*** SUBJECT: 1979 YZ400 GAS TANK Dear Rick, Nope. The YZ 125 is a smaller, shorter chassis and the gas tank is much smaller and shorter. You might try an enduro/IT tank. It'll hold more gas than the stocker and a lot of later years will fit. *** SUBJECT: 1977 HONDA XL100 SWAP I have a 1977 honda xl 100 in need of a new engine. What year
and model engines would fit in this bike? Honda made a chassis switch in the mid-70s, so using an older engine is out of the question. If you totally wasted your motor, it'll cost you around (rough estimate) $500 to rebuild it. If you just smoked the top end, figure about $250. If you can find a motor in a bike boneyard, it's going to cost you about $200 for a runner ... and who knows what kind
of shape it's in. All things considered, if you can repair
the top end, do it. After all, your bike is worth just about $500 or so. *** SUBJECT: LOWERED KX250 Hi Rick, So I found me a 94 - 98 125 seat on flea bay that was about 3/4 in. shorter than the original 250 seat that I ruined with the electric knife. The bike is still too tall for my 5'6 150lb. frame. (How did I ever ride the 83 CR 480 when I was younger? Boy I was fast then at 145lb.) Then I came across the KOUBLA link and walaa! It lowered the bike another 3/4 in. and I can now touch terra firma comfortably when I go to stop. No more looking for a log, stump or little hill to stop at to take a break. I was warned that the bike may bottom but at my weight
it has not been a problem. I did not lower my forkes in the clamps. Pricey little buggars but well worth it and an easy instalation. Thanks
Darryl. you may shorten/edit as needed. tell me what you think. We haven't tried the Koubla Link yet, as this editor stands
a lofty 5' 8 1/2". Still, there are other methods to lower ***
Hey just wanted to say we were thinking about all you did for the dirtbike community.....Still Have this poster Hanging in my garage! See Attached files. Thanks for the photo. It brings back memories of when we fought for land. That's Louis McKey (The famed Phantom Duck of the Desert) on the left and me (Rick Sieman) on the right. Note lack of beer gut. *** SUBJECT: 1999 RM 125 BORE QUESTION i have a 1999 rm 125 i broke 2nd gear and me and my dad fixed
it i put it back together and rode it for it 20 min and it blew up and i
just tore it apart and my pistion is cracked know how big can i bore it
before i have 2 machine my cases If you were from Yukon in Alaska, I would guess that your brain had just frozen solid. Since your bike has pistons available all the way up to 5th over, why would you even consider a big bore piston, especially in a bike that's almost ten years old and worth about $800 to $1000 in good condition? By the way, unless you're a native of Ooga Boogaland, your command of the English language is pathetic. Now go sit in a corner with a first grade grammar book, spit dribbling out of the corner of your lips and try to spell "cow" without making mooooo sounds. *** SUBJECT: 2001 CR125 FILED CYLINDER? Hi mate Your buddy filed the cylinder? Gee, and you wonder why the bike is making funny sounds. My best bet is that your cylinder is way loose and you just slapped a piston in without measuring it out. Then you for sure would have those sounds. *** SUBJECT: PERFECT … ALMOST … HONDA XR250 Rick, There are no modifications at all to the bike. It is
literally new, but old.. The spark plug is a light tan color, it has Very interesting question. If the bike is as fresh as you say, worn out parts are not the culprit. Just about the only thing that might cause the random noise is an overly tight compression release cable. The cable is hooked to the kickstarter and if the cable is just a bit too tight, it'll open the exhaust valve a bit and cause that ticking sound.
Check this out by disconnecting the cable temporarily. Get back to me on this. *** SUBJECT: RATING THE OLDER HONDA CR Rick, My question is more in regards to your personal opinion of two Honda CR's from the 80's. First would be a 1980 CR125R.second is a 1982 CR250R.
I have both of these bikes and love them both. In your opinion, how do they rate to other bikes in that era and class. Tops, mediocre, not the best?
