KX Riders
General => In General... => Topic started by: umberto on January 22, 2015, 10:46:11 AM
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I still have the 1980 Honda Z 50 that I rode as a kid. It is not my first bike, but it was one of my favorites. I often flip dirt bikes on Craigslist for fun and to make a little money to support my habit. I usually buy bikes that are in rough shape and in bad need of some TLC. I call them my "Redneck Rescues". My dad asked me to do a RR on this bike. Needless to say young Umberto was not as kind to his bikes as present day Umberto is. The bike was in sad shape, so my son and I blew it apart for easier transport from my parents.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/7F3B31EA-AFBD-4ACA-9F4D-940F785E3E63_zpsmsatwdj9.jpg~original)
We installed new races, and the 40 individual ball bearings that make up the steering stem. Also installed the swingarm and shocks:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/64E56E5D-8589-49F5-A648-9432498254BF_zpstnxdjzzi.jpg~original)
Next came the motor, airbox, pipe, seat, wheels, new brakes, and number plates:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/355E1C37-8F15-4275-A407-E401C04EA0BE_zpsuttq4yhq.jpg~original)
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/EE31B932-E51F-4E34-A623-45A98EF8373F_zpscwcscgmh.jpg~original)
I bought some cheap reproduction fenders from Flea Bay, but they were only red on the top. I used them to check all the mounting holes and hardware. I've got some brand new OEM fenders that are going on when I get closer to done:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/346C9988-E264-44C8-9398-8CDDCC8B3B26_zps6pdnz1ex.jpg~original)
Just waiting for one last round of small stuff from BikeBandit.com, and I should be done and riding. Not sure what Dad has planned, but it's sure been a blast to work on.
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Got the last few little things on the bike yesterday. Now I'm just waiting on the tank to get painted. In the "whew" moment of the day, the old bike still has fire. A fresh plug rewarded me with a fat blue spark. Now I just need to put some gas in the carb and see if she'll live again.
(http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/22489608.jpg)
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I love it :-D
Thanks for posting..
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Quick project update: So I've been kind of stuck with the Z. I think the exhaust valve may be sticking open and letting the charge escape. I know the intake valve is moving and I can feel the intake suction, but so far it hasn't even tried to start. That makes me think stuck or not seating exhaust valve, or rings. Dang I hate four strokes.
I've been down with a bad back, but am on the mend and should be able to tinker with it a bit this weekend. I'll post a ride video if I can get it up and going this weekend.
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Sorry to hear about your back... I've been dealing with a large herniated disc for the last 20+ years so I can feel for ya.
A quick compression test will verify your theory.
But.... you probably knew that :-D
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I actually have a Harbor Freight compression tester. I take it with me on all my "Redneck Rescue" buys. It can be really handy for sure!
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Good call on the compression test Sandblaster. It was only holding 30 PSI. My dad is an old hot rodder, and suggested putting a little oil in the cylinder to lubricated the valves and seats and got it to 60-70 PSI. I got the gas tank back from my dad today, so I should be able to try starting it with real petrol instead of ether. I'm hoping 60 is enough to get it running long enough to get the valves warmed up and seating better. I'll keep you posted.
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Got my tank back from the painter. So shiny... 8-)
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/A3942932-B2AA-4404-8BA3-D473AF7AF7DF_zpsj4w4a95y.jpg~original)
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Looks great....
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I got the tank mounted and the OEM fenders installed. All I have left to do is paint the wheels and install the new tires.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/4EB7D06A-9F9B-4604-8A2C-86A1E3205974_zpsko4j8yt0.jpg~original)
Unfortunately, the bike does not want to start even with real gas. Does anyone know of a good place to send four stroke motors for repair? I haven't heard good things about my local Honda dealer.
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I'd really like a 50 for a suitcase bike. Man you could near take it anywhere.
Anyway if I remember right Roost452 used one of these piranha 140 motors in his street legal camp bike. Might be cheaper than building one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Piranha-140cc-Pit-Bike-Engine-crf50-atc70-crf-50-70-atc-/390887546230?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5b02b69d76&vxp=mtr
Looks sweet!
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I ended up buying a new head on e-Bay. It's got all new stuff, and should fix the valve issue. It's a pretty simple swap, with only a couple of sprockets to time.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Njg2WDU5NA==/$(KGrHqZHJBwE7yt-GuPiBPF0meoQBw~~60_12.JPG)
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Yeah good move.
I'd toss a new piston and ring set in it and go ride...
