Need advice on where to sell my 83 Vision

[GlennInLouisville]

I was given a 1983 Vision by a friend and it is absolutely beautiful and perfect.  Kept in a garage and all that stuff. I'm not a motorcycle rider at all but interested in finding out if I'd be better off selling it than keeping it.  From reading many of the posts, it sounds like ownership could be an uphill maintenance battle?  Am I right?  The bike has only 6100 miles on it though! ... and shiny new like it was kept in a showroom.  Anyone have any idea on what it would be worth and the best way to post it for sale if I decide to sell it?

Thanks!  Glenn

[nvdranger]

Yes it can be and up hill battle and I speak from experience.  This is my first bike as well and although very frustrating I have loved every minute of it (i couldn't sleep last night so i worked through the night on getting my "new" headlight on and handlebars painted).  As my quote says real bikes are built not bought and I truly believe that.  This bike is a lil heavy for a starter (for me anyways at 5'7 180) but is really easy to handle.  I personnaly say keep it and learn to ride while figuring out whats going on underneath you.

Ken

As much as I hate to say it, if you want to sell it the best places would be the Swap shop on this site and or on Ebay.  If its in good looking condition you already have half the battle won.

[h2olawyer]

Glenn -

The 1983s are much rarer than the 1982s.  Congrats on getting hold of one in good low-mileage condition!  You ought to reconsider becoming a rider.  You've got a perfect starter bike that will also work well after years of riding.

The maintenance can be a little much at first, but with one that has so few miles and has spent its life stored indorrs, the most likely fixes are carb cleaning, fork seals, starter seal, brake bleeding and total fluid change.  Might need to check the tires for condition but otherwise should be a fairly easy fix.

If you do decide to sell, in addition to what Ken noted, your local paper and Cycle Trader are other good places to advertise it.  What Louisville are you in?  I'm assuming Kentucky but there's one here in Colorado, too.

H2O

[Lucky]

If it's in that nice a condition, most of the things that need to be done can be considered preventitive maintanece.  any 20+ year old bike is going to need work, even if it's in show room condition, sometimes more because since it only has 6K on the Odo, then it's spent most of it's life just sitting...
but this is a great first (and last) bike.

[Walt_M.]

The last original condition '83 I saw on ebay sold for a little less than $1500. I kicked myself at the time for not going for it but mine was, and still is, running really well and I don't really need 2 of them. They are rare but not so rare as to be really worth a lot of money. If you aren't really a rider(and a mechanic) go ahead and put it up for sale.

[GlennInLouisville]

You sound like a great bunch of folks. Thank God Yamaha has you to support the product after the sale!  ;)  

I'm thinking if you guys will hang around for 20 years or so, I might just keep it!  :)  I too, could easily find great enjoyment staying in the garage all night tinkering with this thing.  

Got a rear tire problem - though new looking, it holds air for less than a day.  I leak tested it and the air is leaking all around the rim where it meets the tire on both sides.  There appears to be a white (oxidation?) powder on the inside of the rim.  I ran a soft plastic tool around the inside of the rim and tire and picked up lots of loose white powder and what looked to be tire/tube stop leak material. Would like to fix the leak problem cheaply and effectively w.o. buying a new tire if possible. Is it easy to install a tube on a tubeless tire?  Why do tubeless tires have to be so hard to change? I'm a bicycle rider and love how easy it is to change a bike tire.  This motorcycle tire is overwhelming in comparison.

Thanks!  Glenn
Louisville, Kentucky (wish I were in Louisville, Colorado)

[Rick G]

The white material is stop leak . Just for referance, never use stop leak or  one of the balancing products , they invarably cause the rim to deterorate and not seal.  You can try cleaning the rim but it probably won't seal reliably (my first Vision had  to have a tube in the front tyre  due to this)
You will need to take the wheel to a motorcycle shop to have a tude installed , and don't be surprised if they tell you the tyre is too old to be safe. If you need instruction on how to remove the rear wheel , just ask!

[GlennInLouisville]

Yes, I guess I'll need help figuring out how to remove the wheel.  Thanks!  Glenn  

[nvdranger]

take the biggest sledge hammer you can get and WHACK!! j/k lol.  Put the bike on the center stand.
Pull the pin that is peened over from the axle.
Take off the lug nut and washer.  Remove the brake linkage and strut bar (remember to hook this up, dont ask i sitck to my story that the bolt broke!)
Then pull the axle out, may need to put a screwdriver throught the hole for a lil leveage.
The rim has teeth on it where is connects to the drive unit and may be hard to work loose.  What i do and this may not be right, I hit the tire with the heel of my palm as i rotate the tire until it comes off.  Or if you have a lil frustration to work out just give the tire a good kick rotate the tire and kick it again til it comes off.  ;D  Hope this helps.

Oh sequence should be nut - washer - a-arm - rim - washer - a-arm  (thats off the top of my head - i'm at work)

Ken

[GlennInLouisville]

Thanks for the advice.  
I could not get the axle to come out.  After removing the cotter pin and axle nut, I tapped the axle nut side lightly with a hammer with some wood between the hammer and the axle, and it moved a bit but I could not turn the right side with a screwdriver through the hole in the axle.  It bent the screwdriver.  The rear brake drum moved a quarter inch out of the wheel, and the axel moved about 3/4 inch. Do you think there might be something I overlooked?  This doesn't look like it should be so difficult.  Thanks!   Glenn

[nvdranger]

sounds like the strut bar and/or the brake linkage is still connected.  both must be removed and the axle will slip out easily.  

Ken

[Walt_M.]

my memory might be a little foggy but, isn't there a pinch bolt on the right side that needs to be loosened before the axle will come out?

[nvdranger]

damn...details details...sorry glenn forgot about the pinch bolt ;D.  walt is right, there is a 10 (??) mm pinch bolt on the right side of the bike.

Ken

[GlennInLouisville]

Thanks!  I had loosened that pinch bolt before I tapped on the axel (I think I picked that detail up through mental telepathy).  But it turns out the axel just needed some harder raps, and it came out!  I really appreciate your replies.  


Glenn