so this is where i am with my baby. Hell, things got tough and i sold my 02 KTM 300 long before i ever thought of saying goodbye to my alma mater. FYI-25 years old and ran great when I pulled her apart a few weeks ago :thumbsup:

Question is I have it this far apart, con rod feels fine but should I go ahead and change it out? Already planning a mild overbore sleeve/piston etc. shooting for reliability here. Have you ever split the cases? is it as bad as everyone says? I have a pretty good aptitude for mechanics and am not shy to do it unless I am told they are pretty bulletproof and I am wasting time. Con rod has no slop and feels great. But at the same time, I am already here........



How I figured out holding the timing chain....




http://i988.photobuc...ka/DSC01095.jpg
http://i988.photobuc.../DSC01107-1.jpg
http://i988.photobuc...ka/DSC01109.jpg

Splitting the cases... not bad at all.
The rebuild thread for my '93 XRL (same basic motor as yours)http://www.thumperta...ight=pig+rescue
There are several other rebuild threads... I offer mine up as it's the easiest for me to find.:smirk:

You said it yourself your already there. It will at the least cost you some gaskets and time but the peace of mind knowing whats going on in your case is priceless. I have not split an XR but I have others and its not so bad. And get that frame powder coated while your at it :thumbsup:

The motor looks like it's in fine shape, I wouldn't mess with the crank if it's tight.
I would do a HC piston some head work and a better cam and call it a day.

pwrpapa said:

Awe Papa, this is going to be a short thread if he follows your advice:(

voodoolord said:

Sorry voodo, lets stroke it bore it and put the bottle on it..:lol:

pwrpapa said:

c'mon... Gotta put some different gears in the tranny too... :smirk:

I can tell you this,,,no way would i tear the top off a bike this old without checking the gears too..........no way,nada,not going to happen.......these bikes are known for fragging the 3rd gear,,and causing extensive damage.....you have to check those gears,usually you can look in and see those gears with the teeth starting to go to pieces on the wear surfaces..

B

brianhare said:

That was my point, your labor is minimal to split cases from here but considerable if you need to do it later.

Agreed... the biggest pain in the arse is getting the engine outta the frame and onto the bench.

Thanks guys, this is what I expected to hear but I am always reaching out to those that have been down the road before. Of course this whole thing began as a cheapo topend refresh :snore: and is quickly getting fairly expensive :eek:

oh well, do it right and be done with it they say.

Definitely going to get the frame powdercoated, I also had trouble with the kickstart from time to time. It would jump a tooth every now and again and as you know, kickstarting an XR6 is hard enough as it is!

I will also do a good visual on the tranny gears, never had any issues when riding but I suppose that doesnt mean squat.....

The idea is about a 70/30 dual sport with the focus on offroad. It is plated since I drug it up here from Idaho recently and it is a cakewalk to get a dirt bike plated there. Should be fun!

Anyhow, thanks again guys :thumbsup:

jwaynetska said:

Yup... usually goes something like this: Do you have a title? Yes... here's your plate:smirk: If they were to tighten up the requirements, the farmers couldn't plate their ditch runners. That aint gonna happen anytime soon.:thumbsup:

ThumpNRed said:

NX fifth gear is good for cruzin, the second gear me don't likey, I can't wheelie as far with it.:lol:

brianhare said:

Awh giving me some crap huh youngster, if I was 50 years younger I'd take you for a night out at the -----bars and film it and send it to your wife.:lol:

voodoolord said:

You and Brian gang bangin me huh!!!!!! you can come with us when we go out on the town..:lol: your wife will love the pics too.....:lol::lol:

ThumpNRed said:

thats about right, i titled my KTM300 before i moved up here and the first 2 DMV offices that i went to wanted to inspect it for proper street legal equipment so i walked but the third one had a gullible sweet lady that didnt feel like walking all the way out to the parking lot to inspect it so i signed a paper and viola! Man do I miss Idaho.....

Thumpn, what part of ID you from? I sure miss the riding in the boise area. Big Willow, Blacks creek, Silver City, Rabbit creek, heck even 8th street beats the pants out of the riding here.......

SO first off, I apologize for making this the most boring thread ever. I ended up hurting my shoulder in late November (nothing cool, work related) and am just now getting to the point were I can move again. I had surgery a month ago, almost to the day. Just got the jug back from the machinist and also have the Wossner in hand. As it turned out my jug had never been touched. Slight markings that took only 1mm to clear up. That leaves me with a 1 over and a nice looking "97.94mm" Wossner piston. I know that I will be going against many of your advice but I am not going to split the cases. During the downtime I accidentally picked up a newish bike that kind of killed my funds. That being said I am determined to complete this project, just at a slightly slower pace than originally planned.

A couple questions,-

1-anybody run a sub $300 muffler on their 85-87 XR600? I have a hard time with this $........
2-what is the easiest 18" rear wheel swap?
3-I have heard talk of a fork stabilizer? Ive thought of the USD swap but as I said, I am broke now......

I am fairly certain that the majority of the hard starting issues I was seeing will be cleared up with the shiny new Wossner and a good cleaning of the valves. Agreed?

Though the new bike is great, it does not fill the void I want this baby to fill!

As I mentioned earlier, I understand if no one is following this post anymore. Pretty damn slow in the making! Well, this weekend I got the engine back together.

My uncle just recently moved to the area and with him brought a wealth of knowledge. He used to be a Honda mechanic but moved on to more profitable endeavors. This does not mean he ever lost respect for Hondas engines. He helped me get the piston in , cleaned valves and he double checked all rocker assemblies in the engine. We checked everything against factory limits. All got the seal of approval, all except for the rod.........it was the one thing I gambled on and it was 1 tick over service limits on the up/down check. I was bummed about seeing that but at the same time I am committed to a camping trip around April 1. Did the Wossner at 1MM over and the machinist followed the Wossner suggested clearances for the jug/piston clearance. Checked and cleaned the valves real good (very surprised at how good of condition the valves were in).

The rod was just BARELY over so I figure I just wait it out. If I hear noise I order another gasket kit along with a rod kit and away i go I suppose. A bummer but not a show stopper, I figure I could put about 5 years of rod slappin on before its a done deal

Just ordered new front/rear brakes pads/shoes, front/rear wheel bearings, handlebars, handguards, chain and grips.

Cannot wait to get this baby running again!