Uncovering hidden damage

I knew I was in for a tough go fixing up this motorcycle. But there was so much damage I didn't see at first glance, and I kept running into it as I took the bike apart.

Running first — or so I thought

Before I started throwing parts at the YZ, I wanted to get it running. I just wanted to see how far I had to go, and I was under the impression I could get it going without major engine work.

That was wrong.

The top end

The top end was completely shot. The piston had melted a bit, and the rings were welded into place. The cylinder was scored, and in the end it needed a piston two sizes larger to get it all right.

A scored cylinder gets bored out past the damage, and a bigger piston is fitted to the new bore — which is why the piston size goes up.

That was not the end of the damage, though.

A frame bent to fit

After removing the seat, I could see the frame had been bent on purpose, to get the rear plastic to fit after it was broken. It was the laziest hack repair, and completely stupid to do.

The plastic should have been cut and drilled to fit the holes — not the frame bent to make broken plastic fit.

The plastic should have been cut and drilled to fit — not the frame bent to make broken plastic fit.

A hole for a brake switch

Next I found that someone had tried to add a rear brake switch, and had actually drilled into the frame to mount a little switch. It was never finished. Now there was a switch, and a hole in the frame.

The line of broken bolts

The exhaust hanger post on the frame was broken from a crash, and when I tried to remove the bolt, it snapped off in the frame. I drilled it out and re-tapped the hole. So far so good — I think it'll hold.

Next in the line of broken bolts: the right foot peg bolt was so stuck I had to cut it off, heat it up and use my bolt extractor set — and even then, I nearly didn't get it out.

On the other side, someone had used an imperial bolt. Thankfully they didn't tighten it down much, or the threads would have been damaged.

The YZ is metric. An imperial bolt can start in a metric hole, but the thread pitch doesn't match, so tightening it down cuts up the threads.

A screw in the tire

While looking at the really bald tires, I noticed a screw in one, and a ton of silicone or something as a patch. Nobody replaced the tire — either the hole was patched, or the screw was found and left in with the patch over it. Somehow it holds air, but I'm not confident it will for long.

Bent bars, and the lever that gave it away

I really like to just sit on the bike. Even in this totally damaged state, it's still my favorite — maybe even more so, since it was stolen and came back.

Well, one day, sitting on it, I noticed the handlebars were bent from a crash, and the wheel doesn't quite line up with the bars.

Also on the handlebars was the broken clutch lever. It's still usable, but it needs replacing in any case. I'm glad they never replaced it, though: that mismatched clutch lever was part of how I was able to identify the bike when it was listed for sale.

That mismatched clutch lever was part of how I identified the bike when it was listed for sale.

The carb

The original carb had been replaced. That isn't really damage, but I needed to replace it with the original, and it was an additional cost.

The bottom end, and the paint

There may be other damage I'm forgetting, but that pretty much sums up the major stuff.

So far the bottom end seems to be in good shape. I took the engine out of the motorcycle anyway, so the frame could be painted — the paint was so bad, I'd actually call it damage.

After all, paint is like skin — and skin is still an organ, critical for life.

Paint is like skin — and skin is still an organ, critical for life.