proper

Reached my file size limit. Some more:

Some quick shots between the rainstorms.

Will take some shots outside tomorrow.

Finished!

Yeehah!

The head is very quiet btw. No more mechanical clutter.

Set the airscrew to 3/4 out, idle screw way in. Starting it cold without choke only took two docile kicks. Mind you, it's freezing cold in the shop. Was rewarded with instant steady but slow tickover idle. Felt no need to adjust idle, because it sounded great. Let it idle for a minute, cranked it open, and the note changed from a heavy bark to an instant wild growl. OMG. This is a monster. No signs of the mad bog when accelerating, which I noticed during the only test ride I did on it two years ago. It's just instant power, no matter how fast you crank it open. This is all unloaded testing, need to finish the bike now, and do some real world riding. And some hot starts...

Talked to Chris from Splatshop, who confirmed my gutt feeling the black/white cable is there for the kill switch, which happens to coincide with the length of the existing engine kill harness. Problem solved. And I also learned that the short black wire protruding from the CDI gives ignition mapping 2 when shorted to ground. Nice chaps @splatshop

Thanks! Changed the pilot jet from 38 to 42. Will fire her up again after work.

So, I'm still looking for the function of the shown black wire with white striping. My local Sherco dealer thinks it's ground.

It runs! But will not idle for longer than 5 seconds. Got the airscrew out by about 360°. It seems happy to rev, more air screw gives exhaust bangs on throttle down. No amount of idle screw adjustment has any influence.

The rectifier wires were in bad shape, with bare copper strands close to each other. The regulator also had signs of wire degration. I decided to replace the rectifier, and try to save the regulator. Added a big blob of hotglue around all wires coming out of the unit to prevent future damage.

Got a question, hope someone is able to answer it: The 320 has a seperate CDI and iginition coil (bobine). On most 2T those two are combined in one unit. The CDI is located right above the front sprocket. It has one black lead coming out. (picture 1) The ignition coil is located near the headset. From the CDI runs an orange wire to the ignition coil, together with a black wire with white striping. (picrure 2) I've added some white background for contrast in the pictures. I'm wondering if the latter black wire should be used to connect the engine kill switch to. Or should the lower black wire on the CDI be used?

Getting there. All things at the front are mounted and working. Had loads of fun trying to bleed the clutch, which was finally solved by adjusting the clutch lever all the way back, freeing up the reservoir and juices suddenly started to flow. Took two springs out of the clutch basket. Got new plastic fitted all around, including new graphics. Only things left to do is sorting out the mess called electronics, and spray the tank with a fresh white coating. I hope to kick some life into the engine tomorrow... Also got a big box from Splat, with new handlebars, new clutch and brake hoses, and other goodies. Will fit those after the engine is running and carb adjusted.

Also learned today that the most convenient way to spill oil all over the shop floor, is patiently filling the miniscule right hand oil fill hole with 650cc full synthetic 10W30 while not having the flywheel cover fitted on the left hand side. More coffee.

Also had some issues bleeding the rear brake system. The manual stated "do not rush this job" so I complied. It works now!

The fasteners are all original, they are just not abused. Most of them are replaced anyway. Building the bike again, means learning the only correct order in which it goes together, which can be frustrating at times. I had mounted the rear wheel, only to discover I couldn't adjust the chain guard. Wheel went out and in. Then I pondered how the rear brake hose was supposed to be routed, turns out it goes through the swingarm. Which only works if you disassemble the side stand. Wheel went out and in. Had the exhaust header mounted, but it needs to come off to position the damper first. And in order to mount the rear brake reservoir, the airbox needs to come off....

If I remember correctly, there was just one valve with sticking collets. The other three popped easily without massive force. I did use the tapping trick, but it was no use on that single bugger. Thanks! It's normal for me that projects take considerable time, and overshoot budget way beyond sanity. But I'm enjoying it massively. Lot's of TLC involved. She'll be a beauty again. I'm just hoping it 'll start! I've counted in a few extra months for the Chinese carb adjustments, which will probably be the most interesting part of this rebuild. So far the swingarm, rear wheel, header, carb, airbox, radiator and front fork are mounted. It's so typical you read the instructions for filling the front fork legs with oil, make mental notes about FIRST fixing the drain bolt in the bottom, only to fill it up without that bolt... Need to sort the rear brake master cylinder and brake lever, chain, cooling hoses and exhaust (it's polished, like the front forks, swingarm and bash plate ? ). Then electronics and plastics are next. Most, if not all, plastics will be new. I'm trying to save the tank. So far my observation is that this bike has seen plenty of abuse, but was well cared after. There's not a bit on the bike that wasn't badly scratched or damaged by rock / concrete impact. All the bearings were locked solid, lots of rust everywhere. But all the bolts and screws were like new, with threads and heads in great condition.

