Its been a while, but i have been very busy. Still have all my VMX bikes, but i also now have a 2019 YZ125 and the boy has a 2014 YZ85.. so we go out riding as much as possible and they are both great bikes in their own right.
The E has not been on the backburner. Ive been tinkering and cursing for quite some time now. If there was ever a bike that was completely fukced, its this one. I don't think there is a nut or bolt that's missing, bent, stripped or wrong.
The bike needed a rebore. Its now 3rd over with a Yamaha nos piston and ring set. I had to get a new nos cylinder head.
The footpeg perch needed replacing, so i found a nos one in Sweden. The brake pads were toast, so for now i pinched the ones from my 80F project.
Believe it or not, there is about 1k in parts in this old banger as it sits in the pics below. Took the pics today. I have her up to a stage where you could take her out for a ride. Clutch, brakes, gears, etc.. are all OK. Forks are shot, but bounce up and down. I found a 78 YZ80 replacement kickstart and a few other nickers nackers to get her running correctly. I had to replace the swingarm, as someone had modified the old one to make it sit taller. The mudguards are original and in OK condition. I have had to heat them a lot to reshape the twists out of them.
The tank had gone rusty again, so a major clean out with acid, then rinse and neutralize. Then a coat of oil internally.
I now have a massive inventory of new old stock spare parts for this old girl. Its a few years off and will be a very slow process getting her back to new condition. If anyone has an original front number plate, then give me a shout...
I also got hold of the original Yamaha YZ80E tech report for the frame and suspension mod due to cracked frames.
I have the kit and have also found a nos stiffer shock spring. Will be following the report as part of the project.
Cheers,
