Subject: Re: Loopframe purchase blues. Long.
Author: Dave Morgan
Date: Jul 31, 2000, 1:11 PM
Post ID: 1701661841
Rich,
At least you were able to get out of the deal. You didn't say what the price
was but it sounds like about a $1200 (or less) bike to me. Most of the things
you said were wrong with it are fairly easy to repair but I certainly wouldn't
have jumped on a strange bike and gone for a 225 mile ride without a through
test period to figure out what else is wrong.
When I bought my '71 Ambassador, I bought it without hearing it run and with a
flat rear tire. I had ridden with the owner a year or so before so I knew that
the bike had run at that time but didn't really know the true condition of the
bike. I paid $1500 for it (the guy wanted $3500) and hauled it home in my
pickup. A new battery, rear tire and she fired right up but didn't run quite
right. I ordered carb rebuild kits from MG Cycle and when I received them, went
to work rebuilding them. I found that half of the O-rings and seals in the
carbs were missing. After replacing them and synching the carbs as best I could
with my fingers and a mirror, I fired her up again. She ran great and still
does. I've not had to do a whole lot of mechanical work to the bike other than
regular maintenance and the occasional seal replacement here or there. I got
lucky with my $1500 bike, but it could have been worse.
You probably did the right thing by bailing out on that deal. I've known
people who've paid $1500 for Guzzis in milk crates, but then some of the people
I know are not too bright either.
Cheers,
Dave
--
Dave Morgan
Eugene, Oregon USA
http://rider2000.home.mindspring.com