I am collecting and value your input as to other models to consider. Yep, we had a lot of fun with Al Gore when he ran for office. If ever
there was a stuffed shirt that deserved ridicule, it was Al. Now, to your
bikes: the 125 bike to have in 1980 was theYZ125. The Honda was not that highly rated, as the suspension left a lot to be desired. In 1982, the RM250 was the hot ticket. In fact, I parked my Maicos and raced a Full Floater RM250 for the entire year. If you gave the RM a 10, then the Honda would garner a 7.5 to an 8. *** SUBJECT: 2002 CR80 CARB ADJUSTING Need help adjusting carb on 2002 CR80R Dirt Bike. Bike ran fine no smoke, Jackleg brother adjusted carb to increase idle RPM now the Bike smoke a bit and doesn't seem to have the same power, can anyone advise ome of the proper adjustment on the carb jets Jag Maylene, AL There's only two things that you can "adjust" on your carb: first, you can adjust the air screw to affect the idle circuit and secondly you raise or lower the needle. That's it. Every other jet can be replaced with a richer or leaner jet. When you adjust the air screw, bottom it out then take it 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 turns out. One last bit of *** SUBJECT: IT'S A MATTER OF FAITH Hey Ah laddy, your email demanded the thinking of a man of the cloth. So we turned your question over to Father Matt Cuddy. His response: Pattie me lad, we have some serious issues with your diagnosis of why yer motorbike won't run. Here's a few things to check before you begin anew, as it were: #1: Make sure you haven't replaced the petrol with whiskey, while it might make you run better, it's bad for the motorbike. So no whiskey for your bike. Got that? #2: When you check the sparkplug, don't mistake a detonator cap for the plug and screw it in instead, as it might blow up the whole garage, but that's OK if any bloody black & tans are mucking about trying to fix their miserable little Austin Marinas. Spark plug=yes. #3: Why in all that is holy are you replacing the piston every time the bike refuses to start? The piston should be the least of your worries, unless you installed it while on the shout, and got it in upside down or something. A good rule is to keep away from the sauce when working on your motorbike, a Guiness or two is OK, but keep away from the single malt. #4: Since you didn't say what kind of bike it is, I have to guess it's a senile B25 BSA Scrambler. These bikes are constructed so bad the only way to get them off the road is to soak them in warm salty water for 24 hours, and then throw away everything but the gas cap. You can then use the cap to screw it on a new motorcycle. #5: After all this, I have to insist you say fifteen Hail Marys and fill out 12 holy cards at your next confession. And say hello to yer Mum for me, God bless her. Cheers, *** SUBJECT: 2004 KAWASAKI KDX220 Hello Mr. Sieman, Or might something else be going on? Till now I've kept the stock silencer because everybody says it's the quietest, and being older and wiser now I prefer quiet dirt bikes for the same reasons that submariners prefer quiet submarines. After being a Dirt Bike subscriber back in the 70's I discovered your on-line
column a couple years back and read it regularly. My son and I crack up
reading it, especially when the young teens on their endless quest for That goop is trying to tell you something. You are ready for a new tip on that pipe. And while you're at it, consider an FMF pipe. I put one on my KDX 200 and it came alive. The stocker is a heavy, double-walled item and stock spark arrestor clogs up easily. What
are you running for a gas/oil ratio? I used 32:1 on mine. And genuine
thanks for the kind words. *** SUBJECT: YAMAHA XT/TT 600 ENGINE SWAPS Hi Rick, You might be suprised, Jari, but I don't have a late 90s XT600 in front of me sitting right next to a 1987 TT600. Failing that, might I humbly suggest that you beg, borrow or steal a tape measure and check out the motor mounts on both bikes. *** SUBJECT: 1983 XL600 REAR FENDER? I have a 1983 xl600 (street legal) that desperately needs a
rear fender. The stock fender has a metal inner liner that has fatigued
(as is the outer red plastic). Could you suggest and after market
fender, the ones I've looked at don't seem to cover far enough forward.
