I felt your pain on that stupid head. I hate getting close to completion only to find new problems, and then having to order parts and wait. I'd be using some 4 letter words! I've always thought I should get a dirt bike but never did. This has inspired me to start looking again. Cheers Jim.
You have great property for a dirt bike. Been telling my kids to make friends with someone at school with a farm or a large piece of land. It’s hard to find a place where I live to take a ride without worrying about trespassing or getting arrested. It’s very enjoyable riding. My first time at 50. It took over 4 months to source all the parts. Also did not show that the first head I got from eBay was a dud. That set me back a month.
John you have some hairy builds yourself I remember your Johnson Build ,you played with you Johnson for quite some time until you get it right , your specialty being Hydraulics ,Wiring, and mechanical ,and everything in between
I feel like this channel should come with a warning label. This man is why I bought a cheap broken ride on mower and recently, a broken chipper. He's a DIY enabler of the highest order. I joke, of course. I fixed the equipment successfully and saved a ton of money. Resisting the urge to look for a motorcycle now, tho.
Yes! I now lookout on garbage day for goodies. Tally so far: 2 lawn mowers, 1 leaf blower, and 3 gas string trimmers. All free from the side of the road. Leaf blower and 1 string trimmer were too far gone, but had great parts to salvage. For years I always wanted a string trimmer but said nah. Now I have 2 from the side of the road. Among all the booty, I probably spent only about $100 in needed parts. Thanks for the channel!
I think that aspect of his work is VERY underrated and not mentioned enough. He goes about the work in a quiet steady way. Never getting frustrated (at least on camera!). Referencing documentation at times. There is an amazing amount of off camera research that happens to make these videos. Learning from Jim, It has helped me approach my DIY work in a mellow yet intelligent and unhurried approach. I find myself thinking ahead without rushing to figure out what is next. I just hunker down and get to work. Whether it is on a small string trimmer engine, or the heavy parts with the minivan 100k miles suspension replacement this past winter. My undergrad degree is Electrical Engineering, and my retired father is a Fluid Dynamics Mechanical Engineer (with 5 patents!). It would not surprise me if Jim has an Engineering degree. (or 2)
5 percent leak down is outstanding ,You made all the correct calls, Jim your workmanship is professional and spot on ,you are what most back yard shade tree mechanics aspire to be, Jim that's the last you'll see of the Motorcycle now your Boy has it
Great video Jim. It's nice to see a break from the generators like this once and awhile. It's amazing how these Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/Kawasaki engines haven't changed much in the last 50 years and you made a great purchase / rehab out of that bike!
it is amazing how much old gas-powered stuff can be fixed by DIYers with OEM parts. i have a late 90s suzuki ATV and i was able to get gaskets, bolts, etc, from the suzuki dealer. have an early 00s lawn tractor and am still able to get all sorts of parts for it too. meanwhile, apple won't sell my canadian self *any* replacement components.
Ace vid, Jim. Some twenty five years back I found myself going through chains and sprockets at a fast rate ( I was despatch riding at the time doing about 1500 - 2000 miles a week ) and I was given a couple of top tips by a very old biker. He said set your rear suspension to its softest and load the bike up with plenty of weight or use tie down straps to load the suspension until the front and rear sprockets align with the swing arm pivot. When they're lined up, adjust the chain tension until you have 1 inch of play on the tightest run ( chains rarely wear evenly!). Then set the bike up so as you can turn the wheel freely and use car gearbox/differential oil, EP 80 or 90 and run a thin stream of oil where the inner and outer plates come together on the pins. This is where the lube is needed especially on an 'O' ring chain. A light coat on the chain rollers will keep them happy and your chain and sprockets will last much longer ........ I have run the present chainset for 55,000 miles and have yet to use more than one third of the adjustment available, so I guess it was good advice.
Something I would recommend for your son is to get him enrolled in a course offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. This is a great way to learn the fundamentals properly before bad habits are formed. I taught both the basic and the advanced courses for about 15 years and still feel strongly about folks being trained before getting on a bike, especially if they plan to ride on the road.
Rance here, your mechanical & electronic abilities amaze me. I truly hope your son has the talents you do! It will never fail him! On top of that, he has the worlds best teacher.
Tell your son as soon as he thinks he has it mastered that's when he's going to mess up always have the utmost respect for motor cycles I have been riding bikes for 50 years as soon as people think they have it mastered that's when bad things happen!
I've fixed too many cars and mowers but have never wrenched a motorcycle. Motorcycles are weird, a different evolutionary path. So, watching you go through one was fun. Thanks.
You're bringing back so many memories of teaching my kids how to ride a motorcycle my youngest is now 32. Such a great series, I so much appreciate your attention to detail and the time it takes to film it.
Teaching kid to clutch/shift/brake brings back memories. Being able to STOP in emergency needs to be practiced over and over to become second-nature. Also, learning to be in the proper gear BEFORE needing to downshift is a good skill to have.
