Mostly patience and knowing how to talk to old men on forums tbh.
I bought a bike that was simultaneously simple and complex so it basically always runs, the question is "how well?".
Also if you can find a factory repair manual, they're worth their weight in gold. They'll tell you the steps and procedures to take anything apart and tell you to reverse it to go back together, and you can see how things should look.
One of my main frustrations is finding parts. It's an older japanese bike so finding the correct part is a tremendous pain in the ass. Like, I had bought a new oil filter and the gasket was the wrong size/shape. And my other frustration was not having the appropriate tools to do certain things like replacing tires
I also have an older Japanese bike. A lot of sites will carry certain NOS parts. My bike is fairly rare with low production numbers, and I find tons of parts on www.rockymountainatvmc.com. go to the OEM parts tab and follow through with the make, year, and model and see what they carry. There's a handful of sites like this and they also have parts diagrams that are annoying but helpful. Japanese manufacturers also had a ton of parts reuse.
Things like headlights and taillights are rough but I'm able to find all sorts of parts like this. Clutch/throttle cables, clutch plates/springs, fork seals, oil seals, all sorts of screws, nuts, bolts, clamps, etc. All the weird stuff that typically falls off a bike for a non oem replacement in the field.
Bigger parts are a pain. I have a crack in the left engine cover. Thankfully it doesn't need a seal but it's impossible to find. I had to troll ebay for months to find a correct headlight bulb and I'm afraid to install it, same with the correct OEM taillight assembly.
You can almost definitely get it running and riding with non-oem parts. If its a two-stroke, they almost all used similar Mikuni Carbs. If a four stroke, you'll have to get good at tuning the carbs but parts should be there.
All that being said, I feel you on gaskets labeled for a model incorrectly, I can't rebuild my motor until I find a gasket set and my engine/gearbox is fairly unique and tons of gaskets are sold with my bike labeled but meant for a similar bike. Additionally, specialty tools suck. Its probably worth while spending the 20-30 bucks on metal tire irons. You can break a bead with a kickstand if you have the bike up on jacks. I've had to make custom gaskets with raw sheets of gasket material without any issue, just patience and a steady hand.
try to find the old man online communities for your bike. Save that old institutional knowledge before its gone.
Electric for everything except if you can prove what you have is by definition a contraption, then it can burn oil. No commercial use. If you have unnecessary control surfaces, you're good.
I'm fixing up old motorcycles so everyone can look really cool getting around town.
Teach me your ways. I've got an old motorcycle sitting around that I need to fix up but I'm a dumb dumb and don't know how
Mostly patience and knowing how to talk to old men on forums tbh.
I bought a bike that was simultaneously simple and complex so it basically always runs, the question is "how well?".
Also if you can find a factory repair manual, they're worth their weight in gold. They'll tell you the steps and procedures to take anything apart and tell you to reverse it to go back together, and you can see how things should look.
DM me if you have specific questions.
One of my main frustrations is finding parts. It's an older japanese bike so finding the correct part is a tremendous pain in the ass. Like, I had bought a new oil filter and the gasket was the wrong size/shape. And my other frustration was not having the appropriate tools to do certain things like replacing tires
I also have an older Japanese bike. A lot of sites will carry certain NOS parts. My bike is fairly rare with low production numbers, and I find tons of parts on www.rockymountainatvmc.com. go to the OEM parts tab and follow through with the make, year, and model and see what they carry. There's a handful of sites like this and they also have parts diagrams that are annoying but helpful. Japanese manufacturers also had a ton of parts reuse.
Things like headlights and taillights are rough but I'm able to find all sorts of parts like this. Clutch/throttle cables, clutch plates/springs, fork seals, oil seals, all sorts of screws, nuts, bolts, clamps, etc. All the weird stuff that typically falls off a bike for a non oem replacement in the field.
Bigger parts are a pain. I have a crack in the left engine cover. Thankfully it doesn't need a seal but it's impossible to find. I had to troll ebay for months to find a correct headlight bulb and I'm afraid to install it, same with the correct OEM taillight assembly.
You can almost definitely get it running and riding with non-oem parts. If its a two-stroke, they almost all used similar Mikuni Carbs. If a four stroke, you'll have to get good at tuning the carbs but parts should be there.
All that being said, I feel you on gaskets labeled for a model incorrectly, I can't rebuild my motor until I find a gasket set and my engine/gearbox is fairly unique and tons of gaskets are sold with my bike labeled but meant for a similar bike. Additionally, specialty tools suck. Its probably worth while spending the 20-30 bucks on metal tire irons. You can break a bead with a kickstand if you have the bike up on jacks. I've had to make custom gaskets with raw sheets of gasket material without any issue, just patience and a steady hand.
try to find the old man online communities for your bike. Save that old institutional knowledge before its gone.
I might buy an e-scooter overseas
Electric for everything except if you can prove what you have is by definition a contraption, then it can burn oil. No commercial use. If you have unnecessary control surfaces, you're good.