Cleaning the carbs should be enough, do them one at a time and don't take them off the rack. Also, you can check the slides without removing the diaphragm covers, they should slide up and foomp back down. Removing the covers runs the risk of damaging them. Just take off the float bowl and clean out any varnish you see in there and in the jets. Electrical should be fine unless the PO (previous owner) got to it. You'll also want to clean the brake cylinder and calipers after sitting that long. How are the tires? Any dry rot? Also also, check the inside of the fuel tank for rust and clean the fuel cock.
-Kyle On Thu, Apr 27, 2017 at 1:46 PM, Nick A <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey all, > > New to the group and to motorcycles in general. My dad owned a Goldwing > when I was a kid and now has a V Star, so they're around, but I never had > my own. Just picked up an abandoned, non-running '83 550sc for free > (though you get what you pay for). The plate says it was last registered > in '00. My personal car is an old AMC Eagle, so I've always got a > well-stocked toolbox handy by necessity. With that said, I'm unsure where > to start (but I have the manual). > > First things first: fuel, spark, and compression. How much do I need to > drop into the carb? Just take apart, clean and put together? Is the > electrical system durable enough to trust it still works? > > Is there a quick way to check the crankshaft for seizing like on a car? > > Being a one-off, like AMC's, there must be a plethora of parts that will > swap in with minimal or no modification which websites won't list. What > are some of the bikes and years that work best for OEM and aftermarket > swaps? > > Are there any DIY secrets to get the metal looking good without paying for > a paint job? > > Finally, are there any telling signs that would say the cost is too great > to be worth getting it running? > > Thanks. Excited to move this thing along (by it's own power). > > -- Nick > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
