I put 41k miles on my 1970 Titan to include two cross country rides from Arizona to the Chicago area and assorted and sundry rides in the state of Colorado. Had it about eight years before I gave it away prior to going overseas in military service. Never pulled anything off of it, replaced one clutch at around 20-25 k. Consistently delivered 40 mpg plus and always had good confidence in it to provide a stable and solid ride. Long wheelbase leant to that. Those big drum brakes worked just fine.
I rode a 1972 GT750 water-cooled 3 cylinder 2-stroke as a teenager. Commonly known as a Water Buffalo. I wish I had it now. A friend of mine had a 1972 500 and was one armed. He moved the throttle to the left side and couldn't use his front brake. He actually rode it quite well. He also had a race car with a manual transmission and shifted it with his left hand.
I just took apart my T500, thanks for the video, couldn’t have done it without you! Lol I didn’t find a broken stud, but I did find a shattered piston :/
Some things to check/modify when you have the gearbox open: wear of the 4th and 5th gears tooth cause a design flaw up to -72 model. And modify the oil dam in the gear case if its not already done, to take 1400cl of oil instead of 1200. Check the little kick prawl for wear on the edge, common problem. Replace the 8mm threads for the heads in the cylinder with helicoils or similar. They are often, or will be, stripped. And of course the crank seals, but you are already aware of that I think. Otherwise its a very solid engine. Looking forward to follow your project! :-)
@@kentuckyyankee I've wanted a 2 stroke for a long time . Had the 1970 for maybe three years ..picked up a complete 1969 just resenty with a bad cylinder ..soooooo the dream is coming along lol
How's she goin'? I guess this is what you call a 'deep dive' on the old 2 banger!!! Looks like you have some work ahead of you. Deciding to restore or not restore, that is the question!!!! Take 'er easy!!!
Hey Ben, great video... I have to revisit my 250 as I never got it going in the time I was last working on it... I'm relieved that the top end can stay intact while the bottom case is removed. My kickstarter spring is broken and I have a spare engine, so I'm about to dig in... just hope the 250 has a similar layout - certainly looks like that's the case. I will be watching the rest of this series. Cheers and thanks from Aus, Pete.
Liked the intro. Regarding the full restoration.. I'm not mad ego money either and get where you're coming from. What do you figure a full restoration to be? Like strip the frame and have it powder coated show room restoration? Mechanical restoration leaving the beauty marks as they are? I saw a video where RnW talked about whether a car was worth fixing. Do you do something similar for bikes? Maybe figure the cost of repair and make a sell price and line up a buyer before going too deep? Will see if I can find the RnW video.
@@kentuckyyankee found the video if of interest. Raises some good point which you're probably already aware ;) th-cam.com/video/WGL0hE3qXOk/w-d-xo.html If you're thinking of doing mechanical maybe check the crank rod journal for the toasted piston. Would be a shame to rebuild it to find out that the heat, friction, and strain on the piston transcribed to damage on the journal somehow. Not sure if the rod bolts are torque to yield and have stretched. Might be good to check that before ripping apart. Anyway enjoyed another great video. Thank you.
I noticed that you pointed to the crank bearing O-rings and called them the crank seals. they are not the crank seals. The crank seals are pressed into the face of the crank bearings. to replace them one needs to tear down the crankshaft then remove and replace the crank seals. There are four seals - one on the outside of each outside bearing that keep the 2 stroke oil from leaking out and contaminating the electrical and on the clutch side to keep the engine oil from cross contaminating the transmission oil and the 2 stroke oil. The centre bearing has one on each side to allow the transmission oil to cool the centre bearing. It is not lubricated by 2 stroke oil. On this particular engine it would be recommended the bearings be replaced at the same time, while you have the engine out. It is usually recommended the complete replacement of the main bearings, big and small end bearings, and in your case, the pistons and rings. follow this link to a manual that covers the T 500....www.oldjapanesebikes.com/mraxl_GT_Resource/manuals/t500_service/index.php
I put 41k miles on my 1970 Titan to include two cross country rides from Arizona to the Chicago area and assorted and sundry rides in the state of Colorado. Had it about eight years before I gave it away prior to going overseas in military service. Never pulled anything off of it, replaced one clutch at around 20-25 k. Consistently delivered 40 mpg plus and always had good confidence in it to provide a stable and solid ride. Long wheelbase leant to that. Those big drum brakes worked just fine.
Great video. Your optimistic approach to tackling this dog of a T500 is both entertaining & instructive. Already looking forward to your next episode.
Thanks it really is going to be a big project for me, but yeah I will enjoy it.
I rode a 1972 GT750 water-cooled 3 cylinder 2-stroke as a teenager. Commonly known as a Water Buffalo. I wish I had it now.
