Would You?

would you buy a 1980 xj650 seca that needs a starter clutch?
current bid AU$450.

 

1980 huh? 650?
I got better things to do!

No.
Check that. I mean:
No way!
Check that. I really mean:
No freaking way in hell, man. Never. Uh-aah! Fa-ged-ah-bough-dit!

 

Yabbut what if the seller THINKS the starter clutch is toast, and it just needs one of our maintenance tricks to get going again???

How's the bike look, Wizard?

 

The rest of the bike would have to be completely mint, so if the starter clutch was toast at least I could have a great parts bike, if it was at all cosmetically iffy then I agree with rick - forget about it

 

Rick, you should try to be more decisive. Ha Ha.
Yeh, TIMEtoRIDE I halfway thought that meybe the case, it's a gamble.
Here's a picture, anyhow.

 

If you have the money.
If you have the time.
If you have the skills.
If you have the patience.
If you are a little bit crazy ...

Then, you have to say ... as Tom Cruise so aptly put it, in "Risky Business"

"Sometimes, you just have to say 'What the f**K'"

Good luck with it!

 

Since you don't seem too thrilled with his potential acquisition, let me remind you of that other Tom Cruise quote:

"Porsche. There IS no substitute."

 

No, no.
You got that wrong.

I'm saying ... if you got the dough and want to mess with it ... jump all-over it.

If you have the money. (I don't.)
If you have the time. (I don't.)
If you have the skills. (I do.)
If you have the patience. (Nope.)
If you are a little bit crazy ... (Yep.)

Count me out!

 

see picture below, it shows that I can answer all your questions in the affirmative, with the possible exception of the last one on the list, I just find it therapeutic to have a project on the go.
But as I have completed one of these, perhaps someone could suggest something to do with the bike that would be a bit different.

 

WOW great looking bike wizard. I find the project aspect relaxing too most of the time.

 

How about: figure out if you can fix the starter clutch first. If yes, do a ground-up restoration to bone stock. If no, start an eBay store.

 

I had a look at pics of the european '84 XJ750 Seca on the web, now I'm planning on trying to fabricate a half fairing from aluminum, and use a paint scheem like the '84. The half fairing will be similar to the Seca2. This means bumping my skills to new levels: metal fabrication, vacuum molding, and automotive painting.
Try something challenging.

 

There you go, or do it up like the Aus XJ900...

 

what does that look like ,then, big fella?

 

Oh, what the heck!
If it will make your life a bit more complete having another project ... another Bike in the stable ... fodder for us all to enjoy as you embark upon bringing a lost Bike back from extinction.

Go for it!
By all means ... take it on.

You see the light of profit or ownership at the end of the tunnel.
The good weather will be upon you.
There's no rush.
You don't need my blessing; but if it makes your day ...
You have it!

Are you going to split the cases or try the shortcut?

 

I haven't got the bike yet, but I would definitely try the key hole surgery, nothing to lose by trying.

 

Hey Wizard,

Not sure how you have gone with getting parts, but as I pulled my XJ900 apart to fix the starter clutch (a loose screw had locked it up), I decided to do a more thorough rebuild, and while I finally have it all in place, it was an expensive drawn out part hunt.

Good luck mate.

oby

 

I hear ya, oby, like I said I havn't bought the bike yet & the more I think about it the less likely I am to jump, as I have already rebuilt one of these bikes. What I would realy like for my next project is an XJ 1100, so I'll keep looking. Wiz.

 

Like you I'm finding building my bike therapeutic. It's just money and time!

 

I enjoy the stress of a rebuild as well. As a matter of fact, since getting back from my Eastern Europe adventure I find myself lost without a bike to work on. I'm surprised they would want $450 for that bike. I can typically find them broken down for less than $200. I just picked up a basket case 750 seca for free and now I'm in the planning stages for something completely different.

If 450 is the going rate scoop it up. These bikes aren't going to fade away as long as there are people like us to keep them alive. And it really doesn't take that much to keep them alive, they really don't want to die.

 

Hi gwyndwr, things are a lot cheaper in the USA than here. I was thinking of buying a house in the States, then I thought, what the hey, wait a couple of days & I could buy the whole country.

 

It looks like this: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=11972.html We didn't get the same shape fairing or the chin spoiler in the States...