Post by jwcjcolwell on Aug 20, 2020 0:22:03 GMT -6
I recently purchased a new to me 87 en450 that had sat outside since 05, for a local build competition. The stipulations were as the title states $1000 dollars and 30 days. I bought this bike on June 1st and finished it up on June 24th, with the deadline of July 4th. Most of that time was waiting for parts. I gave $300 for the bike nonrunning and missing a few pieces from a guy that had big plans without a clue(his statement not mine). Luckily for me he had already bought all new genuine cables and got the expensive part out of the way, so in essence I repaid him for the cables and got the bike for free.
When I arrived to load it up I immediately noticed that both wheels were stuck. I came prepared with a shop crane, this isn't the first basket case I've bought. Once loaded we went to get the paperwork done, and I was on my way with my not so shiny or new motorcycle.
The following day I got to work on it, I stripped it down to the bare frame, bagged, and inspected everything. I found that the wheel bearings were seized, the rear brakes were rusted to the hub, the front master cylinder was cracked, both carbs were a mess, the tank was rusted, the petcock seals were dry rotted, a mouse had gotten into the wiring, the burp tank was cracked, the clutch was stuck, and every cable on it was seized, the forks needed rebuilt, and I had to do something with the rear suspension. Once I made it to that point I began ordering parts knowing I was about to go over budget, but luckily ebay came through for me. I bought all the parts I needed at this point plus tires for less than $350, this is the least expensive motorcycle I have ever worked on. I do work for people from time to time and have gathered some parts over the years that were used on this project, that weren't figured into the budget because they were free to me.
Once I got into the motor things weren't that bad the rings were stuck, the clutch that I mentioned before, the valves were tight, and some sludge inside the engine. First things first I unstuck the clutch and rings by fixing the throw out rod open to disengage the clutch, pulled the plugs and dumped the case and cylinders full of transmission fluid to the point it was coming through the exhaust. I let this set for three days. While I let the engine percolate I moved on to the suspension.
The front forks were easy enough to rebuild. The only real issue I ran into was getting the caps off. I opted for 20w50 synthetic for the fork oil with 80 psi because I wanted them to be stiff, and man are they. For the rear I decided to monoshock it, to reduce weight and because I had one in a box. The shock was from a 2000 cbr f4i, with a little research and head scratching I found that it had a 800lbin spring. Armed with this knowledge I took to the frame with a tape measure and figured that I needed 1.625 inches of preload to get the spring tension right for a linkless rear suspension. I measured the base preload for the shock and came up with the need for a 1.125 inch spacer, because the factory preload is only .5 inches. I turned the spacer from nylon and installed it as I rebuilt the shock. I used 15wt oil and 270psi in the rear. I mounted the shock so it would push the rear wheel down another inch.
The frame got a good once over with a media blaster and painted. I cut off the rear section that the seat originally mounted to reduce weight and fitted a solo saddle that the previous owner had also bought. I moved the battery underneath the swingarm pivot and removed all unnecessary wiring. The frame bearings were all inspected, cleaned, greased,and reinstalled. The electronics were mounted on a pan I made for underneath the seat that also doubles as a sort of hidden fender to protect them from water and road debris.
Finally the engine is done cooking. I placed it in a big pan and opened everything up, the nice red atf that I had put in the engine had done its job and everything was free and clean. I spent a few hours cleaning the combustion chambers with various solvents and checked the charging system for proper resistance. I pulled the covers off the engine before I got to far ahead of myself and adjusted the valves, pulled apart the clutch to check it against spec, and put. 03in preload spacers on the clutch springs. I also cleaned up and bowl blended the intake and exhaust ports after I lapped the valves.
The last thing I tackled was the carburetors, while working on other things I had these soaking in berrymans carb dip for a couple days. I pulled them out to find that the dip hadn't done much on the rusty deposits or corrosion, so I ran to Walmart and bought the biggest box of baking soda I could find(which is only a 4lb box). I dried the carbs and started blasting them clean. The reason I used baking soda is because it is completely soluble,so if I missed a little in a passage it would dissolve completely. Once I got them tuned I had went up three jet sizes and 3.25 turns out on the needle jet, shimmied the diaphragm needles .045 and cut 2 coils off the diaphragm spring.
Once I put the engine back together I started reassembly I fit the forks, shock, swingarm, wheels, engine, carbs, wiring harness, and fuel tank I back flushed the radiator and cooling system to purge it of any remaining gunk. Filled with fluids and fired it up for the first time in 15 years. I fiddled with the carbs a little to get them ironed out, and took it on a ride to the end if the road and back. Since then I have changed the oil twice, and put about 1000 miles on my 450. I originally thought I would sell this bike for a small profit, but I am amazed by how nimble this bike is. This has truly been an amazing little project, and an unexpected delight to ride. The total for my build was $738.
