kevin j

I have been fixing and wrenching everything from farm, contruction, heavy equipment, cars and mc for 40+ years, so I can do most if I need to. Mostly, it was necessitated by economics, keeping kids on bikes, or the fact that there are no harvest combine mechanics around at 2am when the weather might turn. here would be the best of both worlds for me: 1. do your own maintenance for daily service, so you learn, and also see other things (loose bolts, rubbing wires)while doing the normal maintenance 2. Know enough, and have enough tools and spares to keep it going on event day (and to help out other people, especially kids on older bikes) 3. Be rich enough to have a new bike, and to take the old one to the dealer for annual maintenace. 4. Use the time saved from always fixing the old one, to work on fun toys like some of Charlies restorations Unfortunatley, the key point is #3. Barring that, I'm thankful for health and opportunities to have the bikes, fix, and ride. kcj kcj

An important topic, and maybe more so since trials stuff is so often deal over long distance sight unseen. I haven't been burned, but have heard many stories. Basically, if it seems to good to be true, it is. I had an offer of $2500 to ship an old TY350 parts bike to africa somewhere. The responses I get to my industrial hydraulics surplus stuff is incredible. a more common variation, and I think discussed here you can search the archives, is to get a check much larger than the object, with instructions to send the difference somewhere. Doesn't matter what you are selling, they don't want it anyway and you aren't out the object. They want cash transferrs. Ex: I advertise the car for $1000. Scammer says he has a certified check from a customer in the states who owes him say 6000. He has settled for 4000 from that client because he wants to get something rather than nothing. He is also in the market for a (fill in the blank, just happens to be exactly what you have to sell.) He will send you the check for 4000. You are to deduct 1000 for the car, we think shipping is 700, but you hold 1000 for shipping. You seem so honest I trust you. Then, send the 2000 to this other account or company. When you finally ship the car, send back the excess 200 to 300 left from shipping money. You will get a certified bank check, drawn on us funds, not stolen accounts either. Usually non existant accounts in an actual bank. I knew that when a personal check is depositied, it is subject to clearing on the other bank first. I didn't realize that bank certified checks have no time limit to when they can be bounced back. Say you send the money in a week, it bounces 2-4 wks. Now you are out the 2000 you sent on. Time is of the essence. They push for quick action for a variety of reasons. Does anyone have the address of the ANUS laptop computer deals, sold to 'Cole'? I have a shortened viersion, the whole story is incredible. I question whether the whole thing is a scam in itself, on us! Anyway, its a long diary of scamming the scammers over a couple years. the 'we will come and dead you with the governor' story??? kcj

My dad had an old 2 cycle golf cart for use on the farm. It had forward and reverse with a lever switch by changing the polarity of the starter motor windings. Whichever direction the motor ws rotating to start, that's which way it ran. Supposedly it doesn't happen on the electronic ignitions (sans points) but I have had it happen twice on my TY350. It's quite a thrill to need more power, crank the throttle, and have it stall and instantly power into reverse. Was the eninge running the entire time, and still running, when you put it into gear? Or was it running, shut off, and restarted? I'd vote with the rest to timing and flywheel key.

check the main bearings for crank motion up and down Check the big end at various points around the 360degrees rotation. I have had engines with flat spot in big end that only appeared as loose at one particular spot. Looked great everywhere else.

Prior to last world round there was info on the FIM site.

