1985 V65 Lario

[egschade]

$1500 for a cosmetically nice Lario is money well spent, IMHO. Don't be surprised if the motor spins over but has a dead head, though.. 
If both heads are good, it's a bargain. 
Edit: oh, forgot.. there is a necessary rear drive mod on an 85. There's a transmission vent mod that should needs to be done so a full liter of transmission lube can be used. If fifth gear is whining, it's too late. I detailed both here.. somewhere.

What constitutes a "dead head" and how do you determine if a head is good or not?

[Chuck in Indiana]

Pull a plug, turn it over with your finger in it.. No compression? She's dead, Jim..

[huub]

Dusting this off as I've discovered an '86 Lario with 18K miles near me for $1500. Seller states "been sitting' for a while so won't start but engine spins freely. Pictures show a fully intact bike in v. good cosmetic condition.

Is it a fools errand to try and bring it back to life?

sounds like a good deal , worst case it dropped a valve and you'll have to find  a V65 two valve engine to drop in instead of the 4 valve engine.
if the engine is still servicable after new valves and valve springs it should be ok.
these are great little bikes.

[Muzz]

Pull a plug, turn it over with your finger in it.. No compression? She's dead, Jim..

Succinct, and to the point as usual Chuck.

[egschade]

Pull a plug, turn it over with your finger in it.. No compression? She's dead, Jim..

I have a cheapie compression tester that should do the job. What's a decent PSI, 150+?

[Chuck in Indiana]

The point being.. if it has dropped a valve etc. there won't be *any* compression on that side. If you have 2 good heads you'll need to overhaul them anyway so a compression reading is a moot point at this time.

[egschade]

The point being.. if it has dropped a valve etc. there won't be *any* compression on that side. If you have 2 good heads you'll need to overhaul them anyway so a compression reading is a moot point at this time.

Ah, got it. Thanks for the advice.