Project 'Buyers Remorse' - XT350

[Tristan.]

I’ve been wanting to get into muddy riding for ages, and I’ve been looking for a bike in budget for quite some time. Unfortunately I think I got overexited and climaxed prematurely.

Last weekend I went to view this heap
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/xt.jpg
1988 XT350

Beforehand I had priced up every consumable and was confident that even if I replaced all of them I could still have a decent green laner for a decent price, so when I viewed it my main concern was checking the frame was solid not rusted through, which it is, just covered in surface rust. Knocked a few quid off as the rear rim had aids
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/B8DAC442.jpg
And the oil stinks of petrol.

Anyway money changed hands and the exty slipped into something a little more comfortable.
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/D4AD4C41.jpg
The next day I dislodged the bike from the car and put it together,
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/E07F5C40.jpg
then brought it into the house and started taking it apart.
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/2EB16139.jpg
All going quite well. No major issues and a few nice surprises – frame is fine in the covered areas and the steering head bearings are very new, Next I found this travesty
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/A7987E33.jpg
footpeg hanger is welded to the frame (brake lever is attached to the back of it, swingarm spindle is behind it and passes through the engine) so it needed to be removed. After asking for advice in the workshop I decided to try and chop it off, but first I would remove the top half so I could remove the swingarm, engine etc, to make it easier to turn the frame over and mitigate the chances of catching anything expensive.
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/66EE56F2.jpg
That’s pretty much the last thing you want to be doing to a bike you bought 2 days ago.

Then I hit a brick wall.
The swingarm pivot bolt and the 3 linkage bolts are completely seized in their bearings
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/77D67CFD.jpg
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/B72FFB1B.jpg
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/2FC12BB9.jpg
Given how fucked the shock was I just chopped through it to get a bit more access

I’ve managed to get the swingarm pivot bolt to rotate, initially with a fucking big breaker bar, but now it’ll turn with my crappy impact gun, but only for 10s at a time before my teeny compressor runs out of puff, so I’ve ordered an electric impact gun which should be able to handle spinning it constantly. I’ve also been soaking it in plusgas constantly, so current plan is to get it spinning constantly, then tap it and maybe apply heat to the swingarm. If that doesn’t work the angle grinder comes out again and I’ll butcher the swingarm, replacements are fairly cheap.

Then today I came down to find this
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/0B5FFB28.jpg
Something else to look into.

The temptation to break it is very high, only curtailed by the fact that barely any of it is saleable and the bits that are probably won’t break even what I paid.

Time to play with the Zixxers to cheer myself up.

[P.]

Curious... what did you pay for that?

I sold my 2005 WR450F for £822 and it even came with a spare plated frame

[Tristan.]

[Tim..]

Good luck with this one

You'll need it
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Project builds: My VFR400 nc30 build thread + Honda Britain Rep VFR + What? Another VFR +Project 'cos I want one' + V8 coffee table
www.marshallracing.co.uk
OCD - Helping to bring the standard of my bikes up and make me slowly go mad since 1999

[MaybeGuy]

I like the part where it became rusty.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[P.]

Ah that sucks

[Faraz]

Jesaas.
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'56 Yamaha MT-01
'05 Nissan 350z Roadster GT
3 words dude.. Fvck. Yes.

[pepperami]

Pah! Piffle! , you think you`ve bought a stupid project.
I raise you the Jawas from hell!
https://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/pepperami_photos/Jawa3.jpg
https://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/pepperami_photos/Jawa2.jpg

Previous owner was an expert on home made alternative wiring and ripping out parts without the aid of tools
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[N cee thirty]

if its going to give you hours of fun, might aswell do it properly and chuck away whats shit and gonna take ages to sort and get it done
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[CHR15]

just to make you feel better, i paid 500 quid for this.



https://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad233/chris-bracey/GK73A/CW022316Medium.jpg


trololol.
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Turbocharged drag thing / project death weapon / GK73A
Ste: I'm not entirely sure how you'd go about verbally abusing someone with a potato but I'm sure it's possible.

[tomh]

I'd be tempted to buy another shitter and just put the best of both together.

However, I can't see why it can't be sorted if you spend enough time on it. The best way to get through them shock linkages free is by cutting it off on both sides with a hacksaw. Once free knock out the collars, remove dust seals and then using a similar sized socket and hammer, knock out the bearings. If you take them to a local bearing shop it shouldn't cost to much to get replacements.

You'll probably find with the swingarm that its the bolt seized to collars so you can turn the bolt as the collars move in the rusty bearings but obviously can't remove the bolt, what you need for that is lot and lots of HEAT. Put the nut back on the spindle if you want to protect it and then hit away with a BIG hammer.

Keep us updated anyway

[Nick 50]

[dangerousdave]

Next I found this travesty
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/A7987E33.jpg

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-New-XT350-Frame-/261191007690?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3cd0327dca#ht_351wt_1062
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1988 Kawasaki KMX 200

Previous: Yamaha YZF1000, ZZR600, KMX200, DT50, KX80, CG125, PF50

[P.]

[Irn-Bru]

Is the engine at least a good runner or does it have the aids also? The back wheel is interesting, never seen that sort of damage before.
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[Tristan.]

https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/9C1D154C.jpg

Fuck you swingarm spindle

many many many hours to get that out, then ten minutes to get the engine out
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/BC500BA9.jpg
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/374E44B9.jpg
(rear mudguard captive nuts are spinning so they'll get drilled out later)

Short tangental story, I decided to lift the engine onto my bench, but I was wearing a clean suit, so I stripped off as the engine is filthy. Cue my girlfriend walking in as I'm hunched over with the engine in my naked midriff
"are you... fucking that?"
Then I had a manly shower using swarfega all over.

Then I realised I'd been stupid and I should of cleaned the engine first, so I used some of the skanky old petrol in my parafinn gun
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/B41C7C3F.jpg
Yes I'm whitetrash with a fridge in my garden - to be fair it's handy for this sort of thing

https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/6E722C2E.jpg
also cleaned up the swingarm, which is in decent nick, I expected terminal rust holes

although the linkage has more aluminium aids
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/934905BC.jpg
I'll keep an eye out for a new one.

https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/5572D72E.jpg
Next step is to see what kind of derpgasm the engine's had. As I mentioned the oil stinks of petrol so I'm expecting rings aren't sealing at the least. Plus there's the oil leak.

[Tristan.]

Argh, what kind of prick puts a bolt like this back on an engine
https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/tristanthe/Snapbucket/463986CC.jpg

[pdg]

Thanks for this story - keep it up, I feel so much better

Seriously though, I've had worse on the road in the (distant) past...

[bladerunner]

[Zen Dog]

Jesus Christ. What the hell have you bought?

Thats not a bike. Thats 25 years of rust and abuse, with tyres. If you get that thing going I'll be be seriously impressed.

Zen Dog
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Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, '10 600 Hornet - Previous - '11 CBF125, '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[Ichy]

[Blackwolf]

Where do you all get these cheap bikes from?! I want one
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Current: Ducati Multistrada 1200s

[suzukirider19...]

paid way too much imo this is local to me as i was gonna buy it

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/yamaha-xt-350-spares-repair-project-/121085937027?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item1c3148c583#ht_944wt_1130
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husky sm610

[Blau Zedong]

They rot but I've never seen one as far gone as this.

Kudos to OP if he gets it on the road

[Sload]

Christ what a mess
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Honda Varadero >> Triumph Speed Four >> Honda CBR1100xx