How to Revive an Old Motorcycle: Save Money on Gas/Fuel! Cheap Ride!

Step 7: Start it Up!

Ok, you've got compression. You've got fresh gas getting from the tank to the carb. You've got spark at the plug. Time to start the bike.

1. Turn the key to "On".
2. Turn the kill-switch to "Run".
3. Put the bike in neutral. (On some bikes, you'll want to
pull in the clutch as well.)
4. Put the choke in the start/choke/on position.
5. If it's a kickstart bike, there needs to be
pressure/resistance at the top of the kick stroke. You may have
to slowly rotate the kicker till you find pressure, then
release to allow the kickstart arm to come all the way to the
upright position.
5. Give it a kick, (or on an electric-start) hit the start button.

Comments

[wolft4292]

Something you've left out is you should at the very least check that it has oil in it before attempting to start. It would of course be better to drain the old stuff and put new oil in. Also, if it has a rad you need to check if it has fluid in it (would probably also need replacing).

[skunkbait]

Good point! I'll go back and edit (later tonight). That's the kinda thing that's easy to forget, but can ruin a bike quick. Thanks!

[skunkbait]

Ok, I rechecked the ible. I did mention it in Step 2, #7. Thanks for bringing it up though. "No oil" can ruin any engine immediately, and "bad oil" can ruin it quickly.

[wolft4292]

Sorry, you're right. I did go through it again. Must have missed it somehow. :=)

[skunkbait]

THat's ok. I wrote the ible, and still couldn't remember if I'd mentioned the fluids. That's how easy it is to forget something that important! I ruined a Honda 550 once by running diluted oil, so doing things right is always a big priority to me. Thanks for making me re-check. I'd hate to leave that out, and be a party to the destruction of someone elses ride!

[CReyes]

thanks this helps A LOT my friend has a couple of old bikes siting in his garrage (a Honda and a old Norton!) this will help me get started

[skunkbait]

Just contact me if you have any questions. I'll be of help if I can.

[creek2233]

Could you direct me to the article on how to free a frozen motor? Thanks

[skunkbait]

I never managed to get it finished, but I'll PM you with the basics a little latr this evening.

[Jim Bow]

I know you are not finished, but I want to make sure you mention tires. I was given a beautiful 1983 Suzuki GS750ESD. It had been dealer maintained and hardly ridden till it was garaged in 1988 when the owner got married. The only starting problem was with the fuel system, it had half a tank when he parked it, and the fuel turned to varnish. I cleaned that all up and it ran just fine. The tires looked nice, lots of tread, etc., but they had been aging for almost 20 years when I got the bike. The rubber had turned hard and inflexible. They had good grip on nice dry concrete, but as I was slowing down in traffic for a stop light, the front tire rolled onto a shiny manhole cover. With no ground traction, the brakes locked the tire up and down I went. I wasn't hurt, but the case got a hole in it and all the oil came out. The rotor ended up getting damaged. Repairs would have set me back almost $1100.00, so I parted it out. Invest a couple of bucks in new rubber before you take it on the street!!!!!!!

[skunkbait]

Tires are definitely important for anything you plan to take out on the road, (dirt bikes can usually get by on old rubber). I'm thinking about doing an ible on how to change a bike tire.

[killerjackalope]

Skunkers, I think I said about the tyres in our messages, vulcanised rubber has a shelf life of a around seven years, thats why you see old bangers running around on cracked and bulged tyres, the cheap ones are very hard rubber compared to good tyres and will last past that point... You can get about on them to get new ones but put them up to the inflation on the tyre and check for bulges, then leave overnight, if the air pressure is exactly the same or no more than 3PSI down you can get away with it, any bulges should immediately mean replacement of tyres, simply because if they blow out you are screwed...

[Esmagamus]

Add my suggestion there: fill them for the first time with puncture repairing foam. I've never punctured a tire, ever!

[skunkbait]

What kind do you use? I've used Slime pretty successfully. A lot of the old bikes (and dirt bikes) still have tubes. Does that foam work with them too?

[Esmagamus]

It's precisely with tubes it works best. It creates a nice foamy coat in the tube that makes it a lot harder to puncture. As for brands, I have no idea, as you probably don't have access to the same brand I used. I think it was Elf, and that's french.

[skunkbait]

I'll look for that online. I have seen it before, when I lived in the South Pacific.