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What he said! Once you have the head off the cylinder is easy.
Nice looking project!
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I got the piston in today. Just makes sense to swap it out. I'll post pics in a bit, I have a hard time posting from my iPad. You guys will get a laugh, the piston and valves are comically small. It's amazing such a small piston can make so much power.
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The piston:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/E19E8E0C-D41B-41F9-A268-E662555FDB9D_zpsjcznnnli.jpg~original)
The valves (that's my index finger):
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/32D2FF63-CCE9-43AC-9170-1AD55FD9486B_zps4t8ukeay.jpg~original)
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That little scoot is gonna go...
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I'm pretty excited to ride it. Those little Honda's will really pull for such a small motor. Of course I'll have to beat my 14 year old to it. I think he's more excited about the little 50 than he was for his 05 KX 125. :-D
I've also lined up another project after I am done with this one. Let's see if anyone can guess what it is. It's a two stroke 50 that's a bit off the beaten path. My dad used to haul home all kinds of bikes when I was young and bikes were cheaper and simpler. I actually had one of these bikes, but mine is long gone. This bike was purchased at the same time and from the same dealer, and is in pretty good shape. It's a 77 or 78. Any guesses?
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MR50????
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Man, I wish. I had one of those too. This bike is a little smaller and more exotic... :-D
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Looks like I found the problem. As I kind of thought, the valve seal on the exhaust valve rusted and was not sealing. I found gas in the exhaust pipe, and rust under the valve in the head.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/4D55ABF3-0A01-4F64-8CF4-9E8D2F508C4E_zpsmvrfp2cm.jpg~original)
I got the new head and piston installed, the valves adjusted, and the cam timed. The head studs did not feel right to me when I was tightening them (before torqueing). I decided to order new ones, instead of breaking off one of the existing ones most likely in the block knowing my luck. That's all I have left, so maybe next weekend I can post a ride video. :mrgreen:
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I got all the parts in yesterday and finally reserved a bit of time in the garage to finish up the might Z50R. I'll let my good friend Ace Ventura take it from here:
(http://media.tumblr.com/465d4ad6cb9aa6ae93cbdd4b50c9b51d/tumblr_inline_n0nuq2I5tH1qgp297.gif)
I got to ride it around in driveway for a few minutes and man did that bring back memories! I have a small oil leak on the cam cover I need to address, but it's pretty minor. I'll be checking the microfiche to see if I missed an o-ring or something. Once I get that fixed I'll trick the boy into riding it around for a youtube video. I look like a hippo when I ride it. :-D
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I got the oil leak fixed, but mother nature decided to bring real winter to Oklahoma. My stunt rider doesn't work in sub 50 degree weather. :-D
I'll try to post a ride video as soon as the white stuff is gone.
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Ride videos as promised. For such a small bike, this thing has a ton of torque.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxBmQ9-lbiI&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxBmQ9-lbiI&feature=youtu.be)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHNRuFtbR4o&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHNRuFtbR4o&feature=youtu.be)
All that is left now is to install the tires and new tubes and paint the rims.
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Sounds good
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Thank you Sandblaster. I was so relieved when it ran. Even though I grew up working on cars, four stroke motorcycle engines scare me. All those unnecessary parts and no expansion chamber. :-D
Oh, and for my next project I managed to find one of these. Did anyone else have one as a kid? It's an Italjet two stroke 50. They were originally marketed as Indians in the early 70s. I'll get some better pics up once I have it in the garage.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/71B30AA7-DF57-406B-9E77-B31E27CBF840_zpsdbcwcdiz.jpg~original)
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WOW that is clean , especially for a kids bike. Fun looking project
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How about the Honda RC166 if you want crazy small parts and lot's of them! 250cc, 6 cylinders, 24 valves. 41mm X 31mm bore and stroke. 20K RPM and 65 hp. Valves the size of tack heads. All designed and built by hand before the age of computers. Won 10 out of 10 races before they were done away with. One of my favorite motorcycles.
