Carsonartist

Here are pics to show a little of what I'm referring to. http://yamahaclub.com/forums/garage/vehicle/1177-yamaha-xt250/ I know the bike runs...in fact it kickstarted fine for the previous owner when he dropped it off. I cant get it to start but thats on me not the bike I believe. I even accidentally snapped of the petcock switch so I need to replace it when I redo the tank. There is a seat on ebay but with shipping its 200$ and Im poor. I may have to fabricate something or find a seat I can mount with some brackets or something. It needs a new brake light switch and I'd like to add turn signals but that is not a priority at the moment. I still need to change the front tire and change the innertube. I already changed the rear which was a nightmare.

Name: Yamaha XT250 (1981) Date Added: 11 July 2014 - 06:35 PM Owner: Carsonartist Short Description: basket case Frankenstein build View Vehicle

I joined this site so I could learn more about my bike. I live in New Mexico and I have some land so I'm hoping to get this bike running. I would love to ride around on it and occasionally take it to town since its a dual sport. The bike was started by a friend who couldnt take it when he moved. I adopted it and am finishing it. Its ugly, its nasty, it needs a lot of cosmetic work. It runs though. I did the same thing with a Honda CB360 from 1979 but it was sold when it was doneBecause I lived where a bike wasn't practical. I only paid a cd player for it so it was well worth it, lol. I'm an artist so Im familiar with lots of materials and tools. I just am ignorant of the specifics of a motorcycle. Hopefully some of you can help me learn.

Hi, this is my first post. I need a bit of guidance. I have a 1981 model year Yamaha XT250 dual sport motorcycle. I have it together but theres still work to do. Im having a bit of a time finding some parts too. I changed the rear tire and tube which was a nightmare because the dried out original tire was still on it. It was hard as a rock. I still need to swap the front since it wont hold air. Here is my stupid noob issues. 1. This is only the second bike Ive owned and the second bike Ive put back together. I am not a mechanic. 2. The switch on the petcock snapped when I went to start it last. I DID find a new part @BikeBandit.com 3. The electrical system has been monkeyed with and Im getting frustrated. It has two switches...one to turn on the bike and then another to turn on the headlight. This was to make it easier to kickstart by not having the light getting power while starting.For the life of me, I cant figure out which is which...I tried a process of elimination but couldnt get it to kick over and all the attempts flooded it. What is an easy way to figure this out? 4. I found some universal fenders so thats no biggie but I cannot find a seat...I might be able to fabricate one but I would much rather buy one thats correct. Any resources? 5. I know the bike starts but for the life of me I cannot kick it over. This could easily just be the switch issue in #3 6. The tank has a golfball size dent. I wanted to paint the tank, can I use bondo or fiberglass like a car? I figured I would do this when I replaced the petcock. 7. I assume that the choke lever needs to be down to start and up once its started? (dont laugh) Any help would be greatly appreciated...Im an artist, Im mechanically inclined but Im not versed in motorcycle. I have 5 acres begging to be ridden on and the 70 mpg sounds nice on the road, too.