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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Jul 29, 2013 15:04:18 GMT 1
Mulling over buying an rd500 that has been pointed out to me.
top fairing accident damaged but that is not my concern. bike is running and has done 20 k miles so could do with the cranks overhauled.
assuming no major issues other than service items what is the cost and availability of parts?
steve
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justyr
Thrash Merchant
Posts: 331
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Post by justyr on Jul 29, 2013 16:42:54 GMT 1
Steve - you may want to give a guy called Roy Cummins a call at James Allan Autocentre in Edinburgh. He knows all LCs back to front including the 500 motor. I'm sure he'll be glad to offer some advice, and of course can do engine rebuilds/full restos etc.
J
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Post by Bazille on Jul 29, 2013 17:18:44 GMT 1
Hi there
I removed and sent my cranks and all 4 barrels to Stan stephens for all reboring/new pistons and both cranks rebuilding and it was a touch over £1000 (early 2011), rebuilt myself and have so far done 2000 trouble free miles!! its not particularly cheap but its been done to a very good standard.
cheers colin
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Post by rich on Jul 30, 2013 19:35:14 GMT 1
I'd say as there's two of everything, I'd budget for pretty much double the cost of doing a 250 or 350. And just because it's done 20k miles, it doesn't automatically mean the cranks are knackered or it's about to exploed - some of that is a myth that's been drummed up by the media. Still worth checking though.
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Post by bare on Jul 31, 2013 3:32:35 GMT 1
Check out the trans.. another weak area.
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Jul 31, 2013 8:46:40 GMT 1
Cheers for the replies guys, they are confirming my worries.
May have the chance of one at a decent price but by the time I rebuild the motor ( essential really as value hit without an engine history ) and as it has been dropped it needs bodywork repairs. It would have to be a full paint job as I don't fancy my chances of matching the Malboro paint so must be £700 - £1000 for that.
And that's before I find any problems.
Steve
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Post by 500anorak on Aug 1, 2013 8:09:13 GMT 1
It is not uncommon for upper crank bearings to fail at 20,000 miles.I have seen quite a few,even Stan Stephens mentions it in this magazine article.£1/2k for a engine rebuild using genuine gaskets and parts is about right.
Gearboxs are strong,i think bare is getting confused with the rg500.
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Post by rich on Aug 1, 2013 8:23:30 GMT 1
It is not uncommon for upper crank bearings to fail at 20,000 miles.I have seen quite a few, even Stan Stephens mentions it in this magazine article.Good way for Stan to drum up some business  |
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Post by 500anorak on Aug 1, 2013 16:18:29 GMT 1
I don`t think he needs to drum up business,if your riding a 500 with over 20,000 miles on the cranks keep the clutch lever covered!
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Aug 1, 2013 17:08:37 GMT 1
I don`t think he needs to drum up business,if your riding a 500 with over 20,000 miles on the cranks keep the clutch lever covered!.    Very useful information, thanks Steve |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2013 8:49:20 GMT 1
Steve,
I lived with a 500LC for 9 years... it had 17,000 miles on the clock when I got it, and I did 28,000 more on it. It was on 0.25 rebore when I bought it, and I took it out to 0.5 at 28,000 with new little ends. Other than that, it was serviced regularly, given Putoline oil, and lived in the house, and got thrashed like it should.
It drank petrol like it was going out of fashion, and was more fun than you could shake a stick at. The gearbox was fine, and so were the cranks... I loved it.
Were it not for a t**t pulling out on me and f**king it up, and a move to Australia I'd probably still have it now!
Just my personal experience.
Cheers
Duncan
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Post by copper99 on Aug 2, 2013 13:35:04 GMT 1
Steve, I lived with a 500LC for 9 years... it had 17,000 miles on the clock when I got it, and I did 28,000 more on it. It was on 0.25 rebore when I bought it, and I took it out to 0.5 at 28,000 with new little ends. Other than that, it was serviced regularly, given Putoline oil, and lived in the house, and got thrashed like it should. It drank petrol like it was going out of fashion, and was more fun than you could shake a stick at. The gearbox was fine, and so were the cranks... I loved it. Were it not for a t**t pulling out on me and f**k**g it up, and a move to Australia I'd probably still have it now! Just my personal experience. Cheers Duncan Maybe yours had never been opened (or had just had top end work) , the problem comes when you want them rebuilt by as the article says some one with that generic "a little knowledge is dangerous" engine work. My RD350 was rebuilt to a good standard but there was a couple of issues afterwards with it , which with the help and people on this forum guided the chap who built it and helped me to go on to fix a problem on similar lines . I still have one common issue with it but again, thanks to this site, I know what to do next to cure it come the Winter , with hindsight, I think someone experienced with building LC engines, would have picked up on these issues at the re-build stage. As for the RD500 engine, that would scare the hell out of me and my bank account...! |
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Post by jazzykecks on Aug 5, 2013 17:45:26 GMT 1
Hi Steve,
Last year I had the same dilemma. Bought a 500LC for a bargain price of £2250 and had dreams of a resto !!
Sat in my garage for 6 months until I sold my R1 to pay myself back for it..
Then when I priced up an engine rebuild (2000) paintwork (1000) refurb of chassis (800) other parts, brakes, bearings, misc pain in the arse bits to fix, refurb or find I was put off a little.
I spoke to a local dealer who used to race LC's back in the day. he's rebuilding my 4LO engine and he commented that after all that work and costs it still wouldn't be as good as the 350 and I'd probably be disappointed overall.
I had a long hard think.... They look gorgeous and the ultimate classic for me but decided to sell it. I doubled my money without spending a penny but not sure if it was the right thing to do. Brownie points with wife but still wished I had kept it as I may have the money to do it up one day !!
Thing is a bike sitting in the garage on a long term rebuild isn't my thing, I like to ride em and that is what made my mind up in the end !!
If you can afford it, then do it, you'll regret it otherwise and never lose money !!
Enjoy !!
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Post by 500anorak on Aug 6, 2013 8:58:56 GMT 1
They seem to be £4/5k for a bike that needs restoring these days.There are a lot of parts on a 500, most of which are nla.
I am doing a nos restore on a pre-production 47x bike,here are some photos of the engine.The engine has run for less than an hour but after 30 years it needs bits replating.I am using nos parts where they are the same as the production bike.
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Aug 6, 2013 17:03:40 GMT 1
Nice engine build pics, that must be a mega rarity.
Have gone off the idea now anyway for all the stated reasons but mainly around cost. It was a project I wanted to make money on but looks like I would be safer doing one someone else is paying for.
Got one lined up for the winter to resto for Rod off here.
Steve
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