OT : Do you think its worth buying and fixing for sale

[TheGoodGuy]

it says it needs a carb valve fixed, if so it should be easy right? i dont even know what this bike looks like? Any ideas on how it looks and what might be needed .. and if its worth it. I can always check it out. I thought of this knowing srinath is a kawasaki biggie.


http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mcy/19344242.html

82 kawasaki gtz 550 - $300

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Reply to: anon-19344242@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-14, 3:09PM



needs stuck carb valve fixed
fast, good shape, new clutch,
never get a chance to get on it anymore
first 300 takes it
916-391-3998

[bbanjo]

The GT 550 was an cool little shaftie.



I've never heard of a GTZ 550. I'm pretty sure that the GPZ ver of the 550 was just Euro.

[Jared]

I know what a GPz looks like.... Don't recall a GTZ tho....(I'm thinking if it IS a GTz it's a Suzuki..)

1982 GPZ 550

I think the GPz's look pretty cool (I think the one in that link looks good...).

I'm getting a retro-bike bug lately... In fact (Thread Hijack in progress) there's a bike JUST Like the one from Road Warrior that the Mohawk guy rode  here locally ( just sitting in a back yard..)...  I may go take a peep at it later.... It'd be funny to have the road warrior bike....

We now return you to your originally scheduled topic:

Whether it's worth it for resale...probably not by the time you get it all straightened out...but might make a fun alternative bike to ride for little money....

[TheGoodGuy]

do you think the "Stuck carb valve" (if there is such a thing - im clue less)
is easy enough to fix.

I think it will make a cool second bike. If not i can have one of the other guys ride it.

I figure i lowball at 200 and expect to pay 250 and then get some cheap kendra tyres (if the ones on it are bad) and make it a beater bike.

[clkeith50]

You can probably also figure it will need a battery and chain. $300 bikes usually don't have good ones. With tires, battery, chain, carb kits, and possibly brake pads, you could spend another $350-$500 on the bike. Not a particularly good deal unless you can do all the work yourself. If you can do the work yourself and get lucky and just need 1 carb kit and no brakes, you could get out for $180-$200.

[TheGoodGuy]

well im sure i will do the work.. i have a gs and its running so its not to biggie if the bike isnt running right away.. i can wait.

I am going to go check her out and see what its worht..

and then figure things from there. By the way its shaft drive i think not chain.

[clkeith50]

Look at the link in Jared's post above. The 6th picture shows a chain and sprocket as does the Kawasaki parts list for an 82 GPZ550.

[Cal Price]

Sounds like a good project or second bike, what we would call a "Winter Hack" but that is probably a concept that you would have trouble relating too, given the geography.

[pantablo]

do you think the "Stuck carb valve" (if there is such a thing - im clue less)
is easy enough to fix..

Dont take any of this in the wrong way-I dont mean to put you down in any way, just trying to be realistic...

First-Your GS has had that shaking problem that you and marucio have been dealing with for long time. Might be fixed already with Paul but my point being that your mechanical skills *might* be below par for a "project bike" unless you go into it with the goal of learning how to repair bikes and not on making money. Which brings me to #2-If you dont know what the problem is or how to fix it then it sounds like something that you should think twice about jumping into. and you're taking the sellers word on what the problem really is. What if it turns our to be a much more major problem?

Third-The GPz is a great bike. Given the typical nomenclature Suzuki uses I'm guessing this bike is a super standard like a nighthawk looking thing.

Are you really interested in wrenching on your weekends for fun? Won't be nearly as fun for profit...

[Blueknyt]

accutaly, the GPZ line was the predecesor to ninja line, look on the early ninja 750's clutch cover, you see GPZ, just like the old 81-83 GS750E was predacesor tokatana, the GPZ line was a good "sport bike" for its day, plenty fast, fairly reliable.  My friend larry had one setup for racing,  while my GS750E ran quite well pulling 140 topped , his 550 would come creeping up next to me and past me about 2 mph faster, i still say it was his skinny ass that cut down on wind drag, but he still laughs. stock one would run plenty fast for you to get hurt.

[Adam R]

I think Pablo makes a good point about using the bike to improve your mechanical knowledge instead of using it to make money.

I know with my GS, which I bought non-running as my first 'project bike', I have enough money into it that I highly doubt that  I could even break even if I were to sell it tomorrow.  Still, I've learned a lot and I've managed to get the bike into good operating condition, which was enormously satisfying in its own right.

I think that if you want to make money with bikes, you're best off buying crashed sportbikes at auctions, and then getting rashed up fairings for them through online forums, cleaning them/plastic welding them, painting the bike a nice solid color, and then selling it, preferably in the spring time.

Just some thoughts,

Adam

[TheGoodGuy]

well i would like to learn how to work on bikes. I have no more a fear of working on bikes, I got my friend tyler around me. My fear was not knowing what i was doing. But I think i have gained enough experience to open things up on my own.

Anyway I think it would make a good second bike. I am off to check it tommorow if I can. If its worth I will buy it and ride it home so it can be worked on. Now to figure out how to get around the manager lady with reparing the bike. She bitches if we work on our bikes. Well one of them (one site one) is cool, the other one is a "Buddha Loves You" .. even changing the blown headlamps on your car was something to Buddha Loves You at.