87 430 been sitting for 5+ years

Found a 430 an hour away for sale been sitting for years he says it ran when parked( they all did apparently lol) anything common to look for on these outside of the universal used bike things to check? I want to clean it up and experience the big bore 2 stroke first hand and probably sell it after getting it up to spec. I really just love fiddling with bikes and bringing them back to life and showing them the care they need and deserve.

Check the coolant, look to see if there is tranny oil, compression? Piston noise when you crank it by hand.
If she runs you will love the 430, just point it where you want to go and wick it and hang on the bike does it all. Your first two stroke husky? The 430 is awesome like a wild woman.

Don't forget, clean the carb and air box. Be careful for mice and the hanta virus. If mice are present get a painters mask and long sleeve shirt and gloves.

Itll be my first 2 stroke husky besdies my 04 cr125 and 01 250. Very different animal. Do the 430s running in good shape bring any sort of value? 1000$ ut of the question?

due to high compression and an early design check the kickstarter for smooth operation, be prepared to remove the side cover if needed
the oil in the gearbox will need to be changed, make sure to remove all gas, remove the tank and flush with fresh fuel; pan to remove the carb to clean it
while the carb is off look at the intake for cracks if it is an early all rubber manifold, if you remove it look at the reeds as they are most likely original and OLD
big issue is grounding the ignition, so check the engine to frame bolts to be sure they are tight, while the tank is off check the coil mount too, I run a ground wire between them as a safety feature, look at the kill button as the other ground consideration
check all bolts as the 430's vibrate and don't be afraid to disassemble as needed to replace worn, cracked or broken fasteners
I am in the habit of a full disassemble and inspection of all purchased and at 100hr intervals

a clean 430 is worth 1000 for sure, the plastic should be in good shape to make it worth it, the side panels can usually be found its the tank panels that are HARD to aquire

If it has the WP inverted front forks check & make sure the cast axle clamps don't have cracks in them running inline with the axle at the axle pinch bolts. The swing arm bolt runs through the engine cases....the swing arm bolt & case inserts wear out & get loose.the swingarms can get hairline cracks across the pivot bearing bosses. The left side case corrodes where the water pump mounts (the inside of the pump). These issues can all be dealt with though. I LOVE my 430! Awesome bike! I have had none of these problems with mine.....but this is stuff other people have dealt with. Good luck with it & post some pictures for those of us addicted.

service items that will need attention....chain tensioner bearings and guide rollers. airfilter and inlet rubbers, water pump bearings and seal. greasing brake pivot, headstem lower bearing (if not both) clutch adjustment.... cables and hoses fuel tap etc. make sure these are up to scratch and serviceable.

This could be a risky proposition. The engine could have been running vibrating kind of loose and messed up a bunch of stuff. Or some of the gears and or bearings in the starting system could be worn or have been run worn and shedding shavings into the oil. It was not intended to be used steady 15 events a year or so 20 years.

I have two 430s. One is an 87, other an 88. Both Swede made, both are the WR.
There were 4 flavors of 430: WR, XC, CR and Automatic.
CR had the inverted WP forks and there were not many imported. XC is popular due to the increased suspension travel. WR is probably the most practical for any kind of riding.

Great bikes, I love mine.
But they do require that I kick them over the same way each time, starting at the right place in the stroke. if they don't start within 4-5 kicks then pull the plug and clear the cylinder by kicking it over.
I just had a machine shop remove and re-tap my axle adjustment bolts on the swing arm, they were frozen tight and I broke them off. I re-did the linkage while I had the swing arms off.

Post pics if you get it.
Dave