[DarrellinCeres]

So I'm looking at buying this bike. Price is $1200

I already know I will have to do the clutch. He claims it just started slipping. It's my understanding that there is no real way to know what the failure is until you take it apart.
So Clutch / Slave Cylinder / O-Ring and seals?
I have been browsing some of the posts about this job trying to get a feel for what the job will take. I have worked on Kawasaki's in the past. I have also restored a few cars, rebuilt a few motors, used to work on BMW cars so I'm a fairly qualified mechanic. Looks like the biggest thing is supporting the bike to disassemble it since the center stand has to come off.

ABS light flashing. From what I have read this may be a result of the battery being dead/low

Needs a rear tire.

I haven't taken a good look at it yet. Just saw it and talked to the guy yesterday. It belongs to the father of a guy I work with. It has been sitting for a little while. Someone he knew got hurt in a bike accident and it spooked him out of riding.

I am going back next week to test drive and do a through inspection. I've read about checking the brake lines for age? What other things should I check out before purchasing this bike.

Thanks for all of you input and expert advice in advance. It looks like a nice bike overall and from what I have read those that own them love them. As a bonus it is like the two wheel version of my truck. Same year, same color.

 

[Travis Handleson]

Clutch is a PITA. Me? I'd do everything while I'm there, 100% clutch replacement... But that's just me, cause I hate being a cheap bastard and only replacing what is needed only to have to go back into it 6 months later when the next part wears out. And do the main rear seal while you are there.
As far as ABS light, mine came on on my 05. The reservoir was low (mine has 4 reservoirs; two for frt/rear control circuit and two for actuation circuit). Again, PITA without the right tool, but Beemer Boneyard has the funnel that seals to the actuator reservoir for ~$30.
Brake lines are a must. My 05 blew out a rear and it only had 52k on the clock!!! Again, I'm not a cheapo, so I did the while kit and kaboodle at once.
As far as wrenching skills, the bike has what my mechanical teacher called "German rhythm". It's not always visible what the next step is. In fact, a time or two you will miss something on reassembly and have to take it back apart to hit that thing you missed. Same shit happens on Porsche, Mercedes and Volkswagen (these were the cars I learned to be a mechanic on). Just take your time, watch what you are doing and don't get down on yourself when you have to back up two steps to redo something.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[DarrellinCeres]

Ya I'm a do it 100% first time kind of guy too. I hate taking the same thing apart twice. Especially when the job is such a PITA to do the first time. If you have it apart and the part is cheap too just do it.

I was a BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes mechanic myself before I went back to school. German Rhythm, I'll have to remember that one. I've learned to be pretty meticulous about how it came apart and the order that it came off in because of it.

I was reading that if the brake lines are SS Braided then they have been replaced with updated ones?

I've been reading about final drive issues. Any way to check? Any other things I should pay attention to or look at before buying it?

 

[bmwcoolk1200]

So I'm looking at buying this bike. Price is $1200

I already know I will have to do the clutch. He claims it just started slipping. It's my understanding that there is no real way to know what the failure is until you take it apart.
So Clutch / Slave Cylinder / O-Ring and seals?
I have been browsing some of the posts about this job trying to get a feel for what the job will take. I have worked on Kawasaki's in the past. I have also restored a few cars, rebuilt a few motors, used to work on BMW cars so I'm a fairly qualified mechanic. Looks like the biggest thing is supporting the bike to disassemble it since the center stand has to come off.

ABS light flashing. From what I have read this may be a result of the battery being dead/low

Needs a rear tire.

I haven't taken a good look at it yet. Just saw it and talked to the guy yesterday. It belongs to the father of a guy I work with. It has been sitting for a little while. Someone he knew got hurt in a bike accident and it spooked him out of riding.

I am going back next week to test drive and do a through inspection. I've read about checking the brake lines for age? What other things should I check out before purchasing this bike.

Thanks for all of you input and expert advice in advance. It looks like a nice bike overall and from what I have read those that own them love them. As a bonus it is like the two wheel version of my truck. Same year, same color.

if it is a running 99 for $1200, I would pay the man and then worry about what is wrong with it seeing you have the mechanical skills to fix it. Just plan on doing everything you mentioned. Clutch, replace slave, replace seals and o-ring and seals, brake lines if they are OEM.

Has the Final Drive ever been repaired/rebuilt or replaced? If not, plan on doing a crown bearing at least on it and a proper re-shim or send it off to Saddleman and get it done right.

