How much is this yz250 conversion worth?

[J-man67]

That truly sucks, but like others have mentioned...it can be fixed. The current welds appear to have been done by a stupid 3 yr old. Wrong temp, bad speed, bad beads, just not a lot of time went into that weld and it paints the picture. Try to find a reputable welder in your area...they are everywhere. Ask to see some of their work in person and ask them to sleeve it. Might need another guy to do that part, but you can make that area a lot stronger then stock if you wanted to. Fix it, it'll hold and you will still have a nice bike at a great price!

[ah665]

I have 1 quick question, as I am not a welder.... Let's say you take that frame to a reputable welder and he can sleeve it, re-do it to be stronger etc. Would that not, in-turn weaken the end points where the sleeve/fix is at? I would think the part where the crack is would then be fine but all you are doing is just moving the weak point somewhere else? Forgive me if that is a ridiculous question, but I am just thinking what would be going through my head, if I were the owner. As some have said, I would have very little confidence riding that bike, if it were fixed. I could be wrong though.

[jar944]

Jeffro,

So you think was done to make the pipe fit? I thought at first he bought a cracked frame on ebay for cheap to use for the conversion then had it welded. I opened a case with ebay, but im not sure what the outcome will be since I knew it had been fabricated.

Moving the yoke up to clear the pipe is a standard AF procedure. You just got a bike from someone that did a piss poor fabrication, preparation and welding job. It's easily fixable, but I'd possibly replace the entire cradle correctly rather than trying to weld over the crack.

look over on cr500 riders for ideas on how its correctly done

[Slackkinhard]

A good welder can make it so you never know anything happened. It will be even stronger.

Like I said...how much ya want for it? I think it could be a keeper. Hard to say what it feels like to ride though ?

[motoxvet]

Not if it's done correctly. I know what you'e thinking that now, the weak point would be at the end of the insert and it would crack there. The weak point, if you want to call it that would be stronger than it was as designed by Yamaha - if done correctly. Even if the welder decides the whole thing should be heat treated to remove any brittleness or re-harden, it can be done. Now, that doesn't mean it would be impossible to break. Doing stunt jumps, going over CLIFFS, ya know the real fun stuff. If you COULD break the frame after a quality repair, I would bet money, it would not be at the repair area but probably the other side of the frame. If so, the frame is being put thru stresses it was never designed for.

I think the OP should keep persuing the Ebay route before trying the repair. If sucessful, it would be a lot less work and hassle - BUT the repair IS possible

[jamracing]

Who made this conversion kit?

[oceantrav]

I got in touch with MPS, the company that does the conversions the right way. And they gave me some decent prices to do my frame the right way or to replace it with a frame that is already completed.

The seller finally returned my calls an text messages too. I guess he was on vacation, which is understandable. He said hes willing to let me return it, so now im just trying to figure out shipping, and whos paying for the shipping etc. I have already spent $300 on shipping.

[kijen]

I got in touch with MPS, the company that does the conversions the right way. And they gave me some decent prices to do my frame the right way or to replace it with a frame that is already completed.

The seller finally returned my calls an text messages too. I guess he was on vacation, which is understandable. He said hes willing to let me return it, so now im just trying to figure out shipping, and whos paying for the shipping etc. I have already spent $300 on shipping.

Not my money...but I think I would ask for the cost of the repair back from the seller, hell if you keep shipping the bike back and forth UPS is the only one making any money on the bike....it is a cool bike....

[ah665]

Not my money...but I think I would ask for the cost of the repair back from the seller, hell if you keep shipping the bike back and forth UPS is the only one making any money on the bike....it is a cool bike....

Agreed. If MPS can fix it reasonably cheap, then you are good to go. Having that bike would be awesome. I would definately want it fixed right though, if it were me. Good luck, man.

[Alan48]

Just my opinion,but how about have the seller pay the repair cost and in the meantime look for a frame on ebay, or have the seller buy the frame for you..I think the bike is worth keeping.

[RCannon]

If you look at the bike as a project thats 95% complete, its a bargain. Seriously. Piecing that together would cost more thna you paid. I wonder what a good welder woudl charge for a repair?

I know its impossible not to feel a little bitter about the deal, and I would, but dont lose sight of what it really is.

[J-man67]

Yeah man...big picture, you are still winning!

[BRM]

There is always the case though, if the fabricator botched this, what else is dodgy?

[velocityjunky]

I know Honda and Buell use a special alloy for their frames that doesn't require heat treatment after welding. Not sure about these frames. Usually aluminum loses a great deal of its strength after welding and needs to be heat treated to regain it.

Even though welds with proper penetration would make your situation better, keep in mind that heat treating the frame may be needed for it to be a proper repair

I'm skeptical about any of these conversions because of this fact

[Sheriff245]

When I uncrated my 2012 YZ125 last year I noticed that the areas around the welds were not the same color as the rest of.the frame. I'm not a specialist, but I suppose it has not been heat treated.

[jar944]

I know Honda and Buell use a special alloy for their frames that doesn't require heat treatment after welding. Not sure about these frames. Usually aluminum loses a great deal of its strength after welding and needs to be heat treated to regain it.

Even though welds with proper penetration would make your situation better, keep in mind that heat treating the frame may be needed for it to be a proper repair

I'm skeptical about any of these conversions because of this fact

How do you plan on the HT of a weldment made of various alloys both extruded and cast?

The general consensus is there is no post weld heat treatment on these frames.

[CaveMike]

Conversion be worth nothing. Better just put bike in crate, send to CaveMike. Him hit with hot rock until make all better. Problem solved.

[Griggsy85]

I got in touch with MPS, the company that does the conversions the right way. And they gave me some decent prices to do my frame the right way or to replace it with a frame that is already completed.
The seller finally returned my calls an text messages too. I guess he was on vacation, which is understandable. He said hes willing to let me return it, so now im just trying to figure out shipping, and whos paying for the shipping etc. I have already spent $300 on shipping.

For the record for anyone reading this, don’t use MPS they’re just as bad.. do some research on them.

[oceantrav]

51 minutes ago, Griggsy85 said:

 

For the record for anyone reading this, don’t use MPS they’re just as bad.. do some research on them.

 

That’s your opinion, your entitled to one.

I ended up buying a mps frame and it was top notch. No isssues.

 

 

[motoxvet]

5 hours ago, oceantrav said:

That’s your opinion, your entitled to one.

I ended up buying a mps frame and it was top notch. No isssues.

 

 

So my mind is kind of taking your post out of context.  Is that THE solution then to the cracked frame issue?  You just bought another converted frame from them and after assembly, the saga is over?