mmmexico

Back again...no sooner have you guys helped me see the light with my pressure plate, than I run into new issues with the kickstarter. I picked up a new kickstart lever and it's mounting hardware from TY Trials, as well as a new return spring. When I reassembled the unit and closed up the case all seemed well. I could push down on the lever and the starter would activate and the kickstart lever would return to its proper place...i.e. not touching the side case. After a few tentative dabs, the main shaft moved out about a half of an inch and when I pushed down on the lever it did not want to release promptly and when I gave it a couple of jiggles, it appeared to have moved out of the recess in the case which acts as a stop and the whole kichstart lever moved forward and rested on the case...and it wasn't completely releasing, i.e....it continued to be engaged with the motor. I could get it to release by jiggling it. I am about to buy all new pieces from TY Trials...including the shaft and the associated gears. Do I need to do this or am I missing something?? The one odd thing about my kickstart assembly is the the spring guide is a machined piece of metal and it is retained on the shaft with a circlip. I don't see this in part books. What I see is a white plastic piece that apparently is not retained at all. It distinctly feels like there should be a spacer or some mechanism which keeps the shaft and the associated gears and springs tight against the right side case to insure that the return stop is engaged and doing its job. In my case, some assembly error or worn piece is allowing the shaft and the stop to pop out. What should I look at, and what do you think needs replacing. I am going to take it apart tomorrow, so if you want pictures and can post some... Thanks in advance Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

Thank you very much for your patience with me. The light finally went on late last night. Probably the biggest "give away" was the fact that the torque setting was the same as for the bolts which hold the side cases on. Anyhow, I have been used to "adjusting" the tension on these bolts to achieve a uniform release of the clutch plates...like on one of my old BSA's which required that the bolts be safety wired once the appropriate tension was reached. On my Bultaco, you are instructed to look down at the retaining bolts to insure that the clutch plate is parallel with the engine cases...Now I get it. Just tighten them up Thanks again... Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

I am closing up my TY and I've run across an issue with the pressure plate. The clutch plates themselves are new and worked well when I put the bike away some 11 years ago...at least I can't remember any issues. Anyhow I was just in the process of tightening the clutch springs, washers and retaining bolts. My manual said to tighten them to 5-7 ft. lbs. I tried that and I promptly screwed all five bolts down tight. They bottomed before I could get a reading on the torque wrench. None of this seems right to me. The springs do not look like they could put up enough resistance to hold 5-7 lb. ft. The springs just do not look or feel that strong. Am I missing something? For example, I could shorten the retaining bolts and try again to see if that torque is available before the springs bind up on themselves. That doesn't seem right because they are the screws that the bike came with. Help....Please Mike meditativemachinery

Finally, some results that you can see. I spent a couple of hours today assembling the chassis so that I could wheel it around the garage and free up the hydraulic lift for the TLR. The results are what you see here. Not exactly the kind of TY that you are used to seeing at vintage trials events. This one is a little bit nicer and will spend absolutely no time fording rivers or wheeling up granite embankments. It will have a quieter, gentler life cruising the beaches and gentle riverbeds of Baja California. Above is a detail shot of the rear fender mount. As I have detailed in my blog, this required a few additions to the frame. The welding was done by a good friend of mine who really has no experience with motorcycle frames, but he has a lifetime of experience with welding. Above is a shot of the tripletree. As you can see, I have been free with my use of oversize-drilled alloy washers. Again, not necessarily strictly functional, but for the intended life of this bike...they fit in just fine. The bike actually should be up and running this week. The engine cases have been joined...actually a couple of weeks ago...what is left is for me to satisfy myself that the rest is going together correctly. The clutch...the electronics...shifting assembly...kick start assembly, etc...I have a new chain...gold, of course and the tires (tyres??) are in good shape. In no time at all, I will be falling down and adding a measure of "new" patina" to this old bike. If you want to see more and better pictures, and/or catch up on the build, take a look at my blog at: meditativemachinery Thanks for looking Mike

I am in the process of cleaning-up my old trials bikes. My TY is in the final stages and so I've gotten to work on my TLR. My plan is to get both bikes done by early September when my son comes to visit. This is where the project begins with a functional, if filthy dirty TLR. It needs cleaning, painting and some new stainless fasteners. Below is a shot of the bike after a few hours of work. Obviously the engine is out, but not so obvious is the fact that the seat/tank unit has been repaired and primed for some paint. Better pictures and better description of the process are on my blog at: meditativemachinery Hope that you can take a look... Mike

I did this conversion about a year ago. I have no idea about which company in China makes this replica Keihin carburetor but it works perfectly right out of the box. As was suggested above, just do an ebay search for a TLR carburetor. When you find the one that costs one quarter of the original you have found the right one. Some caveats....you will need a new throttle cable. As is mentioned above the throttle cable is part of the top of the carburetor (at least on the "colonial" Reflex) and so a new cable is in order. I bought a throttle cable for an XL/XLR 200 and it, like on the Reflex, was firmly and permanently attached to a new carburetor top...which was entirely too big to fit on the replica Keihin. Since it was absolutely no use to me "as is", I went after it with a Dremel tool and basically ground off the assembly which attaches the cable to the carburetor top. Once freed, the cable worked perfectly. I would recommend that you not buy a new cable, but free the original cable with the Dremel tool. Next problem is that the replica carburetor...at least in my case...would not mount to the original air box. All of which sent me back to ebay for a replacement/accessory aircleaner. Again, a vast improvement. The motorcycle was transformed. Best of luck...the project involves a lot of fiddly little jobs...but it is worth it.

