I think I read somewhere the average miles per year driven is around 3000. Of course there can be much more or much less.

Read the room, so to speak. Is the owner an Iron Butt sorta person, a daily commuter and how far, or a weekend warrior/fair weather rider type of situation?

 

The person selling the motor is not the one who rode the bike. Apparently that person passed and they are selling it for them. No idea of the relationship between the two.

 

Looking at the pictures it appears to have been taken care of, has newer tires, only dusty areas seem to be under removed components. I'd remove the plugs and have a look at them, if you can get the rear off the ground try putting it in 1st and turn the tire to see if transmission and engine rotate. I'd definitely try to find out the reason it's being parted out.

 

Well, did you buy it and have you got it installed yet?

 

I'm going to go today. I couldn't go yesterday due to extenuating circumstances. I probably won't get it installed today as I need something to hold my bike up so the motor can drop. I have a motorcycle lift I bought from Harbor Freight but once I lift it, I need to to stay up while I lower the motor a little.

 

I noticed the exhaust is removed, you can tell a lot by looking into those ports. Also be good to remove the oil strainer screen as you did on your engine and inspect it.

 

I'm taking a borescope with me to look into the cylinders. I don't know if the motor has oil in it and if I can drain it while I am there but I do want to check that strainer.

 

The motor turned easily without any issues. It took about 3 hours to get the motor off the bike. It was NOT easy. I looked into the cylinders and they look really good as well.

 

Taking that motor off was definitely an experience. I'll record taking the motor off my bike so I can put it on YouTube for others to see. I was also able to take the drive shaft so I now have a spare. The couple said the bike was well taken care of. Everything I saw from the tank to the frame to the floorboards looked to be in excellent shape. The motor turned easily, and the cylinders looked extremely good with the borescope. According to the odometer, it has 53,000 miles on it. That's definitely less than mine. Mine is around 60,000 or so miles. It also apparently has aftermarket exhaust but those sold quickly which is why they weren't there.

All in all, it was a fantastic find for only $350. I'm very pleased!

 

Given the mileage, consider installing the timing chain tensioner extenders while the motor is on the bench. Pull the spark plug housings to check for timing chain lash, but you'll definitely need to take the slack out soon.

Pull and retain the front bevel gear from your old motor, before disposal. You'll definitely need it in the future!

 

Good idea on the timing chain tensioners. Especially while it's easy to get to them.

I already put a borescope in the cylinders via the spark plug hole and everything looks really good.

I actually am hoping I can figure out the problem on the original motor, fix it, and keep it so that when the motor I bought gets too old, I'll be able to replace it. Then again, I might just sell it if I can fix it. I haven't decided yet.

 

The above mentioned repairs (if necessary), are relatively easy even with the engine installed. But, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to inspect the bevel gear assembly while the engine is out. Trust me, you do not want to install that engine, only to have to remove it again to repair or replace the gear drive. You have to remove several bolts to remove the unit for inspection and a new gasket, but well worth having peace of mind it is OK.

 

I actually already took apart the bevel gear. I did that when removing the engine from the frame not realizing I just needed to push in the pin on the gear to separate the gears, so as a result, I removed the entire bevel gear. Luckily, he let me have the internals to the drive shaft for free so I have a backup.