behind.

My brother in CA said, "You can have my motorcycle for free, but it leaks oil, bad."

It is an early 80's Honda V45 Magna.  It starts right up, has plenty of power, but burns or leaks so much oil I have to carry a quart of oil in my backpack wherever I go... and it smokes enough to be kinda embarrassing.  But it does the job all day every day no questions asked.

When I left CA a month ago, I left this bike with my best friend and told him he could ride it whenever he wants.  Well he calls me a week later after I got back to WA and tells me, "I fixed that oil leak for ya."

Basically what he told me, is that he went to the Honda dealership, bought and installed an $8 bolt that was missing out of the oil pump, washed off the bike and it hasn't leaked a drop since.

A free bike for the cost of a $8 missing oil pump bolt. 

[okie]

The eBay ad said:  "I cleaned it up,coated the gas tank,cleaned the carbs"

The bike would run a minute then fall off, then run again, fall off, repeat.

I knew the tank coating looked REALLY bad, but I wasn't ready for what I found today.  Chunks of Creme an inch thick had come loose from the bottom of the tank and were rattling around inside the tank. The pieces are on the ground to the right of the tank in the picture.  Notice the rust and crud in the bottom of the tank.  The guy had used the fuel tank lid to keep the Creme in the tank while it was being coated: result, stopped up venting hole and ruined rubber gasket.

[cb650]

The 81 custom 650s came in a 2 tone blue metal flake that I always liked.  probly cause mine is 2 tone brown.   well dad bought a blue one that "someone" used a putty knife to remove the helmet warning sticker off.   so there is a nice tank with a rust patch in the middle. also used sos pads or something on the chrome. 



                         Terry

[Stev-o]

A-hole PO didnt properly torque the rod cap nut resulting in a 3" hole in the engine case when it let loose at 90mph.  Dimwit!!!

[jonda500]

The guy who I bought my bike from had it running on a full sized car battery on the luggage rack... Lots of smokey wires...

My 500 project came with a car battery squashed into the frame behind the carbs and sitting on a 45 degrees angle - the PO had obviously used a big hammer to bash the bit of frame behind the tank out of the way to make it fit. All the wiring between the ignition switch and the main fuse was melted cause the fuse was bypassed... and many other APO mods too.
I'll do a project thread one day and give a full description - I wish I had pics,
John

[flybox1]

I kinda have to thank my APO (16yo kid). 
He was given a 74 550K by his uncle.  Mom wasn't too happy about it, but dad let him ride it.
Lack of maintenance led to a weeping oil pan, so the kid decided to torque down the oil pan bolts.   SNAP!
One of the pan bolts snapped off in the lower case, and the oil leak worsened....sooo the bike sat.
A year later, the family is moving and the bike needs to go.  Its 5 miles from my house, and I pick it up for $500.

A $2 left handed drill bit to remove the bolt, and another $400 for tuneup items, seat cover n paint, and I flip it to some hipster kid for $3k 

[Terry in Australia]

Wow, Steve re-opened a 10 year old thread, we'll have to start calling him the "Grave Digger"! What I find most interesting and sad too, is that the OP and many of the posters are long gone. Kind of a shame.