Be very careful buying bikes on a whim...

So, I did an off-road day, got enthusiastic and bought the
cheapest/nearest dirt bike I could find. 1989 YZ250.

Ran if for a few months, tried to kill myself once (jumped into a tree,
splitting scalp etc.) and tried to cripple myself once (wouldn't start,
in resulting kick-start frenzy foot slipped off kick-start and leg
slammed into foot rest, safety trainers didn't protect shin. Lots of
bruising and unexplained lumps on bone and in surrounding muscle).

Then it decided not to start at all but since I had a WR250 by then I
wasn't massively bothered. I decided to investigate and have found that
the piston has maybe 1mm 'slop' in the bore, explains the poor starting.

Other things I have found:

1. 1 broken, 1 missing front axle clamp bolt.
2. 1 knackered fork oil seal
3. Missing swing arm pivolt-bolt nut...
4. Missing chain adjuster
5. Holes in exhaust
6. Extensive use of chemical metal to disguise missing/broken fastners
in engine.


I'm sure there's more to find.

Am in the process of rebuilding it. Spent most of the afternoon
replacing the steering head bearings (impossible to drive out of
headstock since 'lip' in headstock wider than bearing shell!) and
rebuilding the forks.

Next weekend's plan is to do the swingarm/rear shock bearings since I've
got no doubt those will be similarly fucked.

And, at some point after that I'll rebuild the engine. Then start on
winterizing the XT660...

 

wrote a subject line

So, er, is there some other way of buying bikes and cars?

Only the "on a whim" approach has served me well for the last 17 years.

 

Hmm, sloppy use of language on my part.

'Without sufficient thought or any research' is probably closer to it.

 

it.

I refer you to my original question.

 

snip>

I must print this and keep it somewhere safe so that when I spend more
than I'd initially planned on a bike I can show Adie and tell her you
told me to do it.

I knew I was being stupid trying to find an enduro bike for £2k.

 

I did much the same in France with my 96 faux WR250Z.

That would do it. Mine rattles like castanets in a way that suggests
piston slap rather than bottom end play as it revs OK. It's starting a
lot better since I set the idle mixture to what the Clymer manual said
rather than 'by ear' and treated it to a brand new plug.

Not sure that mine has any oil in the forks to leak.

Not missing, but thread in the swinging arm irretrievably bodged.

Mine has large dents and a hairline crack that oozes.

Not found evidence of that yet, but the imminent rebuild may reveal all.

I'm hoping mine don't need doing. I've got it through scrutineering so
far.

Almost certainly. Have fun getting the old ones out. The rear shock and
linkage needle rollers succumbed in the end but I gave up with the
swingarm bearings and GAMI.

Erm, are you sure you've got the prioritisation order right?

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

hah.

I'd call you a **** if it weren't true[1].

Actually, I'll call you a **** anyway. ****.

[1] well, I did the big comparison spreadsheet for the car; for bikes
I've only ever done a spreadsheet to compare running cost -v- public
transport - never actually to decide what bike to buy.

 

There are plenty of XR600 out there below that price, and they are rock
solid and cheapo maintainable... People say they are heavy (ok, 120 kg dry)
but that should matter only to the Enduro Gods, not us mere mortals. The XR
is one of the two bike models I have/had that completed the Paris-Dakar (the
other is -er- the Vespa PX)

 

Absolutely. I don't need the XT winterised for about 3 months and I
only think I need fit bar muffs, heated grips, crash bars (maybe),
some form of faux-fairing, luggage (mostly fitted). I don't think
it's more than a weekend sucking teeth and another weekend doing the
work.

The YZ's getting in the way when it's in several bits at the moment.

 

I think I just used a Champ.

IIRC, either a posting on here or while in France you said something
along the lines of "everyone should own a Hayabusa at some point in
their life."[1]

I already wanted to change to something a bit more exciting to replace
the Sprint ST, and knowing they fitted me OK having checked one out at
the NEC before I bought the Triumph, it was job done.


[1] TBH, I think you may have said that about the 10R too.

 

So many crossers live life in the hands of farmers/sons that I'm not
surprised. Unsympathetic doesn't start to cover it.

 

Or there is this: Alloy framed 2006 YZ250

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YAMAHA-YZ-250...5848611?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item2c580d9ea3

A little over 2k.

Lovely 2 stroke action...

 

heh, yeah I realised after I'd posted how that could be err...misread!

You were. Next year, I'm hoping to actually ride it as well )

 

True enough. I've been told that they go quite fast and I read
somewhere that one can asphyxiate at speeds of over 20mph.

 

They lied.

it's 23.7 MPH. I went there once, mental it was, like being in space.

 

In communiqué

I forgot you had a particular winter trip in mind rather than everyday
winter hack duties.

That's why I'm not taking the engine out of mine until the Morini is
pretty well finished. It means dropping the whole rear sub frame and
suspension out, so it couldn't be wheeled about to make room for other
jobs. I'm pleased to find, however, that even with the Shiver in one
front corner of the garage and the YZ in another I have room to work
comfortably on the Morini.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

120kg is more than I want to dig out of a sand dune. I'm only a skinny
little bastard so less is best when it comes to bike weight.

 

Didn't you tell me I was a **** when I suggested using 2-strokes for
the our trip to the sun?

 

I'll admit many enduristi I know are well above 6 feet...

 

Yes. But I quite fancy a go on a recent YZ 2 stroke...