92 Seca ll 600

[dksix]

I may be trading for one of these bikes and know nothing about them. Suppose to go look at it tomorrow. I have been looking for one of the older Night Hawk 650 or 700 SC's and this Seca ll showed up on my local CL yesterday, so I thought I'd talk to the owner about it. He's done the mechanical work and the bike is suppose to be mechanically good but "could use some cleaning". I haven't seen a picture of the bike yet, just his verbal description. I prefer to get cosmetic fixer uppers, as long as the electrical/charging system is working and engine/tranny is not in need, I'm happy. If anyone knows anything about these bikes and can offer some advice, it will be appreciated.

 

[sicivicdude]

Guy I work with has one about that vintage. Fine budget sport bikes with a slightly more comfortable ride than a hardcore race clone. Almost tourer like riding position.

 

[StrokedTater244]

i had one for a first bike. it was good for that. mine developed a bad tapping saound in the head. when we took it apart a part of the head where the cam rides was getting ovaled out. it needed a new head. i was ready to move to better things so my buddy bought it for a steal. so i would be aware of and tapping or bad sounds from the head as this was a more common problem on the way they have the head set up on these. it still ran good like this, but it wasnt right and would have lead to engine failure shortly. they also have noisy valve trains right from the factory. so it may be hard to tell if it is a normal tap or a worn out head tap unless you have heard them both before. they are a very comfortable sport tourer. you could ride that thing for hours upon hours. my bud sold it to another bud and he just retired it last year. so i have been around the bike for the last 11 years. it is faster than ninja 250s and 500s and suzukis 500 enrty level bikes. but wont hold a candle to a good running race spec bike. overall a good machine, just crap head design that you need to watch for IMO.

 

[dksix]

Thanks tater, I have read that they are common to develop top end problems up around 30K miles. Do you remember what the mileage was when yours started making the noise?

 

[StrokedTater244]

no problem! it only had about 12K on it when i bought it. probably around 16-18K when the noises started. i dont know how well it was maintained before me though. but the valves were all in check when i had it.

 

[YamaZuki]

They are a nice dependable bike,remember it's age tho,it needs that many years of maintenance,pull the carbs dip and clean them.Adjust the valves,Check the age of the tires and replace the brake lines with new ones.Oil change,all of it.
But if u want a bike that will run u 100k miles,find an old Suzuki GS,deffinately fast enuff.Suzuki took everything the other 3 were doing and improved upon it,and always ended up with fastest production bikes of the era.And the most reliable.
Then goto GSResources for all the manuals and all the help u will ever need and the site is set up like this one.And a bike that old is worth $1 per cc unless in tip top condition all original and reciepts proving the maintenance.
Just my 2 cents after 20 years in the Auto and motorcycle industry.
Don't claim that on 2 strokes tho,hence me being here hehe.Great site right here.

 

[dksix]

I ended up trading for the bike today. It's in pretty good shape, the power is unimpressive, the seating is more comfortable than I expected. Here's a couple of pictures.

It has a crack in the fairing, wouldn't think it's too hard of a fix. This is the only damage I saw on the bike.

The best part is it's got a 4 into 1 exhaust already, sounds good.

 

[StrokedTater244]

looks good man! i would go through the carbs and make sure they are jetted accordingly for the pipe. i have seen so many that guys just throw a pipe on and they barely run better than stock. its not going to be a rocket though. ride safe!

 

[dksix]

I'm going to take it to a local indie shop to have him tune it. The seller had it serviced earlier this year but I'd like someone I trust look at it. It's got new AutoLite plugs in it. They may be fine but I prefer NGK's in Japaneses engines.

 

[StrokedTater244]

autolites suck......................

 

[Caterpillarmech]

"Autolites Suck!" Agreed!!! Good looking bike. Looks like fun. With the front faring, I would just glass the back side. Take your time and position it. Clean the hell out of it and lay a sheet on the back side and resin it it. I did this on our Kubota RTV900 after an unfortunate event with a "kid", a mud puddle, and a new Peterbilt.