Also this bike has two carbs could you suggest a replacement carb I Do yourself a favor and put on an XR500 rear fender and fender liner instead of the XL. You should be able to locate an XR easier than an XL in a bike scrapyard. *** SUBJECT: OLD YAMAHA ID SEARCH I have an old yamaha dirt bike,It"s a 175 I know that.But im
not sure what year.There"s a number stamped on the front of the
frame,455-004690.The bike is a one owner,and in very good condition.Any
help would be appreciated. After much searching, I found that your old Yamaha is a
1974 MX175A. *** SUBJECT: 1983 HONDA CR125 BUSTED KICKSTARTER i have 1983 honda cr125 and the kickstart is locked in a
downward postion. Can u tell me how to fix it? Now this might come as a shock to you, but if you take off the case cover, chances are very good you might see what the problem was ...
like a broken spring. *** SUBJECT: HONDA CT70 WEIRD SPARK I have just gotten a honda 1982 ct70 dirt bike. It isnt getting
consitent fire and i think that the ignition wires are messed up. Which
two wires have to be together to get fire? If you're getting an intermittent spark, chances are that your
wiring is hooked up correctly. The CT70 had a set of points *** SUBJECT: 1994 YZ250 JETTING i have baught a 1994 yamaha yz250 from a guy and the crank was
junk so i baught a motor off ebay and had to put a new piston and rings
in it. it runs great! exept if it is cold or sometimes warm when i go to
start it it will foul the plug? i am running a BR9ES and i tried a
BR9EYA to and did the same! i have a FMF fatty gold series expansion Why don't you contact FMF and find out what size jets they recommend with their pipe? Also, unless you're racing, a B8E would be less prone to fouling. And please learn how to punctuate and capitalize before you email again. *** SUBJECT: 1981 IT175 ERRATIC BEHAVIOR Hi Rick Three possibilities come to mind. First, the air boot from the carb to the air box might be collapsing when you give *** SUBJECT: 1990 YAMAHA DT200 PIPES I have a 1990 Yamaha DT200R. Could you tell me if the Yamaha
WR200 uses the same pipe? Do you have any European contacts that would
know? FMF lists a "Fatty" pipe for the WR200, and I'd like to know if it
fits my DT200. At the risk of being anti-social, why don't you contact FMF and ask them if the pipes are the same? I know a great deal of things, but I try not to clutter my mind with DT200 pipe swaps. *** SUBJECT: LAST OF THE AIR COOLED HONDA CR500S Thank you for a great artical, I love 2 strokes recently
purchased 1984 honda air colled CR500 VRRY CLEAN.i WAS TRYING TO FIND
ANY ARTICLES OR REVIEWS ON THIS MODEL. i HAVE OWNED A 1985 WATERCOLLED
cr500 but am not awair of any info on the air colled model. please let
me know of any info you know about this model.KTM rules. Here are the specs for the '85 water cooled engine and the specs for the '84 air cooled engine. Also, I've included a photo of the '84 engine and you can see what looks like a water pump housing on the cases. Interesting. 1985 specs Other Information 1984 specs Other Information
*** SUBJECT: DANGEROUS TRACKS SH, Now to my subject. What has become of the Dynoport initiative for safer
tracks? I support that effort and further believe that Supercross elements have no place on an outdoor motocross track. That's a slightly more extreme I believe that Super Hunky also finds the unnecessary danger not only saps the sport of much of its fun for many riders but also places young riders at avoidable risk. Risk should rise with increased speed and fall with diminishing speed. Any rider, especially beginners, should be able to seek sanctuary by backing off the throttle without fear of casing a triple and waking up in the hospital. I further believe that promoters have allowed this dangerous situation to evolve, but not just to create a gladiator type danger factor for increased attendance. Focusing on these Supercross track elements allows any piece of flat terrain to become a motocross track under the sculpting of a D9 Caterpillar. This reduces the need to search for and maintain interesting and challenging natural terrain which is beneficial but a benefit that has been diluted by being coupled with these unnatural dangers. While I applaud anything that puts more dirt at the rider's discretion, I can't support adding dangerous unnatural hazards to the track and allowing children and novices unfettered exposure to them. This also applies to old farts who can't afford to spend half of their remaining racing years recovering from unnecessary injuries, yet should not be relegated to the quarter mile kiddy track. I'll