$200 Build Up

I intend to make this post sort of a progress thread.  If it's in the wrong forum, my apologies up front and would ask that it be moved to a more fitting forum please.
 
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With winter here, I didn't see much a point in purchasing a new bike and with my experience with inline 4 motors and motors overall (Honda's, etc.) I figured I might as well look for a "fixer upper."  So on November 5th, I made a post in my local GL's (CraigsList) for just that, a "fixer upper" CBR or GSXR 600 1995+.  I had a few people email me with their bikes, though none of them I would have referred to as "fixer uppers" atleast not in the capacity/level I considered a bike a "fixer upper." 
 
But then I received an email from a dude about a 1999 CBR600F4 that he had that needed some fixed.  He went on to tell me the history and status of the bike and why it was currently down (as in not being riden).  He was changing out his valve cover gasket and overtorqued one of the bolts that hold the cover into place.  It snapped while he was riding and of course it allowed oil to leak out and so on.  He said that the bike would cut out unless he was holding the valve cover down with his finger consequently blocking the hole where the snapped bolt goes, etc.
 
Anyway, sounded like the kind of "fixer upper" I was looking for, even though I figured it probably lost oil pressure and seized either the cams or the crank.  He said it didn't seize, but, it was difficult to believe him (no offense to him incase he frequents here) due to the price he was asking for the bike.
 
So I asked him the VIN so that I could run it.  It checked out, etc.  Next, I asked him, "how much."  He replied:
 
"$200 ?!?!"
 
Almost as though he was -asking- me if $200 was a decent price.  It has a brand new rear Dunlop GP tire on it, good fairings, Leo Vince full exhaust, etc.  I figured he meant $1200 and just forgot the one or something.  I soon enough asked:
 
"So you're asking $200 (two hundred) for the bike bro, or did you forget a 1 before the 2 or something.."
 
He replied, "No, $200 is all I'm asking"...............
 
Riiiight.  Ok, so I have to look at this bike I'm thinking, -something- has to be off with it (ie. bent frame, subframe, forks or something!)..  I didn't see a damn thing wrong with it, still dont now that I have it.
 
Still in total disbelief, after all the last time I got a deal this good, I was screwed, so I'm weary and prejudice that someone might actually be telling the truth and selling something nice for so little.
 
He delivered the bike this Wednesday night.  After it was off his truck, I paid, he signed the title/bill of sale, etc.. and then just as I thought he was going to leave, he came over to me holding what looked like a JR jacket, sure enough it was.  He says, "I almost forgot I had this, do you want it?".  I said, "what size and how much?"  He said, "I forget the size, but you can have it, it goes with the bike."  Ummm. 
 
This brings us to this evening.  I have a donor car in the garage right now that needs to move before I can really start getting my hands dirty with this bike, namely pulling the engine from the bike and starting the inspection/repair/rebuild on it.. but.   I did turn the key on the bike, thinking, "Lets see if its seized or not..."  Nothing.  I figured, "That's the smart way to do it, deliver the bike with a dead or no battery if the engine is seized."  I lift the seat, then the battery cover to hook up the charger... the negative and positive leads arent connected.  "Well then, lets see if she has juice."  I connected the battery, sure enough, its got juice. 
 
I tried turning it over,

Wanted to make a seperate post within this thread to thank HAVOC for putting up with multiple PM's about this particular bike and other things general.  Rob is a real stand up guy, as there are many others here.  Thank you Rob.
 

dude you could sell the parts for scraps and make $2000 there.... lol
 
nice find!  we'll see if it ends up getting stolen back in the next few weeks (I hope not but deals too good to be true always are)

holy cow, i wouldve jumped on it for 200 bucks!!! it mustve been your birthday!

sweet. looks good.

dude she looks even better than you described .. i cant wait to see how this thread and bike progress. any time you have questions or need someone to bounce ideas off of just hit me up

damn 200 bones you got a hell of a steal

thats the best 200 dollar bike ive ever seen

lucky SOB!  i wouldve paid double!

$200??...wow..i think you owe that man a christmas present. He gives you an awesome deal on a bike, delivers it, and gives you a free jacket..just wow....hope it turns out good.
 
48 degrees outside??...lol get her fixed n ride...it was 28 here last weekend n i had a ride...i WISH it was 48, id still be on it full time.

wtf ... thats worth more than $200 in parts, hell of a deal  

holy cow! that awesome man! congrats!

nice find   ill give you $300 for it

I'll wive 600 for it!!!!

Sorry...i'll give 650 and i'll pick it up!!!

I bet as soon as you fix that valve cover, that baby will run as good as new...with it cracked, it acts as a HUGE vacuum leak. Nice steal Bro!
RB

Oh, the valve cover is good, just one of the bolts was overtorqued so it snapped, some of the bolt is still in the head.  How much bolt, I dont yet know, though hopefully there is enough to use an easy out.  If not, then I'll have to drill out the bolt and possibly retap/rehelio where the bolt goes into the head which means lifting the head to clean it to ensure all the shavings are out of it.
 
We'll see hopefully there is enough bolt left to use an easy out, in which case I can just isolate the remaining portion of the bolt from the rest of the head with either cloth or paper so that all the shavings made go into it.  We'll see though, I'm anal so I may just rebuild the entire engine.  It would be only about the 50th Honda engine I've rebuilt, while it is a motorcycle engine (which will be a first for me), its still a Honda inline 4, just rev's a little higher than what I'm used to dealing with. ;)
 
It all starts this weekend after Thanksgiving, pictures will follow.
 
 

Requesting a few pics of the Civic too 

That sig is an older sig bro.  The Si is being pieced out now.  I'm putting the stock B16A2 back into it that came out of it (20k mi motor, chassis only has 59k on it) and going to make it my daily driver.  I'll then turn my attention to the Prelude, my goal is to make it the only B20 (A5) based 3rd generation putting down 500whp.  We'll see though, I have more projects than time as it is.
 
I'll see about digging up some pictures of the Si in its glory days though.