A few weeks ago I attempted to change the sprocket of my YZ250F in order to ride supermoto at the Carolina Motorsports Park. The impact wrench didn't loosen the nut, neither did the heat from an oxy acetylene torch. My final effort came in the form of a 4ft jack handle slipped over a half inch breaker bar. I knew it wasn't simply going to thread off, but I knew it must be done. I put all my might into the handle and the nut slowly turned - along with the threads of the output shaft.
It was an inevitable outcome, but I was nonetheless disappointed.
I ordered new parts and after a couple of weeks they arrived. It was then that I set to dissasemble the engine to swap the destroyed shaft for a new one.
My friend Brian offered his pristine garage for me to complete the work. Within a couple of days, it was back together. By the next weekend the motor was back in the bike.
On a Friday afternoon, I kick started the bike and rode around my neighborhood to verify that it was in working order. Two days later I loaded the bike onto the trailer and headed to the final round of the VCHSS series - Lake Sugar Tree.
When I pulled the YZ off the trailer and attempted to start it, though, the kickstart was stuck! We removed the clutch cover, but couldn't see much from there.
Again, luck was on my side and my friend Todd offered up his KTM 2-stroke for me to ride.
I rushed to the start line with Todd's bike. Since his girlfriend Charmaine had just finished her race on the bike, we worried there might not be enough fuel for my three laps. Charmaine decided to find a can of premix and meet me after my first lap. Moments later, the start flag waived and I was off!
Adapting to the bike took at least the entire first lap. Even then, I never fully mastered the feel of the clutch. Luckily, though, I erred on the side of slipping it rather than stalling the motor.
Early in the first lap my right foot slipped from the peg. My toes planted on the ground as the bike [and the rest of my leg] continued forward. I was fairly certain I'd sprained my ankle, so I tried to keep it resting on the peg closer to the center of my foot for the remaining laps.
There were several offs, though. One occured at a short, punchy hillclimb. The rider in front of me propelled his bike from beneath his lap and it flipped above both of our heads! It landed on the front wheel of Todd's bike, but neither of us suffered an injury.
By the end of the third lap I was happy to have survived without more serious injury. I hobbled my YZ back onto the trailer and bid my riding partners adieu.
The next day I removed the side case (outside the cylinder, so I could perform this with the engine within the frame). I found one of the gears had a loose nut, which had worked its way up against the case. In a way, it was fortuitous that the kickstarter jammed immediately. The engine doesn't seem to have been damaged by my brief test ride on Friday and I believe the issue is resolved now.
Of course, I'll have to wait until my ankle is healed to know for sure 😁
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