Post by: Liamthedevastator on March 23, 2013, 09:45:47 PM
About 4 months ago I purchased a "basket case" RM250 for $150 off UsedVictoria from some fella up island a bit. Chassis was rolling and shocks responded surprisingly well but the engine was disassembled in several plastic crates.
The seller said that his father bought the bike with a broken case, then purchased a new case and all that had to be done was to switch the engine internals from one bike to another.
Well, I've since learned that nothing is as easy as you think it will be because once I cracked the case I found that all bearings were seized, the crank was rusty, and everything was just generally shitty.
Fast forward to now: I have ordered new bearings and am looking at stuff from DC Plastics, cleaned the crank, and will be cleaning/blasting the case for it's paint treatment. Cylinder is going to need a bit of work too. I keep reading about porting and all this other stuff; whats the deal?
I'm also building my workspace as I go so the next expansion is a folding workbench. I recently discovered an MX course that operates in my area so I want to get this baby running so I can hit up the track asap!
In my intro thread it was mentioned that there are other years that I can source parts from. What bikes could I look at / where would y'all recommend I go to for parts (performace and oem)? Right now I'm looking for new rear shocks and brakes/axles and my repertoire of parts suppliers is BikeBandit and DC Plastics now.
Thanks for reading. I feel a really good vibe from this forum!
Post by: _X_ on March 24, 2013, 12:04:37 AM
Post by: TMKIWI on March 24, 2013, 09:14:07 AM
Post by: evo550 on March 24, 2013, 09:15:04 AM
If they can't answer your questions on it's forum no one can......bold statement I know, but I'm feeling Bold and she likes it
Post by: SachsGS on March 24, 2013, 02:58:35 PM
Post by: Liamthedevastator on March 25, 2013, 10:07:22 PM
Checked out the ozvmx forum too and will definitely be getting over there to gather their aussi knowledge. Maybe even put a roo-bar on my RM when it's done!
Here's a bit of progress to keep any interest satiated:
Flipped her over for the tear down (that sounds a little off...)
All packed away in the back of my Mazda 3
And again with the Metal Rescue -- only a 4 hour soak and this was my turnout!!
Also, just bought a 10L Ultrasonic Cleaner on Ebay so I should be getting that by the end of the week along with my bearings, gasket kit, and bolt kit.
Does anyone know if it's possible to use ATV shocks on an mx bike...?
tldr; I have the bike in pieces, cleaning the frame and swingarm, prepping for a trip to the sandblaster to get this stuff back to bare!
Thanks for reading
Post by: _X_ on March 25, 2013, 10:24:46 PM
Ha , Who told you that shit.no one, i made it up.ha!
keep grindg away liam and it will turn out well.
Post by: riffraff on March 26, 2013, 05:02:18 AM
Post by: TMKIWI on March 26, 2013, 07:53:46 AM
Not sure what they are like but my suspension guy has a custom shock coming for my RM from them.
Say's they are good value for money.
http://www.suspensionshop.org/VMX-Suzuki.php
Will let you know when it arrives.
Post by: Liamthedevastator on March 26, 2013, 04:55:59 PM
Then again those RFY piggyback shocks on ebay look good but are probably crap.... damn this is expensive! I guess I'll have to bite the bullet at some point and buy something good.
Those VMX shocks actually look pretty good, although shipping would probably be a little bit ugly. I'm also looking at Race Tech G3-Ss. Considerably more expensive but also really awesome.
Anybody know of a place -- preferably on the west coast -- that can refurbish forks?
Post by: dogger315 on March 27, 2013, 01:09:43 AM
crank rebuilt with a new big end bearing. While it's apart, they can clean the halves and media blast the rod and
resize both ends. I don't know what else you have that is rusted, but WD40 Rust soak works great on steel parts.
Just put everything in and soak over night.
You can do a lot better than DC plastic. Try this site: http://vintage-suzuki.com/en/
They carry a fair amount of items for your project.
The ultrasonic parts washer will be useless for 90% of what you're doing at this stage. Once you get the steel parts
rust free, the Aluminum parts media blasted, all the paint and other crap off, you can start thinking about using it.
You will need to acquire metal specific cleaners to use in that kind of washer. It is great at cleaning carb bodies,
removing media and grit from freshly honed cylinders, etc.
If I were you, i would concentrate all of my efforts on getting that basket case engine running again. If you start
going in all different direction with shocks, plastic and other minutia, this project will get out of control in a hurry.
dogger
Post by: Liamthedevastator on March 27, 2013, 03:12:21 AM
First, I would send that crankshaft to Racers Toy Store or some other shop that deals in vintage cranks to have the
crank rebuilt with a new big end bearing. While it's apart, they can clean the halves and media blast the rod and
resize both ends. I don't know what else you have that is rusted, but WD40 Rust soak works great on steel parts.
Just put everything in and soak over night.
You can do a lot better than DC plastic. Try this site: http://vintage-suzuki.com/en/
They carry a fair amount of items for your project.
