Who's that back yard motorcycle fixer upper?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TFOGGER

Out of business for at least 6 years. I bought a lot of their old inventory at auction.

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Geez am I out of touch.

ride on over Stuart.

I rode mine for about 3 months everyday at Camp Pendleton. About 25 miles each way. It was like new though. I think it had like 120 miles when I got it from my inlaws. Now, when I ride my kids crf50 with the training wheels, I look like Krusty the Clown.

Haha, I remember riding my younger cousin's Yamaha 100 around the neighborhood. It was fun to tool around on, but when we took it up to his dad's cabin in Golden Gate Canyon, the elevation was enough that the bike couldn't even go up the hill with me on it; and I mean a grated, smooth dirt road. That was also 10 years and 50 pounds ago!

Update. Here is the bike in the truck this morning. I stopped over at TFOG Wheelsports and spoke with Mr. TFOG himself. Turns out he was so close, that I could have easily pushed the bike to his shop. We've got some parts ordered. The clutch handle, shift lever, and a battery. He's got a nice shop, and for sure is NOT just a back yard mechanic. I took this picture at another place though.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...916001108a.jpg

Here is the bike with the seat, gas tank, and side covers off. My grandpa got a good laugh at me when he found out that the valve lash on each side was about 1/8". No wonder it ran like crap when I put the motor back together from a 5 gallon bucket 10 years ago! I didn't get a hold of TFOG until the end of the day to find out that they should be set at .002 (intake) and .004 (exhaust), so in the mean time, they are both set at .006. I'll fix the valve lash on Saturday.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...0916001225.jpg

Saw that the coil cover is also cracked, so I'll have to order another one of those as well.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...0916001227.jpg

Next we checked the gas tank. There was for sure some rusty chunks rattling around in the tank. So, we took some fine sand and put it in the tank and shook it around (several times) to break the rest of the crap loose. Considering there is a wall around the filler hole, I was surprised at how easy it was to get all the sand out. A vacuum with a small hose attachment and a small flashlight easily took care of the rest of the sand. That was about when I found the holes in the tank though.

You can see the sun shining in through the small holes on this shot of the inside of the tank.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...0916001439.jpg

And here they are after I sanded down the paint.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...916001439a.jpg

Next we soldered up the holes on the outside.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...0916001449.jpg

Last task of the day was making sure the inside of the tank was clean, filter removed, and pouring some Red Kote inside and coating the inside of the tank with that stuff. In 24 hours it will dry up and harden. In the mean time, my grandpa said he'd rotate the tank every hour for me to make sure it coated evenly and didn't puddle.

I thanked my grandpa and his buddy profusely for sharing their smarts with me and showing me what to do. We did get the bike to run for a second or two without the battery and the gas tank, but without the tank, you can only get enough fuel in the carb to run for a little bit. However, it started up just as easily and seemed as smooth as it did before I took the motor apart so many years ago.

Thanks TFOG for all the help so far. I'll need to get a coil and a chain from you at some point. Who knows when that will be though.

Hey Stu, will solder actually hold on that tank over the long term (considering the abuse a dirt bike takes)?

I have no idea. I just did what my grandpa told me to do. I have a feeling that the Red Kote on the inside, which is supposed to work on its own, combined with the solder will be fine. I doubt this dirt bike will ever see all that much hard use. I'll probably end up parking it up in the Pawnee Grasslands and only riding it whenever I can get up there to do so.

what you can't get from TFOGGER LMK. I have a guy up in S. dakota that literally has a single wide full of shit like this little gem i'm looking to sell or trade off

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...20pics/022.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...20pics/021.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...20pics/019.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...20pics/020.jpg

Thanks Jim, I'll keep that in mind.

That thing runs, Jim? I wish I couldve checked it out when I was there. My lil bro is into retro bikes/scooters.