NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

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ramonlv
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NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by ramonlv » Sat Jan 01, 2022 9:11 am

Hi guys,

This forum used to be my saviour 10 or so years ago when I got my first bike, an NC30. After many, many years of not riding and the bike sitting idle in my Aunty's garage, I feel it's now time to resurrect the beast and I'm calling on your help once again.

But mechanically I feel so out of practice now that I'm a bit overwhelmed on where to start. So in a nutshell, what steps do I need to do to get it back on the road? It did use to run when I left it and in my head I'm thinking I have to strip and rebuild.

Any advice is really appreciated.
Thanks,
Ramon

MadMotoUK
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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by MadMotoUK » Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:31 am

First things first, will the engine turn over? A full strip down shouldn't be necessary as long as it's not been kept in a damp atmosphere. Did you drain the fuel when you laid it up? If not the carbs will be blocked and you may have a rotting fuel tank.

Anyway, assuming it's not seized and the tank is OK I'd look at doing the following:

Carb strip & rebuild. Refurb kits are still easy to obtain, around £60 to do all four carbs.
Valve clearances. Probably the first thing to do once you've ascertained that the engine spins freely.
New plugs, Possibly new coil packs as well if you have any trouble.
Oil and filter change. I'd allow for a couple of sacrificial filters and some cheap mineral oil of a slightly thinner grade such as 5w30 to run a couple of engine flushes before doing a final oil and filter change. When you drain the flushes, hover a magnet over the oil and check to see if there's any metal swarf picked up.
Air filter. Don't bother with aftermarket, they never fit properly and mess your mixture up. Always go with OEM.
New battery. Try Tayna Batteries, even their cheap £25 batteries last a few years.
Refurb rear monoshock. After 10 years stood I'd probably just bite the bullet and spend £300 on a new Hagon.
New fork springs, oil & fork seals. Hagon springs around £100, £15 for decent fork oil, around £25-£30 for OEM fork seals and dust seals.
New tyres. Whatever takes your fancy, most seem to prefer Bridgestone on the NC30, not a brand I get on with personally though.
Refurb brake calipers, new pads and new brake fluid. You may get away with a strip and clean but if there's any corrosion around the pistons they may well leak. New pistons and seals around £25 per pot, pads around £50 all round, about £5 for brake fluid.
Master cylinder refurb, front. Refurb kit around £20.
New brake hoses, braided stainless rather than OEM rubber. Try WezMoto £60 a set, a mate of mine and cheaper than Venhill.
Possibly new reg/rec and new stator. You probably won't need to replace these but reg/recs can degrade over time, especially if they are aftermarket ones. If they go unnoticed they can fry the stator.

Where about are you based? If you get stuck I'm sure someone would be happy to help if you feed and water them :mrgreen:

ramonlv
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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by ramonlv » Sat Jan 01, 2022 2:03 pm

Thanks MadMotoUK, really appreciate the list and this gives me a much better idea. I went to see if it turned over today and no unfortunately. I didn't drain the fuel tank either as I originally stored it when leaving the country thinking I'd pick it up in a month or two... which turned out to be years. But this is great, I can unseize it first and then work my way through your list.
I'm based in Maidenhead btw.

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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by MadMotoUK » Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:21 pm

When I say turn over, I mean by hand. With the rear on a paddock stand, try using a socket on the front sprocket to see if it turns. You can remove the plugs to make it easier, this gets rid of any compression.

ramonlv
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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by ramonlv » Sat Jan 01, 2022 5:33 pm

Ah ok. I just quickly tried turning it over quickly using a socket wrench but I didn't have the wheel up or anything. I'll get it on the stand tomorrow and give it a proper go with the plugs out. Thanks again

CB1pod70
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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by CB1pod70 » Fri Jan 07, 2022 11:31 am

Hi Ramon, How are you getting on with the bike? If you need a hand, we could probably help you out at GF Racing

ramonlv
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Re: NC30 sitting 10 years - where to start?

Post by ramonlv » Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:11 pm

Awesome, I've checked you out - nice to have a proper supplier to hand


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