street legal 2-strokes

[Kurlon]

What oil are you using?

[breakdirt916]

Bean oil, castor 927, well known to gum up power valves

This cylinder was plated in 2017 and I never cleaned the power valve on it…ever

[Kurlon]

Wow, you DO like making your life difficult. I mean, I get it, there is something about that smell, but the modern stuff is pretty good these days and WAY less likely to carbon/gum up the works.

[breakdirt916]

I tried the amsoil saber...and that's it...lemme youtube a couple oils, pick a couple, then we can talk about it

rolled out to a bike night:



sticky power valve definitely needs to get sorted.

It sticks randomly while warm and needs a lot of revving to loosen up.

the bike is an absolute animal in 2nd/3rd...it wants to wheelie like crazy...even the local sur-ron pack of kids got excited when I wheelied past them

bike needs a lot of TLC....going to work on a little bit every week

[Kurlon]

I've had good luck with Yamalube 2R, and so far my KTM hasn't complained about the Motorex I'm running, though no where near enough hours for it to matter yet.

[breakdirt916]

ah, I've run the 2R before and it ran fine; it's on brand too!

finally got a chance to do a tear down/inspection after the top end:



look's f'ing perfect



onto the "sticking" power valve:



good news on the power valve: it doesn't look too gunked up where it makes contact with the cylinder

bad news on the power valve: if it's binding and not from gunk, it likely needs to get hit with a wire wheel to get cleaned up

I tried spraying brake cleaner while it was still installed in the cylinder, but it didn't do much





I put it all back together and it's a little better, but not perfect.

time to pull the valves out

@Kurlon - are they removeable without tearing down the top end?

[Kurlon]

In theory you can split the valve and pull it out in two halves. If you've got the top end open, it's easier to just pull the jug and yank it out from one side.

[breakdirt916]

I'm gonna try with the cylinder in the bike...torn the top apart twice in the last month

did a 50ish mile street ride Saturday night for a bike night:





no freeway, and doable, but beyond *my* limits of fun riding a 2 stroke on pavement

I need a street bike

good way to see how the carb tuning feels though since you can WOT through all the gears

did a short dirt ride Sunday night:





and to be honest, the power valve operation was fine for the dirt.

Power was there where I wanted it...sometimes too much

still want to clean the valve though; going to hit it with a dremel wire wheel today, wash it down, and see how it goes.

oh yeah, and I need to do the steering head bearings pretty soon steering isn't smooth enough in the bushy single track

Already did the swing arm, upper shock, and linkage bearings; this is the last one left.

-----------------------------------

so I'm still super cheap...I want an inexpensive street bike that's low/hassle free maintenance, and doesn't tie up $5-25,000

Can't seem to figure out a middle ground

Anyone know of any inexpensive/unpopular underrated street bikes I can pickup for $3k with more power than SV650?

Z750S?

FZ6?

[Kurlon]

Piston all the way down, I think you'll have room to push the exhaust valve through?

SV1000?

[boosten lebaron]

I would say Honda hawk 650 but it's got less power than the three you mentioned. It is funner to ride than the the sv650 and z750 though.

[whynot]

"so I'm still super cheap...I want an inexpensive street bike that's low/hassle free maintenance, and doesn't tie up $5-25,000
Can't seem to figure out a middle ground
Anyone know of any inexpensive/unpopular underrated street bikes I can pickup for $3k with more power than SV650?
Z750S?
FZ6?"

FZ6 is a great bike, but decent ones don't come cheap. Check out Kawasaki ZR-7 -- often priced close to $2k from what I've seen.

[breakdirt916]

Hmm, a ZR-7 isn’t something I knew existed…maybe that’s why it’s cheap; added to the list! Thanks!

In theory you can split the valve and pull it out in two halves. If you've got the top end open, it's easier to just pull the jug and yank it out from one side.

it worked, thanks for the tip

bore didn't look like it had any sludge/carbon buildup:





the valves themselves, did have a lot of carbon:





it's my first time using a wire wheel, and it kinda worked at some spots, but tbh, a lot of the carbon wasn't coming off

cleaned vs. not cleaned:



the good news is the surface was still smooth

everything went back in, and the bike ran pretty much the same. power valve is definitely opening.

at this point, I don't need to go into the top end for awhile.

everything looks good enough, and operates as it should.

time to move onto other stuff:
-get handguards w' signals
-new battery
-figure out why rear turn signals don't work
-relocate plate to be more angled down
-steering head bearings
-sag/clicker day
-rox risers
-carb test and tune day
-install FMF pipe?
-clean up bike, new plastics, 2 gallon tank
-mail out ported cylinder for repair w' a head (cut for pump gas)
-maybe PWK38 AS or smart carb

[whynot]

Hmm, a ZR-7 isn’t something I knew existed…maybe that’s why it’s cheap; added to the list! Thanks!

This one could be a good deal at $1800, offers ... "cosmetic damage" it sez. ZR-7s with half fairing, like FZ6.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...6188437761247/

Reviews I've read kinda put it down as a bland experience. Could be a good utilitarian commuter.

[loudbeard]

so I'm still super cheap...I want an inexpensive street bike that's low/hassle free maintenance, and doesn't tie up $5-25,000

Can't seem to figure out a middle ground

Anyone know of any inexpensive/unpopular underrated street bikes I can pickup for $3k with more power than SV650?

Z750S?

FZ6?

I think you can find that if you strike through the "low/hassle free maintenance." Anything you pickup at that price point will have something or somethings that need doing. I bought Whynot's '05 Multistrada 2 years ago for $3,500. The bike had been taken care of well by a responsible rider. I'm into it about $2,500 for maintenance catchup....granted $1k of that was a full suspension refresh and spring.

