Craigslist Find Project

[dave916]

I worked for about 10 hours today, but wasn't able to get to starting the bike.  The crank threads on the ignition side are a little boogered, so I am going to order a left hand thread die to clean them up.  I got a ton done even without starting the bike.  All I have left is to put the ignition on, connect it, add the radiators, and put on the pipe and silencer.  Then's it's out for a break in, and back on Craigslist.  The best part is this counts as selling a bike, which I assured the very patient Mrs. Umberto I would do.   

Left hand thread on flywheel crank threads?

[umberto]

Good catch.  I misread the service manual where it said the puller has left hand threads.  Good thing my die order hasn't shipped yet.  Thank you Dave!

[reklessj]

Man Umberto you move fast!!! She is coming along nicely!!! Cool project

[umberto]

Thank you reklessj!  It was a really frustrating week at work, so I really needed a day in the garage. Once I got rolling, I just didn't want to stop. Thankfully Mrs. Umberto is a saint and allows me to do stuff like work on a dirt bike for ten hours. I probably need to get her some flowers just in case. 

[ninja]

I worked for about 10 hours today, but wasn't able to get to starting the bike.  The crank threads on the ignition side are a little boogered, so I am going to order a left hand thread die to clean them up.  I got a ton done even without starting the bike.  All I have left is to put the ignition on, connect it, add the radiators, and put on the pipe and silencer.  Then's it's out for a break in, and back on Craigslist.  The best part is this counts as selling a bike, which I assured the very patient Mrs. Umberto I would do.  

Nice job umberto, It really looks good $$$$

Break in is the fun part .... right  

[umberto]

Thank you ninja. I've enjoyed this flip a lot, and can't wait to ride it and see how all the parts work when put together. I just hope I don't get attached to it.

[umberto]

I was able to sneak out to the garage for a little bit this evening. My 12 mm x 1.25 tap came in, so I fixed the threads on the crank and installed the ignition. I then sorted and cleaned the electrical connections, and wired in the kill switch which had slightly different connectors. At this point I looked around at how little I had left and decided to keep going. I drained the old ratty fuel and installed the tank with a Tusk gas cap and the Tusk vent hose I purchased. I then added the radiators, guards, and shrouds. Lastly I installed the pipe and silencer.  





After I took those pictures, I put the swingarm stickers on.





I decided to wait on starting it until this weekend; I still want to clean the carb and maybe start it during the day so I don't aggravate the neighbors any more.  

[FL_Sharpshooter]

Looks awesome, nice work!

[umberto]

Thank you FL_Sharpshooter!  It's been a lot of fun to work on. Plus I got to clear out some leftover stuff from my parts bin. 

[umberto]

I was able to take a little time off work today, and got the final bits done on the bike.  I rolled it outside and it started on the 3rd kick.  It idled really high, and the muffler was way beyond blown out.  I killed it, adjusted the idle and the air/fuel screw and tried again.  The idle was even higher.  I decided to pull the carb off and see what was up.  It was pretty clean already, but I went ahead and used my jet cleaning files and some carb cleaner just to be sure.  While I was putting the top back on, I noticed that he had unscrewed the throttle cable from the tube which pulled the cable out 1/2" or so.  I screwed the cable back on, and that fixed the idle issue.

I pulled the silencer apart and not only was the packing almost entirely gone or soaked in oil, the holes in the tube were all gummed up.  I cleaned it all up and replaced the packing and the difference was crazy.  I guess it was just a straight through pipe before.

I rolled "Flipper" outside and kick her over again.  It fired on the first kick and settled in to a nice idle.  I put her in gear, and the transmission and clutch worked great.  The back brake was another story; it needs to be rebuilt I'm guessing.  I made a heat cycle around the neighborhood, and rode her back into the garage.  Hopefully I can get the rear brake fixed and go riding soon to get her broken in.  Then I'll set her free to another owner.  

