2001 YZ250N restoration

[skip510]

[skip510]

Ok so I was having issues with posting pics. User error of course... Here's the hour meter installed.

Also polished the swing arm again, which was done originally some years ago. Received a nasty gash in the paint after I threw the bike down a hill at Hollister. So I figured I would be cool to polish up down to bare aluminum. Bad idea.... It lasted about 2 rides. So now I kept the polish but have a partially clear vinyl sticker protecting it. Seems to work fairly well and looks pretty good. I would not recommend polishing the swing arm to anyone else though. Waste of time in upkeep even if it does give you a "bling"

Don't worry, this is not a precursor to running 24" rims.

Edited August 28, 2014 by skip510

[skip510]

Speaking of rims... I just landed one heck of a deal. I have been looking around for some new rims since the originals are in such bad shape. 3 flat spots in the rear and 2 in the front. I just replaced the bearings in both hubs so didn't really want to splurge for a complete set and I wanted to get rid of that 19" rear. The bane of woods riding, that 19 has given me no end of grief. Multiple flats (sometimes twice in the same day), not to mention ridiculously painful to change a tire or flat due to the low profile tire.

Just the other day the answer came to my front door. A good friend of mine bought a new WR a couple years ago and immediately replaced his new stock excel rims with some powder coated black excels. I ended up trading a guitar pedal I had laying around for the pair. What a deal!

Have the spokes on order from Warp 9 and then just have to send them down to Chris at Wheel Works to lace em up. Should work perfectly.

Edited August 28, 2014 by skip510

[suzuki son of a bitch]

Looks good

[05CRF250]

Kudos on the build, its coming along nicely.

I would have to agree with others about the crank. I was in a similar position and had to replace my cylinder and after a lot of procrastinating about the old crank I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new one. The last thing I wanted to do is blow the bottom end and have to repair/replace my brand new cylinder.

Edited August 29, 2014 by 05CRF250

[skip510]

Kudos on the build, its coming along nicely.

I would have to agree with others about the crank. I was in a similar position and had to replace my cylinder and after a lot of procrastinating about the old crank I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new one. The last thing I wanted to do is blow the bottom end and have to repair/replace my brand new cylinder.

Agreed, I decided to pull it back apart and just buy a new crank, rebuild the water pump and replace the clutch as well. Clutch was in spec but a little worn and what's another few bucks at this point. Might as well go all the way. :-)

[quadfly]

Looking really good. I have just got myself a 2003 Yz125 that i am going to start restoring with my son. I want him to dismantle, and rebuld the bike to teach him more about the inner workings. The benefit for him is that when done, the bike is his to ride. Keep the pics coming.

[skip510]

Looking really good. I have just got myself a 2003 Yz125 that i am going to start restoring with my son. I want him to dismantle, and rebuld the bike to teach him more about the inner workings. The benefit for him is that when done, the bike is his to ride. Keep the pics coming.

That's awesome! It's good to hear families are still doing things like that with their kids. In today's age more and more are just plopping down in front of the tv or playing video games and not interacting.

When I was 15 my dad bought a basket case 1987 YZ250 and we did exactly what your about to do. I learned a lot about the mechanical workings of motorcycles and played a big part in the man I am today. Please start a thread, I would really like to see how things progress with your build!

Heres the ol YZ I spoke of in its later years right before I bought the bike I'm working on in this thread. I rode the wheels off that bike for over a decade.

[quadfly]

I will do, plan to take some pics today, and then start stripping her down. Great to have found a forum that I can reach out to for advice if I get stuck. Both Jnr and I are complete novices at this, so it's good learning all around.

[quadfly]

As as requested, i have started a new string, which you can see here https://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1101986-yz125-03-rebuild-father-and-son/. I will post images as i make more and more progress. Lots of rust and worn out bolts made for slow going today.

[rallyfan]

Neat Build Skip!!!  You mentioned above that your old cluch as in spec'. Last time out on my 07 YZ250 ( I also have a y2k and an 03 )  a squeek/skwauk sound emitted from my engine. Pull the clutch in and the noise went away. Drop the clutch in nuetral and the bike would move forward a tiny bit. Pulled the clutch and everything measured out Frictions/drives/springs  T/0 bearing was as smooth as you like. Installed new cluch pack and noise is gone and everything is back to normal. I quess my point is sometimes things measure out and are still hammered. If you wanna play YZ out at Hollister during the week ( To avoid injury, death from teen going the wrong way on trail ) hit me up. I'm in Santa Cruz.

[skip510]

Ok, so it has been a couple weeks since my last post. In the process of moving so hadn't had much time to work on the YZ. Good news is I will have a much bigger stable for the steeds!

Some more good news, I have a whole plethora of parts on order and hopefully should see them in the next week or so. One part did come in early and though I'm still in a state of flux between 2 residence, I couldn't resist putting them on.

The stock radiators where a little smashed and tweaked and since OEM replacements are around 300 a side, I decided to look into some alternatives.

A friend of mine found a good deal for some replacements on eBay for 100 bucks with new silicon hoses and purchased some for his WR. They worked great and their made in Southern California. Here they are in all their cheap polished glory.

They look great but I did find some issues while mounting them. My next post will be what I found... Stay tuned.

[YZX]

Those fleabay rads are great! I've got a set and trust me, they'll last.

[skip510]

Been a long time since posting here but I hate to leave things incomplete and like to share the results to hopefully help inspire others as I have been by others sharing their builds. This build was actually completed at the end of November 2015 and has since left my possession to a new owner. I truly hope she still is out there shredding the countryside. Here is just a few of the 171 pics I have of the build.

 

[skip510]

Out at Carnegie SVRA to break it in November 8th 2015. Ran perfectly. I  really do miss this machine.

Edited September 16, 2019 by skip510
Bad editing