Whenever I get bored and find myself a project it seems like multiple geysers erupt like a drunken game of Whack-a -Mole at the bowling alley arcade. The 1976 YZ125 was an unnecessary task to take on with all the race cars and motorbikes I have kicking around like a heard of hungry cats scratching at the door of the crazy ol cat lady, never mind the customer's proper bikes that pay my bills. Fuck I'll be damned if I ever give in to the conformity that is modern capitalism. My punk rock has become my bastard shop projects and the old wreck of a YZ125 is as good of protest as anything else I can conjure up. Frank showed up and built me a stairway. That re-instilled my faith in fellow man. John showed up to sort out his Champion XS650 that he lovingly lay in my deadbeat hands for a five year plan some couple years ago without any progress. The only expectations are for it to be an operating race bike again and today I did manage put some head wind in between the fork tubes. It will be spinning laps in no time now. Thanks John. He also set me straight on getting the SonicWeld framer back to semblance with a air cooled 250cc form my bone yard in lue of the XS650 I comically envisioned shoehorning into the little frame. And yes the fuckedalltohell YZ125 engine is back together. But will it run....
Frank Lambick; He has built more stairs than anyone I've ever known. ...That I know of. Thanks amigo. Sidenote: I have the Xr650R performing hideously well. I am dreaming of an off road race near you...
I tried out a SKF Speedi Sleeve to repair the pitted crank shaft surface but it caused excessive drag on the seal. Might be a good fix for a bigger displacement bike but I need this lil' bitch to scream like a mad banshee so I found a seal with a 1mm smaller ID and turned the crank down.
The Head was wicked pitted and squish was .060" so carved a bunch off and eyeballed my own ideal dome.
The 1mm smaller diameter crank shaft seal surface, nice and smooth.
John opted to not run one of my 750cc built engines since he allready had a nice 700cc engine. He wanted to go electric ignition so we fitted up this sleek setup. Did a rattle can job on the gas tank and all of a sudded we got a race bike in the shop that I am giddy to spin some laps on. It ran pretty darn not bad up and down the old highway in front of the shop today :)
The next itch to scratch...
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