Cheap YZF750. Worth it?
Discussion
Morning gents,
I've been looking to come back to biking after a 7 or 8 year break.
I sold my '99 R1 in 2012 but hadn't done any meaningful riding for a couple of years upto that.
Now ideally I want a '98 R1 in red and white but they're silly money and I'd hate to drop it or something daft, whilst getting to grips with riding again, plus I think I'd be a bit precious about it.
So anyway to the point. My dad sees a guy when he walks the dog and he mentioned needing to free up some space for an old bike he's been storing somewhere else. This means selling his old YZF750 that he's owned for years.
My dad has been for a quick look and from the paint scheme he's describing it's this one, with the Ohlins shock etc.
Bad bits are -
42k miles.
Small repair to tank where he slipped pushing it and bumped the corner of his house wall.
Tyres ok but will be old so need binning.
Discs look dull but may clean up with use.
Now our mate Hoggy had a one if these when we all had blades and R1s. His was white, pink and turquoise. We used to call it the gay jamboree.
His had about 30k on and developed a misfire which was burned valves hence a top end rebuild required.
So I'm deciding whether to just save and buy a £2k blade over Xmas or just buy this for learning the ropes again and use it as a commuter when I buy something better.
The guy won't take less than £1000.
What do you reckon?
For the record I think any working bike is worth a grand.
I've been looking to come back to biking after a 7 or 8 year break.
I sold my '99 R1 in 2012 but hadn't done any meaningful riding for a couple of years upto that.
Now ideally I want a '98 R1 in red and white but they're silly money and I'd hate to drop it or something daft, whilst getting to grips with riding again, plus I think I'd be a bit precious about it.
So anyway to the point. My dad sees a guy when he walks the dog and he mentioned needing to free up some space for an old bike he's been storing somewhere else. This means selling his old YZF750 that he's owned for years.
My dad has been for a quick look and from the paint scheme he's describing it's this one, with the Ohlins shock etc.
Bad bits are -
42k miles.
Small repair to tank where he slipped pushing it and bumped the corner of his house wall.
Tyres ok but will be old so need binning.
Discs look dull but may clean up with use.
Now our mate Hoggy had a one if these when we all had blades and R1s. His was white, pink and turquoise. We used to call it the gay jamboree.
His had about 30k on and developed a misfire which was burned valves hence a top end rebuild required.
So I'm deciding whether to just save and buy a £2k blade over Xmas or just buy this for learning the ropes again and use it as a commuter when I buy something better.
The guy won't take less than £1000.
What do you reckon?
For the record I think any working bike is worth a grand.
I just bought a 4XV R1 (like you want 
) with 41k on the clock. It's not about the mileage, it's whether it's been looked after or not. My R1 runs like a swiss watch. I got it cheap because the guy selling it (who has two others) said every time someone asked about the mileage, they ran a mile. Their loss.....
~40k is nothing for a modern engine, unless it's been completely abused and never serviced.
If you don't have it, let me know. What part of the NE is it?
) with 41k on the clock. It's not about the mileage, it's whether it's been looked after or not. My R1 runs like a swiss watch. I got it cheap because the guy selling it (who has two others) said every time someone asked about the mileage, they ran a mile. Their loss.....~40k is nothing for a modern engine, unless it's been completely abused and never serviced.
If you don't have it, let me know. What part of the NE is it?
It'll end up being the start of a £1000 project, once the consumables are replaced and the seized EXUP valve and all the corrosion/brakes /C&S are sorted, it'll be £1500+ bike..id spend the few hundred extra money on a running, MOTd bike, it'll be cheaper n the long run and you'll spend more time riding it than fixing ..
It'll start burning oil again in short order anyway! ..I owned one back in the day, the most boring,flat MC I ever owned, by chance I got to briefly ride an SP over the weekend, didn't change my opinion of the breed, id much rather have a SRAD..
