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Just dropped off WR transmission to the shop...they said they'd start it "in the next couple days"
Short of splitting the cases myself and bringing cleaned up case halves with the crankshaft out ready for a rebuild like, I am not sure what else I can do to make it easier for the work to get done...they originally said 2-3 weeks from the time I dropped it off, but that usually means they start it 1-2 weeks later and takes an extra 1-2 weeks to finish it
Here's to hoping they can get it done within 1 month and be done by November 4th weekend for a shake down run...
In the mean time I will get the rest worked on short of the motor
But honestly I am losing a little steam for upgrades...$400 shock + $500 ported cylinder + $200 Baja designs LED headlamp is kind of "meh" to me...Kinda just want a solid bottom end for sure, use my good top end, fresh chain/sprockets/brakes with everything working properly, and maybe budget the shock and ported cylinder next year
Let me get a running bike first. Let's start going on rides as I save up for mods. Already getting a WR gearbox so it will already feel like a new bike
Also the landwhale bearings got me thinking about about maybe R&R all the bearings on the YZ as well. Next year.
Last edited by breakdirt916; 10-02-17 at 06:28 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
got a call from the shop yesterday!
they finally got around to splitting the cases and taking a look inside:
-minus the crank/bearings/debris - everything on the inside looked good. Cases are saved!
-the WR transmission parts appear to be in good shape as well - hopefully we have all the parts we need to drop them in
-the crankshaft does need to be mailed out for a rebuild (pretty sure last mechanic said they're unavailable anyways)
their estimated turn around is roughly 2 more weeks...so bike *may* be done by the November 4th weekend for a shakedown run
bad news is my work schedule may not accommodate for me to get the whole weekend off...I may only do LAB2V day one...LA-> barstow
on the other hand, I'm spending WAY less doing this my way right now. I saved $500ish by dropping off the bottom end out of the bike for a rebuild and I will save another $400 just by doing day 1 (day 2 is $150 but then add Vegas hotel + gas)
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Got a call from the shop
BOTTOM END IS DONE AND BACK TOGETHER!!
He also said the WR transmission went in without any issues!
I am going to pick it up tomorrow!!
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Wicked pissa!
Oh baby I want to spend the rest of the day just doing this and only this
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Do you want a spare set of 92 forks with brake master/line/caliper?
very cool opportunity!
no thank you...I already have a spare set of forks
next big purchase will be rear shock re-valve...then ported/madness cylinder
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
ruh-roh...working a lot (and partying the other days LOL) means I only have 1 day off to work on bike before my planned shakedown weekend!
edit: well, had to bail out a friend in the AM, picked up the regulator for the vstrom late, tested it and found it wasn't the regulator, and no time on the yz today. sucks....maybe I can finish everything Saturday and go ride Sunday?
Edit 2: I got asked to pickup a shift Saturday. Been working 6 day work weeks for 4 weeks now!
Edit 3: I only have 4 full days off between now a LA-B2V...one full day is committed to fixing the stator/RR/brake pads/bleed the vstrom...so really I have 3 days...eek...I am seriously considering not riding, and just help move people/bikes around.
Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-01-17 at 03:54 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
well, well, well...finally got to spend some time on the bike
took me a good hour to swap the exhaust valve parts between cylinders![]()
could not figure out how the damn thing was supposed to come out...service manual just said "remove bolt, remove assembly". After you take out a screw, the two halves just push out from each side. A rubber o-ring on the right side was blocking it from coming out, but you just gotta push it. Assembly into the other cylinder was also pretty nervous as I wasn't sure how close the tolerances were between cylinders for it to work. New seals/o-rings installed with a little oil on the parts and they move smoothly without touching the piston. I cleaned the parts the best I could with WD40 and a rag, but there was some carbon build up that looks permanent from when it overheated.
this exhaust valve was quite different from the RM125 - there was no spring tension that you can wind. It didn't slide up and down; it just rotated on an axle to open and close. It also didn't have nearly as much collection of spooge as the RM collected...so "cleaning" the parts wouldn't help it with sticking when it's cold...just gotta let the bike warm up. I kinda like it that way since one less thing to clean from a maintenance standpoint.
now came the dreaded part - wrestling the motor back into the bike.
To my surprise, it was *so* easy; like less than a minute to get into the frame, and another 5-10 mins to line up the swingarm bolt with the motor and swingarm. I remember wrestling the XR100R and RM125 motors for almost an hour because you had to get the perfect angle to get the motors in. No such issue with this bike...so the bottom end is now back in the bike.
the WR swingarm, however is a bit different than the yz...as I understand it has a different chain adjuster, so I've got a few more parts to buy.
I wanted to try the old reed valves first to see how different it was from the boyesen rad valve, but there was just so much debris from the piston explosion that I didn't want to chance anything getting into the new cylinder. Rad valve will go straight on.
next stops: piston/cylinder back on, new air filter, refill transmission oil/coolant and she should fire up. I will also do the chain/sprockets...dropping down from 55-60 to 33 hours next week so I will have a good amount of time to work on it...still need a rear tire too at a minimum to do LAB2V...so it may be cutting it a little close because I'd need at least a couple shake down runs to make sure the bike is 100%
almost there!
Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-06-17 at 10:26 AM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
had a tricky time getting in the piston circlip...flathead screwdriver for me
could not get a torque wrench in, so torqued the back nuts, "felt" the tightness, and manually tightened the front
ordered a new/used cylinder to replace the previous head...had a lot of overheated debris melted to the dome
I also made very careful not to improperly seat the cylinder head gasket to prevent the pinch/leak issue I had the first time around
went straight to the Rad valve instead of re-using the oem valves/cage
note that it has no cage/stop plates...per EG's 2-stroke rebuilding guide, the Rad valve doesn't block the boost ports in the cylinder and better delivers fuel with the offset intake that single shock bikes have
I also stretched the coiling of the throttle cable once when I tried to spin the carb to swap jets. This resulted in a "longer" sheath, "hanging" rpm's, and occasionally high idle. For a long desert ride and $10 for a cable, I best swap it.
ugh...so close, and so dark...
just need to torque the engine bolts, re-pack the muffler, mount the exhaust, put on the gas tank/plastics, swap the chain and sprockets, re-fill the radiator fluid/transmission fluid, and she should be ready to fire up. Will still need a rear tire and long-ride setup for LAB2V...still 50/50 about doing the ride. they need volunteers in the morning to load roll charts and be in the parking lot...plus a handful of LA guys/out-of-towners need a ride from the LA area to Palmdale (couple hours) the night before, or a ride back from Vegas if they're dropping off their truck.
Going to feel like a totally different bike with the re-plated cylinder, RAD Valve, and WR transmission...can't wait!
Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-08-17 at 11:36 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
engine mounts tightened/torqued, radiator hoses re-attached, mid-pipe and muffler mounted (not re-packed yet though), gas tank/plastics re-assembled, and I'm SO CLOSE TO FINISHING AHHHH!!!!
this time around - I took special care to make sure everything went back together properly
1.) the engine blew up because the mid-pipe wiggled up against a radiator hose clamp until it came off; dumping all my coolant.
rotated the radiator hose clamp away from the mid-pope
according the micro-fiche, there should be a bracket here holding the mid-pipe in place. The mechanic that did my first re-build never returned this part to me, so I never knew it was supposed to go in, and this also could likely contribute to a wobbly mid-pipe.
I always fear on older bikes that these bike-specific parts are no longer available. Luckily there were in stock at rockymountain ATV
Ordered.
went to measure/fill/dump the radiator fluid and did not have a measuring cup. Went to autozone, and neither did they. Just tried to eye ball it until it was full, then let it burp, and top off, but then saw fluid pissing through the engine onto the ground.
bingo - so when the bike blew up, I often saw smoke huffing up from the middle/front of the bike. I knew the radiator overflow tube on the bottom of the bike, so I got super nervous about not knowing where this mystery smoke was coming from. In the middle of the mojave desert, I didn't have a chance to inspect it on the ride, so I'm glad I found this.
Green check on rockymountainatv. ordered up.
Otherwise, I'll fill up the transmission fluid tonight, mount the chain and sprockets, put an LED light back on the headlight and just wait for parts.
other parts needed:
-spare shift lever
-exhaust midpipe tension springs
-front brake pads
-rear turn signals - they were destroyed...so I chopped these off when I took them out
-rear brake return spring
I'm about 70% sure that they won't come in time for a shakedown run...and I don't want my first ride to be LA-Barstow
It needs quite a few items anyways - new rear tire with UHD tube...muffler re-packed...acerbis fender brace...the Moose enduro toolkit on the rear fender...chain adjuster for WR swingarm (plus swap). Vstrom needs front/rear tires + grip heaters...and I only have 1 day off between now and the ride. too much.
still getting closer! can't wait!
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Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-14-17 at 08:40 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Have you thought about getting something like this radiator cap with built-in gauge?
It might save your bacon the 2nd time around. Link.
'02 Ducati 998, '08 Ducati HyperMotard 1100S, '14 Subaru XV Crosstrek
I was wondering why nobody had invented anything like that before...then I saw it on RMatv and ordered it
not sure why I haven't setup a direct deposit to Tusk yet
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
SHHHH!!!
the moto Gods have not made a final decision on whether or not to strike down this project through fire and brimstone explosion
otherwise, $20 for 1 day shipping for RMATV?
F-yeah!
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
i was about to purchase that rad cap last season but couldn't cope with the range of typefaces that Tusk chose to use. had to remove from cart.
Beta 200RR
(I will re-size and post pics when I get home)
Didn't work until noon, so I rode over on the Vstrom and had the rear tire swapped....the old UHD tube was stretched out or warped...held air funny.