When I arrived to load it up I immediately noticed that both wheels were stuck. I came prepared with a shop crane, this isn't the first basket case I've bought. Once loaded we went to get the paperwork done, and I was on my way with my not so shiny or new motorcycle.
The following day I got to work on it, I stripped it down to the bare frame, bagged, and inspected everything. I found that the wheel bearings were seized, the rear brakes were rusted to the hub, the front master cylinder was cracked, both carbs were a mess, the tank was rusted, the petcock seals were dry rotted, a mouse had gotten into the wiring, the burp tank was cracked, the clutch was stuck, and every cable on it was seized, the forks needed rebuilt, and I had to do something with the rear suspension. Once I made it to that point I began ordering parts knowing I was about to go over budget, but luckily ebay came through for me. I bought all the parts I needed at this point plus tires for less than $350, this is the least expensive motorcycle I have ever worked on. I do work for people from time to time and have gathered some parts over the years that were used on this project, that weren't figured into the budget because they were free to me.
Once I got into the motor things weren't that bad the rings were stuck, the clutch that I mentioned before, the valves were tight, and some sludge inside the engine. First things first I unstuck the clutch and rings by fixing the throw out rod open to disengage the clutch, pulled the plugs and dumped the case and cylinders full of transmission fluid to the point it was coming through the exhaust. I let this set for three days. While I let the engine percolate I moved on to the suspension.
The front forks were easy enough to rebuild. The only real issue I ran into was getting the caps off. I opted for 20w50 synthetic for the fork oil with 80 psi because I wanted them to be stiff, and man are they. For the rear I decided to monoshock it, to reduce weight and because I had one in a box. The shock was from a 2000 cbr f4i, with a little research and head scratching I found that it had a 800lbin spring. Armed with this knowledge I took to the frame with a tape measure and figured that I needed 1.625 inches of preload to get the spring tension right for a linkless rear suspension. I measured the base preload for the shock and came up with the need for a 1.125 inch spacer, because the factory preload is only .5 inches. I turned the spacer from nylon and installed it as I rebuilt the shock. I used 15wt oil and 270psi in the rear. I mounted the shock so it would push the rear wheel down another inch.
The frame got a good once over with a media blaster and painted. I cut off the rear section that the seat originally mounted to reduce weight and fitted a solo saddle that the previous owner had also bought. I moved the battery underneath the swingarm pivot and removed all unnecessary wiring. The frame bearings were all inspected, cleaned, greased,and reinstalled. The electronics were mounted on a pan I made for underneath the seat that also doubles as a sort of hidden fender to protect them from water and road debris.
Finally the engine is done cooking. I placed it in a big pan and opened everything up, the nice red atf that I had put in the engine had done its job and everything was free and clean. I spent a few hours cleaning the combustion chambers with various solvents and checked the charging system for proper resistance. I pulled the covers off the engine before I got to far ahead of myself and adjusted the valves, pulled apart the clutch to check it against spec, and put. 03in preload spacers on the clutch springs. I also cleaned up and bowl blended the intake and exhaust ports after I lapped the valves.
The last thing I tackled was the carburetors, while working on other things I had these soaking in berrymans carb dip for a couple days. I pulled them out to find that the dip hadn't done much on the rusty deposits or corrosion, so I ran to Walmart and bought the biggest box of baking soda I could find(which is only a 4lb box). I dried the carbs and started blasting them clean. The reason I used baking soda is because it is completely soluble,so if I missed a little in a passage it would dissolve completely. Once I got them tuned I had went up three jet sizes and 3.25 turns out on the needle jet, shimmied the diaphragm needles .045 and cut 2 coils off the diaphragm spring.
Once I put the engine back together I started reassembly I fit the forks, shock, swingarm, wheels, engine, carbs, wiring harness, and fuel tank I back flushed the radiator and cooling system to purge it of any remaining gunk. Filled with fluids and fired it up for the first time in 15 years. I fiddled with the carbs a little to get them ironed out, and took it on a ride to the end if the road and back. Since then I have changed the oil twice, and put about 1000 miles on my 450. I originally thought I would sell this bike for a small profit, but I am amazed by how nimble this bike is. This has truly been an amazing little project, and an unexpected delight to ride. The total for my build was $738.
