Classics

Hello all, I am new to your forum and new to yamaha's, I already have a couple of harleys, and have now decided to build myself a chopper / bobber out of a xs 650, ....I am looking at getting a donor 650 and probably get a new rigid frame, using the donor bikes engine forks wheels etc,.. I have located a 1977 xs 650 B but have yet to see it, is the B model any different to the ordinary xs 650 ?....is there anything I should look out for mechanically ? .........are they a strong engine ? .......one last question , are they kickstart only on that year ?. sorry about throwing all these questions at you, as a newbie, .. but I would be greatfull for any advice you can giv…

My first bike was a 78-79-80 (not really sure) MX80. recently, I've come across a couple on eBay and have seriiously considered picking one up to restore. But I'm not absolutely sure which year my bike was. I got it when I was 8, so it would have been summer 1979. It could've been a leftover 78, 79 or an early 80. I'm just not sure. I remember it had a square front plate and all white body work. I swear the graphics on the tank were red and black (my older sister had a MX175 at the same time that DID have the red & black graphics, if that helps). I rode that bike for a year or so before getting my first race bike, an '82 YZ80 (the first water-cooled year, with…

I stopped by the local shop today to grab some oil and the only yamalube they had was the semi-synthetic 20w50. Mechanic said that that was all they use when doing oil changes (ironically, the place used to be a combined yamaha/honda dealer but yamaha just moved out a few months ago and they still use yamalube) Anyhow - my dad told me not to use any synthetic oil in my bike ('77 xs400d) but he rides a Victory and doesnt work on it himself so he knows nothing. When I got back home I noticed on the bottle that it said it was formulated especially for v-twins (like how in the hell is the oil supposed to know if its in a V or parallel or inline?). Is there any reason I sho…

Once the necessary nuts are removed is there a trick to removing the axle? Tips anyone can offer? As it may not be necessary to even remove the front wheel to service the drum brake, anyone know the procedure for removing the drum cover plates? Better to ask those with more experience than to screw stuff up!

Does anyone know if a seat cover for a DT50MX will fit the DT175MX ??? I know a number of parts for the DT125MX are interchangable with the 175 but need advice on the DT50. Thanks.

trying to restore (make it run) a 74 DT360 i picked up. tore down the engine and cleaned some water/rust out of the flywheel/stator. as i was putting the magnets back in, one of them cracked up into a few pieces. lost a bid on ebay for a flywheel, and the pickins are slim atm. was wondering if theres compatible flywheels or magnetos from other models that i can look for on the web. checked some part numbers and tried to eye ball some, but i dont wanna plunk down cash unless i have a good indication it will work. actually, it would be a bonus if i could just find the magnets as the housing is fine. any ideas?

Hi, Open to suggestions on what combination of sproket sizes would be best for a 1969 yamaha dt1-b 250 which will be used on the road only, Thanks for any info. shared.

Hey guys, ive been searching for post and sites, but cant seem to find somewhere to buy good parts or advice, this looked like a pretty good website... anywho, my dad has a 77 RD400 that used to be his "baby" hes getting older now, and has let it go, well for his birthday this year its my goal to restore this bike to what it used to be, i think he would love it. however, i need a place where i could buy parts, possible a motor, but i know the top end is gone on the bike ( i blew it up when i was 13 lol) but i need to replace at least pistons, rings, and gaskets, and brakes...paint and tires also and possibly a new tank, but if yall have a good website yall buy stuff…

I ghost wrote this for a mate, who posted it on a SRX site. Thought you guys on here might find it of interest too... There are many strange things about motorcycling: for instance I had owned a Triumph 900 Sprint from new for six years. A fabulous beast of a bike with a lusty and tuneful triple engine at the heart of it’s appeal, but something was missing. Can’t really put my finger on it, but the link between the big Triumph and me simply had not been forged. The result of this was less than 3,000 miles covered in those years and when somebody came along and offered me a reasonable price for her I took it. Now what is worse than having a bike that you haven’t “cl…

I have a 1974 dt125a (Maroon and #444-000480) and have been reading all these posts in the vintage forum and see a lot of things about starting the bike with and without battery and whether it's battery type or magneto. What's the first thing to do to know which one you have? And if it is a battery type, do I need battery to get spark?? No ignition key and no battery right now. Thanks a lot!

