I am going to go look at some Moby's that have been sitting for the past 20 years and want to know what I should look for. Should I try and kick it over? I could scratch the cylinder right? but if it was seized I could get the price down. Should I not bother, buy it and put oil in the cylinder overnight before trying to kick it over?
Thanks,
Cory
Try to turn it by hand instead of kicking it. That's what I'd do if it hasn't been run in that long.
Look for rust in the tank. That'd be the biggest thing other than a seized engine to me. It's fixable, but it's a bitch. If it's rusty, you should get them to knock the price down. Explain to them that it's like a $40 to $60 kit to strip and coat the tank, plus hours of your time.
Obviously if things like the magneto are rusty, think twice about getting it.
yeah, has it been sitting outside or covered?
Goood luck.
I would bring a spark plug wrench and do a spark test to see if its still alive.
so i'm a total noob (i know, i know, i should get a puch). How do I check the magneto? I assume they have been kept inside since they look cosmetically good but I will ask. Would hand cranking it over be enough for a spark?
No, not enough for spark.
Take the flywheel cover off and turn the flywheel by hand. If it turns fine, or without too much effort, then you can try kicking it over and testing for spark.
Thank guys for the input. Anymore is appreachiated. Should I bring any special tools? wrenches, socket set, screwdrivers, anything else? metric ya?
Um, if you see my 79 URRange Ciao, let me know. I sold it in 1985, and have been going "ROSEBUD!" ever since.
i just picked up a suuuper nice pea green 71 ciao that had been sitting in this woman's basement for the last 25 years. she is the original owner, still had the title, booklet and the vespa ad that came with it, as well as every service record ever for this bike. the paint is mostly perfect, just a little messed up here and there on the rack, has two rear baskets, all of the chrome is perfect, though a little dirty.
and at $200, the kinda rusty tank is 100% worth it. if it weren't for that tank, i could have been riding it tonight for moped monday.
the moral of the story? bikes that have been sitting are always worth a look.
75% of my purchases had been sitting at least since the mid 80's so don't let that be a negative factor. If the mileage is low chances are that it's fine.
You didn't even mention the price they're asking?
If you get to extensive in your examination of them, and then decide to buy, you may also re-enforced the in the sellers mind they are "sellable" (desirable).
You might want to only attempt to see if they turn over using the clutch. Not turning over would be a bargaining tool on your end. If they aren't overly rusty, getting them road ready should be rather easy.
I would say the most important thing is the first impression you get when you look at the bike. If it is cosmetically fine, chances are most of the innerworkings are ok as well. Check for a spark. Maybe bring an extra spark plug also because if everything else looks good but no spark, chances are they havent bothered to replace the plug if it's been sitting. Use your gut feeling and decide if you have the time/patience to fix it.
jonv, when you say attempt to see if they turn over using the clutch are you talking about the same thing that mijunkin is with hand cranking the flywheel?
They're a couple hours away so I haven't looked at them yet and am not going to another week so hopefully he will be itching to get rid of them if he hasn't gotten any other offers in the mean time. They started at $1200 for both and I already got him down to $700 (they've been sitting, replaceing the engine/carbs would cost $$ blah blah blah). Theres no way I'd bother driving that far for $1200. I definitely have the will to fix anything, its just a matter of are they worth this price for the condition or do I keep waiting (and I'm getting tired of waiting lol).
thanks all again,
this is a great forum
this is the ciao i was talking about, btw. 1971! perfect chrome!
what size socket is a motobecane spark plug?
same as all the other spark plugs.
go to ace hardware, lowes, menards, home depot, etc...find the socket wall, and look for the one marked "spark plug."
also, using a regular socket wrench on a moby as opposed to a special moped spark plug tool sometimes requires that you sit facing the front of the engine and use your foot to push the engine back to get the socket on and off. not too big of a deal.
OMG dean tahts one of the cleanest ciaos ive ever seen. Props bro.
Want to reply to this thread?
We'd love to have you join the discussion, but first you'll need to login (or create an account).