If you or anyone else is interested in an SP, I can put you in touch with a chap who is selling a 10,000 km (Italian import) "pink" SP, recent MOT and in fine, original condition down to the OE can even..its around 5k thou
It'll start burning oil again in short order anyway! ..I owned one back in the day, the most boring,flat MC I ever owned, by chance I got to briefly ride an SP over the weekend, didn't change my opinion of the breed, id much rather have a SRAD..
If you or anyone else is interested in an SP, I can put you in touch with a chap who is selling a 10,000 km (Italian import) "pink" SP, recent MOT and in fine, original condition down to the OE can even..its around 5k thou
It's probably worth more than a grand in bits. The SP was only special relative to the standard 750, which itself was nothing special. Any litre bike I've ridden with 25k + on it has definitely lost some pep, and a 90s 750 was easier to hammer than a 1000. Worth a punt at a bag though.
podman said:
It'll end up being the start of a £1000 project, once the consumables are replaced and the seized EXUP valve and all the corrosion/brakes /C&S are sorted, it'll be £1500+ bike..id spend the few hundred extra money on a running, MOTd bike, it'll be cheaper n the long run and you'll spend more time riding it than fixing
Having recently bought a bargain blackbird recently I completely agree with this. Spent far too much time and money fixing and far too little time riding.Hi lads, thanks for the comments.
Pretty much what I thought really, in that I know they're a bit of a dinosaur compared to blades and R1s and I've read about their appetite for oil.
A few points. It's definitely not an SP, it's just the R but must be a 95/96 as it's the Ohlins shock model.
It's not a basket case as the guy has it mot'd every year still. He's almost my dads age and is retired. He goes away for months at a time in his motorhome and is actually heading off on Saturday so I'll have to act tomorrow or leave it until he comes back. He was away for 3 months last time though.
He has an old 70's Honda in his mums shed (who must be 90) and she needs it gone, hence having to sell the YZF he's owned for years.
I used to think they were an ugly old bus when I passed my test in 2001.
The double decker rear light and flat foxeye fairing. Fast forward almost 20 years and I think they're ok and quite retro cool.
I'm not looking for the latest and greatest as I'm not going to ride nuts.
I've had cancer twice in the last two years, so I'm not about to die by being stupid on a bike.
Totally agree about it snowballing though, Tyres are £180 pair, battery £80 (although my dad said it fired straight up), the dent in the tank is a bugger, then a service kit, fork oil, maybe chain/sprockets.
I'll go and have look though because equally a £1500/£2k blade could still need that.
Meridian that looks like a great example and identical to the one I'm on about.
So just to clarify it's not an abandoned basket case, far from it, but he's run out of space and realised the only mileage he's done this year was taking it for mot and riding it home again.
I'm near Morpeth in the NE.
I have a nightshift tonight and the bike is nearer work so I may view in the morning.
As long as it's straight and doesn't need a shed load I may well take a punt. I can get back out there and also see how much I even use it, as none of my old bike mates are bikers now, so it'll be solo weekend rides and a bit of commuting.
If it's magic like 20 years ago then great and I can upgrade, but if it's not as good second time around I'll just sell it, or worst case break it.
Oil use doesn't matter as it'll not be doing more than 3-5k per year. As long as it's healthy-ish.
Like I say I've been watching gumtree for a winter bargain and any 600 or over sportsbike seems to start at a grand. This one has been owned for years by an older guy, has it's factory paint, no horror stories (I hope) and is the later Ohlins shock model, so I'll see.
I'm ready for a winter project as my car is pretty much done now and equally I've finally almost finished 5 years in my house.
Time is free so it's just parts.
I know he won't take less than a grand and I imagine he'd get that on gumtree or eBay.
I'll report back, hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for the input lads.
One last thing, it's hard to imagine the first R1 was only 3 years after the behemoth YZF. What a difference.