I'm currently 3/4 of the way through the restoration of a 1981 DT175MX, with powder coated frame, swinging arm etc, new plastics and full s/s nut and bolt replacement. As yet I haven't touched the engine, it was running well when I bought the bike having ridden home approx 20 miles everything seemed fine, however top speed was just over 60 mph with the revs just under the red line. Front sprocket is one tooth up on standard, rear sprocket standard. The exhaust is standard ( in good condition ) with a standard end can, are standard cans restrictive ? I do have an expansion rear pipe that I was give as a spare, is this worth fitting ? I was also told the reeds are carb…

i am looking at buying this bike a xj550 1981 with 46k on it mot and tax ,two spare wheels £595 what are your thoughts boys, have put in a bid of £495 but might give him full price as i like the older bikes,

History: Bike has been sitting untouched and not prepped for extended storage for about 10-15 years. Just finished a complete breakdown/cleaning/rebuilding of the carburetor. Re-installed the carb and started the engine. Problem: Revs fine and sounds good, but wont immediatly return to idle. If you wait a few seconds, or bump the engine on/off switch quickly, it will return to idle. Throttle cables are not stuck and the breakdown of the carb was extensive. All ports were removed and cleaned thoroughly. Any help with diagnosis/resolution would be greatly appreciated. Naildriver

Summer 1989 and after a few frustrating months owning a lumbering Honda VF1000 I was more that a little relived to see the back of the brute. Mainly because I hated the bike but also to provide some much needed funding for my impending wedding. However, I was not going to be yet another one to give up biking when marriage looms. The big question I had when the VF went and the marriage dust settled was what to buy. When I thought about it the VF had about 125bhp, but I had real trouble even using half of that power most of the time, say 62bhp. While when I had my 59bhp RD350YPVS I merrily screwed every lost drop out of it at every opportunity! So another RD seemed to be an…

Back at the tail end of 2006 after selling CB250RS I got myself a little FZ600 to keep my Thundercat and the XJR1300SP I had at the time company. I rode it home the 216 freezing miles from Durham. Anyway after a few months the MOT and tax ran out and the little FZ got pushed into the shadows. Time passed and a failed attempt at an MOT at my rather picky local test centre. Leaky fork seals, leaky zorst and stiff rear shock. Well 16 months later it was time to dig her out of hibernation and return to her rightful place; on the road. As I am notriously hard to motivate I roped in a mate to help me and so he turned up and we got on with it. After moving the Thund…

cam chain gone loose .. is there any garage in central london that can help

i just cant get the timing right . anybody that knows how to set it 100% right

Hi All, I have an old hardly used Yamaha Chappy, 80cc with about 90 miles on the clock from new sat in the garage all of its life very clean, needs bit of a tiddy as just been sat in shed. I have no idea of a value can anyone advise?? Thanks

I have a 1975 Yamaha mx 400. The handlebars that were on it when i bought it are from a much smaller bike. Im trying to find out the width and rise of the factory bars. There is a motorcycle salvage yard nearby with unmarked vintage bars. I'm trying to find the right bars or something very close to factory size. There is some nice bars from a 78 Yamaha dt 175 that are in good condition but im not sure if they are close in size. Help me guys

The bike had been sitting for a while prior to me buying it. When I spin the front tire, it won't rotate freely. So i tried adjusting the brake cable both at the handlebars and at the brake itself. No luck. Could the cable be bad? The spring inside the drum assembly may be old and need replaced? Any ideas are appreciated.