Hi guys. first post here. ive been lurking for a few days, reading stickies and gathering what information i can about these bikes. i wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions if you guys dont mind.
little bit about me
i am, at my foundation, a car guy. ive "built" a few tuner type cars with big power and big wheels and the like but i recently sold my car and im trying to stay away from cars for a while. i know how to turn a wrench for the most part and have a decent amount of tools. ive taken motors apart but havent really put them back together. i leave that for the machine shop.
i really enjoy tinkering with stuff and ever since i sold my car ive been lost on what to tinker with. i didnt want to build another car because thats a quick way of spending 100k so i fixed up a bicycle i had laying around. now that its finished i decided to look at cafe racers since old bikes are cheap (relatively) and cheaper now that winter iscoming here.
this is when i remembered theres a bike in my dads barn. i havent seen it in years but i remembered it was a yamaha. from memory i thought it was an xv750 but turns out it is a 1973 tx650, which from what i can gather is a xs650 with a rounder tank. i think it will make an awesome project.
about the bike
heres the kicker. the bike was left on the property at least 26 years ago. my dad has owned the property for 20 years and and the last time he tried to title it (got lazy and stopped once he had all the paperwork) was 1999. as such, the bike has no keys. how necessary is it to have a key for these bikes or can the ignition be bypassed to a switch and button? the gas cap is also key'd, is it possible to undo the gas cap without cutting it out or calling a lock smith? i kinda want a new tank anyway so that may be my way around the problem but i also dont want to sink too much money into the bike all at once. i read the sticky about the possibility of the engine being rusty on the inside already and that kinda scares me since i have no idea about the costs associated with rebuilding motorcycle engines.
lastly, heres a picture of the bike. it being my first time, by the looks of it should i just pass on this undertaking and get something newer? also, what are some things in particular that i should be wary of other than the motor possibly being seized?
little bit about me
i am, at my foundation, a car guy. ive "built" a few tuner type cars with big power and big wheels and the like but i recently sold my car and im trying to stay away from cars for a while. i know how to turn a wrench for the most part and have a decent amount of tools. ive taken motors apart but havent really put them back together. i leave that for the machine shop.
i really enjoy tinkering with stuff and ever since i sold my car ive been lost on what to tinker with. i didnt want to build another car because thats a quick way of spending 100k so i fixed up a bicycle i had laying around. now that its finished i decided to look at cafe racers since old bikes are cheap (relatively) and cheaper now that winter is
this is when i remembered theres a bike in my dads barn. i havent seen it in years but i remembered it was a yamaha. from memory i thought it was an xv750 but turns out it is a 1973 tx650, which from what i can gather is a xs650 with a rounder tank. i think it will make an awesome project.
about the bike
heres the kicker. the bike was left on the property at least 26 years ago. my dad has owned the property for 20 years and and the last time he tried to title it (got lazy and stopped once he had all the paperwork) was 1999. as such, the bike has no keys. how necessary is it to have a key for these bikes or can the ignition be bypassed to a switch and button? the gas cap is also key'd, is it possible to undo the gas cap without cutting it out or calling a lock smith? i kinda want a new tank anyway so that may be my way around the problem but i also dont want to sink too much money into the bike all at once. i read the sticky about the possibility of the engine being rusty on the inside already and that kinda scares me since i have no idea about the costs associated with rebuilding motorcycle engines.
lastly, heres a picture of the bike. it being my first time, by the looks of it should i just pass on this undertaking and get something newer? also, what are some things in particular that i should be wary of other than the motor possibly being seized?