A 99 may need additional things like the rubber bushings replaced between the throttle body and the block manifold stubs from age and cracks allowing Vacuum leaks and also it may need a new breather tube as they also crack with age and leak oil all over the top of the motor. The fuel lines inside the tank should be inspected if no record of them being replaced or simply replaced with a proper submersible line or the replacement nylon lines available at Euro Motoelectric. If the shocks are original, you could spend close to 2G
on just those replacements or upgrades but I would wait on that to see how bad they are and just refill the preload adjuster first.

The ABS system may or may not be working and you can deal with it if you choose as the 99 will still always stop, just without the ABS feature assuming you don't have the original lines still on the bike.

Now the money question. You are going to spend $1200 to get it and then several thousand on it in parts, tires etc to get all that done but if you do, you will have a nice Touring/Sport bike that has few equals.

It is a lot of work to do that list and it probably all needs to be done. I personally would consider that a good barn find and get it to restore already knowing what it takes and having already done all that at least once on mine and others. It is a big job but people still seem to find the value in an LT to go through it and hopefully have something somewhat unique and reliable when completed. They can be temperamental and are real pigs at low speed but I am one of those that see value in the LT even with its shortcomings and flaws as it is a true joy to ride.

Good luck should you undertake this project and if you need a Viton O-ring for the clutch, I will gladly send you one. There are many postings from others who have done this clutch so take a good look at how they supported the bike if you don't have a lift with a wheel clamp and strap hooks. She is very heavy and you don't want her falling over especially if you are under it.

 

[bmwcoolk1200]

Clutch is a PITA. Me? I'd do everything while I'm there, 100% clutch replacement... But that's just me, cause I hate being a cheap bastard and only replacing what is needed only to have to go back into it 6 months later when the next part wears out. And do the main rear seal while you are there.
As far as ABS light, mine came on on my 05. The reservoir was low (mine has 4 reservoirs; two for frt/rear control circuit and two for actuation circuit). Again, PITA without the right tool, but Beemer Boneyard has the funnel that seals to the actuator reservoir for ~$30.
Brake lines are a must. My 05 blew out a rear and it only had 52k on the clock!!! Again, I'm not a cheapo, so I did the while kit and kaboodle at once.
As far as wrenching skills, the bike has what my mechanical teacher called "German rhythm". It's not always visible what the next step is. In fact, a time or two you will miss something on reassembly and have to take it back apart to hit that thing you missed. Same shit happens on Porsche, Mercedes and Volkswagen (these were the cars I learned to be a mechanic on). Just take your time, watch what you are doing and don't get down on yourself when you have to back up two steps to redo something.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

The 99-01 do not have the same brake system and have no sensors on the reservoirs to activate the ABS lights and also don't require that funnel but you make a good point on German Rhythm. Get a Clymer manual and follow the procedure in the book.

 

[DarrellinCeres]

Thanks for the response BMWCool. Body wise it's very clean. It does come with a Clymer manual. Only other issues he had to tell me is the hand grip heater doesn't work on the left side and sometimes the dash turn indicators don't work even though the blinker are. Like I said I will be going to take a closer look at it next week. I'm trying to plan out what to take and what to check.

I don't think the gentleman that I'm buying off of is the first owner. So I may never know what was done to it previously. I also don't know how long it has been sitting. Long enough for the battery to die.

The rubber bushings between the throttle body and the block manifold stubs and the breather tube. Is that something that can be seen on inspection? How hard is it to get the side covers off?

can I inspect the fuel lines inside the tank visually? I think it is pretty low on fuel right now.

Anything I should look at on the shocks to determine their condition besides the typical signs of seal weeping?

I will ask if Final Drive ever been repaired/rebuilt or replaced. Like I said I don't think he is the original owner. Any way to check it during inspection? Maybe a tell tail that it has been serviced? Or an indicator that there is a problem? Is it something that I would feel during test ride? Saddleman?

The advantage I have always found on fixing up vehicles is that most of the new parts outlast the OEM and once you've done the work you know you shouldn't have any problems again. I find a lot of satisfaction in building my own stuff. I also always do all serves so I know where it is. Fluids, filters, lube points. Without knowing I assume they all need to be done. If I buy it, and I probably will, I will defiantly hit you up for that o-ring and probably have a lot more questions as the job comes along. This is the great thing about a forum dedicated to what you are working on. Many have already made the mistakes and are willing to point them out so we don't repeat them or improvements to prevent them.

 

[bmwcoolk1200]

Thanks for the response BMWCool. Body wise it's very clean. It does come with a Clymer manual. Only other issues he had to tell me is the hand grip heater doesn't work on the left side and sometimes the dash turn indicators don't work even though the blinker are. Like I said I will be going to take a closer look at it next week. I'm trying to plan out what to take and what to check.

