Thinking of a Monster......

[motomartin11]

So does this mean you've bought a M750 then Brian?

[Brian.]

Originally Posted by motomartin11

So does this mean you've bought a M750 then Brian?

I thought I'd found one that ticked all my boxes, Motomartin. Low miles, low ownership, reasonable price and an hour from my home. But when I got there, there was tyre crumb galore on the tyres. I said to the seller that it looked like he'd obviously been riding it with great enthusiasm, he quite openly said he'd been using it on track days.

I really wasn't expecting that! The motor sounds great though, and the bike is in generally good order. But it's obviously had at least some really hard use, and is virtually impossible impossible to get it from first to neutral when cold. A bit too much clunk from neutral to first too.

So, it could just need the clutch bleeding, but the seller seems well competent enough to have tried that. It could apparently, from Zimbo above, perhaps be associated with the Oberon master cylinder. (Could that have been an attemp to cure it?) Or maybe clutch plates being warped from hard use? Or maybe there is a fault in the gearbox?

I could deal with most of those, but a gearbox fault could be expensive as well as being beyond my skills and toolkit.

So I don't know quite what to do! What do you think?

[motomartin11]

Brian, if it were me I would be cautious and steer well clear .There are a few about and unless you are in a hurry the next few months might be a good time to buy before next spring.
However i don't consider myself to be an expert so others may have a different view.
Just to re-cap on mine the gearbox can be a tad noisy when engaging first from cold and the clutch does then drag but with a warm motor I can get into neutral at rest with careful footwork.
The clutch is slipping on mine under heavy acceleration but not if ridden gently.
I got mine off this Forum 2 years ago and yes it's been a case of one thing after the other but it's a 26 year old Italian bike with quite a few former keepers and I've no idea how well it's been treated before I got it although the PO seemed to be as on the ball as I like to think I am. I've no idea of the true mileage but it could be approaching 30K. I am still of the view that it's worth all the effort and only to be expected given the above and I still get a big thrill from firing it up and riding it.
Having said that I'm still awaiting clutch plates on back order and also have to sort out a misfire and a few other issues. Happy days.Luckily I have other bikes I can use. Martin

[Brian.]

Thank you Martin,

I am in no rush whatsoever; much as I am tempted, you and a couple of others whose opinions I also value say the same thing - walk away. So I reckon on this one I am going to let head rule heart.

I think.......

[Flip]

The other thing you can do to stop the dreaded suicide stand flip up scenario is simply hack-saw the sticky out part of the bolt that rests on the actuator plate.

Yes it is possible to dismantle the original Bosch headlight. Once the you have removed the reflector from the bowl, the reflector can be separated from the glass by releasing the 'W' clips, this will then allow you to clean the misty glass with something like Methylated Spirit.

As for your snotty tyres from track days conundrum, it is worth remembering that tyres will bead up fairly quickly due to the more grippy asphalt used on the track surface which may not necessarily mean it has an overly hard time.

In addition there are now a lot of classic bike only track days that are proving popular with owners of older, less track focussed machines and give owners the opportunity to enjoy their bikes in a slightly more spirited fashion without having to avoid myopic car drivers and the pot holes that seem to be the new way to slow traffic.

As others have said, all the air cooled models are getting on in years and with that will require a little more tinkering to keep them sweet.

Fuel lines and Vacuum hoses along with the Vacuum fuel tap and pump all suffer horrendously from the effects Ethanol.

The five speed gearbox is a little more clunky (agricultural?) than the six cog version possibly due to a bit wider ratios between the gears, so again you may be worrying about nothing- I would say a test ride would give you a good idea of any serious issues.

[Brian.]

Thank you Flip.

Can the petrol tap be rebuilt with ethanol resistant diaphragm etc? I've done this on my Suzuki, along with replacing fuel pipes etc. I still run that on E5 though, or preferably the Esso one with (allegedly!) no ethanol at the moment.

And what about the fuel pump? Are the pump and fuel lines etc OK with E5, or is that causing issues too?

Thank you again.

[Flip]

I carried out a bit of a refresh on my 1997 900 around 2016 but like I said with these earlier models getting on a bit it is kind of an on going thing doing little jobs here and there to keep them at their best- unless of course you go full restoration like Albie for example.

As for the fuel issue, mine was not entirely the result of Ethanol but also simply the effects of aging which manifested itself as fuel vapour lock in a combination of hot weather and being in slow moving traffic causing the bike to run very rough and eventually out. Once cooled down it would run normally again but there was an obvious problem that needed to be addressed.

I went the 'replace the lot' route as I didn't want a continual string of stripping it and replacing parts. Moto Rapido (as usual) were amazing in getting me replacement fuel and vacuum hoses along with the non-rebuildable vacuum fuel tap (about £30). The vacuum fuel pump is a Mikuni item (used on snow mobiles of all things) and a rebuild kit for this is available from Allens Performance.

I don't think any of it is specifically Ethanol safe but I am a lot more vigilant at fill ups to use Super Unleaded (Esso if possible) and particularly when I know I won't be using the bike for a while to use a fuel stabiliser which so far all seems to have worked.

Fuel Pipes:


Parts:


Fuel Pump:


Insides:


Fuel Tap:

[Nickj]

Originally Posted by Brian.

is virtually impossible impossible to get it from first to neutral when cold. A bit too much clunk from neutral to first too.
What do you think?

The first to second / neutral to first is often down to chain tension, the 750's I've had and the S2R were/are very touchy about it.
Round town the clutch could be an issue as they tend to be heavy, depends on traffic but the motor is very flexible. Slightly more cranked levers also help.

[Brian.]

Hi all, and thank you again.

I'm going to have to make my mind up about this one. Earlier contributors to this thread, plus a couple of friends that I've talked to, have suggested that perhaps it'd be best to walk away from this one and that was what I had decided to do.

But - it's in good physical condition, clean & tidy, and the engine sounds really good. It's still got the pillion cowl, has not had a tail chop, and is pretty much standard spec throughout including the silencers. Has a twin front disc conversion. Under 15,000 miles, and three owners including the current one. Very sensible price in comparison to others. But no service history to speak of, prior to the current owner there's been several gaps in the MOT history, it's been used on track days - how much I don't know - the tank has been repaired (but in fairness, very well) & been lined, and has the 1st to neutral problem.

Maybe go for a proper ride on it. It's sorned at the moment so I've only been up & down the seller's road. Maybe bung him a tenner (if he wants it) to tax it for a month and go out on it for half an hour.

I'm not usually one for umming & aahhing like this. It's a case of heart vs head, I want it but my gut feeling is walk away.

But if I don't have this one, I'm definitely having another one.

I'll let you all know - thank you all again for your advice & opinions. Really, thank you.

Brian.