This is just a quick up-date. Painting has begun on the Mexican TY. In a week or so you guys will have a complete bike to take a look at. By the way, this is a Sammy Miller tank which is at least 15 years old. It has never seen ethanol. Here in Mexico all of the corn gets turned into tortillas. All of the gas (petrol??) is pure dead dinosaurs. Better pictures and discussion on my blog meditativemachinery Mike

I've been bothering you guys on this forum for the past six months with questions about my TY. Things are coming along nicely and I am about to start doing the part that seems more interesting to most people, i.e. the cosmetics. Yesterday I did a trial fit of the WES exhaust system. I have been documenting this build in my blog. Take a look for better higher resolution pictures and a bit of commentary. Below is a shot of the exhaust meditativemachinery Mike

Which YZ was it that you got this cover off of? I know that there are a bunch of them. I like this piece way better than the MX 100 side case that I finally bought. The most useful link for my search was the one that tony27 gave me for the gaskets. Thanks for the picture...it looks very clean...way better than the MX 100 Mike meditativemachinery

I recently picked-up a smallish Bultaco...a Campera, which came equipped with a very old Amal. This fifty year old device just did no do this bike justice. At first I was not sure if the problem was with the ignition of the carburetor. Since the carburetor was obviously well past its prime, I opted to look for an oriental replacement. Enter the Chinese Mikuni. Attaching this carburetor to the Bultaco was relatively simple...once you figure out where to get the pieces. It transforms the motorcycle. It now idles, accelerates without hesitation, and runs cleanly at all speeds. However, it is reluctant to start...either when it's cold or hot, so I still have some work to do. A much fuller description higher resolution pictures, and links to suppliers are on my blog. Feel free to take a look Mike meditativemachinery

Tony...That was my assumption too. I could not match up the drillings in the piece with anything else that came in the box...I also checked around the chassis and couldn't find a match. The instructions say to mount the coil/CDI unit on the airfilter housing...which initially looked impossible. I did finally discover that if I mounted the coil/CDI unit towards the top of the left hand side it would clear the Sammy Miller body work...may be the included mount is meant to be used with the original Yamaha bodywork?? Who knows...I will check around the frame again today before I start painting to see if I can find a match.. Thanks Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

I'm not done with my questions. I discovered this unusual piece in the Electrix World box. I have no idea what it could possibly be used for? Any ideas??? By the way, the rebuild of my TY is coming along nicely, despite the tropical weather. Thanks, please take a look, if you are interested. Mike meditativemachinery

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Sitting around hoping for an e-mail reply is not appealing to me. Besides what are they going to say? This is the unit that they are shipping, and it just doesn't fit my cases. One of the guys who responded said he had exactly the same problem. My situation does not permit returning the unit. It would be cost prohibitive to send the unit back to my supplier in the United States from here in Mexico...then what? I have a conversation with him about what bike I am installing the unit into?? Then he tries to return the unit to a company that obviously doesn't give a flying fook about customer service?? Then, several weeks later a new unit is shipped to Mexico and I have to (once again) pay import duties..These are not excellent choices. In fact, yesterday I went after the offending part of the case. It took literally 30 seconds with my Dremel to relieve the case just a little tiny bit...now the unit fits perfectly. Below are before and after pictures of the case...as you can see, nothing of any significance was removed. Thanks again to all of you for your thoughtful replies. Mike meditativemachinery

My TY 175 is progressing nicely. I have read on this forum the mixed results that people have had with the Electrix World system. Some have said some very nice things, others have had no luck and everyone seems to agree that they are not especially communicative with their customers. In my case, I sent several e-mails and none received any response at all. When I ordered an "electronic ignition" from an American source, the Electrix World unit arrived. So...that's what I am using. The unit appears to be very well made, but as you can see from the photograph, the unit just doesn't quite match up, so I'm going to have to be doing some grinding with my Dremel tool on the engine case. No big deal, but why couldn't they have done a better job?? I have a couple of questions about the unit itself. First of all, how is the spark triggered? With a points system, it is obviously clear. With the CDI systems that I am familiar with, there is some sort of a mechanical, electromechanical trigger associated with some part of the motor, usually the flywheel. With this unit, there is no obvious trigger. How does it work? Secondly, how much success have you guys had adjusting the timing of this unit? The instructions simply say that the unit will provide a good spark as delivered in the box, and any further adjustment will require a timing light and the creation of timing marks on the magneto flywheel. Have you found that necessary? Hope to hear from you guys about your adventures with this unit Mike meditativemachinery

