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repainted. A paint store can match the original color with a quarter sized sample of the original
color. If the tank is pinstriped, it will take a highly skilled shop to reproduce the original quality,
and this can be expensive.
SEAT
- Seats take a beating and as these bikes age, they are getting tougher to find in good
shape. Deduct for any obvious tears in the upholstery. Run your had around the bottom edge of
the seat and feel for any tears along the seat pan. Push down on the seat at several spots and
look for splits in the seams and feel for hard and/or collapsed foam. The foam breaks down and
gets hard over time, but can easily be replaced by a competent upholstery shop. Seats can be
recovered, but depending upon extent of the repair, will run around $50 to $100 for top notch
work. Replacement covers are also available from aftermarket suppliers for under $100.
If looking at a ‘70 through ‘73 model, examine the bottom of the seat pan. Early years of the 650
have a nasty habit of rusting out the seat pan from the inside, and good replacement pans are
almost impossible to find. If the seat pan is rusted out, it will probably have to be replaced with a
fiberglass item.
RUBBER
- Rubber is another item that deteriorates over time, even though the bike isn’t being
ridden. If you want to see if a unit is really "showroom" condition, look for missing or torn rubber
or plastic items listed below. Some items are plastic but are listed under the Rubber area
because they are appearance rather than functional items.
Kickstart lever rubber torn or missing.
Gearshift rubber torn or missing.
Footpeg rubber split.
Rubber boot over front brake master cylinder banjo fitting missing.
Buttons that cover hex bolts in handlebar mounts missing.
Black covering over wire harness cable between headlight and tank split.
Rubber fork gaiters on early models. These are hard to find and require removing front forks to
replace.
FUNCTIONAL PARTS
ENGINE -
The motor should turn over easily, even if it does not run. For a bike that does not run,
reduce the price substantially. For a bike that does not turn over, reduce the price dramatically.
Rebuilding an engine is expensive, so make sure the price leaves room to do so.
Even if the bike does not run, kick over the engine and listen for any funny noises. It should be
quiet with no clunking or heavy noises. Any clunking sounds deep in the engine spell real trouble.
If the owner is very understanding, he may let you take a compression reading. If paying top
dollar, this is something you should do. Each cylinder should read at 115 lbs. when kicked over
three or four times with the throttle wide open. If you do not have a compression gauge, take out
the spark plugs and hold a thumb over the hole while your helper kicks the bike over. It should
blow your finger off the hole. If not, it has low compression. Could be a tight valve, but plan on it
needing a valve job at least and probably a set of piston rings.
TIRES
- Tires actually lose their ability to grip over time, so it may be cool to see original rubber
on a bike, but they are not as safe as fresh tires. Modern tires are far superior to the tires of only
a few years ago, so this will be a good upgrade to almost any bike.