This was awesome. I had a $300 Yamaha 100 Enduro with low mileage back in the late 70's and that thing moved. The torque on these smaller bikes was a blast. Neighbors would call the cops on me all the time when I ran thru the streets of the development back in my Jersey days
We had lots of open land where I grew up, but on a lot of money. Your kids will thank you for the experiences when they get older. My dad was a gear head so there was always some project going on be it a V-8 for my older brother's hot rods or a VW engine for a BAJA buggie.
That is one complicated engine, I've worked on 600 horsepower, diesel engines that weren't as complicated as that. You do great work Sir 😊 thanks for the video
Nice neighborhood. The swing set is in the way of a new dirt track. As a kid we rode Honda 60 cc step thru street bikes in the California desert. You kids will enjoy this bike for many years. A young lady who removed her childhood swing set on u tube did a lot of reminiscing, very Toy Storyish
Mr meticulous, great rebuild James and now you have virtually a brand new dirt bike, you've learnt heaps and introduced your son to motorcycles. I would keep him off the road, give him all the protective gear as he navigates through his teens and have lots of fun on the many dirt tracks, I'm sure, are in your county
Your best video yet ! My son is the 2 wheel version of me and has always worked on bikes. I gained a new appreciation of how tough working on a little 125 MC is from this video and will tell my son this weekend.......Sounds great and I'd love to ride it even at 75 !!....great video Jim....
I love the way you project confidence when troubles occur, me I'd be scared to death when something doesn't go right. More worried I'm going to break something using the hammer, I guess hamering parts in is not ideal, but at least you use discretion. Also when you use the torch to heat things up, I'm concerned the metal will dissolve into a puddle of liquid metal, but I see you use a non contact thermometer, but than that's why you succeed where others may not. You are very good at what you do, extremely good. Nothing seems to faze you, an excellent repair job my friend, excellent. It's true the bold get results.
Ive repaired this same issue on the threads on the head on various honda machines by using ez lok thread inserts twice now. Nice work, that motor was a fricking challenge.
Great experience to learn how to rebuild this dirt bike and very awesome skill to now be able to apply it to quads and other small engine machines experience is always worth the outcome
When you had to go for the replacement head, I thought maybe this is the way it would go. You guys will have years of enjoyment with this bike! Love the videos! Thank you! 🏍
Hi James, watching your third series video of this motorcycle brought back memories to me. I had an apple basket Yamaha and I literally mean Apple basket as the engine came to me in pieces 1969, 1970 I ran into similar situation‘s and watch the cost go up but I found the lessons learned were invaluable. I learned a great deal from the experience. Thank you, James.
Sounds great. I don't think i ever wanted a fix to work in all my youtube fix it videos that i have watched. . And i have watched a lot. Congratulations James. I was a doubting Thomas on this and I am not sure why. The motor sounds fantastic. It's not so much that i was doubting you, i was doubting whether the bike was fixable. Nice job. You need to change the oil soon. The oil in it now is break in oil. Change it soon.
Glad you made it back to generatorville in one piece. I ended up with a Husky 450 WR 2nd hand and when the guy brought it, the bike stomped him about 15 seconds after he got it unloaded. I watched everybody else get stomped. I also consider money spent on something I'm going to keep an investment. Don't blame you a bit but you can still fix generators and heal at the same time. Been there and done that. Scars and memories. Like the 2 old Harley riders and me said at the v.a., 'It's not IF, it's WHEN'! God Bless!
That was awesome James. I never saw a project with a head that had stripped spark plug threads before and you addressed the issue in the proper manner-you bought a new head. I’ve never seen you shortcut anything. All of your repairs and restorations are top quality. Thanks for sharing!
you’re one heck of a mechanic, James! Thanks for the ride along, you sound like you were having a lot of fun. Nothing like a feeling of accomplishment 👍👍
In 1967 I had a Yamaha 100cc 2 stroke dirt bike that made 6-9hp and would go 65-70mph. It had all power I needed, I weighed 125Lbs. But, interesting; if I went full throttle at 65 or 70, in just a few minutes it would burn a hole right thru the top of the piston. We must have put 13 pistons in it. That bike was a "learner." Your 125 had it's issues, and I believe yours was a "learner" for someone too, judging by the "repairs", and probably ridden hard too. Maybe even stolen at one time considering some of the items missing like the key switch and shorted wiring. OK, James, fine video. Thank you for taking me back to my adolescence. ben/ michigan
Mr. James, every Thursday I wait for your genset repair and diagnostic videos but this time a totally new project. This series was very interesting. You are a perfectionist in your field. Have learned so much about these machines from you. We wish you good health and Thanks a lot. 🎉
Great video series! I love watching you repair generators but this was a fun project. I can’t wait to see you repair an ATV 4 wheeler. Keep up the outstanding job… you produce the best videos. Thanks!
