Bike has been laid up for years. Not moved, not started. Was in good condition though, but I accept that lots of stuff is going to need to be done... The question is what...? I'm keen to do as much of this myself as possible, but don't have that much in the way of tools or equipment. I'm also scared of touching the engine and causing myself head/heart ache in doing so, so happy to pay someone else to do any work to the engine... So I'm thinking going to need the following... -New Tyres (already ordered, arrive tomorrow) -New Battery (not a problem, can get one from next door) -Drain any remaining fuel from tank (should be hardly anything in it to be fair) and throw away. How should I then treat the tank? What if there's any rust in it? -Plugs out, bit of oil squirted in the bore, hand crank it over... Or is this totally unwise, and should the heads and barrels come off as it's been laid up so long? -New belts and full service on the engine (happy to pay for this to be done) -New fork springs, oil and seals -Bleed the brakes and the clutch -Fresh fluids and filters for the engine -New chain/sprockets if required What else have I missed? For what it's worth, bike is a low mileage (under 20,000km) original 748SP (so has 50mm Termi's, Ohlins shock, Floating Cast Iron rotors, alloy subframe and single seat, lairy cams, Pankl steel rods etc.), that was (when I last parked it up) in VGC. Times was hard, bike was due a belt service and couldn't afford it at the time, parked it up in my Dad's garage for the winter vowing to get it done in the spring. Then I got a new job, moved away, priorities changed etc... And here we are 12 years later, and I wanna get it back up and running again! All information greatly appreciated.
sound like youve pretty much covered it all mate, im in the same boat with a 996 sps, but it was put away in a discusting state(not by me il add). i wouldnt start pulling the engine apart yet, was it stored with coolant or just water in it??
I'd change brake pads too. replace the clutch and brake fluid, don't just bleed. Would also strip and clean the clutch pack. New spark plugs and fuel filter too. Been a recent thread on here about rust tank insides. @Exige finest starter cables would possibly be a good move too (he also does belts).
You could throw a lot of money at it or do it a bit at a time and enjoy riding it as you do it up, full engine service, brakes and tires, and a general service then see what happens, fork seals might leak if they do then service them if not why waste money. Steve
Cheers guys... So a breakdown of costs to get it back up and running... Parts only, no labour (going to try and do as much work myself here)... Anyone give me any help here...? Tyres... £150 (already sorted) Battery... £50? Belt kit... £100? Oil/Filters/Spark Plugs/Coolant... £100? Fork springs/oil/seals... £100? Brake Pads/DOT Fluid... £100? Chain & Sprocket Kit... £120? Have also been advised the following might be advisable... Fuel Pump... £70? New Fuel lines... ??? New Brake lines... ??? Thinking going to attack it piece by piece as suggested by Birdie above, but I'd like to have a worst case scenario to hand just in case. Plan to strip tank, fuelling etc. off then get into the engine to see what's going on there first. If I can get the engine back up and running and I'm 100% happy with it, then can do the other bits at my leisure as required.
Put away in October with a view to getting it fully serviced in the spring... So no precautions taken other than leaving a minimal amount of fuel in it! And here we are 12 years later, me asking for some advice...
My thought was that it's been on a rear paddock stand the whole time, so jacked up slightly and a lot of weight over the front. Many thanks, will drop him a line when ordering said parts...
My thought was that it's been on a rear paddock stand the whole time, so jacked up slightly and a lot of weight over the front. Many thanks, will drop him a line when ordering said parts...
Won't have made any difference. And even if it had, they'll be slightly softer which is probably a good thing as they're too hard for most riders anyway. I recently bought a (near) 40 year old Guzzi and whilst I did change the valve springs (after an engine problem) as they seemed slightly shorter than they should be - they'd sat compressed for a very long time and they're only short springs to start with. The fork springs however were fine and this on a much heavier and older bike that sat around longer than yours has been around. I'd give it a full service; belts, valve check, plugs, fuel filter, all fluids etc. and then a good check over, changing only what needs doing.