If you had the head off, is the cable stretched a bit? Back out the idle speed adjuster, largest screw on the carb, then open and close the throttle with engine off. Should should feel and hear the click as the slide hits the stop. If you don't,it's not going all the wqay down, maybe being held up by the cable housing pulled up slightly. kcj

My TY350 fits a 'Torx' driver. I don't recall the size, they are named as T10, T15 etc. Try your local industrial supplier as Torx screws are common now. I have a socket to fit a normal 3/8 drive handle. kcj

a dab of grease or silicone in the allen socket keeps the dirt out. And unlike a philips screw, you can still get the allen screws out later. kcj

very common problem. The switches are delicate, and prone to break the first drop. I cringe when I see someone riding a nice original TY with lights and switches still on it. I don't think availab from Yam. Try ebay. I saw one NOS switch sell last summer for $USD 203 so be prepared to pay dearly. If you find a source for repro buttons or whole switches I'd like to know also. I need one for my TY175 that is street legal. I have a complete NOS lighting kit but it is with a TY250C that I am going to sell, don't want to split it up. kcj

I had inquired about the electronic ignition swap on another board. TY magneto is strong, just wanted to get away from points. General consensus was that the older 80's ignitions were not all that reliable, so I dropped the idea. B&J has one that was developed with help of a good vintage rider in US. Great unit, but over $US400, so not feasaible for my needs. kcj

If it won't shift with engine off, it's not your clutch. Pull the left cover off, and make sure the whole area is cleaned out. If nothing is binding the shifter, you'll need to pull the clutch side off fo check the finger that moves the shifter drum. If the spring breaks, it won't grab the shifter drum. Rotate the drum manually a bit at a time and see if the the transm works. Beyond that, you need a manual and some tools. k

right on wayne. I've been on that bandstand for years. Lots of promo work at local level (brocuhre, video, displays, etc) but we have to change mindsets to WANT to grow. If not, the land access is going away fast. Now, how do we form the structure to acomplish it? I think the USMTA is the key right now. kcj

a smaller lever will reduce the mechanical advantage and make it harder to pull. Is he capable of the strength now, just can't reach the lever? I think B&J has some adjustable levers with fulcrum and stop screws that can change the ratios. Not sure if they fit the small bikes though. kcj

bob ginder (B&J) is knowledgeable about all forms of vintage motorcycles, and very helpful. great guy to deal with. kcj

Q Actually a guy here in Canada makes them, about $80 cdn. I think Q Can you give me a contact for him? I am 6-1 tall, really hunched over in the old style poor posture and toomuch weight on arms/front end when I ride the TY350. Pegs will be lowered an inch or two, and maybe a bit ahead. I'd like to move the bars ahead more onto the pivot c/l also but not sure how they feel when raised up that much. How do you like it? tks, kcj

wheels and brake hubs are different. cylniders are different. Pistons are the same, at least Wiseco doesn't list a TY anymore but they supply a DT piston. carb body fro a DT100 will fit, needs different jetting. BEst going new Mikuni there though. Ebay US has a guy selling Yamaha part number interchange CD for about $25USD. covers from the 60's to 80's I think. Might help. I was thinking of buying it but haven't done so. k

gordon: I fitted a 2000 GasGas brake and wheel to my TY350. Piece of cake, easily done and minimal changes to the TY. I posted some pics here in the past, and the complete info is being put onto bruce andersons website with other TY info. may not be up yet. tough to find modern parts, but the technology is so much better, smaller, lighter, and easy to get parts. (wallace by chance?) kcj

I think the pipe/made into a tool was about $4 from our local Sherco rep, from RYP. It also lines the seal up perfectly square as the pvc pipe slides over the inner fork tube and aligns from that.

ouch. can't reach those using my rod method. I think I'd try the suggestion above, but instead of a punch, cutting a one inch hole on back wall, against engine or over near the front left cylinder hold down bolt in the picture. Then work through that hole with a rod. Use heat to soften and work out the dents. Patch it later and the patch on the inside won't show. Wont' be pristine, especially in the seam, but it would be a workable pipe. k

