[TrialsRider]

No problem, but when you retighten those crankcase bolts make sure to torque them to the recommended settings.

add to that if they have copper washers; your should 'anneal' the copper to reuse them, simple step, you just heat copper until it glows, let it cool slow and it makes the copper washer softer to use a second or third time

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

One of the best carb cleaning products I found out about was Pinesol. I have used it full strength. Use gloves as it will take your skin off but works great on the carbs. Rinse with hot water and blow dry with compressed air. The stuff is really amazing but dont soak for too long just enough to remove the grime and solidified petrol. So much for cleaning seems you never washed dishes or anything else. Get your moms advice I bet she can set you straight.

 

[BikeBen]

Alright the journey continues ladies and gents and “operation ressurection” has hit a bit of a corroded snag. Might need to emphasize the “ressurection” part of the title.

as the bike was stored in a backyard with no spark plugs in it I figured that there may be some debris in the cylinders that should be inspected before I start her up. Well…..it turns out there was a bit of “debris” and it looks pretty intense. Lots of build up in the 2nd cylinder and will need a significant amount of cleaning it the bike is to live again. Pictures provided and all suggestions are welcome. Of which I’m sure atleast 1/3 will be “get a new bike”. Thanks for going on the journey with me

 

[TrialsRider]

The problem is, 3 grand canadian will buy you a complete XS750 that is ready to ride on the road, & realistically you're going to sink more coin then that into parts and labour just to get this one to run.

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

I concur!
She is trash and will only bring you down. Dump her.

 

[Classic250]

Pictures provided and all suggestions are welcome. Of which I’m sure at least 1/3 will be “get a new bike”.

I'm guessing that would be a conservative estimate. Sometimes it's good to take up a challenge, and sometimes it's good to, as Kenny Rogers says, know when to walk away and know when to run.....

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

Well look at the bright side you found the mess before ordering a pile of parts. If you are looking for a different bike you should post up your location as people here love to spend other peoples money and may point out a good deal.

 

[TrialsRider]

 

[BikeBen]

I have a confession to make…..and I may end up regretting this….if so I’ll admit it on this thread….I’m determined to bring this bike back to life. I know I know, it’s in rough condition (ie a rusted out heart) but I think there’s hope and also my wife said there’s no way I could get it running so…:there’s that challenge too. But I’m pressing on! I was able to source a rust/corrosion free engine block, I removed the old block (it was beyond any sort of salvaging) and it’s only appropriate that I update the title of this thread to Frankenstein Build. This bike will eventually be a compilation of donor parts from other bikes (hence the name “Frankenstein”), oh and it’s green which I’ll incorporate into the final paint job as well but here we go….again I might regret it but hey it’s about the journey along the way too as I try and bring this back to life bit by bit. Let the Frankenstein Build commence!

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

Is this an engine that should run when it has fuel and spark? It will be a learning process.

I got started on street bikes by purchasing GSXR 750 wrecks rebuilding and than street racing them. The first one I got still had the crusted blood all over the frame. My friends thought I was nutz. No one else that knew the bikes story would touch the thing. .

 

[BikeBen]

Is this an engine that should run when it has fuel and spark? It will be a learning process.

I got started on street bikes by purchasing GSXR 750 wrecks rebuilding and than street racing them. The first one I got still had the crusted blood all over the frame. My friends thought I was nutz. No one else that knew the bikes story would touch the thing. .

Wow that’s gnarly and thankfully I can skip the blood scrub step. Word on the “here’s an engine, good luck street” is that the engine should run with some fuel and spark. So let’s all keep our forum typing fingers crossed.

 

[TrialsRider]

Compression test is a good start with a new old engine.

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

If this were me I would be pulling wheels, fork, and triples. I would replace wheel bearings, steering head bearings and rebuild the forks. While in that process I would inspect the swing arm bearings and lube or replace as needed. While at that I would be tempted to address the #1 important system on a motorcycle and I am not talking about the loose nut behind the bars as that runs #2 after the brake system. A bike at this age should get new seals, pistons, and lines as needed. FYI:Old pads no matter how good they look generally suck at least feel wise. Stopping is a good thing! This is all stuff I address on any used bike I purchase. On something newer i may just inspect most while replacing all the fluids. I think almost every used bike I have purchased handled better after the fork service, some were just dangerous prior to service.

 

[BikeBen]

Thanks for the guidance and the optimism! I know it’s going to be a journey but I’m looking forward to going through it all. Thanks for the insight YT Zombie. I’m planning to do all of that.
Quick question for the gurus on here….these lines are on my “new engine” but my original engine didn’t have these. Are these the vacuum lines and do they hook up to the petcocks? Do I even need them? It seems like most people just have these lines capped essentially….

 

[TrialsRider]

Yes to vacuum ports. The area between the carburetor and the intake valve is intense with intake vacuum, this is where you will connect accessories that operate off the engine vacuum pressure or connect a vacuum gauge to balance the carburetor adjustments. If they are used for accessories like a fuel petcock they will have hoses on them and if they are only used for carburetor balancing they will normally be capped.

 

[TrialsRider]

... if it was a gas powered automobile some other items you might rob some intake vacuum pressure to power include: cruise control, ignition timing advance, windshield wipers or air vents If it was a diesel engine you would never want to rob any vacuum off the intake, so you would add a vacuum pump onto the engine to power those things.

 

[BikeBen]

Started installing the “new” engine onto the bike and found that the piston rings on the piston that was rusted have completely seized and essentially become one with the piston. Made my way onto eBay (thank god for people parting out bikes) and found a “new” one with rings. It’s a few weeks out and then the journey continues. Why didn’t anyone tell me this would be a time and money pit?!

 

[TrialsRider]

Did we forgot to mention you should not buy a used engine for parts if the replacement engine has not or can not pass a compression test In a decent scrap yard you will see numbers written on the engine to indicate the compression readings when it was parted, if not then the engine was probably DOA

 

[Youtube_Zombie]

I do believe it was mentioned or at least implied to scrap the heap.

 

[TrialsRider]

Keep this in mind: Motorcycle replacement parts are typically marked up at least 300% over the price of the original motorcycle and manufacturers typically support replacement parts for no more then 7 years post model production. The longer those OEM parts sit on a shelf somewhere as inventory the more they have the price marked up. This is how a 5 year old plastic fender sticker ends up costing a hundred bucks or becomes totally unavailable.

There are a Lot of consumable parts on a motorcycle. If you buy a worn out 4-cylinder non-running motorcycle and throw mail order parts at it, all you will do is constantly sink money and time into something that you can rarely or possibly never ride. Too many of those un-finished, over-priced bobber-chopper projects are on the used market now.

You're young! If you really want a nice old motorcycle to actually ride, what you do is buy a really Nice new single cylinder motorcycle, ride it solo until it's old and now you have a nice old, ridable, well sorted motorcycle that you know still runs like it ran when it was purchased new. With a single you will be done fixing and out riding in 1/3 of the time, you will need to buy fewer bits to fix or maintain it and encounter fewer mechanical complexities to deal with.