Buy our CBR600 Hurricane!

A friend and I picked this little motor up in Rhode Island. It had been laid up since last year and generally neglected over it's life.
We got it running and got all the necessary paperwork to take legal ownership of it. Now it's time to sell it on.

 

It is 100% stock. Right down to the rear fender, tire hugger, exhaust, air box, paintwork and blinkers. No one has messed with it! The original advisory stickers are still on the tire hugger and fuel tank. A difficult feat indeed for a bike of this vintage. Usually by now Johnny Streetrider Squid has gotten to it and ruined it with Monster Energy stickers, Jardine "stunt" muffler, K&N knock off pod filters and (my favorite) flushmounts. 

Like every 90s Honda motorcycle, the voltage regulator went bad. This was rectified (no pun intended) by using one from a Suzuki GS500e due to having a larger surface are and heat sink.

The fairings aren't perfect and were repaired.  The downside is this is a rare color scheme, in all my years of looking at bikes I've never seen another gray/white F1, which makes finding replacement panels a challenge.

This Hurricane has just 26,000 miles on it and sports a brand new air filter. 

We are asking $1,500 for it. 

With a comfortable riding position, useable power, sporty handling and cheap parts, this would make a great first bike or back up cruiser for someone.

Bucket List Bikes Pt 1.

I have a dream of one day owning all the original Liter Bikes.

The first one that comes to mind is the Yamaha FZR1000.
When this bike first came onto the scene in 1987, it boasted 135bhp, revolutionary Genesis head which had an unheard of 5 valves per cylinder and a wet weight of just over 500lbs and a very modern chassis.
The chassis was dubbed "Delta Box" and it is still being used by Yamaha today. The theory behind this was that a triangle (delta) was more rigid than a square. Armed with this theory, engineers were able to make the engine hang in the frame as opposed to being "cradled" like GSX-Rs at the time. The mounting of the motor from above allowed the motor to be placed as low as possible in the frame allowing for a low center of gravity. They achieved this by using a diagonal from the steering tube down to the swing arm pivot making the frame triangular.

The original color schemes were a red/white and a blue/white. I would prefer the blue/white but I would take either one.

The first major revision came in 1989 and was priced at $7,599 which was $1,200 more than the GSX-R1100. Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $13,856 in today's prices; considering a 2013 Yamaha YZF-R1's MSRP was $14,490, the old FZR was a bargain. Yamaha increased the displacement to just over 1,000CC and equipped it with an electronically controlled exhaust valve giving the engine great power at midrange RPMs and other internal improvements giving a bump in power to 145bhp. 
Yamaha also improved on their revolutionary chassis design by making the engine a full stressed member and removing the downtubes. 
This complete package made for an out of the box bike that would do 167 miles per hour and it gained the title of "Bike of The Decade" by Cycle World in 1989. Quite the feat.
Aside from minor changes like headlamps, paint schemes and the fitting of upside down forks in 1991, the FZR1000 went on to terrorize the streets until 1995.

Manufactured Madness- Suzuki's LT500R Quadzilla

Back in 1987, after great success with the LT250R, Suzuki decided to take it to the next level by doubling the displacement- 499cc with a power valve! In the world of 2 strokes, the power valve is considered a poor man's turbo.  I tried looking up how this valve functioned but much like Jeremy Clarkson when James May tries to explain something technical, I dosed off and shouted "POWAAA"
This combination pumped out 51hp and gobs of torque.
Back in the day it was the fastest and most expensive ATV. Weighing in at 392lbs, of the showroom floor, it topped out at just shy of 80mph. 

Much like the LT250R, the Quadzillas have fascinated me for some time. 

Well as luck would have it, there was a feller selling one in Vermont for a very very cheap price. 

The ad read:

87 suzuki quad racer 500 - (ludlow)

quadzilla. needs a few parts. rear caliper bolt kit for plastic n a air filter. has new chain reeds piston n rings. plastic is in great condition no tears in seat. it is a 87 is in fair condition fast machine. fun. would trade for a car or truck or dirtbike. let me know (phone number)

I texted him and he sent me some dreadful pics. 