I am assuming this is on top of the cylinder and is the inner seal, closest to the combustion? if so, sounds like trouble. I design hydraulic systems, which use lots of o-ring joints. O-ring won't seal without the outside surface to push against. The o-ring itself can't take much pressure. It seals by clamping in some applications like drain plugs, side case covers, etc, but only minor pressure loads For pressure applications, it doesn't seal by clamping action. That only squeezes it tightly enough to seal the first part of the pressure rise. Then the pressure pushes the oring outward into the walls and back of the groove, effectively creating its own seal by pushing against those surfaces. Lip seals work with 'pressure energizing' also. tire plugs work in somewhat the same way, except not in a groove. Without the back wall of the groove, I doubt it will hold much. Could it be welded up and remachined? probable exceed the cost of new? The liquid metal sounds feasible is you know somewhere to have it machined. The groove needs to be smooth, with radiused corners where the bottom and outside meet. k

hotter plug will increase the chance of starting preignition because the tip runs hotter. Preignition is normal combustion, started by a; hot spot, too early in the cycle. Detonation is the sudden burning of the end gas mixutre before the normal flame front gets there. Preignition off course can lead to detonation, but they are separate phenomenons. Mostly likely its detonation. I've never had a 250, but the 350 detonates badly due to combustion chamber design-toomuch squish band space that knocks badly on hot days especially. Option on the 350 are: mill the head, run without the head gasket to lower the head, richen up the pilot, use higher octane fuel. all help. I think the Chris Johnson's mods files are here somewhere, talks more about these issues. kcj

I have done several TY headers using a bent piece of 1/2 inch round rod about a foot long. Shape it into the curve you need to reach the dents in question. Might need several bent to different shapes to reach various spots. I think I also flattened off the end to make a spoon shape. Stick the rod into the header, and heat up the dent area say 1 inch square. By prying slowly and gently on the rod (the fulcrum point is where the rod pivots at the flange on end of the header) the spoon pushes the dent out. Don't try and get it all at once, or the metal stretches. Work the sides of the dent, then center, etc. A dull red heat makes it real easy to push around. This is much more predictable than air pressure, as you control the force precisely. Only down side I recall is as you go deeper into the pipe the lever gets longer and the leverage force gets less. There wer also some spots I could not reachno matter what. End result: quite rippled, but they work ok. Maybe you could then tack weld on a curved section of auto exhaust pipe on the outside to mask the bent spot. This was a (Chris J?) mod to protect the header bend before it got bent in the first place, but it would also hide the repair. kcj

don't want to sound picky, but these are actually diaphragm carbs, not fuel injection. They still meter fuel into an airstream, then control the mixture with butterfly plate. Most small 2 stroke handheld applications use these carbs. they are amazingly simple to work on, but tend to work at low idle and high speed only. the transitions are not too good, but maybe that is only because they don't have to be, son only have a few circuits inside. Older snowmobiles had these carbs and worked reasonably well through a wide range of speeds and loads. they can work in any position, and don't have rich/lean issues with fuel sloshing around under impact ans shock. I would bet some reader has already experiemented with them in the past. k

what is your goal? If it is to run totally smooth, can't happen in a one cylidner engine. Theoretically, anything less than 6 cylinders can't be balanced, but 90 degree V twins, 90d V4, and inlne 4 are pretty close, except for some higher frequency second order vibrations. As greeves noted, the balance factor just defines how much of the piston is counterweighted on the crank. If the piston weight is addded to crank, it becomes 100% balanced in the vertical direction (piston goes up, crank weight goes down), but now totally out of balance front to rear (counterweight going front to rear but no piston motion in that direction). So the balance factor just is some arbitrary point of the lesser of two evils, determineed by frame reactions, and how it feels to the riders. some compromise feels the best, so it may be worth doing especially to make sure its true in line. Just have realistic expectations for what you are getting. every one knows someone, whose brother in law heard of someone who had a neighbor with a Triumph/Harley/Ducati he could balance a nickel on the crankcase. Must be the same never found place the 250 mpg carburetors are stored. k

did you cut the existing brackets and lower and reweld, or add steel to bottom of the old brackets? I think they are two thin layers spaced apart, now sure how that works out. did you use old mounts and pegs, or change to modern ones? I am looking for a new mount without having to fab from scratch. (I don't have Tig welding, have to tack things up and take to a shop for final welding.) k