Posted December 27, 2005   Email |  Print

Project F, Part 4: Making old, grimy things shiny again

by James Holter

Between tearing down and building back up is the often-maligned task of refurbishing. This is where we endure the hard, slow process of turning junk into something usable.

The basic idea is to prep the XT for reassembly. As part of that, I’ll clean, paint and lube what I salvaged off the original bike. I’ll also undertake the hunt for the necessary replacement parts. There’s no doubt that this step is the longest of any such undertaking.

By this point in the process, I’ve spent enough time with the XT getting it running and taking it apart, that I have a pretty good idea of what I’ve got. Despite the old Yamaha showing its age, I do have quite a bit to work with here.

Better than Botox

There is nearly a quarter-century of grime, rust and dirt on the XT. But thanks to quite possibly the coolest named tool in a modern garage — the sandblaster — what's old can be made new again.

Despite the implication of the term, sandblasting can be a sluggish procedure. The path cleared is narrow and sometimes you’ll need more than one pass to remove all the old paint and rust. While you may be tempted to spray the object you’re cleaning with paint stripper before you blast it, avoid dealing with such chemicals in a way that could pollute the environment (or pollute you).

What can I sandblast? The frame, swingarm, triple clamps and some engine parts get the nod. I don’t go completely nuts, however. As for the engine, I only sand blast the head and cylinder and use a wire brush and soapy water to clean the bottom end.

After all (OK, most) of the old paint is removed, I clean off any lingering residue and dry the pieces with compressed air.

Then, out come the paint cans.

The painting procedure can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like it to be. Of course, anything done by a professional will cost more, look better and last far longer than what you’ll get with a can of Krylon or Rustoleum.

However, because what I’m working with is a basic rat bike, I’m not interested in powder-coating or pinstriping. Some cheap primer, a few coats of paint and a couple of layers of clear coat will work just fine.

There are a few caveats to keep in mind. Make sure you use high-temp paint on the engine and exhaust system. You also should tape off areas that shouldn’t see paint, such as the bearing races in the steering head or the sidecover oil level sight glass, if so equipped. Any exposed sealing surfaces also should be covered.

Also, you need to make sure there’s a good ground between the frame, engine and electrics. Before you put the engine back in the frame or reattach the electrics, scrape off the paint at the mounting areas. A good coating of waterproof grease at these points should protect the metal from the elements.

As far as the electrics themselves go, all you can really do is clean them up and replace any damaged connectors, particularly with a CDI-based ignition, such as the one on the XT. Some items can be repaired in certain cases, but whether it’s cost-effective to do so depends so much on the availability of leftover new parts that it’s impossible to make any useful blanket statements.

Parts bin

There are several items that can’t be redeemed with a few layers of paint, however.

Some of those can be bought off the shelf from your local dealer or any one of the major aftermarket parts companies (such as BikeBandit.com, which offers a discount to AMA members). Thankfully, the internet makes comparison shopping pretty easy. If you go that route, however, make sure you figure in shipping and any discount you earn with your AMA membership.

In some cases, you’ll have to go OEM. While OEM stuff is high quality, you may have to pay more and wait longer for that genuine factory nut, bolt or gasket. Generally, you get what you wait for, though.

Here’s my shopping list:

While I go for the cheaper solution when multiple ones present themselves (see: tire and tube cost), in some cases our hands are tied a bit. For example, a gasket kit was necessary, but while I could have gotten away with a much cheaper top-end kit, I was able to find only a complete kit at the relatively princely sum of $50.

Other items have to come out of salvage. (In most cases, you can’t call up a larger aftermarket dealer and order an ignition cover for a 24-year-old motorcycle.) With some patience and searching on online auction and salvage sites, I find an air box ($15), ignition cover ($10), skid plate ($15) and shift lever ($15).

The final piece of the puzzle is a pair of quasi-vintage Renthal bars, donated to the effort by my long-time riding buddy, Mikey Sr.

Pass the Superglue

Most of the replacement parts are for maintenance or repair (the brake pads, the tires, the wheel bearings, etc.) but some allow me to improve, slightly, the experience of riding the XT.

For example, the handlebars and levers provide more modern ergonomics, and the new sprockets allow me to run a lower overall gearing for more trail-crawling torque. The stock rear is a 47-tooth. I opt for a 49-tooth instead.

The air filter/air box situation is probably the most significant modification, but it isn’t necessarily intentional.

Unable to find the correct-size filter for the airbox purchased out of salvage—although the airbox fit the frame, the filter did not fit the airbox—I visit the XS1100 parts bin, otherwise known as the back corner of my dad’s garage.

Surprisingly, a pod filter once installed on the old XS11 fits perfectly around the rubber intake boot that came with the salvaged air box. I put on a clamp and seal it with some RTV for extra protection. I also get some use out of the XT filter I bought. As a two-piece filter, joined at the edges, I can slip it over the pod filter for extra dust protection.

However, this creates another problem in that the airbox also served as the rear wheel mudflap. This means the pod filter is exposed to the ample roost I expect from the XT’s back knobby. I take a rather low-tech approach and trim a piece of leather to fit the space.

So, by investing some elbow grease, some money and some ingenuity, instead of a big pile of rusted and grimy parts, I know have a big pile of clean and shiny parts that, hopefully, will assemble into a dirt bike.

Project F, Part 1: Bringing a "free" 24-year-old XT250 back to life
Project F, Part 2: Stripping and field-testing the XT250
Project F, Part 3: Decision time — replace it, repair it, or live with it
Project F, Part 4: Making old, grimy things shiny again
Project F, Part 5: Sticking with the plan for the payoff at the end
Project F, Part 6: Work in Progress

© 2005, American Motorcyclist Association