But I was still interested. I confirmed that it was actually the LT500R model and not just a 250 like the one I have and he said "499cc" and I knew it was correct. 

Straight after work I jumped in the truck and went and grabbed it. The seller was odd. He said since I texted him he had received 8 or so phone calls on it and end less texts. Told you it was a good price! 

To put things in perspective, market value on these in good nick is north of $2,000. 

So what did I get? A bargain. The seller had just put all new gaskets and a piston and ring set it in. Seems like it wasn't raced as it has the original fenders, IE not "race cuts."

Someone had installed a nice FMF exhaust system and Nerf Bars too. 

 

I'm on the fence about keeping it or selling. The LT250R I have is scary enough. This would be just manic.

 

Thoughts?

Interesting Tech- Yoshimura Duplex Exhaust

Some time back before I was around, a company called Yoshimura R&D was "in bed" with Suzuki (and still is!).
They teamed up for various racing circuits around the world. From the AMA Superbike class to the 8 Hours of Suzuka.
Pictured below is the Suzuka bike:

Lots of innovations in these race winning models made it onto the street. Back in the day, you could buy a multitude of parts from Yoshimura which were close, if not direct, replicas of items used on the race bikes. Swing arms, exhausts, cam chain tensioners, specialty air boxes, foot pegs, number plates, the list goes on. If you had enough deep pockets, you too could have a nearly exact replica of the legendary bikes ridden by Kevin Schwantz and other greats.

One interesting bit of kit was Yoshimura's "Duplex" exhaust system. The header unit had these bizarre looking canisters on it, see below:

I offer you a quote direct from a Yoshimura catalog: .
                   "The purpose of the duplex canisters is to collect some of the exhaust gas not used under hard braking into a corner, which is then released from the duplex canisters when you get back on the throttle as you exit the corner. A special hand built collector speeds up exhaust to provide a smooth transition from low to mid to full throttle"

Did it work? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
For what it's worth, new Yoshimura exhausts for Suzuki GSX-R models do not have them. 

Coincidence or forgotten tech?

You decide.

Intro Pt. 5

Final one, I promise. 

I was cruising through Craigslist one day and found a 1996 Ninja ZX7R with no price for sale. Ad said "Went to work, came out and it wouldn't start" Hm. Perhaps hydrolocked? Worth a shot. Bike was in exceptional condition. Sadly someone lowered it but also put nice Nology Wires, deleted emissions and put a very nice Muzzy exhaust on it. So I figured for the price I paid with a title, I couldn't lose.
Some diagnostic work later and the prognoses was a valve broke and locked the motor up. Seller's story was obvious a total fabrication but that's neither here nor there.
Oh dear!

A few hours and bruises later, she roared to life.

I do have the left and right side fairings but the left one needs repair/replacement. And again, this paint job was only available in 1996.
The bike is for sale; $2,200 if you're interested. The replacement motor has just 9,000 miles on it!

Finally is what I picked up last night.
1986 Suzuki LT250R
This was a revolutionary ATV back in the day. It combined light weight aluminum materials with a simple design and a liquid cooled 2 stroke engine.
 They were very light, weighing in at just 293 pounds making it lighter than most ATC 3 wheelers of its day.

Though common place now, the LT250R came loaded with new features:
         2-wheel rear drive with a solid axle
        "A-Arm" front suspension
        Powerful lightweight engine
        Manual transmission and clutch
        Hydraulic disc brakes, two in front, one for the rear
        Chain drive
        (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_LT250R)




The early years like mine were equipped with 5 speed transmissions and a notoriously weak swing arm. The swing arm issue is remedied by upgrading to a newer swing arm. Which I will be doing as mine is cracked in a couple places.