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I would love to get a NSR500 twin GP engine and stick it in CRF chassis. What a supermoto that would be! :-D
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Brute made me curious, 7 speed trans in there
(http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj543/81cr450/honda-rc166-4_zpsk5bpmtrb.jpg)
http://world.honda.com/MotoGP/history/RC166/
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Where is the expansion chamber on that motor? What are all those extra parts? :-D
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So I took my wheels to Cycle Gear to get the tires put on. The guy tried to install them, got the bead broken, but was afraid to bend the wheels. I took them to Cycle Gear because I bent one myself. Should I try the Honda dealership? I don't have the patience to do it myself. :-D
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Sandblaster may have your answer
http://www.oem-cycle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=816
As many bikes as you have I think in the long run it would be worth it for you
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I bought one of those last fall, and I've been dying to use it. Unfortunately, it does not help with tire removal, and the rims I have are unbelievably thin and bend if you look at them the wrong way. I think I am going to just buy a set of rims off eBay and assemble them on the tire. They are two pieces that bolt together with a removable hub. Might as well take advantage of the design, I will probably never see it again, at leaset not on a bike I typically work on. :-D
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzkyWDY0MA==/$(KGrHqF,!icF!NqJ9JJZBQYpvfTHJw~~60_12.JPG)
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Duh nevermind , if I'd looked at the wheel first
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I got my new wheel halves in today. They are reproductions, but they actually have twice as many bolts that hold the wheel together. Should make them a bit stronger:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/A27030D5-8EAD-43A9-AEE8-196BB7AE99E7_zpsrbtpapqy.jpg~original)
I wish all dirt bike wheels were like this. It was so easy to mount the tire! You just put the tube in the tire, inflate the tube just a little bit, put on the valve stem side rim, turn over and install the other rim, and bolt together. It took me maybe ten minutes per side. Here is one of the wheels before I installed the hub:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/698038B4-111B-413A-B030-FCF594863FBF_zps8zyolh42.jpg~original)
And finally, here is the completed bike. Kind of sad to be done, but it's on to the next one!
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/B1CE4497-7630-4A25-91F7-3F82A19C6A0C_zpsl0nelfxi.jpg~original)
(http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/48375590.jpg)
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(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/B1CE4497-7630-4A25-91F7-3F82A19C6A0C_zpsl0nelfxi.jpg~original)
that thing couldn't look any newer....nice job.
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Thank you sir. It was a lot of fun to work on. It brought back so many good memories of my childhood.
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Turned out nice , now your not gonna let kids ride that are you :-o
Like to build something like it.
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Looks GREAT!
I've had to use a heat gun at times to remove old hard tires.
Heat them till you smell them burning, then heat them some more.
It stinks but makes the tires way softer.
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My son is 15 and almost six feet tall, and I can't keep him off of it. He's such a careful rider, I don't mind him riding it. He always helps me with my projects, so I have to reward him once and a while. :-D
You should get one to work on. There are a lot of parts available and the bikes are fairly easy to find, especially the newer models (post 88 or so). Plus they're actually a hoot to ride.
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Looks GREAT!
I've had to use a heat gun at time to remove old hard tires.
Heat them till you smell them burning, then heat them some more.
It stinks but makes the tires way softer.
Thank you for the tip Sandblaster. I'll definitely file that away for next time. The tires were pretty stuck, but they were only part of the problem. The stock rims were so thin, it was ridiculous. You couldn't even touch them with a tire iron or they would bend.
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Look what I finally got in the garage. What a cool little bike! It's all there, except for a broken throttle housing that I may be able to fix. The motor has compression and fire, it just needs the carb cleaned. I forgot how small it is (it's sitting in front of my 2004 KX 250). I'll post some pics of my work on it tomorrow and a ride video if all goes well and it will haul my 15 year old around. If he's too big, I may need to hire a new stunt rider. :-D
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/6E55B592-BF63-4CAB-98BD-5D2C44AB23BF_zpslnxnan70.jpg~original)
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I was able to work on the Italjet today for a couple of hours. I cleaned out the carb and gas tank, and changed the oil. It is remarkable how good a condition this bike is in. A put some fresh gas in it, and rolled her outside. After about seven or eight kicks, it fired right up. The throttle housing is cracked and won't stay put on the handlebars, but everything else works just fine. Here is a video of it running. I'll post more videos once I find a throttle housing and cable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZecNyq2L1BI&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZecNyq2L1BI&feature=youtu.be)
After we got it running, it got a thorough bath. I polished up the tank with some light cutting compound and a fresh coat of wax. It's such a pretty little bike when clean. I'll be cleaning the seat with some leather cleaner tomorrow.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/0E73CD2B-1898-4E89-8C3E-042D554ADF42_zps7dnpwlvk.jpg~original)
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So I'm having a very hard time getting a replacement throttle for the bike. The Indian/Italjet parts guy on the internet is not responding to my e-mails, even though that's how he says to contact him. There wouldn't happen to be someone on the site that knows where to get a throttle housing for an Italjet would there?