James I really enjoyed this video. You must have amazing neighbors. I would never get away with this where I live. You are very entertaining and please do more your by far one of my top UA-camr. Thanks
Glad you went all in on the dirtbike Summer here have fun and glad you got away from burnt stators and rotors for a while Can't wait for the mini copter
I don't even wait/watch to see if I want to give a 👍 any more-I just give every video one right from the start. Why this channel doesn't have a million+ subscribers is beyond me. As always, great video James. God bless.
Ring gap alignment is an old wive's tale that has perpetuated so deeply that it makes it into maintenance manuals. Rings rotate as the piston moves up and down and they don't all rotate at the same rate so carefully aligning the gaps is useless because they can and will move.
Im glad you went over the financials at the end because I was really wondering. I recently fixed up an abandoned tiller. The motor/carb repairs were fairly cheap, but when I got done I realized I needed to replace the seals around the gearbox if I wanted it to hold oil. The seal kit was around $80 and due to the age I could only find one supplier. So all in I probably could have bought a tiller in better condition and saved myself all the headaches. However, doing the repairs on it was educational and fun so I think I came out ahead in the end and I have a functional tiller to use for my garden now.
Too cool man, I love that you added the video of teaching him how to ride. I'm sure everyone also shed a tear remembering the first time they rode. Bravo!
I do the same thing, especially if I am planning on keeping something. If it is a machine that I have never worked before or that has a unique or uncommon problem, I will take a loss on it to gain the experience. Experience is more valuable than anything.
This is one of the most interesting rebuilds I’ve seen you do, way different than generators. The cylinder head was a kick in the pants but in the end it looks and sounds great. The footage at the end was wonderful, Happy Father’s Day.
James I truly love your videos. If anyone was going to get this running and back in shape it was you, your attention to detail and your dedication to doing this correctly instead of cutting corners is something a lot of channels could learn from! Excellent job as always I really liked the videos on the TTR! For the exhaust stud, try heat and a paraffin candle the wax will soak in to the metals. Something to try. It works well on cast iron engine blocks
Great work as always James! The beauty of working on a motorcycle is that you get so much fun afterward enjoying the power and performance of the motor, by going on a ride. Great to see your son enjoying it too! With the go cart and that bike, you are easily going to become the most popular Dad and son on the block for sure. That happed for me as a kid with my 3 speed go cart...Fun times!!
Man you are Saint! Not getting upset over all of the set-backs! I would have not been as forgiving. Basically the engine that came with the bike was completw trash. It was ridden hard, prolly lack of maintaining it and basically just being abused. Cracked case, blown out spark plug threads, etc.
Another job well done! Really enjoyed all three videos. That leaking head must have been very frustrating since identifying the problem required the entire engine to be assembled. Impressive.
been a long time since I worked on a bike. I sitting here wondering how many times I would have assembled and disassembled finding I had left parts out. So a lot of respect for your patience and organization. Loved this video.
Nice fix. Doing plug thread repairs is one of my pet hates. One I used to do was tap to oversize, then screw in a sleeve to bring it back to original size. Requires a lot of finesse to do, & use of thread seal to prevent leaks.
21:30 I can remember installing valves back in High School Auto Class... I had a straight 6 to rebuild for Grade 11 (if the engine started after being cleaned and reassembled, you passed) and 2 sets of keepers were bad... They held for about 20 minutes after I put them on and released the spring compressor (the Teacher watched me install them so I know I did it right) when all of a sudden, there were two, LOUD SPROING-BANG-clink, clink, clink (one after another) as the keepers broke and the springs decided they didn't like being stuck on the engine anymore...unfortunately, this was AFTER I'd installed the valve cover (it was close to the end of class and I wanted to keep dust and crap out of the nice clean valves between now and next auto class) so now the cover needed to be replaced due to the rather large, jagged holes punched in them...that was NOT a fun class...fortunately, the engine was right side up on the stand so they went almost straight up and no one got hit by them... At least I wasn't docked marks and the Teacher was able to get another set of keepers (we replaced ALL of them...just in case) and a valve cover by next class and when I finished assembly, it started up first try (it was running rough and needed some adjustments, but it ran first try)...I got a B for that class... This was more than 30 years ago...
Honey I have a pie in the oven you seen my oven mitts.. You live in a beautiful neighborhood. Your kids are lucky to use the toys you fixes. Great 3 videos👍👍
A very nice project, sir. I must say your neighborhood is beautiful. I can't believe you encountered ONE vehicle in your ride around. Looks like your son is having a blast. Learning the clutch can be a challenge. Most will dry stall but he has a nice feel for the bike. Even with the unexpected issues, you came out well. Congrats! Cheers from Louisiana.
