Newbie questions (1988 Africa Twin 650 XRV)

[mhouck]

I'm thinking of taking the plunge and purchasing an '88 AT 650XRV. I live in Canada and there are not many of them around here, if any...
A few 750's I know of, but this is the first 650 I have seen.
I have not had a chance to touch and feel it yet, although it looks as though it is a bit beat up. (hope to see it tomorrow)Fairing is damaged, but otherwise all looks intact. The bike will be a project and I am looking for any advise I can find. What are the odds of finding an OEM front fairing for it? I have visited the Boano and African Queens site, but would like to restore it stock if possible....
Cheers
M

[AlanH]

Most fairing damage can be repaired by a decent plastic welding expert. The chances of getting hold of a reasonably priced genuine replacement fairing are pretty slim.

Don't let this put you off. The RD03 is a superb bike and cosmetics are easier to sort out than output shafts.

[Betterl8thanever]

Hi,
checkout ebay Italy, France and Germany there wher panels listed last week, about £40 a panel add postage and it wont be cheap. Use facility on this site. Work out what it needs and and consider this when making an offer. They are cool bikes, Good Luck.

[mhouck]

Hi,
checkout ebay Italy, France and Germany there wher panels listed last week, about £40 a panel add postage and it wont be cheap. Use facility on this site. Work out what it needs and and consider this when making an offer. They are cool bikes, Good Luck.

Thanks for this. BTW, owner is asking $1000 CDN or 755 Euro. Would this be reasonable in your part of the world?

[AlanH]

Thanks for this. BTW, owner is asking $1000 CDN or 755 Euro. Would this be reasonable in your part of the world?

If it runs and there is nothing major wrong with it then that's a very good price

[BobA]

Welcome to the forum, you're in the right place


I'd say the equivalent of 755 euro would be a great price for a bike that is extremely rare in your location.

In my mind, condition is everything and originality very important. It's not impossible to get used panels, you just have to be patient and stalk various eBay's. If you're doing a slow restoration you should have time to locate the parts.

Have a good old look around the forum and go armed with as much info as possible.

If you can, take some pics and post them up and we will appraise the bike for you as best we can.

The RD03 really is a great bike and is certainly a capable classic. They're a real head turners, and I'm sure will be of great interest to you and fellow bikers in Canada.


Good Luck



Bob

[mhouck]

Thanks Bob,

Here is a link to a flikr account where the owner has posted some pics of the bike. (hope this is acceptable on this forum) Any comments would be most appreciated.
Cheers
Murray

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30835584@N03/

[BobA]

Murray


My first impressions are that it's not that shabby for a 22 year old bike thats obviously got a lot of miles under its belt.

I'm a bit anal about originality, but the Acewell kit is nice, even though it's not been installed very sympathetically.

The front fairing is cracked, but should respond well to plastic welding as there are no obvious parts missing. The mudguard is an AT one, just from the wrong model, but you could happily wait for the right one to come up on eBay or paint the one it has fitted. The air filters I guess work OK, but I'd probably want to fit the original airbox etc which come up cheap on eBay because people rarely need them. The silencer is a bit nasty, but the original is pure unobtanium, and there are few correct pattern ones around.

If you've done your research on the forum, you probably know what you need to watch out for, namely, the front sprocket welded onto the output shaft and wheel corrosion. These are the biggest gremlins of all AT's.

That bike is in need of TLC, but to be honest looks OK. If it was me looking for it (but I'm not as I already have 2 of them!!) I'd certainly consider buying it on first impressions.

I've had quite a few bikes, but none of them have had the unique grin factor of an Africa Twin, and I've always found the RD03 (XRV650) and RD04 (early 750's) the ones I prefer.


Go on, go for it



Bob

[BobA]

Murray


Just had another look at it, and I think it looks pretty good.

I notice the VIN plate is missing from the right hand side of the frame (just above the footrest) but this should correspond to the VIN stamped into the right hand side of the headstock. Worth checking, because you MAY find the bike was imported as something else (as AT's weren't homolagated in the US, don't know about Canada) so check the ID and titles etc.

Another thing worth checking is the engine. I notice that the rear engine mounting bolt and associated bracket is missing (near where the VIN plate should be) so this could mean it's just been lost, has a 750 engine in it, or a motor from a Transalp or something.

Apart from that, it looks tidy'ish. Are you going to restore it (for shows etc) or just smarten it up for road/off-road use???




Bob

[foz1969]

http://www.termoli.tv.it/directory/africa_twin/sx.htm


This breaker in italy has just broken one(2nd rd03 on list), he seems to have sold (venduto)the bits you're looking for , but the image of the two bikes (prossime cadavere) next corpses will be next for the block, believe they are good prices,but Italian post can be expensive. If you choose to contact him & don't know a local Italian/speaker, would be glad to help as would a couple more on this site i'm sure. For the money/worth it, decent front wheels are pulling £200 in europe. good luck whatever you decide.