This has been a particularly satisfying Project Lowbucks series. We started out with a 1980 Suzuki PE 175 that had been sitting outside in the hot Arizona sun for about three years. It took it tremendous amount of work to shape it up. The previous owner had painted all the plastic with a horrible shade of blue and sprayed engine parts and the swingarm with flat black paint. The end result was a bike did you wouldn’t give 100 bucks for as it sat.
 
However, the bike came with a clear title and had been running when it was parked out in the sun. It was up to us to make it right.

Previous Project Lowbucks Stories
Part 4 - Putting it back Together

Part 3 - Stripped and Painted

Part 2 - Sanding and Repair Work

Part 1 - Project Lowbucks, Part 2
 
Most of the work consisted of taking all of the parts and making them proper again, like getting the crud out of the brakes on both ends, taking all the rust off of the swingarm pivot bolt and finally getting all that crummy paint off the plastic and making it look good again. In our last issue, we got the bike done and looking like new, but we still hadn’t started the bike yet.

 
We headed out to Wes Holmes’ shop in Mesa, Arizona, and got Bobby Winslow to do the test riding for us. To play it safe, we decided to start the motorcycle in the back of the truck to make sure it ran okay. Bobby kicked the bike over about 40 times and couldn’t get it to talk to us. At this point, it was time to dig in and do some investigating. As with most any two-stroke, the first thing you want to do is check the spark plug and see if it got wet or if it is failing to spark. I distinctly recall getting get the spark plug out and to spark properly back in the garage before we took the bike out. When I went to check the spark plug this time, I noticed that it was not in the cylinder head. Well, that certainly would explain why it wouldn’t start.

 
We put the plug back in, snugged it down properly, and the bike started on the first kick. Things look good, except that there was a steady leaking from the carburetor. A lot of leaking. I figured it was probably the float needle not seating properly in the float seat and letting the gasoline flood into the float bowl. After all, that bike had been sitting outside for quite a few years and heat is very punishing to rubber and plastic parts.

 
When we got to the riding area, the bike started all right, but it seemed like the gas was dripping out of the carburetor even more. Still, Bobby took the Suzuki out to get a feel for it and we took a few action shots. Then, the bike simply quit running. We towed it back to the pits and noticed that all the gas had vanished from the gas tank via the carburetor and filled the lower end with fuel.

 
That was the end of our testing for that day. At least we were able to get Bobby’s opinion of the bike for the brief period that he rode it. The Suzuki had good power, with plenty down low and midrange, but he said it flattened out a bit on top. The bike was an easy starter, shifted good, had decent brakes and overall had very good suspension. It was a shame that Bobby didn’t have a chance to ride the bike a bit more, but all things considered, carburetor excluded, we’d have to say that the bike was a genuine success.
 
Well, it’s time to get back to the garage and fix that leaking carburetor. Anybody want to buy a Suzuki PE 175?

Previous Project Lowbucks Stories
Part 4 - Putting it back Together

Part 3 - Stripped and Painted

Part 2 - Sanding and Repair Work

Part 1 - Project Lowbucks, Part 2