This is the site I tried to contact in case anyone knows the owner. 8-)
http://www.indiandirtbikeparts.com/partslistsandmanuals.html (http://www.indiandirtbikeparts.com/partslistsandmanuals.html)
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Here's what you could do.
Buy one of his items on eBay like this one for a buck:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-NOS-Indian-Rear-Axle-Nut-Washers-JC-54-Junior-Cross-mini-dirt-bike-motorcycle-/251843628739?vxp=mtr&hash=item3aa30ccec3 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-NOS-Indian-Rear-Axle-Nut-Washers-JC-54-Junior-Cross-mini-dirt-bike-motorcycle-/251843628739?vxp=mtr&hash=item3aa30ccec3)
Then, go here and put in his user ID and the item number you just bought:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/ebayadvsearch/?_sofindtype=9&_adv=1&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_kw=ebayadvsearch&_dmd=1&_since=15&_sop=7&_ipg=50 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/ebayadvsearch/?_sofindtype=9&_adv=1&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_kw=ebayadvsearch&_dmd=1&_since=15&_sop=7&_ipg=50)
eBay will email you his contact info including his phone number :-D
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Sneaky... Great idea!
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I have my moments :lol:
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So I drug this guy out today, in between working on my other bike. I bought a generic throttle designed for a XR 50 to replace the poorly made and broken stock one. It fit nicely, but the throttle cable was too long. I made an aluminum adapter to put between the cable and carb to take up the extra throttle cable, and I was good to go. As I was putting it back together, the strange little fuel adapter that screws into the carb stripped out.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag75/umberto_32/Untitled_zps00vao4cl.jpg~original)
I pulled it out to realize that the boss that was cast into the carb and threaded has disintegrated in a pile in the carb. I also realized that the clamp on the carb that holds it to the intake was broken off.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxNTkz/z/vOMAAOSw-vlVmrcQ/$_57.JPG)
Parts are nearly impossible to find, but luckily, I found this carb on eBay shipping out of Ohio:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxNTk2/z/U5QAAOSw9N1VmrcV/$_57.JPG)
Once I get the carb on, I should be able to finally post a ride video. This thing has been fun and challenging to work one. Parts are pretty limited, but it's stone simple.
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I got the M5C going under its own power today. The carb got in yesterday, and was an almost direct bolt on. I didn't get a chance to do a ride video, as my test rider was busy with a swim party. I did get to ride it in a unique place. When I was a kid, my dad thought it would be funny to ride a dirt bike through our house. He enlisted my sister and me to hold the doors and he rode a Kawasaki 70 (or 90?) through the front door, down a set of three stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. My sister and I were laughing our heads off, but needless to say Mom was not thrilled.
(http://www.md-11.org/iac/Kaw1.jpg)
As I sat on the M5C today, I thought maybe this should be a tradition in the Umberto family. I opened the back door from the garage and had my son open the front door. We have tile from the front to the back, so I knew I wouldn't make too much of a mess. I gunned it and flew through the house. I hit the front porch, and realized I needed to get back in the garage some how. I turned her around and flew back through the house. I parked in the garage and came in to find my son dying laughing, and my wife nowhere to be found. She was at the store. Oh well, at least we thought it was funny. :evil:
I promise to get a ride video up this week. Probably not in the house though. I like sleeping inside. :-D
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That is a sweet lookin little bike.
I would ride it through my house... But I would get it on video to prove it :evil:
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Id kick Tammy out of bed to sleep with that!!! :evil: :evil:
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My dad had two of those 90s that were early 70s models. He and Mom used to ride them all over the place near our house in Southeastern Oklahoma. My cousins and I rode them into the 1980s, and they were just stone reliable. We traded them in to the local dealership in 84, and they were still kicking. I don't think we ever did a bit of maintenance on them besides the normal filter and oil change.
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Plus they're rated for indoor use. :-D
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So I'm thinking of selling the little M5C. As much fun as it is to ride through the house, (yes, I will get a video as proof :-D) it's not very practical to ride. I'm not sure how or where to sell it. Anyone have any ideas? I thought about eBay, but if anyone knows of a better place to sell something so rare (especially an Italjet forum), I'm all ears.
Thank you!
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I finally got my test rider to make a video for me. Unfortunately, we couldn't make a house run. Today is just not a good day for it if I want to live through the day. :-D
https://youtu.be/iSfV-uUrJAo (https://youtu.be/iSfV-uUrJAo)