Im thinking of buying this bike.. but?

Question

it doesnt run. It looks tidy and apparently it has had a new engine that was a runner but the project has come to a stand still..

Before i get my hands on it can anyone give me an idea of the sort it thing that would make it not run.

I was thinking battery or ignition??

Whats the worst that it could be/

thanks

Answer 1

You people have to realize it is good old Joe asking the question. I figured he was somewhere out here because of all the Harley bashing questions. I go away for a few days and come back to this? He's baiting you all to see what the audience is. Safe bet is half the Harley bashing (no matter the screen name) is directly connected to JOE.

Answer 2

No link? No picture?  How can we decide if its bad or good?

Answer 3

It maybe a good idea to enlighten us as to the make and model of the motorcycle. The mechanics amonst us are not mind readers, we at least need a hint as to what bike' you are on about. Add to the postings and you may get some real help.

Answer 4

If the answer to the mechanical problem was that simple as a battery or ignition and the man bothered to put a new engine in why would the guy sell?  "Just a thought"

Good luck, but I'd rather buy something that runs if I cannot figure it out the problem myself.

Good luck and happy riding!

Answer 5

Saying "it doesn't run" is a bit too vague.

If the starter doesn't turn the engine over it could be the battery.

If the engine turns over but doesn't start it could be anything from electrics to (as someone said) no petrol.

You could at least put it in top gear and push it to see that the engine hasn't seized up. If you can't start the engine, you really don't know if the bike's worth having at all, e.g. the gearbox could be broken.

All sounds very dodgy to me - putting a new engine in a bike and then selling it sounds strange.

Answer 6

Project ?  doesn't run ? Forget it !

Answer 7

If you need to ask this question here, you'd best get the bike looked at by someone with some mechanical knowledge before you buy yourself a pile of junk!

Answer 8

What would help is if you told us something about the bike, like WHAT KIND OF BIKE IS IT?  Simple, obvious things like that. Exactly what happens when you press the starter or try to kick it over?  You know, the kind of information we need to make an informed guess.  If you can't figure that out then walk away, you aren't the kind of person who should be let loose on the streets, never mind using any kind of powered vehicle.

Answer 9

Meet us half way, at least tell us what the bike is...

Answer 10

check for petrol?

Answer 11

It doesn't even kick over? Sounds like a project that could be anything from electrical to something more serious. I think the red flag is that it's already gone thru the original engine, a replacment engine and it still doesn't work with the engine its got now. The other issue would be is that even if you got it to run, once it kicks over you may be made aware of a world of other more serious issues  like knocks, leaks, etc. that may have been conveniently hidden and would have warded you off the sale if the engine ran (albiet poorly) at the time. I say walk away from this one unless you have deep pockets of cash and time to spend bringing it around. There are enough great deals with sellers parting with pristine bikes who need fast cash -- and when you buy a smooth running bike, you actually get to ride it and enjoy it before dumping your paychecks into it! Best of luck to you!

Answer 12

The worst case scenario...seized engine making that engine one very good boat anchor but not much else

Answer 13

If it does not run dont buy it.Iits like a big boat will just cost you money in the long run

Answer 14

Some basic things to check are:

Can you kick the engine over - that is, will it turn or is it (like someone suggested) seized and locked up solidly so it won't turn at all.

If you can turn it with the kickstart, does it feel like there's compression - it should resist turning.   If it's electric start, does it sound like it's resisting during the compression stroke?   The cranking speed should vary (if there's a spark plug installed) if it has some compression.     Of course a compression test is easy to do, and I would recommend that if you can get a compression tester.

You need four things for an engine to run:  Air, fuel, compression and spark.    And of course the compression and spark must occur at the right time - if someone rebuilt the engine incorrectly, either of those two could be off enough to keep it from running.