This is an incredible video. Glad your not getting paid by the hour. Shows how much goes into making this stuff. In depth for sure. Learned a lot. Thanks
@jcondon1 I worked at GM for years .... aftermarket (service) parts were marked up at least 5 times what GM paid for them. Although storage and handling aren't free, they made plenty off of parts. I doubt motorcycle parts are any different, parts cost manufacturers alot less than they charge. FYI, you indicated there were a couple of bearings you could not find. There are online bearing suppliers that can sell you a quality part either by identifying size and type or a number on the bearing. Most manufacturers don't make thier own bearings. Just Google search and you will find some suppliers. Of course much cheaper than at the dealer. Last idea, when I was young I worked in dealerships doing major repairs to engines. I had to install press fit piston wrist pins using technique heating aluminum piston and inserting a frozen steel pin. If I messed up the initial install, trying to beat the pin onto the piston just cracked it. There is a press designed for this (piston pin press), without correct tool I had low success. If you are investing all this time and 1000 dollars in parts I think you should consider paying a shop to press the bearings in. Otherwise, I would take your cracked damaged housing and the old bearings and practice install until you get the procedure down. Maybe you need oven preheat to 400 or 475, you could definitely go hotter than 300. You could try dry ice. As you and others mentioned in comments, you get a few seconds to install the cold bearing in the expanded diameter hole, once bearing touches aluminum the temps equalize quickly and you are trying to overcome an interference fit. Not easily done. Beating on the bearings isn't a good practice. Just because you don't see a crack doesn't mean it's not there and won't cause problems later. Why take that chance on an otherwise excellent rebuild.
Happy for you james, i have an 04 ttr 225 that was not blown up but needed tlc and some parts replaced, and like you i learned a ton fixing it and now i get to enjoy riding it, take it to some trails, you will have a blast.
A great series James. My first bike was a Yamaha enduro that needed some love. I was reliving that while watching this project. Great memories. Thanks!
This is a great video series. It's really nice to see you work on something other than generators. You took this project farther than anything I've seen previously and I'm sure that was for your children. It was also nice to see that interaction with the youngsters!
Never ceases to amaze me how people will purchase a vehicle (car/motorcycle), usually on credit, and go out of their way to thoroughly beat the piss out of the machine. Thats why most Americans are in debt up to their eyeballs. Great job sir. Its your gain!
James, do you kick things and holler when the camera is off ? You certainly are one of the calmest mechanic I've seen when things go awry. Great series, thank you
Amazing trilogy of videos. This is the most thorough video I've seen on a ttr. Kudos to you for the excellent work and patience of JOB. learned a great deal from this and now am ready to tackle my ttr. Can't wait to check out more of your videos. Tnx
I always look at it this way. If I am buying something I want for myself I try to get something that needs work. That way when I am done wasting way too much money on it I know it will be fully rebuilt.
I felt your pain on that stupid head. I hate getting close to completion only to find new problems, and then having to order parts and wait. I'd be using some 4 letter words! I've always thought I should get a dirt bike but never did. This has inspired me to start looking again. Cheers Jim.
You have great property for a dirt bike. Been telling my kids to make friends with someone at school with a farm or a large piece of land. It’s hard to find a place where I live to take a ride without worrying about trespassing or getting arrested. It’s very enjoyable riding. My first time at 50. It took over 4 months to source all the parts. Also did not show that the first head I got from eBay was a dud. That set me back a month.
@@jcondon1 Four months! Wow. You have a lot more patience than me.
John you have some hairy builds yourself I remember your Johnson Build ,you played with you Johnson for quite some time until you get it right , your specialty being Hydraulics ,Wiring, and mechanical ,and everything in between
Two of my favorite tubers. A colab with @FarmCraft101 and @jcondon1 would be awesome!
@@jcondon1 Paradox Motorsports Park in Upstate NY
👍👍☝️😎✌️… The neighbors say; “You youngins get outa my yard!” Oh, it’s you James! Can you help me with my mower? 🤣
I feel like this channel should come with a warning label. This man is why I bought a cheap broken ride on mower and recently, a broken chipper. He's a DIY enabler of the highest order. I joke, of course. I fixed the equipment successfully and saved a ton of money. Resisting the urge to look for a motorcycle now, tho.
Hahahah.
Yes! I now lookout on garbage day for goodies. Tally so far: 2 lawn mowers, 1 leaf blower, and 3 gas string trimmers. All free from the side of the road. Leaf blower and 1 string trimmer were too far gone, but had great parts to salvage. For years I always wanted a string trimmer but said nah. Now I have 2 from the side of the road. Among all the booty, I probably spent only about $100 in needed parts. Thanks for the channel!
No! cross to the dark side and buy that motorcycle, you know you want to! Feed your inner demons to keep them/you happy!
You are a great storyteller and you have an amazing Zen-like attitude of not getting frustrated!
