Post by entropy on May 12, 2008 11:34:41 GMT -5
Ahhhhh, Monday mornings at work. Doncha' love it?
Anyway, I'd like to have some input from some of you mates who have much more experience with SR/XT motors than I. I have recently aquired my 1978 SR 500E from my brother who owned it since 1981 or so. He bought the bike second hand from a work mate in 1981, when we all worked at a local Yamaha dealership in Scottsdale. My bro' road the bike several years while attending college. After graduating, the bike sat idle (covered in a garage) for almost 18 years. Then he recently sold the bike to me (to keep it in the family!).
The bike has approximately 26,000 miles on the original motor (never been apart).
I have been diligently working on the bike trying to get it street ready. I (so far) have replaced rubber parts, like carb manifold and boot, rebuilt the brake master cylinders, cleaned the carb, repaired some misc. wiring, and other knick-knacky things. I have two new tires on order, as well as chain and sprockets. I am planning on replacing wheel bearings and seals, fork seals, and servicing the dreaded swing-arm pivot in the near future.
My brother told me about the history of the bike and he recalled that when he parked the bike 18 years ago, he recalled that the bike seemed to blow a little oil smoke upon cold start up. His assessment was that the valve guide seals might be leaking a bit. I have since started the bike on several occasions (yesterday, the most recent) and noticed the smoke. Nothing heavy, just a little smokey. Once the bike warms up, no more smoke. I have not checked the compression PSI, but it seems really good. The bike is really easy to start (cold), usually on the first or second kick. The motor idles nicely and purrs like a kitten!
I am contemplating doing a fresh top end, including piston, rings, valve job, new cam chain, etc. Are there any opinions out there about what mileage (in general) this motor should be freshened up? Should I go ahead and ride it for a while, as is, and see how it is doing? I want to keep the motor completely stock.
Any opinions would be welcomed.
Thx, Ken
Anyway, I'd like to have some input from some of you mates who have much more experience with SR/XT motors than I. I have recently aquired my 1978 SR 500E from my brother who owned it since 1981 or so. He bought the bike second hand from a work mate in 1981, when we all worked at a local Yamaha dealership in Scottsdale. My bro' road the bike several years while attending college. After graduating, the bike sat idle (covered in a garage) for almost 18 years. Then he recently sold the bike to me (to keep it in the family!).
The bike has approximately 26,000 miles on the original motor (never been apart).
I have been diligently working on the bike trying to get it street ready. I (so far) have replaced rubber parts, like carb manifold and boot, rebuilt the brake master cylinders, cleaned the carb, repaired some misc. wiring, and other knick-knacky things. I have two new tires on order, as well as chain and sprockets. I am planning on replacing wheel bearings and seals, fork seals, and servicing the dreaded swing-arm pivot in the near future.
My brother told me about the history of the bike and he recalled that when he parked the bike 18 years ago, he recalled that the bike seemed to blow a little oil smoke upon cold start up. His assessment was that the valve guide seals might be leaking a bit. I have since started the bike on several occasions (yesterday, the most recent) and noticed the smoke. Nothing heavy, just a little smokey. Once the bike warms up, no more smoke. I have not checked the compression PSI, but it seems really good. The bike is really easy to start (cold), usually on the first or second kick. The motor idles nicely and purrs like a kitten!
I am contemplating doing a fresh top end, including piston, rings, valve job, new cam chain, etc. Are there any opinions out there about what mileage (in general) this motor should be freshened up? Should I go ahead and ride it for a while, as is, and see how it is doing? I want to keep the motor completely stock.
Any opinions would be welcomed.
Thx, Ken
i haven't checked compression lately but i think it's fine. Just check oil level sometimes.