Just picked up two bikes, already having trouble

Corytrade

Member
Oct 22, 2008
2
0
So I bought a 1982 Yamaha IT250J, and unsure of the year but it's a 1978-1982 Yamaha DT 175. These bikes were pretty weathered especially the 175, lots of rust, but it worked when I got it. The pair was only $240, pretty good deal, craigslist FTW. Anyway, I've already run into some problems.

I was riding the 175, even though it is oil injected I didn't trust it, so I was pre-mixing about roughly 40:1, probably should of went more oil though. Anyway me and a buddy were just going up and down the track and it seized up on him and the kick start was locked. So we took it home took of the top of the cylinder head, and there was a giant hole in the piston head about the size of a quarter. Any idea, besides just being old that could have caused this? I noticed later I had the tank set on reserve, even though it was full, would that have mattered. The transmission had oil in it, but it was pretty dirty. We were only riding for about 20 mins when it happened, and we had only ridden it 20 mins the day before.

My other problem is pretty similar with the 250. Me and my dad took the whole thing apart. Cleaned out the carb, reid valve, cylinder, etc. Now the guy who owned it before me let it sit out in the rain so when we took it apart the whole bottom of the crankcase was filled with water. We vacuumed out most of it added some rust remover, and water seperator, and continously cycle the piston with a towel and and air blower, drying out as much as we could. There was only just some residual **** left, but I figured when I started it up that **** would just cycle through over time and clean itself up. So we put it all back together and after we put the cylinder on the piston was moving smoothly and everything was good. We couldn't start it because the ignition coil was bad and we had to order a new one. This was only four days ago. We I went out to the 250 today just messing with it, and the kick start is locked up. I didn't want to add a lot of pressure to it, but i gave it a good shove and it won't move. It's been outside, but not it rain or anything. The gas tank is not connected, but I wouldn't think that it would just dry the whole thing out and lock it up in just four days. Anyone know what could be the problem, I really don't want to take the whole thing apart again but whatever I have to do to fix it.

Thanks.

Cory
 

NO HAND

~SPONSOR~
Jun 21, 2000
1,198
0
After years of improper winter preparation, you get old gas to form varnish in the carb. Lots of varnish and deposits in the carb circuits make for a lean condition and a lean condition leads to too hot temperature in the combustion chamber, and too hot temps equals well... a hole in the piston.
 

Tom68

Member
Oct 1, 2007
407
0
The reason old bikes are cheap is because once you get em up to scratch they cost as much or more than new ones but still don't go as good. If you don't put a big effort into these bikes you can expect all soughts of problems some of which could hurt you.
 
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