[umberto]

On one of the best days at work ever, a French guy brought in one of Trey Canard's old CR125s to ship home to him in France.  He was a mechanic for Trey, and Trey gave him the bike as a gift.  We arranged shipping for the bike, but it took a few days so we got to talk to the guy a lot.  One of the things I really like about the bike was the grip tape on the frame.  I've tried skateboard deck tape, but I don't think it works as well as the stuff he was using.  I was in Home Depot today, and I found this stuff:



It is made by 3M and was $12.97 for a 15 foot roll.  You can find it in the paint section by all the tapes.  I have done Flipper and my 04 250, and I still have a ton left.  It is very tough and very sticky.

Anyway, before the Frenchman left to go home, he walked us through how to apply the tape.  I know most of you can probably get tape on your frame, but this made it easier for me so I thought I would pass it along.  The first thing he said to do was run a piece down the frame from the joint to the first major turn, like this:



Cut the tape off across the frame and then round the edge to the frame contour:



Apply the tape to the frame, and then switch to painters tape.  Place the tape close to the edge of the piece on your frame and run it as far down as you can before the frame turns again.  Use your nail to mark where you should cut the tape.



Trim the edges carefully with a razor blade and it should look like this:



Transfer that on to the top of the frame tape and cut with scissors:



Voila (is that even a French word?)!



Repeat until you've covered everything.  I like the frame tape because it protects your paint and can also cover up already rubbed off paint like on a flip you're trying to get top dollar for.  



Thanks French Guy!

[umberto]

Here is the bike we shipped.  Neither of those two dudes is me if you are wondering.  I'm way uglier than that.  

[umberto]

I got the master cylinder and rear brake calipers rebuilt yesterday, and I think the rear brake should be good.  I'll be riding it next week down in the mountains, so hopefully a ride report and video will be coming.  

In the meantime, I found another possible flip that just needs some cosmetic love.  It's a 2004 KX250 with a fresh top and bottom, Enzo suspension, Excel A60 rims and almost new MX3s tires, VForce 3 reeds, brand new Pro Circuit pipe and silencer, powder coated frame, subframe, swingarm, triples and Renthal oversize bars.  It's a really nice bike, it just needs to be prettier.  I picked it up pretty cheap, and will be using my last set of extra plastic to clean it up and hopefully make a little cash on it.  I paid $1,600 for it, an oversized tank, stand, and a spare seat.



Sorry for the crappy Craigslist picture, I didn't think to take a decent picture before I put it up. The garage is looking like Honest Umberto's Used Bike Emporium, time to sell some stuff.  

[umberto]

I gave the 2004 a bath, put frame tape on, fixed the clutch perch, and replaced the sprocket shaft gasket.  The previous owner had forgotten to put the o-rings in behind the bushing, which was causing a massive oil leak.  It took an entire  bottle of degreaser to clean the bike up.  The skidplate was especially gross.  

I'm going to replace the shrouds with a set I have that already has graphics, refinish the side panels, and spring for a new rear fender.  Unfortunately the one on it is too far gone.  I'll give it a good test ride over Thanksgiving and hopefully get both bikes back on Craigslist after Thanksgiving.

 

[umberto]

I was able to ride Flipper and the new 04 quite a bit over the break. Flipper turned out to be a really nice bike. I did four heat cycles, and then rode it for about 20 miles on a 2.5 mile trail on my parent's place.  It took about 90 minutes to do those 20 miles, and it barely broke a sweat. It's a little rich on the bottom, but it's not too terrible. The suspension, clutch, and transmission worked really well. The back brake is still not working, so I am going to swap parts from one of my other bikes until I figure out what's happening. All it needs after I fix the back brake is a bath and a new home. 

The 04 is a keeper. Great suspension, crisp motor, and no mechanical issues. My son rode it a little bit, and really liked it.  We worked out a trade for his 125, so I'll have either sell it or my KDX hybrid. I was pretty proud watching him handle a bigger bike without struggling too much.