Cheers
ETA - I see I posted a pic of an SP, hence the confusion. I didn't see that. It's definitely just the R, just similar colours like Meridians.
One last bad thing. I can't ride it as I'm not insured so it's a leap in the dark.
Pretty much what I thought really, in that I know they're a bit of a dinosaur compared to blades and R1s and I've read about their appetite for oil.
A few points. It's definitely not an SP, it's just the R but must be a 95/96 as it's the Ohlins shock model.
It's not a basket case as the guy has it mot'd every year still. He's almost my dads age and is retired. He goes away for months at a time in his motorhome and is actually heading off on Saturday so I'll have to act tomorrow or leave it until he comes back. He was away for 3 months last time though.
He has an old 70's Honda in his mums shed (who must be 90) and she needs it gone, hence having to sell the YZF he's owned for years.
I used to think they were an ugly old bus when I passed my test in 2001.
The double decker rear light and flat foxeye fairing. Fast forward almost 20 years and I think they're ok and quite retro cool.
I'm not looking for the latest and greatest as I'm not going to ride nuts.
I've had cancer twice in the last two years, so I'm not about to die by being stupid on a bike.
Totally agree about it snowballing though, Tyres are £180 pair, battery £80 (although my dad said it fired straight up), the dent in the tank is a bugger, then a service kit, fork oil, maybe chain/sprockets.
I'll go and have look though because equally a £1500/£2k blade could still need that.
Meridian that looks like a great example and identical to the one I'm on about.
So just to clarify it's not an abandoned basket case, far from it, but he's run out of space and realised the only mileage he's done this year was taking it for mot and riding it home again.
I'm near Morpeth in the NE.
I have a nightshift tonight and the bike is nearer work so I may view in the morning.
As long as it's straight and doesn't need a shed load I may well take a punt. I can get back out there and also see how much I even use it, as none of my old bike mates are bikers now, so it'll be solo weekend rides and a bit of commuting.
If it's magic like 20 years ago then great and I can upgrade, but if it's not as good second time around I'll just sell it, or worst case break it.
Oil use doesn't matter as it'll not be doing more than 3-5k per year. As long as it's healthy-ish.
Like I say I've been watching gumtree for a winter bargain and any 600 or over sportsbike seems to start at a grand. This one has been owned for years by an older guy, has it's factory paint, no horror stories (I hope) and is the later Ohlins shock model, so I'll see.
I'm ready for a winter project as my car is pretty much done now and equally I've finally almost finished 5 years in my house.
Time is free so it's just parts.
I know he won't take less than a grand and I imagine he'd get that on gumtree or eBay.
I'll report back, hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for the input lads.
One last thing, it's hard to imagine the first R1 was only 3 years after the behemoth YZF. What a difference.
Cheers
ETA - I see I posted a pic of an SP, hence the confusion. I didn't see that. It's definitely just the R, just similar colours like Meridians.
One last bad thing. I can't ride it as I'm not insured so it's a leap in the dark.
Edited by marky911 on Thursday 18th October 17:03
Haha, yeah a bit ott by me. They just look so damn chunky compared to later bikes.
So I've just rang Bill the owner and after giving it a going over today, the exup valve is indeed stuck.
He's also heading off tomorrow morning in the motorhome.
He has found a used set of downpipes but by the time they arrive and he fits them he reckons a week or so.
He was in the middle of his dinner though so I just left him my number for when he sorts it.
I won't be going any higher than the £1k originally discussed between him and my dad, so if he wants to add something on for the exup valve repair, well I'll just let it go.
I was gonna say £900 and I'll sort the valve but who knows how hard it'll be to get 40k mile headers off.
I'll update in a week or so when I know what's happening.
So I've just rang Bill the owner and after giving it a going over today, the exup valve is indeed stuck.
He's also heading off tomorrow morning in the motorhome.
He has found a used set of downpipes but by the time they arrive and he fits them he reckons a week or so.