[triumphman]

Hey Skunkbait, very good advice, I have been riding M'cycles since my first 1964 Honda 90 cc Trail/Street Bike. It was the beginning of a wonderful mode of transportation to my first job in high school. All the next bikes got bigger and better or better and bigger ? I have been there and done that! Still riding my favorites- '67 650cc, single carb,Triumph Trophy Sports (totally restored)beauty, '72 Norton Commando 750 cc, Interstate (Large Gas Tank- hence the name" Interstate"), and a Grocery Store Loader-upper, 1982 Gold Wing Aspencade (1100 cc) Monster 4 Cyl.& 4 Carbs! These three keep me busy, with maintenance and all! But well worth it, when the air hits your face, and you feel the freedom of the road! I ride at any excuse to take one out! The Classic Brits are my Favorites though!I Had a Gold & White Triumph Bonneville, she was awesome,whish I never sold her. But Uncle Sam grabbed me up and I needed some cash. End of story! Anyway, good job mate! As ever Triumphman!

[captain atomo]

Great advice. I am in the middle of fixing up a 1972 bmw r75/5. How about that seized engine article next. Flushing out the gas tank of rust is very important and I might also recommend sealing the tank to prevent any further rust issues.

[skunkbait]

I'll definitely do the seized engine one soon (I have one). Also, I'll probably do one on coating the tank. It's deinitely important to follow the instructions to the letter!

[lrooff]

Remember that not all old motorcycles are going to be worth the effort, especially if you're looking for fuel economy. I have a lot of fond (and not so fond) memories of my Kawasaki H1 (Mach III) from 1969, but I won't recommend it for anything except for fun or a collector. It was the original crotch rocket, able to do a quarter mile in under 12 seconds right out of the box, but it also averaged less than 25 miles per gallon -- hardly an economy vehicle by anyone's standards. It also had a wicked torque curve that jumped off the page at about 600 rpm without warning and some squirrely handling in the turns.

[lrooff]

... make that about 6000 rpm, not 600.

[skunkbait]

I get you. I still own a '72 S2 350! I acknowledge that 2-stroke street bikes are best for speed, fun and parking. But, once again, if you only pay $300-$500, what do you have to lose? My experience with truly "cheap-to-ride" bikes has been with my old Yamaha AG 100, and my sons' Ninja 250.

[fishnflute]

Very nice so far. I recently restored a 1982 AMF moped and had to learn all of your comments on my own through multiple sites. The one bit I just got together, and I haven't seen on any other site, may be controversial to some motorcycle mechanics. If someone has a two stroke engine, and not exhaust system at all, they normally would have to buy a new expansion chamber and possibly a muffler. However, if they have a welder and some sheet metal, they could make a rough exhaust to get the project at least up and running. The expansion chamber consists of a cone coming from the engine, expanding towards a cylinder, and then the cylinder collapsing back to a smaller tube by a second cone. From this a tube with many holes drilled in it should be wrapped in steel brillo pads. I was hoping to do an instructable on this but wanted to see if it works first. This process, with an extremely rough exhaust system gave me 5 more miles per hour and quited the bike down to where I could ride it through a snotty neighborhood. No one else mentions this quick fix and I hope you will.

[skunkbait]

That's a good idea. I've never tried it that way. I've always just patched a rough exhaust. Hey, do an instructable on it and we'll ad it to the "Scooter Trash" community topics. I've heard of doing that, but just haven't tried it yet. Thanks for the input.

[bolomkxxviii]

Nice article, but I can't agree with your advice to flush fuel lines. As someone who maintains two 23 year old Honda's, take my advise and replace the lines. gas line is cheap. One leaky/split gas line can ruin your entire day (and maybe your bike and maybe you). Liquid tank liner can work well, but prep work is essential. Your suggestion of pennies to knock off the the rust is a great idea.

[skunkbait]

I may not have written clearly. I meant to suggest flushing ONLY the petcock and fuel filter. I would advise replacing any questionable fuel line/hose. It's a lot cheaper to replace $3 worth of hose than to burn up your bike, your pants, your leg, etc. !!

[Jim Bow]

And, dear readers, make sure you replace fuel line with fuel line. Any other kind of tubing just flat won't work. Either go to a dealer, or purchase it at your FLAPS. If you go to the FLAPS, the stuff they sell you will have "fuel line" printed on it every foot or so.