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig. ☺️
I think that aspect of his work is VERY underrated and not mentioned enough. He goes about the work in a quiet steady way. Never getting frustrated (at least on camera!). Referencing documentation at times. There is an amazing amount of off camera research that happens to make these videos. Learning from Jim, It has helped me approach my DIY work in a mellow yet intelligent and unhurried approach. I find myself thinking ahead without rushing to figure out what is next. I just hunker down and get to work. Whether it is on a small string trimmer engine, or the heavy parts with the minivan 100k miles suspension replacement this past winter. My undergrad degree is Electrical Engineering, and my retired father is a Fluid Dynamics Mechanical Engineer (with 5 patents!). It would not surprise me if Jim has an Engineering degree. (or 2)
You really had me on the edge with that broken exhaust stud. Then relief. And then the sparkplug.... What a project!
5 percent leak down is outstanding ,You made all the correct calls, Jim your workmanship is professional and spot on ,you are what most back yard shade tree mechanics aspire to be, Jim that's the last you'll see of the Motorcycle now your Boy has it
Great video Jim. It's nice to see a break from the generators like this once and awhile. It's amazing how these Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/Kawasaki engines haven't changed much in the last 50 years and you made a great purchase / rehab out of that bike!
I'm impressed about the availability of OEM spare parts for this bike. Well done Yamaha, and well done James in getting that back together so well !!!
it is amazing how much old gas-powered stuff can be fixed by DIYers with OEM parts. i have a late 90s suzuki ATV and i was able to get gaskets, bolts, etc, from the suzuki dealer. have an early 00s lawn tractor and am still able to get all sorts of parts for it too. meanwhile, apple won't sell my canadian self *any* replacement components.
Ace vid, Jim. Some twenty five years back I found myself going through chains and sprockets at a fast rate ( I was despatch riding at the time doing about 1500 - 2000 miles a week ) and I was given a couple of top tips by a very old biker. He said set your rear suspension to its softest and load the bike up with plenty of weight or use tie down straps to load the suspension until the front and rear sprockets align with the swing arm pivot. When they're lined up, adjust the chain tension until you have 1 inch of play on the tightest run ( chains rarely wear evenly!). Then set the bike up so as you can turn the wheel freely and use car gearbox/differential oil, EP 80 or 90 and run a thin stream of oil where the inner and outer plates come together on the pins. This is where the lube is needed especially on an 'O' ring chain. A light coat on the chain rollers will keep them happy and your chain and sprockets will last much longer ........ I have run the present chainset for 55,000 miles and have yet to use more than one third of the adjustment available, so I guess it was good advice.
Something I would recommend for your son is to get him enrolled in a course offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. This is a great way to learn the fundamentals properly before bad habits are formed. I taught both the basic and the advanced courses for about 15 years and still feel strongly about folks being trained before getting on a bike, especially if they plan to ride on the road.
Beautiful !
Watching your son on his first rides . Oh the memories.
Thank you ❤
Rance here, your mechanical & electronic abilities amaze me. I truly hope your son has the talents you do! It will never fail him! On top of that, he has the worlds best teacher.
What a Gorgeous Neighborhood just wow such a beautiful Area
I picked up a JR80 2-stroke about 18 months ago. These little engines on "kids bikes" should not be underestimated!
Tell your son as soon as he thinks he has it mastered that's when he's going to mess up always have the utmost respect for motor cycles I have been riding bikes for 50 years as soon as people think they have it mastered that's when bad things happen!
I've fixed too many cars and mowers but have never wrenched a motorcycle. Motorcycles are weird, a different evolutionary path. So, watching you go through one was fun. Thanks.
You're bringing back so many memories of teaching my kids how to ride a motorcycle my youngest is now 32. Such a great series, I so much appreciate your attention to detail and the time it takes to film it.
You have that bike running like a million bucks. That brings back fond memories. That is how my dad taught me to ride a bike.
Teaching kid to clutch/shift/brake brings back memories. Being able to STOP in emergency needs to be practiced over and over to become second-nature. Also, learning to be in the proper gear BEFORE needing to downshift is a good skill to have.
This was awesome. I had a $300 Yamaha 100 Enduro with low mileage back in the late 70's and that thing moved. The torque on these smaller bikes was a blast. Neighbors would call the cops on me all the time when I ran thru the streets of the development back in my Jersey days
We had lots of open land where I grew up, but on a lot of money. Your kids will thank you for the experiences when they get older. My dad was a gear head so there was always some project going on be it a V-8 for my older brother's hot rods or a VW engine for a BAJA buggie.
That is one complicated engine, I've worked on 600 horsepower, diesel engines that weren't as complicated as that.
You do great work Sir 😊 thanks for the video
Nice neighborhood. The swing set is in the way of a new dirt track. As a kid we rode Honda 60 cc step thru street bikes in the California desert. You kids will enjoy this bike for many years. A young lady who removed her childhood swing set on u tube did a lot of reminiscing, very Toy Storyish
My god the sound brings back so many good memories from when i was a kid! I had this model around 2002 or so. Thanks for sharing this!
