How difficult is a rebuild

[Bushcraftsman]

Just wondering how difficult it is to re build a dirt bike / crosser with no prior knowledge? I was thinking of buying a scrapped one from a scrap heap or something. Or a spares/repairs one off eBay etc. and fixing it up? It's more just for fun because I want to learn more about engines etc, and having a bike would be cool

Any help would be great thanks

 

[Adze]

A bit simpler and with less welding than rebuilding a classic car, tractor, tank or lorry, but slightly more complex than a pushbike.

As with most things it depends on how far you want to take it - if you want a runner, you can probably manage that in a few afternoons with access to the right parts. If you want a concourse winner - that'll take you a bit longer and be a lot more expensive.

I fixed up an old suffolk colt lawn mower a while back from being a non-starter to a runner, nicely sharpened and able to mow the lawn in an afternoon - the paintwork hasnt been touched though, one of the handgrips is made from duct tape and the trottle cable and linkage is made from a bike brake cable and some bent hinges.

 

[Ogri the trog]

You could learn a lot - even if it is to hate anything mechanical!

First bike (motor) I rode was bought between a bunch of mates from a scrappy for £30!

The third bike I owned ( a Triumph TR6P) was bought in a tea-chest and built from the ground up - which taught me about electrics mainly, but also how to "force" old engines to run!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[cbr6fs]

Really depends on the bike to be honest.

Something like an old air cooled 2-stroke are VERY easy to work on, get a newer 4-stroke though and there is a lot more moving parts to mess about with.

I would advise to spend a little bit more and get one with the right papers, you could get one from the scrappers spend a year and money rebuilding it, them find out it's nicked.

If it's mechanical experience your after then 2 suggestions spring to my mind.
Nitro radion controlled cars, planes, helicopters etc
Or just buy a mega cheap chicken chaser (Honda C90)

 

[jacko1066]

Just wondering how difficult it is to re build a dirt bike / crosser with no prior knowledge? I was thinking of buying a scrapped one from a scrap heap or something. Or a spares/repairs one off eBay etc. and fixing it up? It's more just for fun because I want to learn more about engines etc, and having a bike would be cool

Any help would be great thanks

My advice to you mate, pretty much as above, it depends on the bike, if I was you I would get a 2 stroke 50cc and start there, they are very easy to work on, if its a non runner it can only be a handful of things, you can put a big bore kit on it and it will be good for 60-70mph if ran in properly!!
An exact bike would have to be a Suzuki Ts50x, I had 2 of them, brilliant bikes!!!
What I would defo reccomend though is to make sure the chasis is NOT bent, for a start it would never pass an mot, and is pretty much a write off!!
Haynes manuals are excellent bits of kit, as a mechanic previously they have been a great help most of the time!!
And the main thing with starting with a 50cc Ts or similar it will always have a re-sale value as they are very sought after bikes!!
Hope this has helped in some small way.
All the best
Steve

 

[cbr6fs]

Going on from Steve's advice, be VERY careful if you pay money for something from the scrappers.

It would be fun stripping a 2-stroke motor down, but if it's seized then there is a good chance it'll cost more to fix than the bike would be worth.


For me a bent frame wouldn't worry me too much as long as it was a steel frame and wasn't bent too badly, but then i can weld.
Whenever i buy a 2-stroke i strip the motor any ways, so that wouldn't worry me too much as i price 2-strokes up with a mind that they'll need a new motor

In my experience it's gearboxes and all the little stuff that add up (not so many little things on a crosser).

 

[zorro]

How long is a piece of string?

Bare minimum you'll need a shed, bench with a vice, and a box of tools. After a short while you will also need another box for all the tools you have had to buy that you never knew you'd need.

Definitely go 2 stroke, preferably a runner, and tinker away to your hearts content.

And make sure the brakes work. Very important things, brakes.

 

[demographic]

I've bought several dirtbikes over the years and all I'll say is don't buy the ones that aren't already working.
They can vary from dead easy fix to complete money pit.
There's enough bikes going fairly cheap that work that you don't need to buy knackered ones.
Plenty time to knacker them after you buy them and at least you know they worked at one point.

Spares availability counts for a lot also, it might seem "like totally cool" to own the only Vertemati 501 in the country but when you have to wait six weeks for Luigi to make it a replacement cylinder head it might get slightly irritating.
Go with something that quite a few people have cos that way you have a decent chance of finding spares.