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About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9038
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
What are your thoughts on maintenance? Can you do this work for yourself? Set valves, overhaul carbs, etc.? Does the bike come with a set of original tools?
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
There is another 76 R90/6 for sale for a lot more money…$6600, but it appears to be all original. Is it worth the extra $3000?
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9038
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
Probably need to go with your gut and lay out your priorities and pick the bike that fits the bill.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
It’s your money and your decision but I’d avoid the cheaper options and definitely avoid the poorly repainted and customized examples out there. A nice original bike is only that way because someone has chosen to care for it well over all of these years. That to me is well worth the price associated.
Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
- srankin
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- Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2017 8:45 pm
- Location: Spencerport, NY USA
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
Why? Because I spend a lot of time sucking coffee at a local airhead shop and see a lot of what I call Previous Owner's Disease. Bikes come into my friend's shop not only for regular maintenance but also restoration and repairs. I have seen things done to good bikes that cost the "new" owner hundreds of dollars to correct. Some owners should have their fingers cut off to prevent them from working on their bikes.
I helped a friend out with his new to him first airhead in my own little shop not too long ago. The PO has installed after market LED turn signals. The BMW stock ones were not cool enough I guess. Not only did the PO make a hash of the wiring, he mounted the cool signals to the fork/fender brace and used carriage bolts one size smaller than the proper stock bolts! It took the two of us four weekends and a wad of money to bring the bike to proper riding trim.
Beware add on electrics, one of the most frustrating issues of any bike is to have to trace and troubleshoot electrical problems when the PO, has cobbled wiring in to add lights or in some cases to "solve" a problem.
LOL, my friend spent four hours tearing out "custom" wiring a customer had installed in the customer's attempt to make things work better and solve a turn signal issue. Once the bike's electrical system and wiring was back to stock, the turn signal issue was nearly a bad socket.
Yeah a lot of blather, good luck with your purchase. St.
- r67boxer
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
WRT to R60 versus R90, if you plan on riding the highways, I would choose the R90/6 because it's got a lot more get up and go. I believe 60 HP versus 40 HP.
Kevin
- srankin
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
Is the last one worth $6600? Not to me, perhaps $5500 if it looks as good in person as it does in pictures and has a complete set of tools and maybe some maintenance records. But it is a nice looking bike. And I bet it has been taken care of far better than the first one. There are lots of airhead bikes out there, and if it was me, I would probably keep looking. I think you’ll find one you like, in good condition, for less than $5000.
Check out the bikes for sale on the adventure riders forum in the flea market section. There are always several airheads for sale there.
R60/2, R65 LS
1973 Norton 850, 1973 RD 350
- srankin
- Posts: 1078
- Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2017 8:45 pm
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Re: About to buy my first Airhead...advice?
I would not be surprised if the 22,000 wasn't 122,000, either that or the previous owner was just a jerk and didn't take proper care of his bike. Sadly there are a lot of people who do that.
At 220000, plus miles my RT got new powder coat, chrome, paint and electrical harnesses as well as any mechanical stuff needed. The mechanical stuff was minimal because I keep on top of things.
St.