Mr meticulous, great rebuild James and now you have virtually a brand new dirt bike, you've learnt heaps and introduced your son to motorcycles. I would keep him off the road, give him all the protective gear as he navigates through his teens and have lots of fun on the many dirt tracks, I'm sure, are in your county
Your best video yet ! My son is the 2 wheel version of me and has always worked on bikes. I gained a new appreciation of how tough working on a little 125 MC is from this video and will tell my son this weekend.......Sounds great and I'd love to ride it even at 75 !!....great video Jim....
The end warmed my heart. Good Job Dad!
I love the way you project confidence when troubles occur, me I'd be scared to death when something doesn't go right. More worried I'm going to break something using the hammer, I guess hamering parts in is not ideal, but at least you use discretion. Also when you use the torch to heat things up, I'm concerned the metal will dissolve into a puddle of liquid metal, but I see you use a non contact thermometer, but than that's why you succeed where others may not. You are very good at what you do, extremely good. Nothing seems to faze you, an excellent repair job my friend, excellent. It's true the bold get results.
Ive repaired this same issue on the threads on the head on various honda machines by using ez lok thread inserts twice now. Nice work, that motor was a fricking challenge.
Great experience to learn how to rebuild this dirt bike and very awesome skill to now be able to apply it to quads and other small engine machines experience is always worth the outcome
You never forget that first ride on a motorcycle, especially when it's YOURS.
When you had to go for the replacement head, I thought maybe this is the way it would go. You guys will have years of enjoyment with this bike! Love the videos! Thank you! 🏍
You're an amazing person. Humble with some great mechanical skills. Thank you for taking us on this journey with you.
Hi James, watching your third series video of this motorcycle brought back memories to me. I had an apple basket Yamaha and I literally mean Apple basket as the engine came to me in pieces 1969, 1970 I ran into similar situation‘s and watch the cost go up but I found the lessons learned were invaluable. I learned a great deal from the experience. Thank you, James.
No money is wasted if you learned something! Great project!
This was a great series. You always seem to find something "tweaked" when you get into things.
Sounds great. I don't think i ever wanted a fix to work in all my youtube fix it videos that i have watched. . And i have watched a lot. Congratulations James. I was a doubting Thomas on this and I am not sure why. The motor sounds fantastic. It's not so much that i was doubting you, i was doubting whether the bike was fixable. Nice job. You need to change the oil soon. The oil in it now is break in oil. Change it soon.
Glad you made it back to generatorville in one piece. I ended up with a Husky 450 WR 2nd hand and when the guy brought it, the bike stomped him about 15 seconds after he got it unloaded. I watched everybody else get stomped. I also consider money spent on something I'm going to keep an investment. Don't blame you a bit but you can still fix generators and heal at the same time. Been there and done that. Scars and memories. Like the 2 old Harley riders and me said at the v.a., 'It's not IF, it's WHEN'! God Bless!
That was awesome James. I never saw a project with a head that had stripped spark plug threads before and you addressed the issue in the proper manner-you bought a new head. I’ve never seen you shortcut anything. All of your repairs and restorations are top quality. Thanks for sharing!
you’re one heck of a mechanic, James! Thanks for the ride along, you sound like you were having a lot of fun. Nothing like a feeling of accomplishment 👍👍
You priced it as a used engine now you effectively have a new one plus knowledge what a bargin. Well done.
Brilliant mini series James best small engine repair channel on UA-cam by far
It's absolutely awesome to see your son riding. Excellent 3 part series. Loved all of it. Well done.
In 1967 I had a Yamaha 100cc 2 stroke dirt bike that made 6-9hp and would go 65-70mph. It had all power I needed, I weighed 125Lbs. But, interesting; if I went full throttle at 65 or 70, in just a few minutes it would burn a hole right thru the top of the piston. We must have put 13 pistons in it. That bike was a "learner." Your 125 had it's issues, and I believe yours was a "learner" for someone too, judging by the "repairs", and probably ridden hard too. Maybe even stolen at one time considering some of the items missing like the key switch and shorted wiring. OK, James, fine video. Thank you for taking me back to my adolescence. ben/ michigan
Mr. James, every Thursday I wait for your genset repair and diagnostic videos but this time a totally new project. This series was very interesting. You are a perfectionist in your field. Have learned so much about these machines from you. We wish you good health and Thanks a lot. 🎉
Great video series! I love watching you repair generators but this was a fun project. I can’t wait to see you repair an ATV 4 wheeler. Keep up the outstanding job… you produce the best videos. Thanks!
Jim your attention to detail and experience is far above, thank u , great video
James I really enjoyed this video. You must have amazing neighbors. I would never get away with this where I live. You are very entertaining and please do more your by far one of my top UA-camr. Thanks
Glad you went all in on the dirtbike Summer here have fun and glad you got away from burnt stators and rotors for a while Can't wait for the mini copter
Dirt Bikes and Go Carts... Your lawn will never be the same!... Good Job!
