A running bike isn't a rideable bike

With the freshly rebuilt engine in the frame and ready to go, there was still quite a list of tasks to complete before I could go riding.

A brake that was always on

The tire was rubbing pretty hard on the exhaust, and that was acting like an always-on brake.

It appears the rear tire has a very aggressive tread — perhaps more aggressive than was designed for this model. It could also be that the exhaust was bent.

I took a pry bar and pried the exhaust out a bit near the rear tire. It's not the best method, but it did appear to help some.

The exhaust donut

I also had to put new gaskets into the exhaust pipe. There's an exhaust donut gasket between the header pipe and the muffler.

It was a little tricky to fit. The fit was so tight I had to use the pipe itself as leverage.

Thankfully, I got the donut seated before I tried to install the muffler. Otherwise I'd not have been able to get the donut in — I'd have had to disassemble the pipe again to get it on.

Seat the donut before the muffler goes on, or the pipe comes apart again.

Chain and sprockets

The old chain and sprockets needed replacing. I could have ridden with the old ones, but I'd still have had to install the chain anyway — so it only made sense to put the new chain and sprockets on now.

A chain and its sprockets wear together. A new chain on worn sprockets wears out faster, which is why they're usually replaced as a set.

The skid plate

The biggest task for this day was adding the skid plate. The missing skid plate was the reason the engine was damaged in the first place.

The missing skid plate was the reason the engine was damaged in the first place.

Without the plate, a rock or something was hit and the case was damaged. All the oil leaked out, and the engine ran too hot — melting aluminum races that were expensive and difficult to replace. (The case damage is in Uncovering damage without making it worse; the races are in The head rebuild.)

I bought two skid plates. The first one said XR500, but it was actually for an XR250 — they don't swap over. I kept the XR250 plate, because I have an XR250 without one.

The airbox

The bike had no airbox lid, canister or filter when I got it. I bought all three off eBay: an original canister, an original airbox cover, and a new filter.

I waited until I found a reasonably priced canister. The plastic cover I bought was slightly cut, and it was at a huge discount compared to the other covers.

When it came, it wasn't even that damaged — maybe just a small modification to let more air in. Once it's installed, you can't tell anything is wrong with it at all.

I think what deterred people was the listing photos. There was a bracket bolted onto the cover, and it looked heavily modified. The bracket was only held on through the regular bolt hole, so I removed it — there was no need for it at all, and I don't know why it was even there.

The listing photos made it look heavily modified. One bracket, held on through the regular bolt hole, was the whole problem.

The airbox was just as critical as the skid plate. Without it, the engine is open to damage, and sooner or later it will take irreversible damage. Everything the engine breathes in goes through the airbox — without a filter, dust and grit go straight into the cylinder.

The seat cover

I also changed the seat cover, though it wasn't a requirement. I had the cover, and I wasn't going riding that day, so I took the time to put it on.

I went with a modern grip-style cover, only because I have a second seat with the classic cover on it. This way I can swap them and have the best of both covers for this motorcycle.