So you want to buy an airhead?

Unless you really enjoy working on motorcycles, DO NOT purchase a non running airhead. Any airhead that has been sitting for more than a year or two is going to need:

* Tires and tubes ~$200
* Carb rebuild ~$100
* Full tuneup ~$50
* All fluids changed ~$50
* All bearings greased ~$25
* A battery ~$100

Figure on double this if you pay someone like Lap to do the work, and triple this if you go to a dealer.

This assumes that the bike was in running condition when it was parked, and it was under cover while it sat. Even after doing all of the aforementioned tasks, you'll probably have to deal with electrical gremlins, dead foam in the seat, rust on brake drum / rotor, trashed brake shoes and / or pads, and forks and shocks that die shortly after you start riding the bike again. Oh, and rotted mufflers. And all of this assumes that the cylinder walls didn't rust while the bike sat, and that the bottom end, gearbox, and final drive are in decent condition.

Given that running, ridable, need little-to-nothing airheads are available for $1500 - $2000, it doesn't take a math whiz to figure out that you have to get the non-running bike you start with for almost nothing to have any chance of not losing money on the transaction.

If you just want an airhead to ride - I'm sure people on this list can help you find one that does not require a bunch of money and multiple weekends of work.

Now, this advice applies to /5s and newer. The rules change when you start to talk about /2s and older - the prices escalate seriously - both the purchase price and the money you have to spend on any /2 or older.

Some discussion of what are "normal" problems on an airhead might be in order....

A Member bought a R100GS with what seemed to be a pretty serious oil leak, at the cover for the oil filter. Enough of a problem that the service manager at the dealer jokingly called him into stop the bike from leaking all over his clean floor! Changing the oil and filter - and replacing the gasket on the filter cover - fixed the problem. Cost - about $25 for oil, filter, and gasket.

A slow seeping leak from all four of the pushrod tube seals is (reported to be) fairly common. Several thousand miles can be ridden in this condition with no ill effects.  You may experience some small, nagging electrical problems, but the electrical system on airheads is remarkably simple to troubleshoot and service.

Here's one. I rode down to Morton's on Saturday to have them look at the carb issue I have been having. As I approached the shop about a mile away on route 1, the bike dies. No stumble, just drops to 0 rpm. Started it and rode to the next light and it did it again. I start it up and notice that I smell gas. I also look at migh right foot which appears to be in a puddle of "oil" which is very slipperly. "Funny....I don't remember that pulling up to the light."

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When I pull into Morton's parking lot, the bike is gushing gas out of the right carb (all over my boot). I'm panicking because I don't know if they can fix in time it or how I'm going to ride home. Stuart walks up and diagnoses it as "normal...living with an airhead".

Apparently, the fuel cleaner I put in the tank dislodged some stuff that got stuck in the carb preventing the float from shutting off the flow. Rather than put the fuel right into the engine, it dumps out the overflow. The fix is to take off the float bowls, flip the floats up and down to clear the bloackage and replace. No problems on the way home, but my wife made me leave the boots in the garage.

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Pushrod tube seals are no big deal to replace. My /5 needs this paticular piece of maintenance. There is the "BMW way", and the quick and easy way.

With a pair of nitrile gloves, a diaphram, float, a length of fuel line, a couple of extra filters, and q-tip you should be able to deal with most carb roadside carb fixes.

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