[Namor]

i don't know what to tell you. i'd keep it, but i'm not the kind of person who thinks the worth of things i own after i buy them, that is if something i own and later it sells at a good price, then great.
i'd keep it, did i say that already? it may not be the 01' or '02 r but it's the r, and it is a legacy, not that legacies have value beside our emotions. (arguable) if you sell as is, you won't get what its worth or you will have to not tell the full condition of the bike to get a good price. or you can drop a few dollars into it, keep an excellent bike, not buy a new one, and know that someone like me will by it for a wholesome price because you kept your paper work and you are not a 24 year old raging idiot who shouldn't have purchased a motorcycle. your miles is what kills you.
these are thoughts, not advice.

 

[Namor]

and i'll give you my 17k 748 w/ titanium termis, fim, for 3.5k, in good/great-good condition, and pay off the rest in cash.

 

[chiromikey]

there are certain things in life that can be kept forever and to me a 748r is probably one of them. not that i don't want or won't get another bike but not at the expense of this one.

 

[Guest]

My 916 has over 30k and I wouldn't trade it for a 999. Put a few bucks into that 748r and enjoy the ride

 

[adam8it]

First I would like to thank you guys for taking the time to post your thoughts.

I went down to the shop today and the bike tugged some heart strings, so I'm going to get the full overhaul and let them spend some time on it. I think you guys are right in saying that to me the bike is worth mutch more than dollars. I know how to ride this bike on the track and having figured out a lot of things about it over the years I now enjoy winding it up and cranking it over. I think thats what it is all about. I feel comfortable and confident on the bike, this allows me to have fun while still feeling safe.

It's canyon days are officially over. Taking a close look at my air intakes I must say that if you ride anywere near the beach, get serious about your air filter service.

Now I need another bike. Something practical I can put 5k miles or so a year on. Maybe a speed triple, wait that's not practicle is it?

Regards
Adam

 

[trid741]

Old 748R Valve Job

I agree - keep the bike. I have a 2000 748R motor (one of my old race motors) in an earlier modified frame. Gotta say, I love that bike, every time I get on it I'm smiling from ear to ear. And I built it myself with the motor rebuild done by GP Motorcyles in San Diego (shameless plug!).
Ok, it doesn't have all the race mods, it's not a 749R, but it sure goes and looks beautiful. What more do you want?
Have fun.
trid741

 

[bevel450]

Why does it need a valve job ? Call me hopelessly ignorant, but all that I read in your message is that it [has]..."carbon stuck all over the place".

Is this justification for taking the heads off ?????? Something sounds completely wrong to my mind. If carbon deposits are the the only issue, then....and you are going to wince badly when you hear this....warm up your engine until you get to normal operating temp. Then put it at very high idle and squirt a bit of water into each injector. The water expands into steam and will produce a FILTHY exhaust stream and sparkly aluminum surfaces in the combustion chambers PDQ. Just a TINY squirt and then open the throttle a bit. Remember the engine is not under load when you are doing this.

I did this on my high compression Monster several times ( not to mention lots of cars) over the years and it works just fine.

Are the mechanics telling you that the valves are actually leaking ? Have they done a compression check and bleed down ? Frankly I always worry when a shop is so eager to pull my engine apart, although there may be other issues on an R with as many miles as you have, that you have not addressed here.

Good luck whatever you do. And yeah, I agree with the others. Keep the bike. The worst of the depreciation is way behind you and the best miles are ahead.

Perhaps this more thinking out loud but here it goes.

I own a 2000 748r. I have 18k miles on it and its main purpose is that of a track tool. I also take it out to the canyons but in its older age that is becoming less frequent. I have never had any major issues with the bike and have always keep to the service. It is currently getting a 6k service done. The bike needs a valve job which means big bucks. With the amount of carbon suck all over the place the bike just no longer performs. I do not think the problem will go away but at 18k its probably long overdue to be cleaned up. At this point I could probably sell it for a decent amount though being a 2k (no ohlins) and with so many miles I will not be getting that mutch. If I keep the bike I can expect to put around 2000 miles a year on it and hope to ride it for several more years before I part it out.

Is it time to sell and look into a 749s or R6. Or do I stick with it fix her up and ride it till she dies.

749s 15k
R6 9k

MY 748r worth maybe 5k but needs 2k worth of work done.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Adam