Mine is slightly modified: FMF exhaust system and Nerf Bars.
My plan is to restore it and clean it up. I got it for WELL under market value. I was thinking of entering it in the local racing series. I'm sure it won't hold a candle to newer 4 stroke race ATVs but it sure would be fun!



 

Intro Pt. 4

Bored yet?

I rid myself of that foolish Harley and set out to find a first generation GSX-R that was all original. A tough task indeed. But as luck would have it, I found one down in RI for a reasonable price ($1,500). He sent me pics and lo and behold it was an all original red/black 1987 GSX-R1100. I got down there as soon as I could!
The seller owned the bike since he was 14 and rebuilt it from the ground up. It was mostly stock except a Muzzy slip on, Wiseco internals and K&N lunchbox filters. He told me the bike ran and he had some extra parts.
Well when I got down there, we couldn't get it to crank over. He knocked $400 off the price and we loaded it up with the extra parts (calipers, fuel tank, spare set of carburetors etc) and headed home.

The problem was a very simple one. The circuit breaker tripped! Reset it and the bike fired up. It was very loud on account of the Muzzy slip on so I've sourced an OEM Exhaust and a set of Skoal Bandit graphics. And it's sort of sat since then while I can find rare OEM parts and spares.

Shortly after I bought that, I found a VFR750 (RC36) for sale in Carver. Bit of advice: Don't EVER buy a bike at night. I got burned real bad on this one.
The VFR750 is a very nice bike, comfortable, V4 and a very aesthetically pleasing single sided swing arm. This one was not a nice bike. Sure it had a Fox Racing rear shock, Givi windscreen, Supertrapp exhaust and a Corbin seat. But it also had some horrendous body work. The previous owner went to town on it with a can of red spray paint, the battery was shot and the front brakes were locked. No wonder it sucked to ride home. The only thing that made it okay was the sound of the gear driven cams. They whine like a supercharger.

Luckily I was able to get out of it for what I paid for it. Phew!

Next up is a 1993 ZX7L. This was on Craigslist for $300 a couple towns over. It had one side fairing and no tail useable tail fairings. It was very beat down; it sat behind a guy's house for 5 years and was last titled in 2005!
When I got her:

Yikes! I had my work cut out for me. I replaced the carburetors; whoever "cleaned" the old ones managed to file down ALL the needles and seats! I then removed the stupid Kleen Air emission system these had and the bike runs flawlessly.
Unfortunately spending so much time outside, various rubber components are slowly failing. So far I've done the clutch system, petcock, fuel lines, tires and forks. A labor of love.
Current state:

Body panels are exceptionally difficult to locate in original colors, this exact paint scheme with ram air was only used for one year!

I am on the hunt for a set of PM Chicanes, Fox/Ohlins rear shock and a Corbin seat for it.

While fixing this, I bought two more bikes: 1988 FZR750 & 1990 ZX6d Ninja.

I spotted the FZR on Craigslist in Maine and knew I had to have it; it is one just two hundred made for AMA Homologation rules in the Superbike Class. It was in good condition and I gave a very good price for it. The downside is finding parts is difficult. It needs the left tail fairing which is specific to the 1988 model as far as paint and graphic scheme goes. But the good news is that FZR1000 panels will work, it's just a matter of repainting them.
I think once I get it running I will post it for sale.

The second one is a 1990 ZX6d Ninja. I bought it because it has PM Chicane wheels with good Metzler tires. The previous owner painted it. But then didn't wait for the paint to dry and the clear coat ruined the yellow base coat.  I've cleaned the carburetors and put a factory exhaust on it. It's for sale for $1,000 if you're interested ;)

Intro Pt. 3

I've had a lot of bikes, can you tell?

After I unloaded the Kan-O-Tunas, I picked up a 1985 Kawasaki ZX600A Ninja. This was the first year ZX600 in the states. World Superbike legend Scott Russll (Mr. Daytona) started on one of these back in 1986 and won his first race!