A friend of mine had a 1972 500 and was one armed. He moved the throttle to the left side and couldn't use his front brake. He actually rode it quite well. He also had a race car with a manual transmission and shifted it with his left hand.
I just took apart my T500, thanks for the video, couldn’t have done it without you! Lol
I didn’t find a broken stud, but I did find a shattered piston :/
Good deal glad to hear it, inspect the shift forks and shift components well before you reassemble. Good luck!
Some things to check/modify when you have the gearbox open: wear of the 4th and 5th gears tooth cause a design flaw up to -72 model. And modify the oil dam in the gear case if its not already done, to take 1400cl of oil instead of 1200. Check the little kick prawl for wear on the edge, common problem. Replace the 8mm threads for the heads in the cylinder with helicoils or similar. They are often, or will be, stripped. And of course the crank seals, but you are already aware of that I think. Otherwise its a very solid engine. Looking forward to follow your project! :-)
I have seen something about that, I need to look into it
" Is it practical? " What an impractical question. If I ask myself that every time I start to do something stupid I'd never get anything done.
😂😂
I’ve never seen a Honda quite like that one. Looks fun!
😂😂 I love all motorbikes! Still got some Hondas in the stable. Thanks for watching Brian!
Can't wait to see how this one turns out, whatever you decide to do.
Thanks! One thing for sure we will be riding this thing, only time will tell how pretty it turns out. 😆😆
Great video make I'm just swapping a motor in my 1969 t350 but this was a great help
Cool bikes! I like the 350s
@@kentuckyyankee I've wanted a 2 stroke for a long time . Had the 1970 for maybe three years ..picked up a complete 1969 just resenty with a bad cylinder ..soooooo the dream is coming along lol
@@traxxastrx4crawlerlove61 Glad to hear it!
How's she goin'? I guess this is what you call a 'deep dive' on the old 2 banger!!! Looks like you have some work ahead of you. Deciding to restore or not restore, that is the question!!!! Take 'er easy!!!
Hey Ben, great video... I have to revisit my 250 as I never got it going in the time I was last working on it... I'm relieved that the top end can stay intact while the bottom case is removed. My kickstarter spring is broken and I have a spare engine, so I'm about to dig in... just hope the 250 has a similar layout - certainly looks like that's the case. I will be watching the rest of this series. Cheers and thanks from Aus, Pete.
Great to hear from you Pete, I look forward to seeing your bike run. Yours is in much better shape than mine.
Liked the intro.
Regarding the full restoration.. I'm not mad ego money either and get where you're coming from. What do you figure a full restoration to be? Like strip the frame and have it powder coated show room restoration? Mechanical restoration leaving the beauty marks as they are?
I saw a video where RnW talked about whether a car was worth fixing. Do you do something similar for bikes? Maybe figure the cost of repair and make a sell price and line up a buyer before going too deep?
Will see if I can find the RnW video.
Leaning towards making it mechanically sound and cleaning it up the way it is kinda like the cb350 but maybe polish it up a little more
@@kentuckyyankee found the video if of interest. Raises some good point which you're probably already aware ;)
th-cam.com/video/WGL0hE3qXOk/w-d-xo.html
If you're thinking of doing mechanical maybe check the crank rod journal for the toasted piston. Would be a shame to rebuild it to find out that the heat, friction, and strain on the piston transcribed to damage on the journal somehow. Not sure if the rod bolts are torque to yield and have stretched. Might be good to check that before ripping apart. Anyway enjoyed another great video.
Thank you.
How did you come upon the handle "Kentucky Yankee"? Could it be a take-off on the abbreviation for Kentucky, KY, or is there another origin?
I'm a Yankee from NY now living in Kentucky
I often have the same questions. Is this bike worth restoration? Is this my dream bike? Can I sell it again? ...
Hi, do u have video recordings of installing the handle stem bearings for the T500?
Pls email me the link, much appreciate it.
I'm sorry I never installed new ones
at least rebuild the engine you can make money on it.
I noticed that you pointed to the crank bearing O-rings and called them the crank seals. they are not the crank seals. The crank seals are pressed into the face of the crank bearings. to replace them one needs to tear down the crankshaft then remove and replace the crank seals. There are four seals - one on the outside of each outside bearing that keep the 2 stroke oil from leaking out and contaminating the electrical and on the clutch side to keep the engine oil from cross contaminating the transmission oil and the 2 stroke oil. The centre bearing has one on each side to allow the transmission oil to cool the centre bearing. It is not lubricated by 2 stroke oil. On this particular engine it would be recommended the bearings be replaced at the same time, while you have the engine out. It is usually recommended the complete replacement of the main bearings, big and small end bearings, and in your case, the pistons and rings. follow this link to a manual that covers the T 500....www.oldjapanesebikes.com/mraxl_GT_Resource/manuals/t500_service/index.php