As some of you may or may not recall, a while back I was a regular posted on here, and was basically run into a decision that forced me to sell my B4 and buy a cage. Well, I got my cage, and have been bikeless since. But the Dainese jacket in my closet is just killing me to look at just hanging there, reminding me of the way things used to be. So I've been looking into getting another ride, been looking all over the spectrum, from building a vintage cafe bike, all the way up to buying/building a SuperMoto machine...but then I get an email.
The fellow I sold my B4 to loved the thing, and I know the feeling, I was sold when I saw one for the first time too. But he emails me saying he just got back from vacation(2 weeks) and it won't start, and it's at the local motorcycle shop getting an estimate worked up. I asked him to keep me updated on their findings and get back to me. Well, after a few days, I get the 'expert' diagnosis. 1400$ worth of repairs, CDI box(Suzuki, 700$), signal generator, at least one coil, and the compression on one cylinder is down. Ouch.
He had dropped it previous to this, right side, relatively low speed. Cracked the side cover, he had replaced it with a brand new one. So after hearing the news, I offered to come check it out after it was brought back to his place to make sure the stealership wasn't trying to cheat him. Bike is still as how I remember it, minus the damage from the fall, but it's not major. But I have some questions for you guys. As he is thinking about selling it, and frankly, if I were to get another bike, I want to buy my B4 back, even if it needs some work. So here are my questions.
1.) The signal generator tested bad as per the manual, so we are trying that first, but moving on down the line, is there any way to really test the CDI box? The manual says to test it with a Suzuki tester-mahoozer, which I obviously don't have. I can check power and such, is that all I need to test? And besides that, the CDI box on the bike is one of the replacement ones from the UK, are they known to crap out? The board/circuits/components look fine, but has anyone had any problems with them?
2.) Engine, now, I know they are rare, and I asked on here a long time ago about picking one up, but does ANYONE have another engine lying around, I can't say for sure it's the engine, but it would be great to know if I can get one, or maybe a GSXR400 engine, that would be killer. Or are the parts readily available to do a ring job and clean up the head?
3.) The fall. This is what concerns me the most, I never dropped the bandit, but I would assume it would take a bit of momentum to crack the side cover, or it just may be weak. Now, would this damage anything underneath of it, or even on the other side? I'm unsure of how everything looks in there(never taken it apart), and I would be suspicious of that first off, before I look anywhere else.
4.) The little bits. Basically if I were to buy her back, it would get a complete overhaul, everything. And I was curious, couldn't find it in the manual, but can anyone point me to the exact spark plug caps this sucker takes? Seems every time I look there are about 20 options and none of them look like what I have, and if I'm going to be doing all this, it's obviously getting new wires/plugs.
So that's it guys, if you've made it this far, I appreciate the read, I hope you guys can help me. I just want to see my bike back on the road, in my hands or his, but I'm hoping it will find itself back in my garage again.
Regards,
Steve
Topic: Hello, again(long story)... (Read 3446 times)