How to buy a 2003/2004 Mustang Cobra

[Tetge]

I hate to get back to the question at hand,
but I must say that this is one reason I like
old stuff.. very little in the way of fluids to
worry about. My classic British stuff can sit
for years.. the oil leaks out, the carbs dry up,
and the battery was long dead anyway. Fuel it
up, kick it, and 9 times out of 10 it will eventually
start. My Corvair has windshield fluid and brake
fluid (which I had to completely replace recently,
moving to a dual master cylinder), oil, tranny and
diff oil, and juice in the battery.. of course, it is
a JC penny lifetime battery, and I am on my fifth,
I think.. so who worries about that? Also Gas..

Ah, no ABS, no fancy smancy hydraulic systems to
worry about.. just get in and fire it up.. and drive
in complete fear of your life !!! ..

This is an interesting point of view but, the old stuff is slow. Some folks like to move at a rapid pace on big sticky tires with powerful brakes and good handling, etc. Of course, some folks can't afford a new Hayabusa and are relegated to an old antique MotoGuzzi, but, then again, my old antique MotoGuzzi and yours are virtually twins, and you consider your MotoGuzzi you one and only true super high performance monster vehicle. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective at the end of the day, but, those old bikes have not always proved to be reliable when I have ridden them. And breaking down on a ride is never actually fun.

[Thruxton71]

And the price you pay for added reliability, speed, and
handling is more complexity, more systems to check
and maintain, more fluids to change on regular basis.
The new stuff is engineered to higher tolerances, with
less 'slop' and, I am thinking, more reliance on
various disposable components being kept up to
snuff.

[Tetge]

And the price you pay for added reliability, speed, and
handling is more complexity, more systems to check
and maintain, more fluids to change on regular basis.
The new stuff is engineered to higher tolerances, with
less 'slop' and, I am thinking, more reliance on
various disposable components being kept up to
snuff.

This can not be denied, however, the parts to fix the newer stuff are available. Try and get parts for a 1987 MotoGuzzi...

[Thruxton71]

Yes... point taken..

which simply means that if I knew I was going to keep
that bike as long as I have, I would have changed
the brake fluid more, and I wouldn't be looking around
for a fix to my master cylinder that cannot be replaced..

..

[Tetge]

Yes... point taken..

which simply means that if I knew I was going to keep
that bike as long as I have, I would have changed
the brake fluid more, and I wouldn't be looking around
for a fix to my master cylinder that cannot be replaced..

..

Another fluid changer. They should rename this board fluidchangers.com Years ago I added brake fluid to my Guzzi and I had to get a new gasket since the old one refused to stop leaking after the master cylinder was opened. The new gasket came from Pro Italia and it only took four months to arrive from MotoGuzzi since they were still stocking them at the time. I learned then that one should never open a fluid reservoir unless it is a case of dire emergency.

[Thruxton71]

Oh, I thought that was the topic of the current thread, changing
fluids.. oh well.. I go to work... chow.

[Tetge]

Oh, I thought that was the topic of the current thread, changing
fluids.. oh well.. I go to work... chow.

It became the topic, and, I felt it necessary to throw a bit of disclaimer into the mix. For instance, the Guzzi pros changed your brake fluid and now your master cylinder leaks brake fluid and you have to keep a rag tied around it all the time. It turns out that Brembo no longer makes parts for that brake part. So, no new gasket to stop the leaking. If you had left the old brake fluid in there, there would have been no leak. In a car, there would be the chance of introducing air into the system or breaking or stripping the bleeders at the brakes. Brake fluid is nasty on rubber and paint so there is also a chance of damage if it gets spilled. Then there are the issues of the correct disposal of the old fluid. Although I favor feeding it to stray dogs and cats, this is generally frowned on. So, messing with fluids is not such an easy thing to do.

[Thruxton71]

Yes, all true. Although Guzzi Classics had to
change the brake fluid, as I had neglected it
to the point of almost empty, and extremely
nasty, as in glue. So, one could argue that if I
had taken better care of it, I wouldn't have a
leaky master. I also had to do it to get the braided
steel lines... but yes.. nasty stuff, brake fluid..
but did you know that you can restore old dry
rubber bits using brake fluid? So, old fluid does
have some uses.

[Tetge]

Brake fluid will indeed soften old dry rubber bits, such as the rubber petrol tank knee grips on an early Velocette. But, it takes something as violent as brake fluid to even begin to have an effect on old petrified hard as a rock thick 1937 era rubber bits.

[Thruxton71]

Maybe it will also work on the rubber plug gas cap for a suzuki bear cat..

It better. Remember those caps? They just shoved in, no screwing, pardon
the expression.