ninjette.org - View Single Post - If you have started or want to start building a project bike, what bike would it be?

Wanderer · May 31st, 2017, 01:07 PM

I use my little Ninja 250 as a solid, daily riding, playing bike and I just LOVE it! It is a great bike.

But for some reason, that I sometimes regret, I also bought a 1991 Yamaha Virago XV750 V-Twin to rebuild and I am slowly getting it running again.

I paid $500 dollars for it on Craigslist. It had been sitting out in the desert weather, next to the owners house, unstarted for over 6 years! It was complete, undamaged and had no major mods, but straight drag handlebars added by the previous owner and the owner said that it was running good when it was last started. It has about 36K miles of the odometer.

I started by changing the oil, added new battery, squirted some Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder, checked compression and all looked pretty good. My major issues have been the weather damage, corroded connectors, dried out seals(brakes, forks, hoses), rust inside fuel tank. The carbs were completely gummed up and all jets were completely blocked. While rebuilding the carbs, I also decided to add a single carb manifold mod to the bike and to get rid of the twin Mikuni carbs.

I'm not trying to keep it stock or original. I am going for a cheap bobber style bike.

Anyway, I am getting closer and it has been running and idles well, but the single carb still needs more jetting/tuning work, but little by little it is getting there.

I'm happy with the bike model I chose for the project, but it has been a work of "love" and not really worth all of the hours I've invested in it. Would I do it again? Maybe not, but I do like the old bike so far.

So, what old bike are you rebuilding or would like to use as a project bike?

May 31st, 2017, 01:07 PM	#1
Wanderer ninjette.org member Name: Ruben Location: Arizona Join Date: Sep 2016 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 and 1991 Yamaha Virago XV750 Posts: 228	If you have started or want to start building a project bike, what bike would it be? I use my little Ninja 250 as a solid, daily riding, playing bike and I just LOVE it! It is a great bike. But for some reason, that I sometimes regret, I also bought a 1991 Yamaha Virago XV750 V-Twin to rebuild and I am slowly getting it running again. I paid $500 dollars for it on Craigslist. It had been sitting out in the desert weather, next to the owners house, unstarted for over 6 years! It was complete, undamaged and had no major mods, but straight drag handlebars added by the previous owner and the owner said that it was running good when it was last started. It has about 36K miles of the odometer. I started by changing the oil, added new battery, squirted some Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder, checked compression and all looked pretty good. My major issues have been the weather damage, corroded connectors, dried out seals(brakes, forks, hoses), rust inside fuel tank. The carbs were completely gummed up and all jets were completely blocked. While rebuilding the carbs, I also decided to add a single carb manifold mod to the bike and to get rid of the twin Mikuni carbs. I'm not trying to keep it stock or original. I am going for a cheap bobber style bike. Anyway, I am getting closer and it has been running and idles well, but the single carb still needs more jetting/tuning work, but little by little it is getting there. I'm happy with the bike model I chose for the project, but it has been a work of "love" and not really worth all of the hours I've invested in it. Would I do it again? Maybe not, but I do like the old bike so far. So, what old bike are you rebuilding or would like to use as a project bike?