Newbie needs help.....

[mpbgrafx]

Looking to buy my first Honda FL350 and here is the posting from ebay. I live close to the seller and was going to check it out. What are some of the things I should be concerned about and what would be a fair price. Thanks in advance for the help... mike

Honda FL350R Odyssey {RE-LISTED} - eBay (item 250759414531 end time Jan-20-11 14:37:46 PST)

Hello, Well I come here today to sell my Honda FL350, this is a 350cc Honda engine powered buggy used for things from racing to all kinds of having fun. I am selling it because I am moving from California to Texas and cant bring it with me so I'm going to sell it. Everything on this fl350 is FULLY FUNCTIONAL and works like new, It has new tires, A BRAND NEW HIGH BACK RACE SEAT AND RACE 5 POINT HARNESSES all s.f.i. approved. No problems with it and runs great, has an electric starter that is fully functional along with a pull starter which also works to start it, another plus to this FL350 is that it has NERF bars all around it giving you that extra protection and a cooler look. Thank you have a great day, God Bless.

THE ITEM HAS BEEN RELISTED, There were 41 people watching the last sale and 6 bidders... the final price was $1025
which wouldent be half of what i paid for it, besides that i put about that in the thing. So its been relisted
with a $1500 reserve.

[LiveWire]

His $1500 reserve should be a fair price. They have been going cheaper lately. California usually fetches a higher price than in the midwest where I am. It is not in spectacular condition which I am also taking into consideration. I am not fond of the nerfs and bumpers being welded to the frame. They are supposed to be disposable items and would have to be cut off if damaged. I am also not fond of the stock air box being removed. An open element air filter will have 20 times the dirt hitting it than one enclosed in the air box. That K&N will also flow more dirt than a foam filter. I would check the compression. Eye down the front trailing arm stubs to see if bent back. If the front wheels are not vertical, something is bent. Stand up on it's tail to look at the bottom to see if the frame is bent. You can also use a tape measure to go diagonal from say the front suspension mount to opposite side rear and see if the same. You could see how hard the gear box input shaft spins with it jack up, but you would need to check other's for a frame of reference. If the trans turns hard, there may be bearings going bad inside. Grab the drive clutch and see if you can move it front to back. A little in and out is normal even on a fresh engine. Play in the U-joints means a big expense is coming there. It needs to be off the ground to check.

[mpbgrafx]

Thanks for the advice..... looked it over, seemed pretty straight, except the front wheels have a slight negative camber, which he told me thats the way its supposed to be.... should of listened to you. Test rode it for about 20 mins, "LOVED IT". Checked the compression and it's at 90 lbs. and that was my leverage. Long story short... Can you recommend a engine builder in So-Cal. Thanks again.

[LiveWire]

Are you capable of pulling the engine and the cylinder off the engine or are you looking for someone to do it all?

[mpbgrafx]

Plan on doing most the work myself....

[LiveWire]

You can send us (Aftershock Motorsports) the cylinder. We can bore and prep it then return. We stock all the piston sizes so we can bore to the minimum size that will clean it up.

http://aftershockmotorsports.com/Service

You can download the service manual from this page: http://aftershockmotorsports.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

[mpbgrafx]

Might as well do the bottom end while were at it... approximately, what is the shipping cost? both ways.

Thanks again Mike

[LiveWire]

The entire engine crated is around 100 lbs. Shipping anything over 70, the price per pound goes way up. Last I shipped one, it was around $100 each way. The 350 bottom end can last through multiple top end rebuilds. The only thing that usually needs to be done is replace the crank seals as they get dried out and leak. You can replace the crank seals without splitting the cases by driving screws into them and pulling them out.