Home - Dirtbike - Projects - Project Lowbucks 3 – 1978 Yamaha YZ250E Part 2

Project Lowbucks 3 – 1978 Yamaha YZ250E Part 2

Jun. 11, 2014 By Rick Sieman
Here’s the YZ250 sitting on the workbench, ready to go.

In part one of Project Lowbucks, we did a basic strip and took much of the bike down. This was done mostly to find out what was right and what was wrong with the bike. All things considered, the YZ 250 was in pretty good shape. Sure, it was as filthy as a bike could possibly be, but that can and will be corrected.

In this part of Project Lowbucks, we’re going to do a deeper strip – that is, we’re going to get the bike completely disassembled. In the process of taking the bike apart, were going to pass some timesaving tips and tricks on to you. So sit back and let your fingers do the walking as we dive right in to part two of Project Lowbucks.

More '78 Yamaha YZ250E Lowbucks
Project Lowbucks 3 - Part One

No air filter or side panels were on the bike. Amazingly, when we first started the motor up, the bike did not smoke a great deal, which tells us that it had not run very long with no filter.

First timesaving tip: put all of the various nuts and bolts into a small bag or folder for later when it comes time to reassemble the bike. You have no idea how confusing it can be when it comes time to figure out what bolt or nut goes where. This organization here will save you a virtual ton of time later on.

First, we had to remove the front bolts holding the exhaust pipe in place.

Next, the center holding bolt can be removed. 

Lastly, the muffler is taken off and set aside.

The complete pipe can now be removed and checked for cracks or bad dents. Luckily, the exhaust on our YZ250 was in pretty good shape aside from a light surface rust and a coating of crud.
 
The master link was removed and the chain taken off. Amazingly, the chain was in decent shape, and with a bit of cleaning and fresh lube it can be reused.

At this point, things started to be taken off the engine. The carb was the first item removed.

Here’s another handy tip: put a small jack of some sort underneath the frame and get it up in the air. This will then let you put a block of wood under the frame rails and this will clear the rear wheel. You don’t want to try to wrestle a frame with the motor in it.

Now the rear axle nut can be loosened.

The wing nut on the brake rod must be removed before attempting to remove the rear wheel.

Make sure that all of the spacers and washers are in the correct position. When it comes time to put it all back together, you be happy that it’s all there in the proper order. 

The rear wheel can be removed at this point. 

We found a bunch of rust on the inside of the brake hub. This will be removed later on with a bit of sandpaper.

The brake shoes were a real mess and will need our attention further downstream.

Next Page... Project Lowbucks: ’78 Yamaha YZ250E, Part 2
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