I don't even wait/watch to see if I want to give a 👍 any more-I just give every video one right from the start.
Why this channel doesn't have a million+ subscribers is beyond me. As always, great video James. God bless.
I am running into something similar with a boat engine. The more I work on it, the more I find wrong. Great video. I am glad its up and running well.
Ring gap alignment is an old wive's tale that has perpetuated so deeply that it makes it into maintenance manuals. Rings rotate as the piston moves up and down and they don't all rotate at the same rate so carefully aligning the gaps is useless because they can and will move.
Im glad you went over the financials at the end because I was really wondering. I recently fixed up an abandoned tiller. The motor/carb repairs were fairly cheap, but when I got done I realized I needed to replace the seals around the gearbox if I wanted it to hold oil. The seal kit was around $80 and due to the age I could only find one supplier. So all in I probably could have bought a tiller in better condition and saved myself all the headaches. However, doing the repairs on it was educational and fun so I think I came out ahead in the end and I have a functional tiller to use for my garden now.
Too cool man, I love that you added the video of teaching him how to ride. I'm sure everyone also shed a tear remembering the first time they rode. Bravo!
I do the same thing, especially if I am planning on keeping something. If it is a machine that I have never worked before or that has a unique or uncommon problem, I will take a loss on it to gain the experience. Experience is more valuable than anything.
I'm in my 50s I've always wanted one still want one! Nice job on the repair!
This is one of the most interesting rebuilds I’ve seen you do, way different than generators. The cylinder head was a kick in the pants but in the end it looks and sounds great. The footage at the end was wonderful, Happy Father’s Day.
Thanks for this ending James. Really enjoyed the way you were teaching your son to ride that bike correctly.
Always fun to watch the progress. Your son will LOVE this almost as much as the gocart. Thanks for sharing
James I truly love your videos. If anyone was going to get this running and back in shape it was you, your attention to detail and your dedication to doing this correctly instead of cutting corners is something a lot of channels could learn from! Excellent job as always I really liked the videos on the TTR! For the exhaust stud, try heat and a paraffin candle the wax will soak in to the metals. Something to try. It works well on cast iron engine blocks
You are a true mechanic not like a lot of mechanic want a bees that I am seeing in a lot of shops I deal with.
Good father and son day... At least there's one happy family out there...
Great work as always James! The beauty of working on a motorcycle is that you get so much fun afterward enjoying the power and performance of the motor, by going on a ride. Great to see your son enjoying it too! With the go cart and that bike, you are easily going to become the most popular Dad and son on the block for sure. That happed for me as a kid with my 3 speed go cart...Fun times!!
The Father/Son driving lesson made my day
That is a really nice place with all the trees and woodland around you
You're not alone - an unexpected $500 part recently put my project "over budget". What are ya gonna do - cant stop now. 👍
The moment of truth is upon us!!! 🙌🏽
Man, what a pain in the ass that thing was! Regardless, it was a fun project. Thanks for the video James!
Nice to hear an engine contented and in balance - great job !
Man you are Saint! Not getting upset over all of the set-backs! I would have not been as forgiving. Basically the engine that came with the bike was completw trash. It was ridden hard, prolly lack of maintaining it and basically just being abused. Cracked case, blown out spark plug threads, etc.
Another job well done! Really enjoyed all three videos. That leaking head must have been very frustrating since identifying the problem required the entire engine to be assembled. Impressive.
What a great series to watch. Nice to see it finally done. Some of the best times I had as a kid was riding my dirtbike with friends!
been a long time since I worked on a bike. I sitting here wondering how many times I would have assembled and disassembled finding I had left parts out.
So a lot of respect for your patience and organization. Loved this video.
A lot of work...but the reward is riding with someone is so worth the toil.
You can always replace the trail muffler for street muffler for more quiet sound
Nice fix. Doing plug thread repairs is one of my pet hates. One I used to do was tap to oversize, then screw in a sleeve to bring it back to original size. Requires a lot of finesse to do, & use of thread seal to prevent leaks.
21:30 I can remember installing valves back in High School Auto Class...
I had a straight 6 to rebuild for Grade 11 (if the engine started after being cleaned and reassembled, you passed) and 2 sets of keepers were bad...
They held for about 20 minutes after I put them on and released the spring compressor (the Teacher watched me install them so I know I did it right) when all of a sudden, there were two, LOUD SPROING-BANG-clink, clink, clink (one after another) as the keepers broke and the springs decided they didn't like being stuck on the engine anymore...unfortunately, this was AFTER I'd installed the valve cover (it was close to the end of class and I wanted to keep dust and crap out of the nice clean valves between now and next auto class) so now the cover needed to be replaced due to the rather large, jagged holes punched in them...that was NOT a fun class...fortunately, the engine was right side up on the stand so they went almost straight up and no one got hit by them...
