Ok, so we are progressing along.
The donor bike cost $1200. TB reckons i must be a visionary as it was such a POS.
Step one , strip bike, sell of junk i don’t need. Front and rear wheels, triple clamps, forks, shock, tank seat.
Throw plastics away, throw cracked swingarm away, airbox cracked.
What am i left with? A 1989 XR600 frame and engine. Sold the excess for $850 so the frame and engine owes me $350.
Wet blast frame. i have an attachment for the pressure washer that turns it into a wet blaster. Have to wear a raincoat while using it but it’s pretty good. They are about $100 and are really useful for moss covered pavers, motorcycle frames and skid steer loaders…..
Frame is ugly, standard problems. Sidestand has been ripped off and rewelded by farmer Joe. Just to make sure his welding stuck he made multiple layers of slag and re-enforced it by welding in bits of and EH Holden. Most of the engine mount tabs are also cracked courtesy of the “grade 8.8” racing stainless steel allen head cap screws that adorned this machine. WTF people think a 1.5mm pitch thread can generate the clamping force a 1.25mm bolt that is designed to stretch?! Anyway, the engine has been fretting in the mounts and making a mess. Rear subframe brace is cracked and has more EH Holden welded in, exhaust mount is cracked.
2 hours with an angle grinder and the frame looks much better. There is a lot of EH holden on the floor.
Engine was much the same. cam lobe burnt from lack of oil, all rocker cover bolts stripped or have helicoils that are pulling out. Piston is a 100mm Wiseco that’s saveable (woohoo) Con rod has been replaced with a hotrod that’s worn out (ProX rods are much better in the XR, hotrods don’t seem to last)
Rest of the engine is not too bad. Gearbox is the WORST i have ever seen. I’ll post photos.
have to say a big thanks to Popey here (Kamakazi-Rocket) for the bead blasting/paint stripping effort on the engine cases. It took hours to strip the super industrial strength paint off before it was clean enough to send to Dave Mac for vapourblasting.
The shopping has been going Ok too. Got a set of 89 CR hubs for $20 each. Keihin 41mm FCR carb for $200, 89 KX 500 46mm conventional forks for $300, swingarm for $65, a pair of new XR250 tanks for $200 delivered.
