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I got a call from my Dad the other evening saying he had a lead on an old 175, and wanted to know if I was interested. Needless to say, I explained to him how silly that question was and that he should let me know when we could go look at it. 10 minutes later I got another call from him saying "Let's go!", and in less than one hour from first word on the bike, it was sitting in my driveway!
So here she is, only $150 later. Its a 1970 SL175 KO with 5870 miles.
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The bike apparently ran great a few years back, but no longer made spark. The guy tinkered with it a little bit, but stopped short of replacing the coil. He basically lost interest and just wanted it out of his garage.
First things first, I pulled off the carbs and gave them a good cleaning. New fuel line and plugs. The tank is like new inside with only a couple small dings, so no work needed there. Looks like he replaced the points, and the gap is right on. I pulled the coil and condenser off my 160 and plugged them in... BINGO! All kinds of spark! I quick like threw the tank on and in exactly 4 kicks, she was purring like a kitten! And I mean literally purring like a kitten. This thing is easily the best running bike I now own. The engine is really clean. I don't see a single drop of oil around any gaskets.
So the plan right now is to have some fun on it this summer as is, and do a restoration on it this winter. Things it needs right now are: air filters, coil, drive chain & rear sprocket (good lord, it's got a 52 toother!). It's gonna need a few things for a restoration. The front fender and fork boots are obviously not correct. Handlebars don't appear to be stock and are pitted. The seat has been recovered, but not in a good way. The frame has been painted black, from its original silver. The body has a poor rattle can paint job.
All in all it seems like I made a good investment. And i'll have something to do in my basement this winter!
So here she is, only $150 later. Its a 1970 SL175 KO with 5870 miles.
The bike apparently ran great a few years back, but no longer made spark. The guy tinkered with it a little bit, but stopped short of replacing the coil. He basically lost interest and just wanted it out of his garage.
First things first, I pulled off the carbs and gave them a good cleaning. New fuel line and plugs. The tank is like new inside with only a couple small dings, so no work needed there. Looks like he replaced the points, and the gap is right on. I pulled the coil and condenser off my 160 and plugged them in... BINGO! All kinds of spark! I quick like threw the tank on and in exactly 4 kicks, she was purring like a kitten! And I mean literally purring like a kitten. This thing is easily the best running bike I now own. The engine is really clean. I don't see a single drop of oil around any gaskets.
So the plan right now is to have some fun on it this summer as is, and do a restoration on it this winter. Things it needs right now are: air filters, coil, drive chain & rear sprocket (good lord, it's got a 52 toother!). It's gonna need a few things for a restoration. The front fender and fork boots are obviously not correct. Handlebars don't appear to be stock and are pitted. The seat has been recovered, but not in a good way. The frame has been painted black, from its original silver. The body has a poor rattle can paint job.
All in all it seems like I made a good investment. And i'll have something to do in my basement this winter!
