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First restoration
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Posted by: blast7
Hello everyone. I am looking to start my first restoration as a hobby. I really am not sure where to begin and would like some advice. I would like to know what are some good bikes to start with. I am not into rebuilding 4 strokes due to the complexity of the motors, at this time. I am very used to working on cars as far as tearing down motors as far as the heads and cams go. I have recently seen a 1988 yz250 and a 1983 cr125 in the paper for relatively cheap. Are these good bikes to start on?
Posted by: ben419
personally i think it would be neat to find an old husky and restore it. in the 70's and early 80's husqvarna built some pretty powerful bikes. parts might be a little harder to locate than a jap bike, but it would be worth it to have somthing a little more exotic. it would definetly get some looks at the track!
Posted by: john221ex
Actually, I think you will have less trouble finding parts for Husky than any Japanese, except Honda, in my experience.
Stay away from 125's: they get hard service from the start.
JE
Posted by: dirt bike dave
Are you going to ride the bike? Race? Will you be returning it to showroom condition? Do you prefer enduro or MX bikes? Euro or Japanese? Air cooled or water? Single shock or twin?
Posted by: wirefryer#85
Are you going to show it or actually use it?
If you plan on riding it for fun or race it, don't get too excited about the little things, like period correct clutch levers or whathaveya'.
If you plan on showing it, best have all your ducks and bunnies in a row as far as the colors and stickers go.
I just finished my '81' RM 250 about a month ago and sitting in the shop looking at it, I would NOT show it because it was built to go racing ( and be reliable as I can make it), not to sit around being looked at, but that was my choice from the get go and I have no regrets whatsoever 
If you want to do a resto, find something that will make heads turn and stay that way!
Tim
Posted by: tracetrimble
This is one of my hobbies, and this is good advice. I really don't have much interest in show bikes myself, and I prefer to upgrade to modern equipment when it's convenient - electronic ignition, O-ring chains, etc. Only other thing I'd add is that thumpers are also extremely simple, if you're used to working on cars at that level.
Something to also consider is the price of gas right now, and if you live in an area where motorcycles are popular. Lots of new people are buying street bikes these days, and looking to get in cheap. Anything that is running, street legal, and anywhere near $1k will sell within a day with no haggling. You can make some respectable money on your hobby.
Posted by: 85YZRacer
I think you should buy one of the YZ lines, like a 125 or 250. If you do, just don't buy anything under 1983. The parts will become a nightmare to find. The yamahas were made for racing. Aside from that they look really cool i think. The yz's made a lot of power stock and if you put a lot of modern parts on it, i think it would be a moster. good luck!
Posted by: tracetrimble
If you're really only looking for a 2 stroke dirtbike, there is also a lot of value in the AHRMA-legal bikes. I think they go up to 1977 now? Honda Elsinores in particular have a devoted following, but don't write off the other brands either.
There was a lot of advancement in design in the 80's, and if you choose to go that way I'd suggest generally staying away from the first year models of any big changes. (f/r disc brakes, power valves, monoshock rearends, inverted forks, etc) They usually had some teething issues that were worked out after the first couple model years.
Posted by: Britt Boyette
AHRMA actually has classes for bikes up to the early 80's. Check it out out at,
http://www.ahrma.org/
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