I don't think the gentleman that I'm buying off of is the first owner. So I may never know what was done to it previously. I also don't know how long it has been sitting. Long enough for the battery to die.

The rubber bushings between the throttle body and the block manifold stubs and the breather tube. Is that something that can be seen on inspection? How hard is it to get the side covers off?

can I inspect the fuel lines inside the tank visually? I think it is pretty low on fuel right now.

Anything I should look at on the shocks to determine their condition besides the typical signs of seal weeping?

I will ask if Final Drive ever been repaired/rebuilt or replaced. Like I said I don't think he is the original owner. Any way to check it during inspection? Maybe a tell tail that it has been serviced? Or an indicator that there is a problem? Is it something that I would feel during test ride? Saddleman?

The advantage I have always found on fixing up vehicles is that most of the new parts outlast the OEM and once you've done the work you know you shouldn't have any problems again. I find a lot of satisfaction in building my own stuff. I also always do all serves so I know where it is. Fluids, filters, lube points. Without knowing I assume they all need to be done. If I buy it, and I probably will, I will defiantly hit you up for that o-ring and probably have a lot more questions as the job comes along. This is the great thing about a forum dedicated to what you are working on. Many have already made the mistakes and are willing to point them out so we don't repeat them or improvements to prevent them.

The rubber bushings are difficult to check on the bike as you normally have to fold them some to see the cracks from dry rot allowing unwanted air in. These are things you would check while you have things apart or if you were chasing a poor running condition.

The fuel lines can't be inspected without at least removing the right side top panel and then removing the fuel level sending tube. If they have no record of having been replaced in recent years, plan on replacing them as they will spoil your day when they pop a leak hundreds of miles from home from ethanol poisoning and age. IF they are leaking, you would probably have an issue where the bike would not be running or running very poorly under any load and you might see some spray or excessive swirling of fuel through the filler opening depending on current fuel level. Attached a picture of the hole you can look at the fuel lines through without actually pulling the tank but I don't expect this owner will allow you do disassemble his bike that much

Under the seat is a preload adjuster slave for the rear shock. These typically lose oil but to where, no one knows as there is never a pool or a sigh of a leak. These can be refilled as long as the preloader has not sprung a leak. These can be tested for the presence of oil by turning the adjuster all the way out and then turning it in until you start getting some resistance. It should start pretty soon and if you can crank it in half way or more, it needs refilling to allow full adjustment on the preloader for weight adjustment. Not a big deal or deal breaker, just a knowledge point.

Saddleman is Dave Selvig. The resident expert on rebuilding of the LT final drives. You won't get a better job done on one anywhere else and unless you have some special tools and jigs, it is difficult to do a proper full rebuild versus just a crown bearing swap. I made my own but still would consider sending to Dave should I need another one done. Put the bike up on the center stand and grab the wheel at 9 and 3 and also at 12 and 6 to see if there is any detectable wheel play. If there is, either the crown bearing is showing signs of wear and may be on the way out or you have play in your FD pivot bearings and possibly swing arm pivot bearings, or both. Closer inspection would be required to determine which needs attention. If you need someone to rebuild a FD, we can get Dave in touch with you.

As you stated, once you do all of this type of work, not only do you have more confidence in the machine, but you know more about it should something fail and be more likely to be able to diagnose and fix it.

Good luck.

 

[TheDocTkk]

On my 99 with about 48k on it. It blew a front brake line right after I got it last September. I ordered the complete stainless kit from spiegler. They are a fantastic fit. The dealer said he did not think I needed to replace the fuel filter as all the tupperware was off at the time. This spring two of the in tank fuel lines cracked. So I would advise that those also be replaced. All fluids are also going to need changing.

Over the winter months. I changed out all the bulbs to LED's except the headlight. I am still flipping back and forth between the HID's or the LED's.

I got the LEDs from SuperBrightLeds.com or something like that. All the lights are so much brighter now with the LEDs. I needed a new battery and used the one I found recommended here in the threads. Thank you for saving me on that purchase.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAWAPLU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also installed a mini panel for any accessories, as I never like wiring anything direct to the battery. I have it mounted right on the top of the battery.

 

[DeusExMaxima]

In addition to the above-mentioned fixes, I recommend updating the throttle cables to the 05+ redesigned cables, since the earlier throttle cable is VERY hard to operate. When I prepped for my 48 state tour May 2017, I removed the tupperware (fairings) and redid everything - spark plugs, spark plug wires, radiator cap, air filter, rebuilt both shocks, replaced front brake rotors and pads (it had a terrible shimmy), ECU chip, installed HID low beam headlight and of course replaced all fluids. Idid other stuff too. The bike performed flawlessly on the 9300 mile trip.