The ultrasonic parts washer will be useless for 90% of what you're doing at this stage. Once you get the steel parts
rust free, the Aluminum parts media blasted, all the paint and other crap off, you can start thinking about using it.
You will need to acquire metal specific cleaners to use in that kind of washer. It is great at cleaning carb bodies,
removing media and grit from freshly honed cylinders, etc.
If I were you, i would concentrate all of my efforts on getting that basket case engine running again. If you start
going in all different direction with shocks, plastic and other minutia, this project will get out of control in a hurry.
dogger
Mother of Pearl mate, that was exactly what I needed to hear. After trundling around on the interwebs for 3 hours this morning researching shocks and then taking a screw driver to the dirty swingarm I was feeling kinda down about the project. Do I put lots of money into it and keep it, or do I get it running and sell it again for what I paid to restore it? I think I'll be keeping it, so doing a good job on the engine is a good call. I've emailed Racers Toy Store so hopefully I'll be able to get that on track soon. Other than that I think i'll just be working on aesthetics to give my brain a break.
Thanks for all of the links so far guys, I seriously appreciate the help! I'll be inscribing your names in places all over my bike to pay tribute when she's done
Post by: Liamthedevastator on April 09, 2013, 07:33:49 PM
I received my Ultrasonic Cleaner in the mail and set it up; definitely a neat little unit, although I haven't found a solution that works well with it yet. If you are ever looking to purchase one yourself then I recommend you spend the money on a quality unit. Jeez, you'd think I'd have learned my lesson by know eh? Do we ever?
Anyway, Bearings also came in the mail from BikeBandit. Thank God that's over (for now).
The nuts for the head studs in the engine bolt kit from DC Plastics doesn't fit my facking studs so that's a huge pissoff. And actually, the reeds don't fit either. There are two tabs on the one I purchased instead of 3. Is the oem supposed to be 3?
Man alive, restoring old bikes is a massive challenge!
Also, how the heck does one remove a bolt like this??
Post by: cnrcpla on April 10, 2013, 12:36:53 AM
Post by: Liamthedevastator on April 10, 2013, 01:08:04 AM
Post by: riffraff on April 10, 2013, 05:35:38 AM
Post by: cnrcpla on April 10, 2013, 02:16:11 PM
Post by: Lolerbabop on April 10, 2013, 02:24:38 PM
Post by: Coop on April 10, 2013, 06:23:05 PM
Post by: Liamthedevastator on April 17, 2013, 12:12:01 AM
When I pulled it from the case it was rusted, so almost a given to have it rebuilt. WELL. I metal rescued the crap out of it (not be all end all I thought it was; left a lot of black oxide on the surfaces that I'm trying to get off) and it spins free now. What I'm wondering is if it's worth it to drop the exorbitant amount of money it costs to have the crank rebuilt and not have to worry about it.
I don't really have that money, but I'd be more outta luck if it goes, right? SOL as my family says
Edit: What are some other years/models of crankshafts that could potentially fit in here? If I can modify the engine to take a newer year perhaps that could be a good thing no?
Post by: TMKIWI on April 17, 2013, 08:17:04 AM
If you use it and it lets go you will be in a world of hurt.
Post by: Liamthedevastator on April 21, 2013, 10:11:04 PM
My delema now is the crankshaft. It is quickly becoming a deal breaker for me. I haven't found any companies in my area that can rebuild it and having a hard time finding a brand new one. The cost is going to be more than I can get back if I go any further, so I'm almost at a point where I have to sell the bike to get my money back and try a 2 stroke resto another time.
Any suggestions, opinions, recommendations for how to deal with the crank?
Thanks guys!
p.s. I ground down a socket but it didn't fit, so now I have a fancy socket
Post by: TMKIWI on April 22, 2013, 08:11:39 AM
Most older bikes will cost more then they are worth to do up. ( There are some bargins yes ).
If you are doing it for the fun of it and to learn , fix the crank and get the old girl going.
There is a certain joy to be had at the end of the job when you sit back and admire your handy work.
Knowing YOU turned a turd into a diamond.
It's the reason people restore old things.
Post by: SachsGS on April 22, 2013, 03:58:05 PM
Post by: Liamthedevastator on April 24, 2013, 06:23:31 AM
Okay, so assuming I move forward with the crank rebuild; anything I should keep an eye out for before I hash out a quote on this whole deal?
Man, you guys rock.
Returning all the things I bought from DC Plastics... nothing fit
Post by: TMKIWI on April 24, 2013, 06:37:47 AM
Returning all the things I bought from DC Plastics... nothing fit
Hope they sort you out.What happened ?, wrong model parts or just wrongly made.?
Post by: evo550 on April 24, 2013, 06:58:30 AM
Returning all the things I bought from DC Plastics... nothing fit
What happened ?, wrong model parts or just wrongly made.?
DC plastics and I have a love/hate relationship, their quality is poor and price is high, but when you have no other option.....
You would be better off trying to restore second hand genuine stuff.
Post by: Liamthedevastator on March 04, 2013, 06:54:55 PM
1S zz-392
RM250 46390
Not sure what either of those are, straight from the case though.