Sanded the patches of black epoxy down using 1200 grit waterproof. Looks usable now. Mounted new bushings, seals and wipers. Got the engine back in. Hardest puzzle in the world. I have no idea how to describe the procedure of fitting the frame around the engine. After several hours of messing about, it suddenly went in. No damage to the powdercoated frame.

Got a good quote for powdercoating the frame, got it back in high gloss black! Should have done that a year ago, instead of trying to do it myself using spraycans, wasting time and money. Took the forks apart, heavy pitting and deep scratching on the black diamond coated tubes. Filled all the damage with black epoxy, will try to sand it smooth without damaging the black coating. Fingers crossed. Got all the wheel bearings replaced. Cleaned the front brake caliper, replaced brake pads and flushed the brake fluid with fresh DOT4.

Could use a bit of advice: Should I mount the radiator before reinstalling the engine in the frame?

The frame is a mess. It requires repainting after several small incidents round the shop. Also discovered some spots where the paint is coming loose. It seems the few spots of old coating I didn't remove from hard to get spots, reacted with the new paint. I'll touch up the weak spots for now, and powdercoat the frame next year.

Got the new bearings in, as well as the new rear hub spacer. The old one had several deep dents from the axle. Just shows what this bike has endured. It also explained the large play of the rear wheel, despite the previous owner having replaced the bearings. Mounted a new red anodized rear sprocket with 41 teeth. Used new sprocket bolts, since it came with non fitting countersink bolts. New nyloc nuts on the back. On the front, a new 10T sprocket.

Well, the few weeks have passed. (...) We knew we had to do a complete makeover of the back garden. After that, we thought, let's do the front garden also while we're at it. Which turned out to take considerable more time and effort than we had anticipated. Then we did the bathroom. Then she decided to do a training and a career switch, starting her own company, meaning I had to give up my hobby room. We just finished building her new office. In between I also suffered some health issues, meaning I couldn't ride trial bikes. It's also the time were literally everything we bought ten years ago starts failing all at once. On top of that the neighbors washing machine pumped it's contents to our top floor, meaning three wrecked floors, walls and ceilings. Just when we had that lot dry and cleaned, they did it again. Total chaos. In short, life got in the way big time. She started about a new kitchen, living room, the lot, but wisely decided we've reached the DIY boiling point. It's time for having fun again. In between chaos I've managed to do some extensive rebuilding work on my old 1996 Yamaha TDM which had been sleeping for years. Starting riding again, joined a club, and got really excited. More mods and maintenance are planned, but I need to finish the Sherco first to clear my head, and have some decent space to work the TDM. Also, the plan is for the whole family to ride trials again from the new season start somewhere in februari 2019. Last week the missus fell in love with a 2012 Scorpa TY125 4-stroke with E-starter. She hates not being able to start the 290, only to see me having a go and start it first kick. I'm hoping to keep the 290, because it's a blast, and having a spare bike can come in handy. The shop still had some minor carb tweaks to do on the TY-125, because it's tiny jets tend to clog after a week not running. (thanks to ethanol gas). If all goes well, we're back in business end of the year, both riding 4 stroke. Got the garage all cleaned out, starting on the wheel bearings tonight!

@Biff: Thanks for sharing that tip, looks like a useful addition. @Ralphy: I've thought about that, but wasn't sure if the shim surface has been hardened. Anyway, I finally received my shims a few days ago. As far as I can tell from listening to Sherco 4T bikes shown running on youtube, most of them have a slight ticking noise on idle. Also read this: Apparently, the rattling/ticking noise is normal. Right now I'm having other commitments, meaning I will not be able to work on the bike for the next few weeks.