Well, it's happened again...a used bike followed me home. This time it's a '97 Honda Pacific Coast. And being 25 years old, I'll be able to go straight to an antique tag as that's the cut off in Tennessee.
The bike belonged to a fellow I worked with 10+ years ago, but he didn't do much more than putter around his neighborhood. He had purchased the bike from the widow of a friend of his who died, and the friend also didn't ride much. So...it's got 6,900 miles on the odo and is suffering mostly from lack of use. It hasn't been started for at least 4 years. But the parts are all there. Oil, brake fluid, rear drive lubrication, etc., and probably tires as well, are all on the block for R & R. I'll keep my fingers crossed on fork seals, but I'd just about bet on them starting to puke before long. They've gotta be all dried up.
The bike is pretty stock with the only obvious farkle being a Corbin saddle. But the first owner did source a pair of soft bags to fit into the two sides of the trunk. Those will be useful.
I'll be spending some time this summer freshening up the fluids and such. Maybe later in the year I'll be able to actually get it on the road to ride to one of our events. We'll see. I think it'll be a rider when it's all said and done.
Pictures to follow after I get some elbow grease time in on it.
Very cool and no doubt a "diamond in the rough." 25 years old and under 7,000 miles - does not compute! Enjoy the many hours you'll spend freshening it up, and maybe see you on it in the future.
Thanks to my very good friend and fellow MSTA member Roger White. He's been doing stuff like this for a long time while I'm very much a mechanical rookie.
After a couple of days spent stripping the bike and starting to change fluids and such, here's where we are. I understand why you don't see many of these bikes on the road once they've been involved in an accident....they are really ugly beneath the skin. Street-fighter doesn't even start to describe it. No way...no how.
The clutch is floppy and non-functional. A repair kit is on its way.
The air cleaner was not terrible, but may as well start off fresh. A new one is on its way.
The oil, while still looking pretty good, has been changed along with the filter and a new crush washer on the drain plug. The bike has been sitting for an estimated 6-10 years. So while the oil looked like it came straight from a bottle, it's been collecting moisture for years.
The rear drive fluid has been drained and replaced with a new crush washer.
The fuel tank was siphoned empty as much as possible...there wasn't much in it. The tank was topped off with fresh 100% gas from a local station.
The W-A-Y old battery was tossed and a new one installed. Dare we try? Yes! After a few seconds of cranking, the bike fired right up on the choke. After 30-45 seconds, we eased the choke off to see what would happen. Son of a gun...it idled quite nicely. We let it run until it got good and hot to check out the coolant which was also replaced. The fan never came on, but the coolant definitely got hot.
While the tires are several years old, the bike has been sitting inside in a close-to-climate-controlled basement. They look to have no discernable wear and seem to still be fairly pliable. We have decided to leave these tires (one of the brands and models suggested by Honda on the tag inside the trunk) and put some wear on them...we'll see how they hold up.
Things yet to happen...
The clutch rebuilt
The air cleaner replaced
The myriad of plastics replaced on the bike.
Dang...I can see riding the bike in the not too distance future.
