What did you do to your motorcyle today?

[jetta90]

Once the motor was all apart I took inventory of what was on hand.  
The crankshaft was obviously beyond salvaging......at least at this point.  Once the right hand piston and cylinder were pulled apart there was some important cylinder rust and scoring that was discovered.  Not unexpected, given the severity of rust found internally within the motor.  The chances were good that boring the old cylinders up to the max Yamaha oversize (another .50mm) would make the cylinders quite workable once again.  
That would also be the last oversize that Yamaha deemed acceptable for the motor.  That simply was not an option for me.
At the end, I found a used crankshaft that was within spec.  It's not perfect, but is well within tolerance levels.  Thanks Boris!!
Used standard bore barrels were found and had them bored out to the first oversize (.25mm).

There were many ugly things that I found in the motor......the crankshaft, cylinders/barrels, crankshaft drive gear.......but there were also some pleasant surprises.  The clutch components and transmission came out of this ordeal relatively unscathed.  I was able to also salvage the crankcases, carbs, cylinder heads off the old motor.
To summarize the motor chapter:  replaced the crankshaft with a used item, new top end with 1st over pistons and rings, new gaskets and oil seals, carbs completely torn apart and gone through and repainted, cleaned and painted engine barrels/heads and side covers.
It now looks like this........

[bear]

Claudio,

I like your approach. One project at a time.

If I sit back and look at the total scope of work I find it intimidating.

Small steps, one foot in front of the other.

I would think you have found inspiration for the next step just in looking at what you have accomplished with that engine. Well done.

Bear

[Sr.X]

Claudio I find inspiration from your posts, I have yet to get something that the PO hadn't put energy into neglecting. At least when I am finished I know what I have. Good luck with your build and thanks to Boris for his inspiration.
Later, Bob

[Wheels]

That's a pretty little piece Claudio. 
Good choice to do the engine first.  It is the heart of the bike.
Now if you have a tough night on the chassis all you have to do is sit back and look at that motor for encouragement

[jetta90]

Thanks for the encouragement fellas. 
Very correct in saying that looking at the motorcycle as one larger project can be intimidating.
Taking that same motorcycle and braking it down into a series of mini projects not only allows the end goal to be
more attainable, but also allows for momentum building as one successfully completes each chapter.  Gives one
the incentive to carry on and solve the problems as they arise.

[Twisted_Twin]

Looking good...

Like the song says, "one piece at a time"

[rz5mark]

Nice work Claudio ! Nice detail, fresh carb paint and all.

[fffCycles]

Put the head back on the RE Bullet and started up third kick. Good compression so I guess it will last the rest of the season then I will have the parts by then to rebuild the top end completely.

Decided to put a new seat on as well, looking pretty good.

Frank

[Billy D]

Looking good .

[Runningdog]

Replaced the battery on the 400, and painted the Concours bags.

[754]

FIXED it for me.. Yeeee hahh..
 Replaced cam towers,  shafts,  rockers,  and cam......... Runs like a clock..dodged a major bullet.
I rode in here  Wed  night, motor was dry rattling.. Oil feed for cam had mostly dried up to 3 and 4 cylinder..
 Outer cam journal was completely dry,  and rockers were pretty much dry..  #3 still got a tiny bit of lube but other lobes were damaged
Number four suffered at least an eight inch wear to both lobes and to the journal..

 And I was holding it at 60-70 mph for four hours coming out here.

 Changed the parts, runs better than since I got it..  These are tough motors.. Dropped the filter.. Not even. A real lot of debris.... I am again impressed.

[Hayabuser]

Tweaked the rear end of ProjectGS a bit to better align the side panels with the abbreviated taillight fairing.

Swapping the annoying front TOKICO 6-pots for some NISSIN 4-pot calipers is next on the agenda......

[jetta90]

After at least one week of looking at the RD250 rear wheel in the garage, I came to the sudden realization that the rock hard Yokohama tire was not going to remove itself from the rim.
I'll admit it.....intimidation had set in.  I was scared.  I had grappled with 20+ year old tires mounted on a motorcycle wheel before, and had won........but at what cost?

Fast forward to this evening.  That little bastard tire (3.50 x 18".....remember those non metric sizes?) put up quite a battle, but in the end, it finally came off.  Nothing muscles, sweat, an extensive selection of perfectly placed profanities, and perseverance, couldn't overcome. 
That tire had lost all its flexibility.  Had to use hacksaw and grinder for the final assault on the second bead.

I'll now see if I can save the rim....

[stanfromhell]

Had a heart to heart talk with my Yamaha and made it promise it would be  a nice motorcycle and not tell any Kawasaki jokes on tomorrows ride.

[Twisted_Twin]

Turned over 3,000km on my Stelvio this morning!