Tire mounted I ran home to mount the sprocket....to find out it was for an FZR
Was hoping to ride right after surfing and going to IMS...looks like the rest of the afternoon will be wrenching
I should really replace the sprocket bolts anyways...one has a warped Allan key side
SENT ANOTHER ORDER AAAGHHHHH
Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-17-17 at 09:18 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
LA-Barstow to Vegas 2017!!!
since I just worked a f-ton and didn't get the days off to finish/test my bike (I should have just let the mechanic do the whole bike!) I did not ride, so I just helped some riders get dropped off with bike at Palmdale and extra set of hands if needed...
The ride starts annually at Palmdale Supercycles...the closest hotel is the Embassy suites. At 7pm, when we arrove, they had fewer bikes lined out front than last year, but that slowly changed as the evening went on:
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Saw some riders/organizers that I hadn't seen since last year, and met quite a few new ones. It's pretty awesome walking up to a random person and sharing the same love for the desert on 2 wheels. Finally met Abhi from bike-urious...Last year they tried (and failed?) on a Ural...this they were doing it on Africa Twins via MotoQuest
6 hours later: It's 5am and the bikes are already lining up down the road in front of Palmdale Supercycles. D37 representatives, volunteers, and sweep are all working furiously to get the riders checked in, tech'd, gear bags loaded, and parking lot cleared.
3 hours later - over 490 riders are on their way!
2 gas stops - one at lake los angeles, one at Helendale/Silver Lake.
The mileage today was relatively low...roughly 160-180 miles. The drive for the sweep/volunteers was only 87 miles away from Barstow.
Day 2 will easily be over 200+
Weather was quite warm compared to years past....it was a light breeze 80 degrees at the day 1 check in at Barstow
Some ride reports on the day 1 sand washes/hills:
-there were 2 big sand washes and they wipe you out and take out your confidence!
-that was a 2 stroke day!
-man there are some FAST guys on big bikes! Even in the sand washes!
Braaaap!
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I could only help out for day 1, so hopefully the 2nd day will be just as good!
Last edited by breakdirt916; 11-25-17 at 01:55 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Holy crap... finally replaced the leaking radiator junction, topped off the radiator fluid and transmission fluid, put on a new chain and sprockets and fired her up. Took about 3-5 kicks and she fir d without any choke
Dark at 5:30, I hooked up the tail/brake light and took her for a spin around the block...man did it feel good!
Bike felt "tight" and motor response was solid. Kicking felt good as well so compression is spot on. The mechanic put on a 14t countershaft sprocket (previously maybe 15) so combined with the WR transmission, she pulled pretty hard!
Going to hook up the LED light bar and take her back out!
No leaks!
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Last edited by breakdirt916; 12-19-17 at 01:56 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
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Took it for a 20 min jaunt including some freeway...now I can see why someone wouldn't like a WR transmission in a performance bike
1st-2nd-3rd feel about the same...maybe a little more spread out, but 4th and 5th are definitely way taller. What used to be a quick shift in any rpm to "catch" the top gear is now something I have to wind out to stay "on the pipe". If I don't rev it out enough, it goes from being on the pipe to lugging in low RPM's. This would suck balls on a big MX track.
It will obviously just take some getting used to, and honestly I don't want to do any more riding on dirt that I am on the pipe going into 5th gear...you are really carrying a lot of speed...more than I want to be in unpredictable open desert.
Pluses - easier to get a lugging gear cruising around town, and mcuch improved spread on the freeway...so it's geared better (but not perfect) for 50-60% of the conditions I ride (short street to trails, mountain fire roads, desert trails, LA-B2V). I will not ride an MX track again anyways...
Did not notice any significant difference on the vforce reeds (maybe a little smoother), re-plate cylinder, and possibly nothing with the -1 front sprocket
But this is a positive step for me getting the bike setup to ride more
Last edited by breakdirt916; 12-19-17 at 01:56 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
oh gawsh...
I am SO SORE TODAY!!!
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1.) I had to re-learn how to ride this bike...I suck so, so, much. Arm pump galore. Completely sore right hand.
2.) I was afraid to get on the pipe...I was lugging it all day
3.) the transmission is weird...can't seem to find the right gear...mostly 2nd/3rd...still gotta get used to it. I am sort of feeling a cylinder port "as a fix" (which it is not).
4.) gearing 14-48 may not be my style...I may try a 13/50 for the trails/fire roads.
5.) I was being bounced ALL OVER THE PLACE. Hard pack, rocky stuff. I had my forks re-valved years ago from FC, they feel stiff AF. Do they even compress?!?
6.) I forgot to mount the midpipe springs
7.) I was working so hard...looked back, and my buddy on the drz was just chillin
8.) saw a couple other people out there...one dude offered to buy the bike for $3,000 on the spot.
9.) need the hour meter on stat
10.) before my next long ride, I want to check everything - radiator hoses on tight? body fasteners coming loose? exhaust pipe mounts secure?
Last edited by breakdirt916; 12-19-17 at 02:16 PM.
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1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke: