Triumphrat

RidingDonkeys · 11-13-2009, 09:15 PM

I just bought a basket case blindly, and won't know exactly what I have for another month or so. However, I'm looking at another, and this time I might be able to inspect a little. I figure this is a good time to learn what to ask, and what to look for.

So for you seasoned pros out there, when buying a basket case, what questions do you ask the owner? What specifically do you look for upon inspection?

Red1959 · 11-13-2009, 11:18 PM

I always go by what I see! I bought a BSA that was rusted so bad I would'nt give the guy more than $40 (1988). I tore it apart to discover a complete new top end rebuild with 0 miles! My pitch was "I'll put more in it then what it's worth," so I'd get them as cheap as possible. I started Brit Bike hobby in 1983 by buying a basket case. The front end didn't mate with it among other things! So I bought another basket and all the parts I could. The result was a nice 67-69 Bonnie with mismatched #'s, but a nice bike with spares to sell and trade!
Matching #'s is a plus if it dosen't break the bank to rebuild it with matching cases and frame. Check swing arms for play, rounded bolt heads and funky screw marks from driver slipping, rust in places that require that part to be replaced. Original Triumph factory parts vs. chopper stuff., rims out of round cna be trued unless they are bent. Fork tubes for straightness. Rust on the lowere part of the fork tubes will cause the fork oil to leak. Bent parts is always a concern; foot pegs can be heated and straightend, but a bent frame may end up with mis a ligned wheels. Tires may look good, but they could crack if they are old and just been sitting. The inner tubes may have 5 patches on it!
Also, even if the seller said he rebuilt the bike up to what you see, It may have been done wrong and will require to dissassemble everything to do it right. If parts to the carb are missing, there is a chance that something major was wrong with the motor etc, and was being parted out! The same with motor parts missing. Check the condition of the plugs.
The condition of the cables and wiring will give you a clue as to its mainetance over the years. Make sure the cable ends match the levers and throttle even if they need replaced. Try to mentally assemble the bike as much as you can, get a manual and compare the drawings to what is there. Expect things like pistons, bore, rings, bearings, to need replaced. If the piston is .06 over and the barrels are scratched, you may have to replace the cylinders. I think .08o over is the limit. Are both exhaust pipes there? and if so , do they match in age and wear? If the right pipe is damages and the left side handlebar is bent, it fell over more than once or bounced!Check if the pipes fit the exhaust spigots.
Is there bondo on the neck of the frame? Not only will it cover over the numbers but it indicates a raked and even worse a de-racked neck!
IMO basket cases are the way to go, if you want to build your own reliable bike, and are not nit picking abouit originality. Also, since they are torn apart, a lot of disassembly work has been done for you. Look at your project as a hobby and do not rush.

RidingDonkeys · 11-13-2009, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red1959

Is there bondo on the neck of the frame? Not only will it cover over the numbers but it indicates a raked and even worse a de-racked neck!

This part has me a little worried. For a motorcycle newbie, what damage could have been done by raking the neck, and how easily can it be undone?

jimmy bush · 11-14-2009, 02:28 AM

Changing the rake angle involves cutting frame tubes and rewelding. Improperly done welding can weaken the metal structure/strength. Not everyone that welds is a welder. There is also the alignment that can easily be thrown off in the re rake wasn't done with appropriate fixtures or at least good measurements taken.

GrandPaulZ · 11-14-2009, 09:31 AM

Basket cases should be looked at for just a few main things:

1. Straight frame with swingarm

2. All major engine parts in rebuildable shape-
-crankcases
-crankshaft
-connecting rods
-cams, tappets & pinions
-cylinders
-head, valves, springs
-rockerboxes complete
-clutch basket with stack of plates, springs & hub
-alternator stator & rotor
-primary, timing & transmission covers
-transmission gears, shafts & forks, shifter mechanism & cam plate
-oil pump
-carb(s) with rebuildable body

3. Fork lowers, stanchion tubes, yokes, damper bits & springs

4. Front hub with brake assembly, rear hub w/ brake & sprocket

5. Gas tank, oil tank & "tool box" cover

6. Seat (base pan at least), with hinges

7. Headlight, tail light, keyswitch, horn/dip switch, rectifier

8. Throttle, clutch & brake levers, brake pedal, shifter, kickstarter, handlebars

9. Footpeg mounting plates, footpegs, muffler mount plates & hangars

10. Exhaust pipes, clamps & mufflers

Also, about 10 pounds of nuts, bolts & washers

A basket case is a basket case; what it actually is, is a "down payment" on a running bike. Be fully prepared to pay several thousand dollars to get to that point, even if you do the work yourself.

Welcome to the circus!

pookybear · 11-14-2009, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RidingDonkeys

So for you seasoned pros out there, when buying a basket case, what questions do you ask the owner? What specifically do you look for upon inspection?

Welcome to the fun,

I see you hail from my state. Just a heads up the title laws
changed in NC last year. A clean title is a bonus as getting
one now is a major pain. I have heard of a few guy sticking it
out and getting a new one. But it is way more trouble than
one may think. If anything has a bill of sale I just walk away
anymore.

What part of the state are you located? I am in the mountains
of NC.

Pookybear

RidingDonkeys · 11-14-2009, 10:37 PM

Pookybear, I'm laughing my butt off right now at your comment about title laws. I found this out the hard way in March.

My wife and I just moved back from 5 years stationed in Germany, where we met. She had bought an Oldsmobile off an Air Force guy shortly before we started dating, and he had paid it off while he was stationed in Germany. That being said, it had never been issued a title in the USA. She had a bill of sale and her US Army German registration when we shipped it back to NC last March.

Registering it posed a daunting task. The people in the DMV refused to help because it didn't have a title, and laid out a lengthy and mindwrecking process that we'd have to do through to get the vehicle registered. As far as they were concerned, we didn't own our own car.

After weeks of arguing, I finally convinced someone at the DMV to submit our Army registration and bill of sale to the State, and let THEM decide whether or not to issue a title. We got a title back from NC in less than two weeks.

It seems the state was a lot more lenient than the goofs at the DMV office.

Raised in Greensboro, and now call Southern Pines (via Fort Bragg) home. Maybe once I get this project finished, I'll see you riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Red1959 · 11-14-2009, 11:15 PM

A big heads up department. Here in Ohio I went to get a title transferred into my name a few years after it was signed over to me and notorized. If you have such titles , get them put in your name as soon as possible! I barley got the new title because the bike wasn't registered for a few years and a few years passed before I went to put it in my name. I helped a friend of mine get his bike titled in Ohio, but it involved getting it titled in Georgia first!

pookybear · 11-15-2009, 07:38 PM

RidingDonkeys,

Sorry to hear you already felt the sting of the DMV, they really are
just a bunch of Butts anymore. Anyway, you know what you
are up against then. But remember that last one was easy, you
owned that one. Anything else with just a bill of sale, they
call stolen these day. Be forwarned my friend.

If you had gotten that basket case at home already and the
wrenches were flying. I would keep my eye out on the parkway
say somewhere in 2011. Untill then post some pictures of your
build, when you start it as you did state you are waiting still, in
the special section for rebuilds.

Pookybear

RidingDonkeys · 11-15-2009, 11:37 PM

Wife just picked up the first pieces. My thread has officially begun. Feel free to take a look and harass me for what I've gotten myself into.

http://www.triumphrat.net/member-s-r...ml#post1420900

- Jeff