| Author |
Message |
Peter Booth
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 2:38 pm: | |
I just inherited an X6 that my father bought new in 1967, It's been stored inside for the last 20yrs. I just dug it out and it looks perfect, just like it did when he rode it around town with me on the back. My question is what sort of overhaul would folks recommend in order to put it back on the road. The person who had stored it for the last twenty years (a friend of my father's) said, air in the tires, new battery, change the gas and oil and away you go!
Thoughts?
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Adrian
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 8:23 am: | |
Hi there
Unfortunately, it is not that simple.... On two strokes the crank seals will almost certainly have degraded with time. Generally, the inner seal surface sticks tight to the crank and the first time you turn the engine over, the seals are damaged. (Often they are beyond repair anyway) If the engine hasn't been turned over at all, it can be a good idea to fill the crankcases (not the gearbox!) with petrol/oil mix and leave it for a day to soften up the seals. This involves stripping the top end though and doesn't always work!
If you do just try to get it going as your fathers friend suggested, that will be fine, but if you find that it smokes excessively, then the seals have gone and you are burning g'box oil! Check the g'box oil level regularly and you will see it going down. If the left hand outer seal has gone, the bike will run very weak on the LH side.
The crank seals are a big job - but it isn't that expensive if you have some good contacts. It would certainly be worth it to get a great little bike up and running!
Other problems are the carbs. Unless they were fully drained when it was stored, they will be blocked up. Strip the carbs and clean out all the jets and passageways.
Keep us posted
Adrian
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Terry
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 6:37 pm: | |
Go very careful on twenty year old tyres, I wouldn't risk using them except for pushing the bike around the workshop
Terry |
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Advice, help, chat, whatever!