sell my bike or store it for the long haul?

[huahuafish]

hello guys, I got kinda a semi-tough decision to make and I was hoping to hear some inputs...

I will be leaving to do a round the world trip in about 3 weeks and will be gone for at least 6 months if not a year.  I just bought a 91 B4 about a month ago as my first bike and has since fell in love with riding.  But since I'm leaving the country the decision to make is either sell my bike or start thinking about storing it for the long haul for when I am gone.

It took me forever to get this bike running, but it still has lil problems here and there...the forkseal is leaking, oil leaks slightly from the crankcase, carb needs syncing, chain is loose and looks rusty,...

should I store it and come back and fix all the problems, or sell it and get myself a better one when I come back?

if store it...what are some things I need to do?

thanks

[mike]

just use stabil in the gas and drain the carbs.  


or sell it.  It's your choice.  3 weeks to advertise AND sell AND get ready for your trip???, you may not get what yoiu want for it - that would be too much stress for me...  personally I'd store it...

[victor55]

Hey HuaHua,

I'm with Mike. Do it properly and you can look forward to having a bike as soon as you get back home. The time frame does seem a bit short too.

World trip eh? Does that include the Southern hemisphere or is it just the Northern World your aiming for?

[huahuafish]

thanks for the reply guys...

ya...im leaning more towards storing it now too, was thinking of using Sea foam in the gas but I'll look into stabil.....how do you drain the carb???

I'll be in Asia most of my trip, going from china/Tibet>S.Korea>Japan>Taiwan...if by the time I'm in Taiwan and still have more than half of the money I left usa with ($13,000), or if I can bum some offa my relatives    then I'll head to Europe starting with France>Greece>Amsterdam

but yea...I wonder if I'll see any Bandits while I'm traveling....

[victor55]

Sounds like a great itinerary Huahua. Hope you only meet up with the two wheeled bandits.

Good luck with the relatives

[mike]

drain screw, bottom of float bowl....  see your manual

[ttewejnodnarb]

Good luck with your trip!

You migth want to consider doing a couple more things than just stabil considering how long you'll be gone.  Getting the tires on wood, elevated off the floor can help the tires last longer.  Also covering the tailpipe will keep insects/rodents out depending on where your storing it.  A tablespoon of oil in the cylinders to prevent rust, etc.  Here are two links that may help:

http://forums.banditalley.net/viewtopic.php?t=3391&highlight=winter+storage

and

http://forums.banditalley.net/viewtopic.php?t=283&highlight=winter+storage

[stormi]

It took me forever to get this bike running, but it still has lil problems here and there...the forkseal is leaking, oil leaks slightly from the crankcase, carb needs syncing, chain is loose and looks rusty,...
<snip>
if store it...what are some things I need to do?

thanks

Hi!  I would store it myself.  One of the main reasons is that you have a rare bike there.  There weren't many imported into the US or Canada.  This means little to most of the market that you will be selling to if you try to sell it, but you've found a bike that you enjoy riding.  This means a lot.  

The problems you mention with the bike are minor.  They will take some of your time, and likely about $50 of parts. (That's an estimate, I haven't looked it up yet)  However, the amount of time that you have to get it ready to sell, advertise and entertain buyers, is short, and when  buyer sees the work that needs to be done, they will lowball you further than the CCs are already going to get you lowballed.

If you store it, I would recommend 2 more things, besides what's been mentioned.  

1.  Clean and lube that chain up before you go.  The lube will act as a barrier to further rust if it's stored anywhere moist.   A good scrub brush and a can of Honda Chain Lube will work wonders.

2.  If you're paying for storage, either pay it all in advance, or set it up for automatic withdrawl.  That way, you don't have to worry about forgetting and coming home to no bike and no compensation.

[huahuafish]

once again, this board rocks...thank you guys for all the tips  

I've got some more questions after reading the links and the post here...

I'll look into lubing up that chain before i leave, the guy before me packed it up with grease and it took me forever and a whole can of chain cleaner to get that off...it is now lubed with a chain lube i bought at a local shop

I'll pull the battery out, but I won't be trickle charging it since I don't have a charger...I figure I'll just charge it when I get back using my friend's charger..will that be ok??!?!?!?!

I'll change the oil and fill it up fresh before I leave...someone recommended running Sea foam in the crank case to clean it out before I change oil and fill it to the top...is that good?

I'll add stabil (wut is that by the way?...is that a brand?  will sea foam do?) to a fresh tank of gas and run it to get it into the carbs

I'll see about putting it on wood....you mean real wood? like slide some planks under my bike? Wut about putting it on my center stand?

I'll plug up all the holes and cover it...and leave it in my garage

I'm really starting to love this bike...it's very easy to ride and has enough power to keep me happy at least for a while, so I don't think I'm quite done with riding it yet

that was my list of things to do with the bike before I leave...if im leaving anything out please let me know

once again, thank you guys for all you help!

[LowRyter]

those 400 Bandits are pretty sweet looking bikes.  I've never ridden one but bet they are barrel of monkey fun.  The styling is really neat.  I think Ducati built their entire 1990's Monster & sportbike line based on that cute trellis frame.  I suppose the the bigger Bandit would just be too "buzzy" to sit that big 4 cylinder stressed in the frame.

[ttewejnodnarb]

To answer a couple of the questions:

I'm not too sure about the battery.  I would guess that if it where not trickle charged the voltage drop may preclude it from ever holding a charge again...or I'm full of s@#%.

Stabil is a brand...I have not heard of sea foam but if it's a gas stabilizer that prevents the gas from breaking down it should be OK.

I remember reading (Motorcyclist mag?) that if you put a barrier (plank of wood) between the tire and the concrete floor it would help to prevent dry rot.  I'm not 100% sure how that works.  I would suspect that you could also put a plank under the centerstand and then support the front of the bike with a jackstand under the crankcase effectively raising both the front and back wheel.

Hope this helps a little.

[solman]

I am gone for a year, and I be damned if I am selling any of my bikes.  Unless you just want to get rid of it, I would store it.

[doublenaughtspy]

Hey dude, go with the StaBil for storage.  Sea Foam is more a solvent used for treating running engines while StaBil is designed as a stabilizer for petroleum products.  Here's their link: www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil/products.htm
Figure on buying a new battery...these little batteries don't like long stints of inactivity after they've been initialized (acid added).  By all means store it on the center stand and if you are inclined, prop the front of the bike up with blocks under the header pipes or suspend it from the ceiling by the handlebars.  If the tires were recently produced (look at the production date on the sidewall) this will prevent flat spots that may have taken a while to round out, but if they are old tires, say, more than a couple years old, they are going to by somewhat dryrotted when you get back no matter what.  Don't forget to fog the cylinder, too.  
Sounds like you have quite the trip planned.  Via con dios, amigo.  Pack enough for small bribes.

'Spy

[stormi]

a trickle charger should really only cost you around $30.  It's much cheaper than a new battery.I got one from my Honda Dealer for $32, and I'm in Canada, your prices should be better by far.

[erict716]

whats fogging the cylinders entail?