mcferreira100

I have heard a weak point on these bikes is the rocker arm wears prematurely causing wear on the camshaft as well. This can cause bike to miss as exhaust valve not operating properly...which is what I`m experiencing. The engine is out and will take a look but can anyone offer advice on this fix..has anyone encountered same problem? The cost to replace these items must be horrendous.

Not to worry..actually had enough of the rat race..just want to restore these old bikes now...but have to watch the moolah with them.

After some jetwashing Before and after pic Chain tensioner was a big pile of grease..looking good now Some primer..have a nice finishing black for the frame and swingarm

Another pic.

Actually unemployed and having to stick to a tight budget.

The manual indicates if oil leakage evident on the rear shock the unit must be replaced...(as if these parts grow on trees outside.) I know its a gas shock but is there no repair procedure? It appears to have leaked oil but still seems to be working ok.

After a cleanup they look pretty ok to me. Can get the missing ball from the dealership.

After 30 years isn`t this what you would expect to see? I`ll clean it up, replace the missing bearing and repack it.

Found the problem..one ball bearing missing off the top end. Manual indicates 22 but i count 21. Question is..how did it escape? Uploaded with ImageShack.com

The front wheel and forks are off..triple trees still on. Thought I would check them and notice there is a sort of click into forward, left and right positions. Is this normal?..would think things should be smooth throughout the turning radius. Are the bearings shot?

Where I am now with stripping..swingarm and engine out.

Airhead I`ve just realized i`ve never seen some pics of your bike. Care to share?

What she looked like when I got it. Started stripping today..seat tank exhaust..carb. Air filter not in very good shape. Carb..bike idles but missing badly at mid throttle. Previous guy had the carb overhauled by a neandarthal who stuck a nasty piece of wire to accelerator pump which I`m sure must be causing problems. Tail light bracket has an ugly repair job on it. Thinking should maybe make a new one from steel. Monoshock full of oil. Can`t see it so good in the pic but all around the exhaust port its full of carbon soot. Suppose gasket a bit suspect. But could it also be she`s be running rich or could there be a valve problem? Exhaust has lousy repair job on it..I can get that looking better. Nasty ding in the bend by the cylinder. Could this cause any performance problems?

Damn..thought I was an XT nut..checkout this video..and this guy is in South Africa..must look him up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-aXJwCRSDA

That bike hardly looked like it needed restoring. Wish I could work so fast.

Hey Tommy10..is this not a video of your 250? Looks like your collection there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B1WyTi4io0

Yes but I`m talking about a bike with a kickstart.

I have read if your battery is weak the bike will be difficult to start. Is this true?

So I`m wondering how come the 250 had this accelerator pump on it but not the 500? These bikes were from same era.

Hi DT..was reading this thread and wondering how the 400 was progressing..is she running yet?. An RD350LC would really complete my collection..I only have trail bikes. But they are seriously scarce in these parts.

I have been quite lucky so far..just small dents in the bikes..but I will have to do something about this one. Been looking at various techniques but want to be sure I don`t cause further harm. They talk about heating and cooling..water in the tank and freezing it..glueing or welding things on and pulling it out..or hitting it out from the inside. Has anyone had experience of successfully repairing a dent like this? It looks like it should be quite easily repairable.

It looks like its an adjustable rod. Are there settings for it in the manual?

I see this is what it should look like..the whole rod assembly is missing.

I see the pump sits at the bottom of the carb(very different to the 500). The previous owner tells me he had this carb overhauled by somebody so I would think it shouldn`t look too bad inside. But I have noticed this dodgy looking piece of wire to the pump..I see it actuates the arm..surely this is not right and can be causing issues?

Ok I give up..where are the XT experts out there? Looked up and down the manual but can`t find something relating to carb airscrew adjuster. Have to ask where is this adjusting screw. Idling ok but the bike is missing like crazy soon as revs pick up. I still plan to give it a good service but thought would check air adjustment so long. I`ve noticed a large screw under the throttle body of the carb on left side..is this it..and what is the spec?