Posts
61
Joined
4/26/2018
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Edited Date/Time
10/5/2019 10:09am
This is my first bike i think it runs fine right now its pretty quick but doesnt idle. I havent done much digging yet but My brakes are shot my master cylinders are stripped, the piston is stuck for the back brake caliper. The rear master cylinder gaurd is screwed tight and i can't get it off. That small black spot of oil drips from where the head pipe mee ts the cyclinder after about 10 minutes of running it thats that drips but not immediately.
So right now im thinking of replacing the top end,master cylinders, rims(current is bent) , front rotor, chain and sprockets and a caliper rebuild? If i dont replace them?
Is there anyway i can check the condition of the bottom end without tearing into it?
So right now im thinking of replacing the top end,master cylinders, rims(current is bent) , front rotor, chain and sprockets and a caliper rebuild? If i dont replace them?
Is there anyway i can check the condition of the bottom end without tearing into it?
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Easiest thing would be to buy a completel Wiseco or Wrench Rabbit rebuild kit and have the crankshaft trued by a professional before installation.
If that does not do it, you may be able to catch the edge of the screws with a sharp chisel, and use a few hammer raps to try and break the screws loose. Soak the caliper. You may be able to put a grease gun on the bleed fitting, with the bleeder cracked open, and pump it full of grease. It may push the piston out, unless it is too solidly corroded.
Brake fluid is a moisture magnet, sticks things hard, especially after years of sitting.
If you plan to keep it, and ride it, it may be worth it. You will never get all the money back you sink into it if is just a flip.
Just looked at the caliper picture. Soak the piston right where it goes into the caliper. You can try to blow the piston out with compressed air. Remove the bleeder screw, and use a rubber tipped nozzle.
Any who, no, i have not gotten it to idle or get jetted right. I took it to my local shop and their solution was to put a shorter throttle cable on it to let the slide hang up slightly. I changed my cdi box, and that didn't work either.
Does anyone know of a rad vintage bike joint that i could send my motor to and have it come back working correctly?
Edit: Channeled my inner Tyler....
Does that mangled radiator still hold water ?
What shape are the linkage bearings, wheel bearings, steering bearings in ?
Shock still have any life left in it ?
Fork seals good ?
Cables ?
You could spend a chunk on it, and it is still only going to be what it is, an old 125.
The rest that you mention...wheel bearings, chassis bearings, Shock, fork seals, etc...that's all gonna need serviced/replaced on even a 2 year old bike. Most people who buy dirt bikes don't do squat for maintenance
Pit Row
If you really want to ride dirt bikes and I don’t mean rip around in an open field. I would cut your loses and part it out or sell it and get a newer 125/250 for 2k.
If the radiator holds water under pressure, brakes work, and tires hold air, screw the rest for now ,and ride that thing for what it is. It's more fun when you don't spend a ton of money just to find out it is not what you thought it may be.
In my area, there are absolutely no places to ride, other than loading up and heading to one of the riding parks / areas. No need to dump a ton of money in something that will not get much use. It can sit when it breaks. Hell, it may run for a good while as is under a beginner.
Here’s something to think about. When I was 19 I bought my first personal dirtbike. A ragged out 1997 yz125 for $1100. I didn’t know shit about dirtbikes, hadn’t ridden one for years so I brought a friend to test ride it for me
My friend test rode it up and down the driveway and it really did run fine. They said the top end would need rebuilt soon. I ran it all summer without anything happening to the top end, but by late September I started to have transmission issues. When I pulled the top end, the piston was so garage it wasn’t even funny, I’m not sure how the engine didn’t grenade, as did people on these forums and Reddit.
I ended up deciding that I needed to learn some bike wrenching skills if I want to keep riding. I was working two jobs at the time and was gone 16-17 hours a day working Monday - Friday and some saturdays so I decided I didn’t have the time to do the bottom end and transmission myself. I sent off the engine to a company to have rebuilt, it took a solid 5 months for them to get to it, which sucked because I couldn’t ride from December - May. Not going to name the company.
I bought a manual for the bike and I completely restored the rest of the bike. Powder coated the frame, sent shock off and rebuilt forks myself. Replaced every bolt I could and installed all new bearings myself. Replaced majority of the parts on the bike because everything was so trashed. I learned a lot about the bike during this period which is awesome because I will forever have this knowledge. Here’s the bad.
I got the engine back and it worked for 3 rides until I could not shift past 2nd gear. I haven’t riden in 6 months due to this. I had bought a 2000 yz125 from a friend that just “needed a top end” and ended up getting ripped on that one too. I spend a solid $3000+ on the 97 yz125. Excluding buying the bike. My plan with these bikes is to take my time rebuilding the entire 97 engine myself and restore it the 2000 over the next year or two.
I’m buying a brand new 18 kx250f in a couple weeks and will be back to riding something that won’t become a money pit. Sadly, that’s what most of these old beaten bikes are, money pits. You will spend more time wrenching than riding unless you fully restore it. I would suggest that unless you are mechanically able to do the majority of these repairs and have a solid $2500-$3000 to dump into it, just go put $1000 down on a new bike and finance it. If you can get a new bike with 3-5% interest you will won’t pay much in interest. Try to find a past year model 250f or get a kawi or Suzuki for $5-$6,000. That’s my advice. Good luck my friend.
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