stop preaching to the choir now and close with an accolade and a couple of questions. I give a double fanfare of the brass expansion chambers to the Buffalo Creek Motocross facility near Canton, Texas. While they do have a large track of the current National outdoor style they also maintain a 1.25 mile GP style track with natural terrain and easy jumps. A grandpa can take a grandchild there and share the sport that gives a lifetime of joy. So, where are we now with the safety initiative and what can I do? I'd like to relate a story to you. Back in the mid-80s, Saturday Saddlebackgot shut down. This left a huge gap in the SoCal racing, as racers could go there and get in two 45 minute motos and still get home by 3 o'clock. They used to run a bunch of classes together and score them seperately. Alexander Conrad (ACE/Alexander Conrad Enterprises) decided to run an Indian Dunes Saturday race, just like Saddleback. Since I was the editor of Dirt Bike at the time, I decided to back this schedule when asked by ACE. The first Saturday was great, with big crowds, lots of racers and a full schedule. The next Saturday, the races went off as scheduled, but this time, they put in three sets of double jumps in the track. The day of racing barely finished before dark, and the second round of motos was only 30 minutes long. Why? People kept getting hurt on the double jumps and the ambulances were busy hauling injured bodies to the hospital. The next Saturday, another half-dozen doubles and triples were built into the track. They finished one round of motos and never got to the second. The ambulances were very, very busy. I dropped the magazine's support after that Saturday. The course got more radical and more and more people got hurt. The motos got shorter and shorter. Then the lawsuits started. Shortly thereafter, Indian Dunes closed up for good. The lawsuits, you know. This is where current motocross is headed. Stupid tracks, crazy jumps, immature kids trying to show off in front of their friends. More injuries. More closed tracks. Insanity. The end of racing as we know it. *** SUBJECT: OLD TIME IDAHO RACER Rick, Hope to hear from you soon. Yep, I confess to being one and the same. Actually, being fat simply gives you more traction. I recall racing in the Mountain Home 100 in Idaho. Neat event. Do they still have that event?
*** SUBJECT: 2000 HONDA XR200 UPGRADE Rick All things considered, you should shy away from any kind of big bore kit. The reliability will suffer and the bike will run hot. You can make the bike run somewhat stronger by installing a pipe/muffler combo, a K&N filter and opening up the airbox. Of course, you'll have to richen up the jetting to compensate for the improved breathing. *** SUBJECT: can i put a headlight on my 89yamaha 250 yz Tracy Willmar, MN Yep. Contact these folks and they can help.
*** SUBJECT: MORE POWER FOR A 2004 DR-Z250 Hey Mister Hey....just bought an 04 DR-Z250 STOCK..It's kind of
lame in torque, and sounds a bit sissyfied. Whats the best way to
correct these items without having to cash in my 401K Thanks Mister!! Get rid of the stock muffler and put on a decent after market item. Don't bother buying the head pipe, as the stock muffler is the choker. *** SUBJECT: ARTICLE TITLE: YAMAHA MX 125 - VINTAGE DIRT BIKE GUIDE! I have a 1979 yamaha 125 in a box stripped down, exhaust is
original and in absolute mint condition, rest of the bike is in really
good condition for the year. I was wondering if anyone knows the worth
of this bike in pieces or if i finish building it. i have 2 engines for
it also. i got it for a few bucks and im debating the worth of selling
it for a modern bike or rebuilding it for vintage racing All things considered, you would be ahead of the game if you sold the parts on ebay. The MX was not a prized collector The MX version was not as slick as the YZ and neither one was as good as the
RM125 of that time. For vintage or evolution racing, you're better off with a 250 of some sort. *** SUBJECT: 1985 SP600 BROKEN CARB REPAIR I recently got a 1985 sp600 for 175.00. The carb is completely
gummed up and full of garbage. I was going to dip and rebuild it but the
body cracked when pulling the mixture screw out. I can't find a
replacement, any suggestions for an original or aftermarket? Believe it or not, you can fix a cracked carb with some *** SHAMELESS PLUG Here's the source: Paypal, Check or Money Order OK - No plastic Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OffRoadDotCom
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SUBJECT: RECALLING THE SAHARA CLUB DAYS
Posted 2008-10-17 09:57:09.0