I really do not want to grind this up too fine, but I really have figured out the problem. I essentially misread the Haynes Manual. There really is only one dowel with the sealing rings around the circumference. That dowel is located inside of the rear, lower engine mount. And...I have one. Unfortunately, I just bought two more, so if anyone needs one or two of these little buggers, do not hesitate to send me a note. I can probably send it to you for little more than the cost of a new engine... Cheers Mike

Problem solved. A guy on eBay had two NOS dowels and seals. They are on their way to me as we speak. In the meantime, I will probably get to work painting my seat/tank unit... meditativemachinery Mike

I am in the middle of assembling crankcase halves for my TY 175. Because the guy who owned it before me only used one dowel when he re-assembled the crankcase last time, I did not realize (until just now) that a needed two of the things for the upper and lower mounting points. I noticed when I was trial fitting the dowel to the lower mount that it fit snugly and would seem to do a good job of reducing vibration. However on the upper mount, it was so loose as to be apparently useless. Are there two sizes of dowels? Are there two sizes of O-Rings?? For pictures or to follow the restoration of this bike, take a look at my blog at http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/ Thanks....any thoughts on the dowels would be appreciated. I really want to get this right. Mike

Thanks feetupfun for the information. I'm glad I asked. Yes, I agree, it seemed unusual to me to have the machinist suggest that I work over my piston with sandpaper to achieve the desired clearance. Here in the backwoods of Mexico you have to accept some compromises. I am going to go over the piston skirt again to insure that the clearance is correct...and then after running for an hour or so I will take it apart and take a good look at the piston. My assumption, which appears to be wrong, was that a forth oversize piston (67mm) would uniformly be 67mm from top to bottom and I further assumed that boring the cylinder to 67.045 would achieve the correct clearance. Based on my measurements, if the cylinder was taken out to 67.045mm it would have resulted in a clearance at the top of the piston of .095mm...essentially worn out according to the Yamaha manual which says that the greatest acceptable clearance is .1mm...no where is there any suggestion that these measurement are taken at the skirt. Thanks again... Mike P.S. I will be taking off the inside shield from the bearing

I am getting ready to put my TY 175 back together. I am concerned about the gearbox bearing on the right hand crankcase half. When I took the bike apart I could see that this bearing was shielded on the side facing out and open to the inside of the gearbox. That made sense to me because this arrangement allows the bearing to receive lubrication from the oil flying around the inside of the gearbox. I ordered new bearings all around and the bearing that I received for this application was shielded on both sides...so how does it get any lubrication? Just wondering...The part was a Yamaha part with the correct Yamaha part number...So I would appreciate any advice or thoughts. By the way, my build is being documented on my blog http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/ in case any of you would be interested in following along. Hope that you can help me with the bearing...and I hope to see you on the Blog... Mike

Thank you lineaway......I'll be ordering from Harbor Freight just as soon as I post this supply. I've got a lot of stuff in my garage. Usually stuff that I will only use once...but I also got a hydraulic table to raise the bike up off the floor and some painting supplies.. Thanks again Mike

That is a very cool tool. I even found a distributor in San Diego...unfortunately the tool is $173.00...plus I would pay roughly 1/3 more to import it to my home in Mexico....so it looks like a reach. What would a brand new crank cost??? I will certainly be replacing the seals (I have them in hand)...and the bearings if I can get this one off.. Thanks Mike

I just split the cases on my TY 175. Everything went smoothly except when I finally freed the crank, the right side main bearing came with it. It is stuck right up against the flywheel. So far I've come up with the following bodges: Put the crank in the freezer before re-installing it in the cases. Warm up the cases and refrigerate the crank before re-installing Use a torch on the case before re-installing. I really don't want to destroy the main bearing, it feels perfect, but I don't relish the idea of trying to pound the crank and the main bearing back together...at least not without so heat and/or refrigeration. Do you guys have any ideas??? As you all know, there is no room for a puller between the flywheel and the bearing... Thanks in advance Mike

I have an older Bultaco...an M21 with a registration date of 1966, and as noted above...a four speed. So far, I haven't had any luck sourcing an electronic ignition for the bike. Bultaco UK responded quickly that they had nothing available. ElectrixWorld just refuses to answer my inquiries via e-mail. On the bike now is a Femsa unit with a lighting coil. Do any of you guys have any ideas??? Thanks in advance Mike

Thanks for the responses. Actually I have a shift lever from my TY175 which is waiting for parts for a restoration. I just checked it and it does exactly what I want it to do, i.e. go around the side case cover. That's all I wanted. I'll use the TY lever for the Honda TLR and round up something else for the TY when it is finished. BTW the TY lever is pretty agricultural, I will be looking for something a little better finished/lighter when the time comes. Thanks for the responses Mike

I have seen a couple of TLRs on this forum with shift levers attached directly to the original splined shaft and then bending around the side case cover instead of going through the rather convoluted shift linkage which is now on my TLR. Can anyone tell me what lever was used? I can then visit e-bay and get a used one for just about nothing…right??? Such a shaft leaves me with a longish reach to the lever, but that's OK because my boot does not easily go under the lever in it's current position, and the linkage is getting loose and wobbly. Hope to hear from someone.. Mike