have to sell bike

hello, i just had my compression checked on my 78 kz1000 and the compression is horrible, im looking to buy a new bike with a solid engine i can restore, how would i know if a bike has good compression when im looking at bikes to buy wihtout testing it with a gauge is their clues i could use or what should i do?

Not that it's any of my business but why not just restore the engine you have?

Most probably cheaper than a purchasing another used bike where you can have other sorts of issues or the same for that matter... This is the risk with any used bike, especially a 30 year old bike.

OMR

Or you could find a motor on somewhere like ebay...im lookin for a 650 motor or another 440 because the way I rebuilt my motor I don't know how much I'm going to trust it when I complete my bike.

If you've got the space and time, it certainly would be worth it. If nothing else, I've been calling around Massachusetts and New Hampshire today looking for an exhaust hanger and came across a bone yard with a 650 engine priced at around $200 or so.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy another bike, just that you should sell me the exhaust hangers from yours before you do.

clutch85 wrote:

hello, i just had my compression checked on my 78 kz1000 and the compression is horrible, im looking to buy a new bike with a solid engine i can restore, how would i know if a bike has good compression when im looking at bikes to buy wihtout testing it with a gauge is their clues i could use or what should i do?

Food for thought --

Lots of compression checks are done wrong, often by failing to keep the throttle held wide open during testing. And even when done correctly and showing low psi figures, often a simple routine valve adjustment restores acceptable compression.

The compression test is simple enough to correctly perform. And the testing tool is relatively inexpensive to purchase and may often be borrowed free of charge at a local auto supply store such as AutoZone. A feeler gauge is also needed to measure the valve clearances.

A leak-down test is also a good indicator of general overall condition of an engine, by showing where and extent to which the combustion chamber compression is escaping (intake valve, exhaust valve, or down past piston rings into the crankcase).

Am just wondering about the possibility of your existing bike already having a "solid" engine which might not need to be "restored."

Good Luck!