Just bought an 85 350x...thoughts?

[Jackrwesty]

Saw a 85 350x online and drove down and bought it. Bike ran very strong but had a little trouble idling but I think that's just carb adjusting (I hope,or could be from exhaust I'll explain) everything on the bike was quite clean except the plastics will need to be replaced , and I took it out for a ride and the muffler just fell off hahaha cause it was spot welded on and was not made for that bike. Would that effect the idle being off? BUT after getting home and cleaning it up, the frame had a crack towards the back so that scared me, I'm not a welder but have many family who can weld it back up, is that all it needs ? Also the front fork leaks a little fluid..what could that be ? But other that that it's a really solid bike, tires are quite new, lights work, tool box, shifts good, clutch is new also but a little stiff.

Pros: got it cheap!! Ran very very strong!new rear brakes/master cylinder! New clutch

Cons: needs muffler or whole exhaust, cracked frame, needs plastics. Front fork leaks a little fluid


I was looking for a quick fix and flip for a profit or just honeslty break even .

Is this possible if I paid $800? New plastics are about $400, exhaust $300ish unless I go used. Thanks , what would you guys do? I'm open to listening to you guys ! Thanks everyone!

[Jackrwesty]

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It's the one with the head light..the other one is one I already had. Just thought I would put some pics up

[wonderboy]

The frame cracking is very common. If you search the site you'll find lots of threads about guys adding gusset plates all over on the frame to reinforce it. There have been a few members here that offered a kit of the pieces you'd need to weld in. To do this requires a complete teardown of the machine which may not be what you're after. If you just want to fix the one crack, a weld alone probably won't help much unless you are a very casual rider (low stress on the frame). If you can add at least a couple of the gussets in the vicinity of the crack as part of your repair, it should be a lot more durable.

Flipping the machine all depends on how much you can get parts for and more importantly what you are gonna fix and what you are gonna let go. If you fix everything on the machine, do it right, and use all original (used from e-bay) parts, my experience is no way you ever recoup your money invested. $800 is a great starting point, but the $$$ add up quickly when fixing everything up on these machines. That's been my experience, but I get pretty picky about making everything right. If you let some stuff slide and the buyer isn't picky, then maybe you can turn a profit.

[Jackrwesty]

Thanks for that ! We are definatly casual and I have seen the gusset sets so if I do do a full tear down I'll go down that road . And hoenslty I'm not looking to make this perfect museum piece, just new plastic and exhaust is all it needs to get back out there . After a good cleaning surprisingly in great condition other then the issues above and I'm not looking to make a killing , I just love doing it as a hobby with my dad !

Thanks for the info !