restoration help

[mevaters]

Hey, I have decided to just tear apart the tri z and restore it and replace every nut and bolt and gasget etc. I just took off the exhaust and the top part of the engine right where the sparkplug goes into. My question is, is the top of the piston supposed to be very clean and metallic? Mine is very dark and pretty dirty, the guy I bought this bike off of a few weeks ago never took care of it. I assume I really have to clean the engine and I am replacing all of the lines and hoses. I am trying to get a manual from this guy on here i'm just waiting for him to email me back so I suppose my questions will not be so stupid, lol. I was going to sell the bike because I was so pissed off at how bad it was performing but I decided that since I already own it I might as well restore it so that I have a like new trike and i have the satisfaction of doing it myself. Anybody have any guess on how long it would take to restore this trike? not counting the delivery time for the parts? Anyone else run into any problems restoring a tri z that I should know? Any tips, Thanks.

[rxraptor02]

well time depends on you and how fast you want to get it done.

waiting for the parts and machine shops is gonna be the longest.

it took me 1 week to get the cylinder bored and the top end kit to come in for my tri-z. if that is all the motor work your gonna do then I would say 10-14 days with waiting for parts and the machine shop.

the missing nuts and bolts on mine..I just replaced them with nuts/bolts from the local hardware store.

frame and painting that depends on how you will paint and prep.

if you are missing parts check e-bay. yamaha has DC'd some of the parts for the tri-z and you will have better luck getting them online. E-bay!

[mywifeknowseverythin]

I agree,,,,Time depends on you and what you want to do with your trike...

Alot of parts are still available...
Major stuff like the Brake Calipers (Front and Rear= Same), 85 front end, Shock Assem, engine cases, Rear plastic, brake disk, and that sort are still available....Things that are not can be robbed off the Banshee or Blaster from what I have found..

If you go to your local parts house try to find an older person to help you...Some one that was around in the 70's and 80's....These people will seem to remember what a trike is and be able to help you with crossing parts...:chuckle: I have found that the younger people behind the counter are only interested in what it says in the book and could care less about trying to help you figure out what MIGHT work....;)

[250sx]

a dark piston is pretty normal. You need to have your bore mic'd to see what size it is before you order a new piston. also, if your machine shop doesn't insist on having the piston before boring it then RUN to somebody who has a clue. :cool:

[mevaters]

thanks for the replies. I have the bike almost completly stripped now just frame and the front end and radiator. I ended up breaking off 2 tips of thebolts holding on the front motor mount. I will have to go to canadian tire and see if they have a drill attachment to get them out with. They broke off so easy, i suppose they were the original bolts lol. Other than that I have a few parts coming in on friday so I start this weekend. Should be fun. latah

[jenndnn3]

One of the things we absolutly love is progress picts!!!! Very good luck on your restore and enjoy!