At least I wasn't docked marks and the Teacher was able to get another set of keepers (we replaced ALL of them...just in case) and a valve cover by next class and when I finished assembly, it started up first try (it was running rough and needed some adjustments, but it ran first try)...I got a B for that class...
This was more than 30 years ago...
Honey I have a pie in the oven you seen my oven mitts..
You live in a beautiful neighborhood.
Your kids are lucky to use the toys you fixes.
Great 3 videos👍👍
A very nice project, sir. I must say your neighborhood is beautiful. I can't believe you encountered ONE vehicle in your ride around. Looks like your son is having a blast. Learning the clutch can be a challenge. Most will dry stall but he has a nice feel for the bike. Even with the unexpected issues, you came out well. Congrats!
Cheers from Louisiana.
How nice! Im counting the years, when my Son is so far. Love is to give, Not to get. Thanks from the Niederrhein, Germany. Your Fan Marcus
This is an incredible video. Glad your not getting paid by the hour. Shows how much goes into making this stuff. In depth for sure. Learned a lot. Thanks
It’s amazing that Yamaha can sell these new for $4. A lot of time assembling not the mention the cost of parts.
@jcondon1 I worked at GM for years .... aftermarket (service) parts were marked up at least 5 times what GM paid for them. Although storage and handling aren't free, they made plenty off of parts. I doubt motorcycle parts are any different, parts cost manufacturers alot less than they charge.
FYI, you indicated there were a couple of bearings you could not find. There are online bearing suppliers that can sell you a quality part either by identifying size and type or a number on the bearing. Most manufacturers don't make thier own bearings. Just Google search and you will find some suppliers. Of course much cheaper than at the dealer.
Last idea, when I was young I worked in dealerships doing major repairs to engines. I had to install press fit piston wrist pins using technique heating aluminum piston and inserting a frozen steel pin. If I messed up the initial install, trying to beat the pin onto the piston just cracked it. There is a press designed for this (piston pin press), without correct tool I had low success.
If you are investing all this time and 1000 dollars in parts I think you should consider paying a shop to press the bearings in. Otherwise, I would take your cracked damaged housing and the old bearings and practice install until you get the procedure down. Maybe you need oven preheat to 400 or 475, you could definitely go hotter than 300. You could try dry ice. As you and others mentioned in comments, you get a few seconds to install the cold bearing in the expanded diameter hole, once bearing touches aluminum the temps equalize quickly and you are trying to overcome an interference fit. Not easily done.
Beating on the bearings isn't a good practice. Just because you don't see a crack doesn't mean it's not there and won't cause problems later. Why take that chance on an otherwise excellent rebuild.
once again - patience has paid off and you are having some fun.... your son will have a ball on it and the money spent will have been well spent.
Happy for you james, i have an 04 ttr 225 that was not blown up but needed tlc and some parts replaced, and like you i learned a ton fixing it and now i get to enjoy riding it, take it to some trails, you will have a blast.
A great series James. My first bike was a Yamaha enduro that needed some love. I was reliving that while watching this project. Great memories. Thanks!
Perfect bike for your Son with Dad supervision!
This is a great video series. It's really nice to see you work on something other than generators. You took this project farther than anything I've seen previously and I'm sure that was for your children. It was also nice to see that interaction with the youngsters!
Memories are Gold.
Never ceases to amaze me how people will purchase a vehicle (car/motorcycle), usually on credit, and go out of their way to thoroughly beat the piss out of the machine. Thats why most Americans are in debt up to their eyeballs. Great job sir. Its your gain!
James an old saying is men never grow up toys just get bigger love your videos keep up the good work
Please do more dirt bike rebuilds 🙏🙏🙏🙏.
For one really entertaining, and two helped my friend and I rebuild the top end on this same bike.
James, it was nice hearing you laughing and seeing you having fun. Maybe a larger bike for you? Thanks
James, do you kick things and holler when the camera is off ? You certainly are one of the calmest mechanic I've seen when things go awry. Great series, thank you
great series. i do want to say, the pilot jet controls idle, and main jet is for running.
Good to see you having some fun with your son.
Amazing trilogy of videos. This is the most thorough video I've seen on a ttr. Kudos to you for the excellent work and patience of JOB. learned a great deal from this and now am ready to tackle my ttr. Can't wait to check out more of your videos. Tnx
Well done, James! You had a few curve balls but ended up with a home run!
The world's mostest awesomest toys for the kids, that they will be thrilled with and enjoy for years, is worth whatEVER it costs.
I had figured you would give it to your son, be careful and have fun, great series James
I always look at it this way. If I am buying something I want for myself I try to get something that needs work. That way when I am done wasting way too much money on it I know it will be fully rebuilt.
Finally its up an running smoothly job well done from st lucia you made your son happy for sure