Getting an sv back on the road

hey guys
i own a sv 2002 model with 13000 miles on the clock, the last of the carb models. i haven't been able to ride the bike or do anything to it for the last 2 years as i've had some major situations to deal with. i'm just about to start working on the bike again and i'm worried about turning the motor over, engines are an enigma to me. it hasn't been laid up, just sat in my back garden with a cover on it.

is there any advice i can get from u experts out there?

thanks chaps

Battery more than likely will be flat sorry but thats about all the help i can give someone will be along with lots of info soon.

[jambo]

How long have you got? Some people would do a full service, others charge the battery and press the button.

For the engine I would recomend dumping the old fuel, draining the carbs, and re-filling with fresh. Check the fuel lines look ok and that the throttle, brake and clutch controls moove smoothly. Change the oil & filter, charge the battery and try your luck

Otherwise check your brake pads, tyre pressures and condition, see if your brakes are binding on. give the suspension a bounce and check for leaks. You'll need a new MOT so checking all bearings, lights etc at this point will cover you for that.

Coolant and brake fluid should be changed every 2 years so it may be worth doing those if it fires up.

Jambo

[Spanner Man]

Good morning.

I wouldn't attempt to start it at least until a squirt of oil has been put down the plug holes, & the engine turned by hand several minutes. I personally would replace the oil & filter before trying to start it too.

There may well be a host of other problems. As suggested the carburettors may need stripping & cleaning, the brakes may have stuck on, the drive chain may well have seized links, & so on.

Over the years I have seen plenty of bikes that have been removed from long term storage. Several of these have developed serious faults including a wrecked engine, due to folks just sticking a new battery on & pressing the button, without doing any work beforehand.
If you're not very mechanically competent, I would suggest getting the bike to someone who is.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Spanner Man

Good morning.

I wouldn't attempt to start it at least until a squirt of oil has been put down the plug holes, & the engine turned by hand several minutes. I personally would replace the oil & filter before trying to start it too.

There may well be a host of other problems. As suggested the carburettors may need stripping & cleaning, the brakes may have stuck on, the drive chain may well have seized links, & so on.

Over the years I have seen plenty of bikes that have been removed from long term storage. Several of these have developed serious faults including a wrecked engine, due to folks just sticking a new battery on & pressing the button, without doing any work beforehand.
If you're not very mechanically competent, I would suggest getting the bike to someone who is.

Cheers.

+1

Everything degrades - batteries go flat, oil and coolant breaks down, fuel evaporates and leaves an enamel gunk behind, brake fluid absorbs water, seals dry up, tires harden... there's really not much worse for a motorcycle than to sit idle for too long.

ok so now i'm really confused. i know about turning the motor and droping some oil down the barrels, i will be getting a new battery and sorting out the brakes (as the rear has seized yet again),new chain and sprokets too. but how would you change the oil and filter if the motor hasn't been turned over or started for a while? i thought the motor needed to be fired up before an oil and filter change?

Ideally it does, nice warm oil floes better, but the oil thats in their will be rank. better to put some cheaper stufff in and let it do the initial run then change it out again for some decent stuff.