R80ST..... what to look for

[Bubb]

Im going to look at a R80ST, and wondered apart from the usual wheel bearings, head bearings etc....

What should I look for as potential problems?
I have looked on the web, but nothing specific comes up, so I thought I would seek some knowledge from the deep pool of expertise on this forum.... I know there are some extremely knowledgeable residents here, so hope you can help.

I have owned an airhead in the past (1991 R100GS... red), which was faultless for over 45000 miles (except when some
idiot (me!) left the ignition on for 8 hours...... only a flat battery, the coils survived!)

Thanks in advance

Bubb

 

[nick.ct]

The rear wheels are unavailable and the rear wheel hub is irrepairable, so a check on the rear wheel hub/brake drum for excesive wear would be a good start. The OE tanks are not so common so is something else fitted? I think OE ST collector boxes are not available any more, they work better than a Y piece......................... sure there are other things, but they are lovely bikes

 

[Canuck]

As nic.ct points out... I'd first check the rear hubb... if its scrap I wouldn't check anything else on the bike. To check it I'd actually take it off the bike and look/measure. Many rear brakes can be poorly adjusted and may feel bad when tested... trust me.. I had one! So I'd whip it off, have a look, re-install rear wheel, making sure brake is set up properly then start it up and ride. You may also want to just eyeball the rear subframe as they have been known to crack when loaded up for touring and IMHO is something usually overlooked.

I think everything else is fixable.

 

[Rob Farmer]

You don't need to worry about the collector box for the st. Keihan do a stainless replica of the original for 100 odd quid. They're lovely bikes, the only real concern, as mentioned above is the rear hub. The rubber clock surround is frighteningly expensive so make sure it's in good condition.

they only sold a few thousand st machines and they've been made even rarer by people chopping them about to make g/s clones which is a shame because the st is a great package in its own right.

 

[Bubb]

ST

Thank you all for the replies.

Rob, dont worry, I will NOT be chopping the ST into a G/S clone.

I will be viewing the bike tonight, so will check hub, and clock surrounds.


Thanks again.


Bubb