Post
by conbs » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:37 am
First things first. Do you have the title? If not, don't put any money or effort into it until you have that pink slip. First step: Have your DMV do a 50-state check to make sure the frame number (not the engine number) does not show up on a "stolen" list somewhere.
When you have the title in hand, see if you can get it to start. The petcock and/or carb are likely to spring leaks if the bike hasn't been run in a while. The fuel and crossover hoses will likely be cracked so might as well replace them now.
Fresh oil. 30W non-detergent; Rotella T; ?? You can start a war around here by asking which one is "best". Be sure to stay away from "modern" oils with friction modifiers. It can cause problems with clutch slipping. When I started using Rotella T, my clutch slippage went away. A gallon at Walmart is around $13.00.
There is a color-coded wiring schematic floating around. You can probably find it with a search of this site. Make sure you have power to your coil, If not, check the fuse. Tape off those loose wires for now if they are not needed.
Once you have spark, it should start if it doesn't have any major problems. If it is not smoking or making odd noise, take it for a gentle spin down the block and back. Check your brakes and tranny.
If you get that far you will have a pretty good idea what you have. Your bike looks to be in pretty good shape. You may consider buying a solo seat or get an original Dream seat and recover it. I put gel in one of mine and HIGHLY recommend it to help with the poor suspension on these bikes.
There are mufflers galore that will work on these bikes, though you can spend a lot of time searching. Learn to use the search function on this site. It will be a good friend and will help you uncover many of the intricacies of these bikes.
It sounds like you may know most of the above. Please accept it in the spirit in which it is offered. Also, remember that future members will search this site and may find this long explanation helpful.
Best wishes on your new project.
