Before the rebuild. There have been worse project bikes. There have been better.

Project F, Part 1: Bringing a "free" 24-year-old XT250 back to life

All you hear at the track nowadays is “F” this and “F” that. Well, I had heard enough, and I went and got myself an F of my own. A 250F, that is.

Unfortunately, my budget didn’t allow for one of the new-fangled racing four-strokes that the dealers are getting top dollar for these days. Most of the young hotshots ride a YZ250F, a CRF250, maybe an RMZ250F or a KX250F. One or two might even have a KTM250SX-F.

That’s fine. When those kids are out there trying to light-up a stalled-out high-compression four-stroke, I'll be lapping them on my righteous rocket, my converted cruiser, my vintage vehicle of virility.

My 1981 Yamaha XT250.

Diamond in the rough

Don't believe them. The best things in life are not free. Case in point: my '81 XT. The bike was donated to the cause by riding buddy, Brent.

“If you want it, it's yours,” Brent told me at a fall 2004 hare scrambles. “If not, it's going in the dumpster come garbage day.”

The bike was given to Brent under essentially the same circumstances a few years earlier. Brent's intention was to turn it into an ice-racer, but other projects remained stubbornly in the way, and the ice bike idea eventually took a back seat to the objective of reducing clutter in his garage. I told him to hold on to it, but, to be honest, I wasn’t dancing at the thought of adding it to my collection.

A month or so later, I was coming home from a weekend trail ride, succumbed to a moment of weakness, and decided to finally pick up the XT. I called Brent, and luckily (or unluckily) he was there and agreed to wait for me. The old trail bike was waiting out front when I arrived.

"Sorry about the bars. It fell over when I was moving stuff around awhile back and they bent," he said.

Brent, whataguy! He gives me a dirt bike and still apologizes for blemishes.

Of course, if Brent had taken the time to apologize for everything wrong with the XT, I would still be standing in his driveway. The airbox was missing. The wiring was jacked beyond comprehension. The ignition cover was gone, as was the shifter. There was no skid plate, which in the XT’s case plays the role of the lower frame rails that protect the engine (and, funny enough, epoxy graced the bottom of the engine cases). A thin but consistent layer of rust covered most metal parts. It was a rat bike to the core.

In other words, it was perfect.

Objective: Fun

Every project needs a goal, a point of accomplishment that seals the deal and affirms success. The purpose for Project F is not set in stone, but it is pretty much carved in wood. Here are the possibilities.

One thought is to race the revitalized machine in a local hare scrambles, and, of course, finish. That idea isn’t as crazy as it might initially seem. If you’ve been to a local hare scrambles lately, you know bikes the same vintage of our XT are not out of the question.

Another possibility is to enter it in a AHRMA cross-country race. I haven’t checked the rulebook yet, but the bike should qualify for the Post-Vintage Open class as a Grand Prix or Ultima Four-Stroke machine. That still might happen, but the AHRMA schedule doesn’t fit our purposes. The XT has had enough down time in the last decade. If I get it running again, I owe it more than several more months in mothballs.

For the same reason, I’m leaning against adopting Brent’s original plan of converting it into an ice bike. Plus, the promise of riding buddy Bobby Brooks echoes in my head: “Give me that thing on an ice track and I’ll turn its top end into shrapnel in a few laps!” Bobby used to race pro flat track, so he can make good on that threat. For the XT’s well-being, I decide to hold off on the ice bike conversion to protect it from the relentless right wrist of Mr. Brooks.

Finally, I could simply use the bike for what it was originally intended: having fun on the trails. Better yet, someone else, someone new to off-road riding, could discover the joy of riding in the woods — all made possible by the rejuvenated XT.

That, I think, is the best goal yet.

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