He was in the middle of his dinner though so I just left him my number for when he sorts it.
I won't be going any higher than the £1k originally discussed between him and my dad, so if he wants to add something on for the exup valve repair, well I'll just let it go.
I was gonna say £900 and I'll sort the valve but who knows how hard it'll be to get 40k mile headers off.
I'll update in a week or so when I know what's happening.
marky911 said:
Haha, yeah a bit ott by me. They just look so damn chunky compared to later bikes.
So I've just rang Bill the owner and after giving it a going over today, the exup valve is indeed stuck.
He's also heading off tomorrow morning in the motorhome.
He has found a used set of downpipes but by the time they arrive and he fits them he reckons a week or so.
He was in the middle of his dinner though so I just left him my number for when he sorts it.
I won't be going any higher than the £1k originally discussed between him and my dad, so if he wants to add something on for the exup valve repair, well I'll just let it go.
I was gonna say £900 and I'll sort the valve but who knows how hard it'll be to get 40k mile headers off.
I'll update in a week or so when I know what's happening.
Well to be honest, it sounds like it's worth a good chunk more than a grand so don't be making a bum decision.So I've just rang Bill the owner and after giving it a going over today, the exup valve is indeed stuck.
He's also heading off tomorrow morning in the motorhome.
He has found a used set of downpipes but by the time they arrive and he fits them he reckons a week or so.
He was in the middle of his dinner though so I just left him my number for when he sorts it.
I won't be going any higher than the £1k originally discussed between him and my dad, so if he wants to add something on for the exup valve repair, well I'll just let it go.
I was gonna say £900 and I'll sort the valve but who knows how hard it'll be to get 40k mile headers off.
I'll update in a week or so when I know what's happening.
A nice looked after one should fetch over £1600.
Hi Curlie, yes I'll see how things pan out.
He might be back as early as next Monday or Tuesday so I'll leave it until next Thursday and see how he's getting on.
I'll either offer him £900 and I'll sort the Exup valve or if he's ordered parts I'll let him sort it.
I still need to see it anyway. My dad says it's tidy. I just don't know who's put all the miles on if he's had it for years and hardly uses it?
That's good to here Wonderman.
Yeah as long as I can enjoy some twisties that's fine. Anyone can pin the throttle in a straight line eh, although that's fun too.
It'll just be a stop gap really. I'll either love it and feel young again, so upgrade, or I'll ride around like Billy no mates and sell it in a year or two.
He might be back as early as next Monday or Tuesday so I'll leave it until next Thursday and see how he's getting on.
I'll either offer him £900 and I'll sort the Exup valve or if he's ordered parts I'll let him sort it.
I still need to see it anyway. My dad says it's tidy. I just don't know who's put all the miles on if he's had it for years and hardly uses it?
That's good to here Wonderman.
Yeah as long as I can enjoy some twisties that's fine. Anyone can pin the throttle in a straight line eh, although that's fun too.
It'll just be a stop gap really. I'll either love it and feel young again, so upgrade, or I'll ride around like Billy no mates and sell it in a year or two.
Edited by marky911 on Thursday 18th October 19:56
That's it blade7, for £2k I can have a decent '99 blade which I know I like.
I'll just see where things go with this as performance isn't a massive thing when learning the ropes again. To be honest I promised myself a cafe racer to keep me sensible but anything will do to get me back out there.
If I don't buy this thing it's back to plan A, which is a blade for new year.
I'll check the dates on the tyres and I'm sure they'll do for a couple of rides but I'll want something sticky and fresh I imagine.
I'll just see where things go with this as performance isn't a massive thing when learning the ropes again. To be honest I promised myself a cafe racer to keep me sensible but anything will do to get me back out there.
If I don't buy this thing it's back to plan A, which is a blade for new year.
I'll check the dates on the tyres and I'm sure they'll do for a couple of rides but I'll want something sticky and fresh I imagine.
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