Might be a Yamaha XC180DN coming to my garage By poppawelee (Read 413 times)

[poppawelee]

Kept my eye peeled for a early Honda Elite 250, found a faded purple repaint daily runner but the 80+K odometer got me leery. I want to ride it not rebuild every inch of it. Going tomorrow to see a '85 Yamaha Deluxe 185 ( a/k/a Riva 180, XC180, Cygnus 180) a 171CC that has a lot of the George Jetson appeal going for it like the Elite. Good points: under 2500 miles, gorgeous condition. Elderly owner claims it ran wonderfully when he put it in storage 4-5 years ago, everything is original and of course it won't start. It was easy to tell this is his pride and joy and he would have been riding it and working on it if he were still able.
I'm a little excited and a little nervous. "everything is original" alone is going to cost big to replace dry rotted tires, belt, hoses, battery and whatever has suffered from sitting and slowly hardening dry. The carb area is an over-engineered nightmare that Yamaha ceased using. And many parts are only available with luck as used. On the up side, from what i've read, this is a top of the line Model that is a thrill on the road. And it looks cool.

This pit in my stomach makes me feel alive. I'll keep you posted.

[ellpee]

I know of a fellow in Tucson who has an older Honda Helix that has been sitting in his garage for several years, but when I was shopping in late 2012 he wanted way too much money for it. IF he still has it he might have gotten more realistic in the meantime, but don't know that for a fact. Also know a SECOND fellow in Tucson with an older but well-maintained Helix that he MAY be parting with some time soon due to medical issues. Don't know if Tucson is anywhere near you, though, and I'm pretty sure either would be a you-pick-it-up situation.

[poppawelee]

Thank you ellpee. I just relocated to OH weeks ago so AZ is out of the range for now. The 1985 Yamaha Deluxe I checked out was a real sweetheart. The gentleman selling had a serious medical condition so he was not about to install a new battery or fuss with it in any way. Supposedly it ran fine when it was last ridden some 2 years ago but who knows what gummed up in the sitting time. Sweet looking scoot, a top of the line two tone cream & brown with 2tone pinstripes, color matching wheels, a 2 step 2 seater with naugahyde side and velour top. A incoming check I've been expecting was delayed because of my change of address so Caller #2 got the prize instead of me. aye caramba! And i'm one of these bargain shoppers, once I get TP at 27 cents a roll it agonizes me to pay 28, so I have to find a scoot just as nice at comparable or better price. It's gonna be a long winter.