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Rebuilding a Yamaha TY250 monoshock- then sending it away in bits.

Updated on January 10, 2011
This was the e-bay ad that inspired me to restore this 80's classic. The price asked would make me a profit-Ha!, not!
This was the e-bay ad that inspired me to restore this 80's classic. The price asked would make me a profit-Ha!, not!
the Phoenix! more like the Albatross!
the Phoenix! more like the Albatross!
no problem- i stripped the dinsaur motor and fitted new bearings and seals- the chassis just needs a paint and clean.
no problem- i stripped the dinsaur motor and fitted new bearings and seals- the chassis just needs a paint and clean.
Then, unlike the last eleven bikes and quads i rebuilt- i started to discover a lot more parts were missing, but no problem. I found another cheap engine just for this gear of the layshaft.
Then, unlike the last eleven bikes and quads i rebuilt- i started to discover a lot more parts were missing, but no problem. I found another cheap engine just for this gear of the layshaft.
So more 'jewels' had to be purchased. which dug into the piggy bank.
So more 'jewels' had to be purchased. which dug into the piggy bank.
It will be a thing of beauty when i ve finnished!- "of course it will love!"- ( typical sexist womans response)
It will be a thing of beauty when i ve finnished!- "of course it will love!"- ( typical sexist womans response)
Then i found the frame cracked in more than one place, the cables were scrap, fork seals, electrics, brackets blah, blah, etc etc moan , gripe....
Then i found the frame cracked in more than one place, the cables were scrap, fork seals, electrics, brackets blah, blah, etc etc moan , gripe....
doesnt look much different to the pic above but its just broke my budget with the extra bits purchased- and it still hasn't got the motor in.
doesnt look much different to the pic above but its just broke my budget with the extra bits purchased- and it still hasn't got the motor in.
eventually it looked , sounded and rode like a thing of 80's beauty- except when i advertised it to sell, i had more ridicule thrown at me in messages form on verious advertising & auction sites-So-
eventually it looked , sounded and rode like a thing of 80's beauty- except when i advertised it to sell, i had more ridicule thrown at me in messages form on verious advertising & auction sites-So-
I ended up stripping it to its component parts and selling it to recoup the cost of the rebuild- which is a shame and it now lives in over sixty locations throughout the Western world- including....
I ended up stripping it to its component parts and selling it to recoup the cost of the rebuild- which is a shame and it now lives in over sixty locations throughout the Western world- including....
Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austalia, the U.S., Wales, England and the Isle of Man. I made a small profit to boot. But in this form, the most i was offerred was 250 quid? its the only rebuilt bike i have found was worth nothing after a lurving rebuild.
Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austalia, the U.S., Wales, England and the Isle of Man. I made a small profit to boot. But in this form, the most i was offerred was 250 quid? its the only rebuilt bike i have found was worth nothing after a lurving rebuild.
Its the last rebuild i wil ever do -again.........
Its the last rebuild i wil ever do -again.........

Classics sell, yeah, ill rebuild an 80's classic!

In the past year i have rebuilt 11 dirt bikes and motorcycles. Ive spent most of my life as a truck mechanic and just over ten years motocrossing, enduroing and being a general big kid off road as well as other pastimes. This was the last motorcycle of any kind i have rebuilt usually well into the night in our tiny shed with the radio on.

I found this well neglected 84' Yammie trails bike and noticed on the black hole that is e-bay, a few good examples going for ridiculous money and some others going for peanuts- opportunity-blah , etc

If you look at the heap i bought on the page opposite its well past its prime- that how i kinda like to find 'em and turn them around into a thing of (almost) beauty. I stripped the motor and fitted a new piston, gaskets bearings and seals stripped the frame welded and painted it, found the cables were knackered and the tank leaked, the wheels and forks were shot as well as just about every nut and bolt being butchered.

Being too deep into this bike a week or two later there was no going back. I thought of becoming an astronomer instead of doing bike rebuilds- but i don't like working night shift, it plays havoc with my digestion, or maybe if i became a Buddhist and seek some deeper meaning but it was too cold at the time. I stuck to the rebuild which went well over my budget.

Eventually it looked good and went well, so i thought i will try to see if i get a decent price for it. Ha Ha people laughed at me with contempt and text-ed me with silly comments like " you will maybe get that sort of price in Sammy Millers day!" ( he was a uk trails champ way back when)

After all i only asked f 400 quid for the bike. So utterly dejected i decided to become an author and now live happily ever after (yeah right) I actually did make a profit on the bike but had to strip the thing to each one of its component parts and sent it to over sixty locations via the medium of the convinient rip off that e-bay is. TY 250 mx '84 now lives on in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, the U.S., Australia, Wales and the Isle of Man.

Oh and i did write a book Its called Bins benches and Broken Bikes- but has absolutely no connection with an '84 TY250 mx whatsoever. I am about to cycle to the bottom of the Iberian penninsular in a few weeks, i have done this twice now and after both jouneys i vowed never to do it again- if i do make this next journey and return to the 'real' world i can imagine wanting to rebuild another motorcycle even thogh after this one i vowed 'never again' -again.

I guess the moral of this story is never say never again!- again.-again.

working

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