Unfortunately I didn't save any pics of it but it was beat up; this type:

 It had so little compression that I could put it in first gear and push it as if it was in neutral. So an engine swap was in order.
I found a guy north of Boston selling a parts bike for just $200. I dragged it home with a friend in his Jeep Cherokee. It fit quite nicely I must say.
After we put the motor in, we towed it behind a car at 2:00AM to get it to fire. It wouldn't.
I brought the carbs to a local bike shop to get them cleaned. Didn't make a difference.
Had an ADD (you know, that made up disease from the 90s that doctors over prescribe for?) moment and sold them to a 16 year old kid who was gonna make one into his first bike.

After I sold those and the FZR I decided I had to have a first generation GSX-R "Slabside" to keep my 2nd generation GSX-R "Slingshot" company.
I promptly found one and bought it.

The previous owner bought it and rode it for a few years then parked it in his garage because he had a child. I could never get it to run right after cleaning the carburetors multiple times and even buying another set. There was something wrong with the fuel tank petcock I think. It really wasn't worth putting the money into from a collector stand point as the fairings weren't all original colors which is what people look for. So I sold it to find one in OE colors.

Surfing Craigslist one day I came across an ad saying "1994 CBR900RR- $1000" Having read RareSportBikesForSale.com religiously for the last year or so I knew that these were relatively rare bikes and had a big following. They were designed by Tabao Baba and just like the Suzuki GSX-R did back in 1986, the CBR900RR Fireblade broke new ground for sport bikes.
The 900RR was just 4 pounds heavier than Honda's own CBR600F2 and had 294 more cubic centimeters of displacement. If you remember a few posts back, I owned a CBR600F2
The night I picked it up:

The previous owner was riding it until he bought a house and just left it behind his parent's house in Yarmouth. There was surface corrosion everywhere. But it had all the fairings and a title with it so it was a good deal. Very nice Yoshimura exhaust too. Though I wish it had the OE exhaust and rear turn signals (I have a personal vendetta against flush mounts). 

In typical Honda fashion, the voltage regulator went out. On a ride to the Cape. So I took the opportunity to get some Chinese food at 11:30PM while I waited for a ride with a friend.

I wish I didn't sell this one and I always will. It was super comfortable, handled superbly and had endless power. 

The upside is I made a pretty penny on it when I sold it. But I'd still rather have it. 

One last pic with my riding buddy: 

 

To mourn the sale of the 900, I bought another CBR. This time it was a 1987 CBR600F1 Hurricane. It was for sale in VT for $700. The pics showed an extremely clean motorcycle and the ad said it had 40,000 miles. I figured it was worth a look. Loaded up a co-workers VW Passat TDI and trailer and headed to VT. 

For being 25 years old, the bike was extremely well kept. The owner rode it Florida a few times which sort of explained the mileage. I promptly paid for the bike and headed home. 

The paint scheme screamed 'MERICA but I didn't care. It was a classic bike in great shape at an even better price. I even got it featured by the guys are RareSportBikesForSale.com! I ended up selling to a friend in New Hampshire who displayed it in his showroom for a while before passing it on to a large dealer in the north east. 

After the sale of this I made a bad decision. It was made in America and powered by an obnoxious V-Twin based in the '30s. It was cheap enough and I knew I could flip it. 

The feller was selling it because he wanted a new chassis for his Jeep. He rode it for a while and parked it. New camshaft and some other work. It wouldn't idle unless revved. Thankfully someone got rid of the junky OEM Harley carburetor and put a nice S&S carburetor on it. 

Once I got it home I printed out the S&S settings sheet for the carburetor. While adjusting the idle with the bike running I noticed that the idle screw was spinning! Apparently it had fallen out and no one put the spring back in to dampen the vibrations. Found a spring that fit and it ran flawlessly.

Shortly after this I realized what a terrible mistake I had made by buying this and sold it to a friend for what I had into it. He rode it for a few months and refinished the bodywork.