geoffreym Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Bit of a story first. Was able to get a 2004 125 Dragstar from a deceased relation for £600, considering that there are very few bad reviews of it, the only second hand one I can find is £1700 (and it's already been sold), and that it has less than 8k on the clock I think I got a pretty good deal. good points: the engine starts (but I haven't actually ridden it yet), both brakes work , brake fluid is still full after being left in the garage for several years, bad points: concerned that the foot brake does not return, Chain is loose, takes a long time to start (likely battery issue) on order: Oil filter, air filter, battery Basically what I'd like is a dummies guide on what I should be looking out for, what I should be doing now, and anything else people can provide/recommend that will mean this bike will be still on the road for my not yet conceived kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo 167 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Hi...You have the basics covered with oil,filter and battery but there could be a couple more problems lurking ....suspect that due to its long storage the carb will have some gunky fuel in it and the rubber inlet manifold will have age hardened and cracked(poor starting,intermittant performance etc)...whip off the tank,clean out carb,replace manifold and check fuel hoses for cracking too.Brake wise ,change the front fluid asap..you may find brake pistons will stick when put back into use,depends how much water/corrosion has affected the caliper....sounds like rear brake has stuck in drum ,cable siezed or pedal pivot siezed,a process of elimination should point the way forward. As a note I have seen a few of these bikes with frame problems around the side stand area...the bike is heavy and old now,the frame cracks or corrodes allowing the stand to twist when used..the bike leans further over...apart from the obvious frame safety issue it also means the right side of the engine suffers from oil starvation when started on side stand...got one here with right side main bearing failure and twisted frame/stand issue...too much coincidence for me!!....so check that stand and put a block under it when working on it so the bike is more upright. Oh..and get some new spark plugs in there too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo 167 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Oh and yes..spray some waxoyl into the frame via the open tube ends (at rear of bike)..put loads in the bottom rails and jack the bike up so it runs forward then block holes..I use a rivnut and dome head allen bolts so it looks neat..this way your lower framerails have a chance of surviving intact. The swing arms rot as well but it is usually outside in so easy to spot and treat... Hows it going then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffreym Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 On 01/02/2017 at 7:10 AM, robbo 167 said: Hi...You have the basics covered with oil,filter and battery but there could be a couple more problems lurking ....suspect that due to its long storage the carb will have some gunky fuel in it and the rubber inlet manifold will have age hardened and cracked(poor starting,intermittant performance etc)...whip off the tank,clean out carb,replace manifold and check fuel hoses for cracking too.Brake wise ,change the front fluid asap..you may find brake pistons will stick when put back into use,depends how much water/corrosion has affected the caliper....sounds like rear brake has stuck in drum ,cable siezed or pedal pivot siezed,a process of elimination should point the way forward. As a note I have seen a few of these bikes with frame problems around the side stand area...the bike is heavy and old now,the frame cracks or corrodes allowing the stand to twist when used..the bike leans further over...apart from the obvious frame safety issue it also means the right side of the engine suffers from oil starvation when started on side stand...got one here with right side main bearing failure and twisted frame/stand issue...too much coincidence for me!!....so check that stand and put a block under it when working on it so the bike is more upright. Oh..and get some new spark plugs in there too On 11/02/2017 at 5:07 PM, robbo 167 said: Oh and yes..spray some waxoyl into the frame via the open tube ends (at rear of bike)..put loads in the bottom rails and jack the bike up so it runs forward then block holes..I use a rivnut and dome head allen bolts so it looks neat..this way your lower framerails have a chance of surviving intact. The swing arms rot as well but it is usually outside in so easy to spot and treat... Hows it going then? hey mate, very much appreciated, have basically replaced all the rubbers in the brake system, and replaced all the sparks. fortunately nothing much more than surface rust at the moment so that is great. current issue is that the side lights don't work and I cannot actually find any problems with the wiring, so bypass seems to be the way forward. other than that, it seems pretty damn good nick. any reccomendation on a good cheap bike stand as the prices seem very variable and I don't want to get some chinese crap (but some chinese quality would be okay) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo 167 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I had one with a broken wire in the loom,right by the neck,just behind the connecting block...as you say just bypass it if that is the case..also had a faulty light switch,water had got inside it and corroded all the contacts. I just use a small hydraulic platform jack..lifts the whole bike under the frame,everything is chinese these days but it seems ok..about £70 ish...makes life alot easier. The frame rusts inside out..when you see the bubbles its too late... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted February 19, 2017 Moderator Share Posted February 19, 2017 Its just nasty chineese stuff. The best way for me, but I find electrics easy, would be having it on the bench with a battery and make a small bunch of wires to sim earth sw, etc. Bell out all the wires and then see what to do once I know what it does. Its a catch all item that can be fitted to anything from a 50cc moped to a 7 litre yanky v8 so will need some tinkering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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