Will add, this is not a shot at Whynot, he did me an honest deal on this bike. Love the bike, but there are always things to be addressed at that price point.

Just go buy a new MT-07. They're 8 grand and you won't have to touch it for a really long time. Be a man, buy the bike.

[petro]

so I'm still super cheap...I want an inexpensive street bike that's low/hassle free maintenance, and doesn't tie up $5-25,000

Can't seem to figure out a middle ground

Anyone know of any inexpensive/unpopular underrated street bikes I can pickup for $3k with more power than SV650?

Z750S?

FZ6?

675 Street Triples can fall into the higher end of your range. Other than the R/R failures/recall I’ve known them to be pretty reliable.

[breakdirt916]

For some reason I always put anything euro into the unreliable bucket; but the triple definitely mimics the Japanese 600 bikes while still being superior to the SV650. Added to the list!

@loudbeard - I get that “there’s no such thing as a cheap car” as the message you’re sharing; but if you take out the suspension upgrade, $1,500 spent imho, over a couple years is pretty “cheap” for any bike. Tires, chain/sprockets/fork seals can get you there real quickly; and a late model bike could need all of the above, so newer is not necessarily immune to lower cost of ownership.

Granted riskier, I am somewhat confident I can get in at a lower price and the reason I tend to lean that way, as I suddenly fall into a bigger real estate expense that uses up cash reserves ($15-$60k), I’ll sell a bike if it frees up that extra $6-$10k, but keep the cheap ones.

Rolled out to a local bike night again last night:



Had a few people say “hey cool! That’s a 2 stroke!”

Saw a spaceX launch too:



Confirms I really want a street bike for dorky summer night rides with other dorks.

[loudbeard]

Saw a spaceX launch too:

Dude, that's a dick.

[whynot]

Yeah I pretty much figure spending an additional $1K on a used bike in the first year. Friend of mine is armchair shopping for a bike, said his budget is $2500, to me that means looking for a $1500 bike. Otherwise plan on spending $3500 total if he buys a $2500 bike. So I suggested he look at a new Ninja 400 and just ride it. But he likes the fun of the hunt, he likes road trips hooking up the trailer to the Sequoia, talking to sellers, bargaining and so on.

Heck, I even spent $1K on the Ninja 250 I bought here, that's in the first year. Tires and sending the carbs out accounted for most of that thou. The seller represented the bike fairly, and I won't even out him. Some of what I did was optional, like all LED lighting. And after 2 years, the recent looking Yuasa needed replacing. And so on

For some reason I always put anything euro into the unreliable bucket; but the triple definitely mimics the Japanese 600 bikes while still being superior to the SV650. Added to the list!

Keep in mind that Triumph 675s are built in Thailand -- top quality IME. (Just make sure it has the R/R upgrade.)

[breakdirt916]

renting an '18 striple triple RS on Thursday, then a '05 FZ6 on Monday

thanks for the tips!

Anyone know why handlebar bags aren't more common?

one thing I missed about the 690, or any other modern bike, is a rear rack for carrying a tube + tools.

2lbs for a 21" tube, and 4.6lbs of tools

the rear of the YZ is just flimsy plastic; the sub frame pretty much ends at the rear seat, and anything on the rear gets launched into space in the whoops.

introducing: the tusk handlebar bag:



clears the front brake:



and it moves everything from here:



into here:



far more spacious than the giant loop zigzag bag

4.6lbs is a lot to bounce around, so I'm planning on double looping the straps, then running a giant loop pronghorn strap around it for insurance.

Will test it Thursday!

and to the mechanics - I get a random "skip" in the power delivery when WOT and winding up the motor in the mid rpm's. Carb is clean, plug is new, top end is inspected and presumably running fine.

can the reeds cause a "skip"?

pull it apart, inspect, and maybe replace the reeds?

[Kurlon]

I don't know if I'd go right to reeds with that problem description?

[breakdirt916]

yeah, from what I'm reading, you're definitely right. If the reeds sucked, the bike wouldn't idle or I'd have crap firing back into the carb

could just be a Mikuni PWM38 issue. It's a pretty crappy/blubbery carb.

I also rented a Speed Triple RS!



it was really nice to be back on a dedicated street machine. It felt like I was flying!



Dual sports/dirt bikes feel wobbly and unstable on pavement; the speed triple felt stable, good suspension, and plenty of power. The triple motor felt pretty amazing; good torque and more than enough power to get you moving. It wasn't Busa fast, but still enough to get you in trouble. Low speed fuel mapping was silky smooth, and easy to use on streets. It was my first time hearing that trumpet singing its song, and it sounded awesome!

But at my age, the racing rearsets made the junction in my knees ache when I got off the bike, and the lack of wind protection kind of sucked above a hundred.

FZ6 next Wednesday!

[breakdirt916]

getting the 5lbs of tools off my back, was awesome!



tools on the handlebar work great!

unfortunately it kept rotating down, and bumping into the tank. I need to find a way to rotate it up and tie it down better.

now I'm wondering if I can put a tiny tool pouch on the tail for the CO2 cartridges, tire pump, quicksteel, or maybe just a tube.

the "skipping" in power delivery is definitely weird...bike doesn't have a smooth increase in revs unless you're WOT or at low rpm's.



I kinda wanna take off the reed block just in case. It's a Boyesen Rad Valve, so I wonder if the aftermarket part is any less durable than stock.

[Kurlon]

That sounds like jetting or electrical to me?

[breakdirt916]

Yes, electrical! That’s what I’d be able to closely describe it’s feel. It almost feels like a loose connection somewhere so it’s “skipping” a spark here and there.

Going to disconnect the kill switch, take off the tank and inspect the harness/grounds, then maybe pull off the flywheel and inspect the stator

[Kurlon]

The odd part is why would it clear up when WOT if it's a loose connection?